Punches and Punchlines

Send us a textA boxing weekend that began with disappointment ultimately delivered one of the year's most thrilling fights. Fritz and Franco take you through the entire spectrum of emotions that fight fans experienced over this packed weekend of action.The Times Square card failed to ignite any real excitement despite featuring names like Devin Haney, who appeared hesitant throughout his victory, and Ryan Garcia, whose defensive limitations were exposed in his loss to the equally controversial Rolly Romero. Neither contest provided the fireworks expected from such high-profile matchups.Saturday's Saudi Arabia event reached a new low with William Skull's embarrassing performance against Canelo Alvarez. Skull's strategy consisted almost entirely of running away, literally throwing his hands up and retreating whenever Canelo approached. The hosts don't hold back their contempt for this display, questioning how the IBF could possibly have made this their mandatory title challenge. Even the Saudi promoters couldn't hide their disgust, with Turki Alalshikh unceremoniously dismissing Skull from the ring after the fight.The weekend was salvaged on Sunday when Naoya "The Monster" Inoue demonstrated why he's considered one of boxing's premier attractions. Despite suffering a knockdown in the second round against the game Ramon Cardenas, Inoue mounted a spectacular comeback featuring punishing body work that culminated in an eighth-round TKO. The co-main between Espinoza and Vasquez delivered consistent action as well, with Vasquez showing tremendous heart before the referee's merciful stoppage.Join the hosts as they celebrate fighters like Inoue and Jaime Munguia, who showed impressive growth in his rematch victory, while calling out the sport's disappointments. They also address the problematic commentary that continues to plague boxing broadcasts, with Joe Tessitore receiving particular criticism for his hyperbolic reactions to punches that didn't even land.Want more unfiltered boxing talk that cuts through the hype? Subscribe, leave a review, and join Fritz and Franco each time they break down the best in boxing... with a sense of humor.

Send us a textCinco de Mayo transforms into a global boxing extravaganza this year with major fights spanning three consecutive days across the world. We're gearing up for what could be the most action-packed weekend in recent boxing memory.Before diving into the upcoming fights, we analyze Richard Torres Jr.'s underwhelming performance against Guido Vianello. Despite securing the victory, Torres' wild haymakers and poor footwork raise serious questions about his potential as a legitimate heavyweight contender. Has ESPN been overhyping this entertaining but technically flawed fighter?The conversation turns somber as we discuss Joe Joyce's concerning loss to Filip Hrgović. Once a granite-chinned contender on the verge of a title shot, Joyce now appears a shell of his former self. His once-legendary punch resistance seems compromised, and his already methodical punches look even slower. Despite his post-fight insistence on continuing his career, we wonder if retirement might be the wiser choice for his long-term health.On a more positive note, Tim Tszyu successfully bounced back from consecutive defeats with a solid TKO victory over Joey Spencer. Though effective on offense, Tszyu's defensive vulnerabilities - particularly his limited head movement - remain a concern against elite competition.The weekend ahead features an embarrassment of riches for boxing fans. Friday brings Ryan Garcia versus Rolly Romero from New York, alongside Devin Haney facing Jose Ramirez. Saturday features Canelo Alvarez defending his titles against Jaime Munguia in an unusual Saudi Arabian setting rather than his traditional American Cinco de Mayo showcase. The weekend concludes with Naoya "The Monster" Inoue making his highly anticipated US appearance in Las Vegas on Sunday.Which fight are you most looking forward to this weekend? Join us next episode as we break down all the action from this global boxing celebration!

Send us a textMikaela Mayer's masterclass performance against Sandy Ryan left us in awe of her boxing excellence. After a controversial first bout ended in a split decision, Mayer removed all doubt in the rematch with flawless technique, perfect counter-punching, and a complete game plan that neutralized Ryan from the opening bell.The fight evolved beyond anything we expected – while Ryan showed heart and occasional flashes of power, she simply couldn't match Mayer's brilliance. By the mid-rounds, Mayer's dominance was undeniable, forcing Ryan into increasingly desperate tactics in the final round when it became clear she needed a knockout to win. What stood out most was Mayer's versatility, fighting effectively whether moving forward or countering off the back foot.We also dive into Sebastian Fundora's impressive return to action. The "Towering Inferno" defended his 154-pound titles with a spectacular fourth-round knockout of Cardell Booker. At 6'5", Fundora isn't just a novelty act – he's officially the tallest world champion across all weight classes and brings legitimate skills and excitement every time he steps into the ring.The William Zapata versus Tevin Farmer contest delivered unexpected thrills, with Farmer showing tremendous heart while absorbing punishment that had his corner begging him to take a knee. Yet somehow, he weathered the storm and found moments of success in a fight that embodied everything we love about boxing – skill, heart, and the unpredictable nature of combat sports.Looking ahead, we preview an action-packed upcoming weekend featuring Tim Tszyu fighting in Australia, Richard Torrez facing Guido Vianello in a compelling heavyweight clash, and Janibek Alimkhanuly defending his middleweight belts. Boxing's heating up and we're here for it all!Have you watched Mayer vs Ryan 2 yet? If not, make it your priority this week – it's the kind of performance that reminds us why we love this sport so much.As always, the boys break down all of the boxing... with a sense of humor.

Send us a textPicture this: a boxing event that promised fireworks but left us feeling like we watched a sequel that didn't quite live up to its original. We start with the much-anticipated Fulton versus Figueroa 2, which, despite the hype, was a bit of a letdown, akin to a movie sequel that should've stayed on the cutting room floor. However, Stephen Fulton's choice of attire, resembling jorts and Timberland boots, provided a comedic silver lining to an otherwise forgettable fight night. While some fans found moments to cheer, we couldn't help but commiserate with those left underwhelmed by the outcome.But just when we thought the night couldn't recover, the undercard bouts came swinging with excitement! Kumail Moton, the 18-year-old prodigy, brought the house down with his skillful performance against an older opponent, evoking memories of a playful yet fiercely competitive match. Cuello's astounding comeback from a knockdown to win by knockout against Olivo added another layer of thrill. And who could forget the spirited clash between Jesús Ramos and Jason Rosario? We couldn't resist comparing the bout to a quirky "monkey versus banana" scenario, which brought a much-needed dose of humor to the night's festivities.As the main event featuring David Benavidez and David Morel rolled around, the stakes soared higher. We dive into the controversy of the 11th round, where Morel's late punch and subsequent point deduction stirred up debates. It was a bout filled with emotional intensity and strategic mishaps, but we found moments of levity by likening the referee to Colin Jost's father. Despite the heated exchanges, the post-fight sportsmanship reminded us why we love this sport. To our listeners, thank you for your unwavering support as we continue this boxing journey together, and we invite you to share your thoughts on these thrilling matchups. Despite using ai to write a description that makes us sound smarter, as always, we will break down the best in boxing... with a sense of humor.

Send us a textNaoya Inoue's latest fight against Yijun Kim highlights the unmatched skill and strategy that place him at the top of boxing. We explore not only Inoue's impressive performance but also the dynamics of taunting, resilience in the ring, and the latest fighting events you shouldn't miss. As always, the boys break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.• Naoya Inoue's dominance as the undisputed fighter is discussed • Playing boxing, as always, is brought to you by zippixtoothpicks.com Use code Punch10 for 10% off• Kim's inspiring background adds depth to the fight's narrative • An overview of the recent Mexican boxing card showcases ups and downs • We preview upcoming fights such as Benavidez vs. Morrell • Will Fritz be able to answer this weeks trivia question?!

Send us a textFritz and Franco end 2024 with a recap of their favorite fights from December. First the boys take a deep dive on the Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury fights. Then in "Playing Boxing", the boys break down the rest of the undercard and the Jaime Munguia vs Bruno Surace fight. As always, the boys break down all of the boxing... with a sense of humor.

Send us a textFritz and Franco break down the Top Rank card from 12/7/24 that had Rafael Espinoza vs Robeisy Ramirez, Emanuel Navarete vs Oscar Valdez, Lindolfo Delgado vs Jackson Marinez, Richard Torrez Jr vs Issac Munoz Garcia, Albert Gonzaez vs Gerardo Antonio Perez, Steven Navarro vs Gabriel Bernardi Cruz, and Cesar Morales vs Kevin Mosquera. As always, the boys break down all of the fights... with a sense of humor.

Send us a textAfter some technical difficulties, Fritz and Franco are back with their take on the much watched and much buffered Netflix stream of the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul "fight". Both of our guys have very different takes on what went down but both loved the undercard. As always, we break everything down... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco break down 3 big fights with 3 big results. Jamie Munguía vs Erik Bazinyan, Daniel Dubois vs Anthony Joshua, and Mikaela Mayer vs Sandy Ryan all had amazing fights that the boys give their takes on. As always, we break down the best in boxing... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco take a deep dive into the Saul Canelo Alvarez fight against Edgar Berlanga on Mexican Independence Day weekend. The boys break down their favorite fights from the PPV and touch on the last Naoya Inoue fight. As always, the boys break down the best in boxing... with a sense of humor. 

Fritz and Franco are rolling 2 episodes into 1! The boys break down all the fights for August, including Serhii Bohachuk vs Vergil Ortiz Jr., Luis Alberto Lopez vs Angelo Leo, Terrence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov, Joe Joyce vs Derek Chisora, Junto Nakatani vs. Vincent Astrolabio, and more. As always, we break down the best in boxing... with a sense of humor. 

Fritz and Franco take a dive into some of the fights that have caught their attention this month and Fritz celebrates turning 50! Join them as they break down the best in boxing... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco dive into a few different fights, including the Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang. The boys also dive into news from around the boxing world and as always, they break down all of the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco break down the match for undisputed heavy weight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. As always, the boys break down all the boxing... with a sense of humor.

The boys are back to catch up on everything in boxing! Fritz and Franco go back and revisit the fights between Ryan Garcia vs Devin Haney, Canelo Alvarez vs Jaime Munguia, Naoya Inoue vs Luis Nery, Jessica McCaskill vs Lauren Price, Vasyl Lomachenko vs George Kambosos, Nina Hughes vs Cherneka Johnson, and Andrew Moloney vs Pedro Guevara. As always, the boys break down the best in boxing... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco break down the last two weeks of fights in "Playing Boxing". As always, the boys break it all down for you... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco have a special guest, comedian Brian Hicks, come on and chat about the movie Cinderella Man. 

Fritz and Franco go over all the current boxing news before breaking down the Raymond Ford vs Otabek Kholmatov fight along with the undercard. The boys then dive into the Steven Butler vs Steve Rolls card from Montreal along with the Azael Villar vs Jairo Noriega card from Nicaragua. As always, the boys break all the boxing... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco break down the best in boxing... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco are back to break down the best is boxing. The boys take a deep dive into the Teofimo Lopez vs Jamaine Ortiz fight before breaking down the undercard with Keyshawn Davis vs Jose Pedraza, George Acosta vs Rene Tellez Giron, and much more. As always, the boys break it all down... with a sense of humor.

Fritz says goodbye to DAZN while Franco takes in the Sky Sports broadcast via the Peacock app. First Franco breaks down the Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez card from London. Then Fritz breaks down the Ashton Sylve vs Estivan Falcao card from Orlando. As always, the boys break down the best fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco combine two weeks worth of fights into one! The boys break down the Mikaela Mayer vs Natasha Jonas fight along with tons more and as always, they break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco deviate from real boxing and break down the Rocky franchise along with their special guest from the Never Not Funny podcast, Jimmy Pardo. The boys bounce around topics, including Tik Tok stand up comedy, fantasy baseball, and the current state of both boxing and comedy, thus covering both the punches and punchlines.

The boys break down the Virgil Ortiz Jr vs Fredrick Lawson fight with the controversial stop by Tony Weeks before diving into the Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith fight along with the rest of the fights from those cards. As always, Fritz and Franco break it all down... with a sense of humor

Fritz and Franco take a dive into the entire card for the Day of Reckoning PPV with Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin, Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker, Dmitry Bivol vs Lyndon Arthur, Daniel Dubois vs Jerrell Miller, Jai Opetaia vs Ellis Zorro, Arslanbek Makhmudov vs Agit Kabayel, Fillip Hrgovic vs Mark De Morio, and Frank Sanchez vs Junior Fa. Then the boys break down Naoya Inoue defeating Marlon Tapales to become the undisputed super bantamweight champion. As always, they break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco are back with a deep dive into the Robeisy Ramirez vs Rafael Espinoza fights. The boys break down the rest of the fights from the last two weeks in "Playing Boxing". As always, they break down the best in boxing... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco have a special guest joining them this week, comedian and WGN Morning News announcer Mike Toomey! Mike chats about his favorite boxers and the boys break down their experiences with the Frazier vs Ali trilogy. We will be back next episode with the fights from this past weekend, plus the fights from this upcoming weekend, where we will break down all boxing... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco take a deep dive into the Ryan Garcia vs Oscar Duarte fight. They were both very split on their opinions... who do you agree with? The boys then break down the rest of the fights from that weekend in "Playing Boxing". As always, they break it all down for you... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco are back to break down the best in boxing. This week, the boys break down Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron 2, Gary Cully vs Reece Mould, Paddy Donovan vs Danny Ball, Diego Pacheco vs Marcelo Coceres, Shakur Stevenson vs Edwin de los Santos, and Emmanuel Navarrete vs Robson Conceicao. As always, we break down all the fights.... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco "Play Boxing" in this episode, where they jump around to 3 different cards and let you know which fights you have to go back and watch and which ones were not worth your time. As always, the boys break down all of the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco skip straight to their segment, "Playing Boxing" to jump around 2 weeks worth of fights. Most were great but the one that got the most attention was a circus show. Listen to the boys break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco take a deep dive into the Janibek "Qazaq Style" Alimkhanuly vs Vicenzo "Il Capo" Gualtieri unification fight before playing boxing and covering the rest of the fights from that weekend. As always, the boys break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco take a deep dive into the exciting Josh Warrington vs Leigh Wood fight before "Playing Boxing" and jumping around to the other fights that weekend. As always, the boys break down all the fights... with a sense of humor

Fritz and Franco take a deep dive into the Canelo Alvarez vs Jermell Charlo PPV! Then the boys bounce around in "Playing Boxing" to cover Yordenis Ugas vs Mario Barrios, Jesus Alejandro Ramos Jr. vs Erickson Lubin, Elijah Garcia vs Jose Armando Resendiz, and more. As always, the boys break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco take a deep dive this week into the Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang fight before "Playing Boxing" and discussing the Jessica McCaskill vs Sandy Ryan, Steve Rolls vs Austin Williams, Jose Zepeda vs Richardson Hitchens fights. As always, the boys break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco break down the fights from the Mexican Independence weekend in this week's Playing Boxing segment. As always, the boys break it all down... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco break down the latest weekend of boxing with a card from Manchester, England. The boys take a deep dive into the Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr rematch and then "play boxing" with the rest of the card. As usual, they break down all of the fights... with a  sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco take a deep dive on the Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois fight. Then the boys break down the Jared Anderson vs Andriy Rudenko fight and undercard along with a few other cards. Join them as they break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco are back and this time they're breaking down the Emanuel Navarrete vs Oscar Valdez fight. The boys then jump around to all the rest of the fights from the weekend in "Playing Boxing". As always, they break all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco break down a huge week of boxing, kicking things off on a Tuesday with the Naoya Inoue vs Stephen Fulton fight and then doing a deep dive on the Terrance Crawford vs Errol Spence Jr fight. The boys then play boxing and break down the rest of the undercards and fights from that weekend. As always, they break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco take a deep dive into the controversial fight between George Kambosos vs Maxi Hughes. The boys then break everything down for you in Playing Boxing. As always, they break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco are back to dive into the fights for the weekend of July 15. The boys break down the Frank Martin vs Artus Harutyunyan fight as well as a deep dive into the Alicia Baumgardner vs Christina Linardatou fight. The boys then recap the rest of the fights during the Playing Boxing segment. As always, they break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

For the 100th time, Fritz and Franco break down all the best fights... with a sense of humor. Here's to another 100 episodes. Cheers!

Fritz and Franco are back! The boys skip a deep dive and catch up on the last few weeks of boxing. They cover Regis Prograis vs Danielito Zorrilla, Tim Tszyu vs Carlos Ocampo, Edgar Berlanga vs Jason Quigley, Savannah Marshall vs Franchon Crews-Dezurn, and Jared Anderson vs Charles Martin. Just to make things fun, the boys sprinkle a few other fights in for good measure. As always, the boys break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco take 2 deep dives this week with the Josh Taylor vs Teofimo Lopez and Munguia vs Derevyanchenko. The boys give their takes on the results and action during these two big fights. Then the boys break down some of the undercard fights on Playing Boxing. As always, they break it all down... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco take a deep dive into the Micheal Conlin vs Luis Alberto Lopez fight before "playing boxing" and taking about some of the worst fights they've ever seen. The boys also break down Mauricio Lara vs Leigh Wood, Alexis Rocha vs Anthony Young, and much more! As always, the boys break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco are back with a lost "bonus" episode that was almost lost to technical difficulties! From the weekend of May 13th, the boys break down Vincent Astrolabio vs Jason Moloney and Janibek Alimkhanuly vs Steven Butler. After that, they jump around the undercards and smaller fights from that weekend in our segment, Playing Boxing. As always, the boys break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco take 2 deep dives into the cards for Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron for all the belts and then with Devin Haney vs Vasiliy Lomachenko for all the belts. After breaking down the main events, the boys break down the undercards in "Playing Boxing". As always, Fritz and Franco break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco take a deep dive into breaking down the Ryan Garcia vs Gervonta "Tank" Davis fight before breaking down the rest of the card. As always, the boys break it all down... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco take a deep dive into the heavyweight fight between Joe Joyce and Zhilei Zhang along with their friend, comedian Lenny Schmidt. The boys then "play boxing" to break down Mikaela Mayer vs Lucy Wildheart, Karthik Kumar vs Sam Noakes, and Moses Itauma vs Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko. As always, we break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.

Fritz and Franco went to a live show on Easter Saturday, but got caught up with the rest of the fights from that weekend thanks to the modern miracle of a million streaming services! As always, the boys break down all the fights... with a sense of humor.