:anime: The End of Toonami:: Are TV Blocks Needed Anymore?

I've wanted to write up another anime feature for quite a while, since it's been so long that I last did one. Like with the boxing one earlier, it's great to have a chance to get back at it again! --HD

Toonami, for much of its eleven year run, was one of Cartoon Network's brightest stars and perhaps the most influential programming block on television for anime fans, new and old, in the U.S. over that period. Though more modern fans may fail to notice its significance during its waning years, it provided a girth of landmark shows over much of its history that helped pave the way for the industry's growth and popularity, from Sailor Moon and Tenchi Muyo! to Dragonball Z and Gundam. In addition, it was the block's "Midnight Run" of uncut Gundam Wing that eventually lead to the creation of the very successful Adult Swim block and "network," which itself became a gateway for seminal titles like Cowboy Bebop (its first show), FLCL, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and Fullmetal Alchemist that would, too, usher in new fans. However, the recent climate at CN and AS has been one of change, as has been the way that people view their anime.

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::10.21.08:: Hopkins Returns to Form

Quite the shock was delivered in the boxing world Saturday night, as Bernard Hopkins completely dominated the current No. 1 of his former middleweight division, Kelly Pavlik, at light heavyweight. More of this is covered at the linked content below.

:Thurs.10.16.08:
[C] WBC Featherweight Champion Oscar Larios SD Tahahiro Aoh

[C] WBC Bantamweight Hozumi Hasegawa TKO2 Alejandro Valdez


:Fri.10.17.08:
[C] IFBA Light Middleweight Champion Holly Holm M-D(10) Mary Jo Sanders
--"M-D" = Majority Draw

[NIXED] Aaron Pryor Jr. vs Sam Merza (Super Middleweight)


:Sat.10.18.08:
Bernard Hopkins UD Kelly Pavlik (Light Heavyweight) [PPV - HBO]
--Afterward: Good to hear Hopkins give Pavlik advice and words of encouragement after the fight, even to the extent of offering his services to him as a mentor of sorts. Pavlik's still has plenty of talent and what it takes to be a great boxer, so long as he learns from what happened Saturday night and make whatever changes are necessary both boxing-wise and mentally. It also might not hurt taking him up on his offer in the near future...

:boxing: Battle of the Scary Nicknames:: Pavlik vs Hopkins

It's been a while since I last wrote a boxing preview, so it's great to get back to doing it again! --HD

It is perhaps only fitting that with only two weeks until Halloween we have a match-up between a "Ghost" and an "Executioner". The former, Kelly Pavlik, is the current king of the middleweight division, coming off of two consecutive wins over Jermain Taylor and an easy ousting of mandatory challenger Gary Lockett. It is the morass circumstance of taking on "mandatories" deemed by the title organizing bodies and the lack of a viable opponent that has sent Pavlik north to take on the former undisputed champion at middleweight, who now resides in the light heavyweight division. That person, Bernard Hopkins, is at the end of his illustrious career, with age finally catching up with him and having lost to Joe Calzaghe earlier in the year. Both are at a crossroads of sorts, but in different capacities.

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::10.16.08:: V. Kiltschko, Dawson Victorious

On a big fight weekend, Vitali Klitschko "showed up" and Chad Dawson shut up...

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::10.07.08:: Gamboa Impresses, Martinez Destroys

While there weren't any big, major fights last week, it still was packed with top-notch action and young up-and-comers.

:Fri.10.03.08:
Michael Walker MD(8) Antwun Echols (Middleweight)

Eddie Chambers TKO5 Livin Castillo (Heavyweight)

Mike Alvarado TKO4 Manuel Garnica (Light Welterweight)


:Sat.10.04.08:
Kassim Ouma TKO6 Martinus Clay (Light Middleweight)

Yuriorkis Gamboa KO2 Marcos Ramirez (Featherweight) [HBO]

[C] (Interim WBC Light Middleweight Championship) Sergio Martinez RTD8 Alex Bunema [HBO]

Alfredo Angulo TKO10 Andrey Tsurkan (Light Middleweight) [HBO]

Juan Manuel Lopez KO1 Cesar Figueroa (Light Featherweight)

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::10.01.08:: Mosley Victorious With Last-Second KO...Literally

Shane Mosley continued to show that he's still got it, while Andre Berto showed that he might have something to behold in the future at the end of a (T)KO-packed two weeks...