Caryn enjoys a variety of sports, particularly boxing, which she’s been passionately writing about for the past several years. She takes pride in helping fans gain a better understanding of the skills and techniques involved, who the athletes are, and why they do what they do.
Caryn has interviewed some of the top boxers in the sport as well as up-and-coming fighters; she has also written detailed and thoughtful pieces that examine specific matches and the state of the sport.
As a sports commentator, Caryn has provided ringside analysis at former world champion Steve Forbes’ 2Pound Sports boxing events since April 2019.
Caryn Speaks with Andre Ward About Sergey Kovalev’s Timing Following Knockout Win:
Caryn Providing Ringside Commentary & Analysis for 2Pound Sports & Entertainment’s Aug 2019 event:
Scoring and Refereeing Fights: The Essentials
I attended a three-day official certification course for prospective boxing judges and referees. Here are the most critical things everyone who loves or is involved with the sport should know.
Exclusive Freddie Roach interview – Premier Boxing Champions
“I told him one time, ‘Manny, when you start slowing down, and you’re not the same anymore, I’m going to tell you to retire.’
“‘When that happens,’ he said, ‘we’ll both retire.’
“I said, ‘That’s a deal.’”
Exclusive Virgil Hunter interview – Premier Boxing Champions
“Shadowboxing is the main focus to [improve] footwork, to enhance the muscle memory and to do certain in-and-out drills, lateral drills, until it’s just locked in.
“Shadowboxing is very important. It helps a fighter maintain his form (offensive and defensive) even when he’s tired. His form will not suffer because of the rounds and rounds of shadowboxing. He’ll maintain his form even when he’s fatigued.”
Exclusive Ronnie Shields interview – Premier Boxing Champions
“I remember when I was at a fight and I got a call that my father died. Do I bring that into the ring, and not help my fighter? Or do I deal with that afterwards?
“Mentally you have to find a way to block it out. I know I’ve got to continue to do my job because that’s what my father wanted me to do. He would have told me, ‘Block me out until it’s time for you to grieve for me.’”
Exclusive Derrick James interview – Premier Boxing Champions
“For this fight [if we win], I could possibly cry tears of joy because I know the struggles. Not only from the accident. But the pain and the things Errol had to go through to get back to this point, to step back into the arena.”
Exclusive Errol Spence Jr. interview
“If you can hit the person with the jab, you can also hit ’em with a hook or an uppercut because that means you’re close enough and you’ve got positioning. You can get the opponent’s timing, too, using your jab.”
Outside the Ring: Austin Trout Brings the Warrior Out of Others
Austin has become certified to lead classes with basic, non-contact boxing exercises for people with Parkinson’s disease. “I tell people boxing can be the vehicle that you use to do anything you want. Boxing has been my life savior.”
Exclusive Shawn Porter Interview
“My style comes with a rough and aggressive approach that not many people understand. The work rate at which I perform is not common. To be able to have the reflexes and willingness to do what I do, that also doesn’t come very often.”
Outside the Ring: Jamal James Uplifts Minneapolis
“I wanted to make a place where people would feel safe to come and talk. Since the gym is closed [due to the pandemic], we still try to keep connected with the people we serve by doing Zoom meetings with some of the young men and women.”
More at Premier Boxing Champions
Always Ready: Andre Ward exclusive interview (Published in Boxing News magazine)
“The right hand landed–I came off the ropes, he relaxed for a split second, and I stepped in, and boom! He did a funny dance.” … buy the issue
Andre Ward’s Journey Continues: Exclusive (Published in Oakland Magazine)
“If they see the work, the struggle, the behind-the-scenes things that happened, they’re gonna walk away, hopefully, with not just a greater appreciation for my career but maybe some encouragement.”
I had the rare opportunity to observe the California State Athletic Commission rules meeting with the representatives of the fighters competing on the Wilder vs. Fury card
“Spence has a lot of will. He has a lot of determination. He has a lot of confidence in himself. I think it’s just gonna be a matter of time before I’m doing so many of the right things that it starts to frustrate him, that it starts to worry his corner…and once you get worried, that’s when your heart is being taken.”
Madrimov vs. Walker: Inviting Tragedy
Boxing can and should do better. Before we have to give an avoidable memorial ten-count.
“I worked with Shawn well before he ever became a professional fighter on how to beat taller fighters and left handers.”
More at BoxingNoir.com
Hammer has been receiving a lot of praise in the media for her solid jab, and she does have a good one. However, Shields has that and more. It could be said that Hammer has one good punch (her jab), while Shields has multiple good punches…
“The gameplan just unfolded. I didn’t have a set style. Sometimes I would walk him around the ring–I wasn’t running, I would walk him. Run him into shots. Get back inside. Steal wind from him. Hit him with some short body shots, uppercuts, and just–doing what I do. My inside game, and then beating him on the outside.”
The CSAC is striving to use the data it has collected over the years, combined with medical research showing the connection between severe weight-cutting and an increase in the danger of concussion and brain trauma, to work with the sanctioning bodies to establish more effective rules surrounding the weight issue.
“I just always wanted to make everybody feel equal. I always look out for the underdog.”
“When I came up, the way I was taught was I had to get my feet in sync first. I had to learn how to move forward and backward, and then laterally, left and right. And then take that to the next level.”
“I wanted them to know that they can achieve anything that they want to achieve. I had them chanting out, ‘I am somebody!’ and it meant so much to me. The kids need to know that they are somebody, that they special.”
Overcoming doubt and persevering in the face of injuries and bigger, perhaps stronger opponents were the themes of Ward’s Hall-of-Fame-worthy career.
“I consider myself a thinking fighter where I can make those adjustments, and I can kind of read my opponent’s body language, and read their punch selection before they even throw punches.”
“It’s a beautiful thing to know where we come from, where my dad comes from–the struggles and hardships that he had to go through to give us a better life. My dad came from nothing, with a third-grade education, an immigrant from Mexico.”
“There comes a time when you have to take a stand and stand up for what is right,” said Deontay. “So we’re gonna continue to strive for greatness, and continue to keep boxing a clean sport.”
#NotAfraid: Exclusive Guillermo Rigondeaux Interview (Published in Boxing News magazine)
“While I respect Lomachenko, the reality is he’s never fought against someone with my pedigree and skillset.” … buy the issue
“Someone said to me once, ‘If you never want to work a day in your life, find something you love to do and find a way to make it pay.’ And that definitely is what I feel like I’m doing.”
“Being a veteran in boxing for over 60 years of my life, I leave no stone unturned. I’m trying to create something different in boxing so that it makes boxing better, it brings it up to a better level…I want to make sure the fans get a fair shake and we don’t have any more black eyes in boxing with these controversial decisions .”
“I think I’m gonna surprise a lot of people because people are thinking it’s just gonna be a knockout, or it’s gonna be a fast fight. But, you know, there’s more to me and more inside of me, and true grit, that I’ll be able to show.”
Ward landed devastating body punches, with both hands, that I could hear ringside like a bell…
“Since I’ve been a kid, in the Olympics–I was never the biggest guy. I’ve always been kind of understated. That’s just my lane and my story, and I’ve learned to be comfortable there. It’s a tremendous source of motivation knowing I can overcome in those situations, regardless of what it looks like.”
Some athletes are so skillful that they seem almost untouchable in the primes of their careers. Many of these athletes are so gifted that they make their mastery of their art form look easy to the untrained eye, which sees none of the daily toil and sacrifice it took to achieve greatness.
Since turning pro 19 years ago, “Amazing” Layla McCarter has amassed some of the most impressive accomplishments in all of women’s boxing…
The Truth About Premier Boxing Champions
In the mainstream boxing media, there have been a lot of statements made over the past few days regarding Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and whether the series created by Al Haymon is on its last legs…
“Showtime” Shawn Porter (26-2, 16 KOs) is a monster in the ring of the old school, infighting variety. Porter is in the middle of training camp in Las Vegas, preparing for his April 22 bout against Andre Berto (31-4, 24 KOs). The fighter known as “Showtime” graciously stepped away from training for a few minutes and granted this exclusive interview.
A master of infighting like Henry Armstrong would likely be labeled a “dirty fighter” and advised to “pursue a career in MMA” if he fought today.
In many ways, his disciplined behavior hearkens back to champs of yesteryear: he’s respectful and courteous with everyone, even his opponents (provided they don’t disrespect him), he takes on all comers, and he is always in shape. Outside the sport, he is a champion of bullied children through his activism in the It Gets Better campaign. In addition, he helps raise awareness and supports legislation in the fight against domestic violence towards women.
Martinez’s style is unorthodox and would be downright dangerous if used by someone without the skill and the natural gifts possessed by the middleweight champion. He fights with his hands held low and moves around his opponent, working to keep him from setting his feet and efficiently keeping him guessing. But he’s more than a moving target—while he maneuvers, Maravilla is also on the offensive, throwing—and landing—a lot of awkward shots on his opponent.
Caryn A. Tate 
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