:boxing: Boxing Bits ::06.30.08:: Pacman Devours Another Title

Closing out the month of June, a certain Filipino claims not only another victim, but another title, and record, as well

:Wed.06.25.08:
Julio Diaz KO5 Rolando Reyes (Lightweight) [ESPN2]


:Sat.06.28.08:
[C] Manny Pacquiao KO9 WBC Lightweight Champion David Diaz [PPV - HBO]
--Pacquiao, judging from the reports, seemed to have thoroughly dominated his first fight at lightweight by dethroning WBC Champion David Diaz in a dramatic and masterful action, becoming the first Asian to win titles in four different weight-classes. Many have said that it was his best-fought fight to date, though he said that Diaz was the toughest opponent he ever fought, as he didn't go down as soon as he thought he would. Diaz did show a lot of heart, though his badly-cut and bruised face was testament to that fact and his admitted inability to take Pacquiao's blinding hand speed. The new champion can't stay restful for long, as Juan Manuel Marquez, Joel Casamayor (who's fighting Marquez in September), Nate Campbell, and perhaps even Amir Khan and Edwin Valero will be breathing down his neck very soon.

Monte Barett KO1 Tye Fields (Heavyweight)
--In 57 seconds...

:anime: Anime Kibbles 'n' Bits ::06.30.08:: The Silent Age...

June's been a relatively quite month, as mostly everyone is holding back on their big announcements for the upcoming Anime Expo convention. Given that, there were a few "bits" of info to be had.

:Mon.06.30.08: FUNimation Licenses Heroic Age
FUNimation pulled off a surprise pre-AX announcement with their acquisiton of the lauded mecha show Heroic Age. A number of people have been clamouring for it, with many thinking that Bandai Ent. would be the one who get it, judging from their site's source code messages. Having seen the first episode, it certainly seems like an interesting tale, sporting some great visuals (Hisashi Hirai's character designs looked very good) and music, as well as an intriguing story. It joins other recent titles Shigurui: Death Frenzy, KenIchi the Mightiest Disciple, Save Me! Lollipop, and Ookiku Furikabutte (Big Windup!) as FUNimation's newest additions to its library.

:Wed.06.11.08: Kadokawa Pictures USA Sends Out Ceist & Desist Letter to Popular Torrent Site
A well-known site that provides torrent links to unlicensed anime recieved a C&D letter from the subsidiary regarding 11 anime titles related to its parent company. None of the works mentioned, including popular fare Spice and Wolf, Rental Magic, and Canvas2, have been picked up or hinted at, though it may only be a matter of time till then.

:Wed.06.21.08: Strike Witches TV Series to Become GONZO's Next Worldwide Streaming Effort
Strike Witches, a TV series version of the 2007 OVA short of the same name, is set to become GONZO's next internationally-streamed show at the beginning of July. YouTube will be among the webcasters hosting it and it is coming on the heels of the first two shows to have garnered such a run, The Tower of DRUAGA -the Aegis of URUK- (which recently ended) and Blassreiter (still airing). I enjoyed the eight-and-a-half minute anime when it first came out, so hopefully its charm will hold over a more standard runtime.

:boxing: Decade's Best...So Far (2007 Edition) :: Boxing's Pound-4-Pound (Top 10) ::: #3 and #4

And now, #3 and #4...

:boxing: Decade's Best...So Far (2007 Edition) :: Boxing's Pound-4-Pound (Top 10) ::: #5 and #6

Coming up on the Top 5, here's #5 and #6...

:boxing: Decade's Best...So Far (2007 Edition) :: Boxing's Pound-4-Pound (Top 10) ::: #7 and #8

And now, #7 and #8...

HardDoor--The Second Anniversary

Alt. Title: Possibly Fully Metallic HardDoor--The Second Anniversary...

Just a year ago for HardDoor's very first anniversary, I commented on my happiness over the accomplishments made over the year, but I also stated my desire to do more with the blog. Now on the second year, I'm glad to see that that feeling is being fulfilled on some level in the form of "HardDoor’s Directory & Guide of Free, Low Cost, and Legal Anime on the Internet", a premiere feature that I launched on this very date last year. It's been sort of my second "pride & joy", as it's been something that I've always been high on and wanted to make available for a while (and it was pretty good timing, too, considering the sudden rise in digital distribution). Another highlight has been the "Decade's Best" lists, which has been my sort of answer to the various yearly top ten features that often make the rounds (and they have been surprisingly enjoyable to make) (the anime edition first brought in the new year). Speaking of which, today marked the beginning of the long-delayed boxing edition (HD's very first P4P listing!), which was introduced at the beginning of the day. The second year also yielded an unfortunate follow-up to the first "official" article on HardDoor, a three-part series on the aspects of "big busts" & fanservice in anime (ever so true...), a bevy of "Kibbles 'n' Bits", and the first ever pairing of "anime" & "boxing" in a post, not to mention a couple of comments from passer-bys (for which I'm very grateful for :D ). While it is great to see HD progress so much, so much more can (and will...) be done, so look forward to more articles, features, and maybe a few random things along the way ( ;-) ).

To a grand third year and beyond...

--HD

:boxing: Decade's Best...So Far (2007 Edition) :: Boxing's Pound-4-Pound (Top 10) ::: Introduction & #9 and #10

"Pound-4-Pound" lists have long been a staple of the sport of boxing. In a world that is surrounded by a number of great fighters in a number of different weight classes, it is only natural that cross-comparisons would arise among those at the top. As such, in another small bit of comparison, it would only be natural for an anime & boxing blog like HardDoor to have its own P4P list to go along with the "Decade's Best" list of Anime (Top 20) from the beginning of the year. Similar to that one, the only part of the boxer's record taken into consideration are those bouts taking place between from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2007, regardless of how stellar or legendary they and their record were before then. However, unlike that list, this particular one counts my personal discretion a little more heavily, with less an emphasis on critical opinion. Points such as activity, caliber of opposition, skills, bout results, championships, and inter-competition amongst those on the list (where applicable) will hold a greater weight, and thus, the need for such opinion becomes less needed. As a more complex set of criteria has to be taken into account and the boxer's themselves are the ones at the center of it all, it makes more sense that their body of work stands for itself rather than through critical opinion.

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::06.23.08:: King Arthur Slays the "Pantera"

Arthur Abraham just got a little closer to a fight with "The Ghost", while an old veteran just landed himself a second lease on his career...

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::06.16.08:: Powell Upset, Valero Keeps KOing

After last week's near cleanout of defending champions, this week saw a reversal, as all of noted champions successfully defended their belts against the opposition (with the exception of Amy Yuratovic, who lost her "WBC International" belt to veteran Mia St. John...though I'm not exactly sure how much weight that title has outside of "Lightweight"...). Ever since being medically cleared in one of the states (having previously failed a brain test of some sort a few years ago), Valero will certainly become the talk of the town should he get a good or intriguing match-up here...

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::06.07.08:: Champion Pavlik Stands Alone on Upset Night...

A champion-studded night turned disastrous for all holding a belt--except one...

:boxing: HardDoor's Summer Boxing Preview - '08 Edition

To Autumn 2008 Boxing Preview-->

With the coming of the summer season comes the big fights. It's as annual as the former and this year poses no exception. There are a number of exciting new matchups on the horizon, so HardDoor thus presents a short list of major or notable bouts taking place between now and the end of August. The outcomes may yield even more interesting fights in the fall or later in the year, but as anyone who follows boxing will know, any scheduled fight can collapse at any given moment or be moved to another date for whatever reason, so remember to always keep that in mind. I'll still try to give individual coverage to certain intriguing matchups, though... --HD