Why subscribe?
This is the Corner Stool and while it is still under construction, readers will see a variety of features pop up as this site is built out. Here are a few of the things to look forward to.
The Corner Stool Encyclopedia: Building off the research conducted for a study of the monthly rankings in The Ring Magazine that was featured in their 100th anniversary issue, this subscriber feature will provide a breakdown of honors won by all of the Hall of Famers and major champion's in boxing's long history, and the opponents they faced who could be found in the context of the moment in various press rankings. The first nine entrants, boxing's current reigning lineal world champions, have already been added with their opponents Ring and Transnational Boxing Rankings Board rated foes. The goal is to continue chipping away at boxing's current champions before moving on to the rest of boxing history. The research for the Ring 100th created a base of nearly 1400 fighters and this encyclopedia will expand on that research with rankings from other publications like Boxing Illustrated and KO Magazine. It's more than enough to keep me busy for a few years. Why the focus on rankings? The thinking here is it is a more revealing way of looking at fighters than, say, the focus some put on how many champions a fighter has defeated. Beating future or former champions can be impressive, but often it really isn't and it lacks context. How a fighter was regarded by the consensus of published public opinion can illuminate value in wins that can be overlooked. An index of the fighters can be found in a link at the top of the page and will be updated with each new addition.
The Corner Stool Competition Index: Pound-for-pound ratings are fun but they often get stuck in mud. The purpose of the index is to highlight, again with a focus on prominent press rankings, fighters who are engaging the best available fighters in their weight classes within a set timeframe. This subscriber feature will be updated quarterly.
Measured Against All Time: A longtime series I've added to over the years will continue for subscribers. There will be new articles and over time a refresh of all previous articles in the series. Over time, the series has added more depth and new features that would have made looks at the careers of Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya, and Roy Jones even better. The Director's Cuts are coming.
Stats and Records: A live and free to all listing of all the sports current champions, their number of defenses, the record for defenses in their divisions (lineal and sanctioning body), will be added early next week and updated regularly as new results come in.
You can see what’s here so far in the publication archives.
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