HardDoor--The Third Anniversary:: The Overture

So, three years since the beginning of HD, huh? (thought it was four :D )

I have something nice planned to commemorate this year's milestone, but as you have it, and given how things have been lately, I only have a small window of time to write it out. So, for the time being, consider this as something of a "placeholder", unless something unforeseen happens. So for now, be on the look out for it!

To a great(er) fourth year and more...

--HD

**Now Available Here ;) **

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::06.19.09:: Cotto Decisions Clottey

This month's, and season's, first Boxing Bits installment was very light in its first week, with not too many other notable fights in the second week. This summer's boxing preview will be coming shortly, but in the meantime, below are some of the more noteworthy recent bouts.

:anime: The FUNimation "Leaky Stream" Fiasco

I originally wasn't going to comment on this until more of the facts came in, but I think there has been enough disseminated to draw an overall view of opinion on. Should there be anymore major developments, I'll comment on them further.

As many know, FUNimation has been going through a series of major complications and setbacks to its streaming anime campaign as of late. The crux of the issue has settled primarily on the company's ill-secured and ill-planned method of preparing their video files for same-day streaming (aka "simulcast"). The first problem surfaced on May 30 with One Piece's then most-recent episode, #403, which was to be part of the company's effort to simulcast the series as it aired in Japan, being accessed and distributed onto torrent sites by someone hours before it was to be aired there. This act would lead to FUNimation and Toei Animation and its other partners to cancel the simulcast "for the immediate future" on all of the sites it was set to be on. Additionally, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, another high-profile title, was pulled from FUNimation's site, until better security was implemented. The second problem arose shortly after on June 3 when not only a pre-broadcast episode of Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ was leaked, but also an episode of FMA:B, which, while having already aired in Japan, had yet to appear on their video site at its scheduled time. With these developments, FUNimation's video site was shut down soon after for "maintenance".

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::06.03.09:: Berto, Cintron Successful

A few good fights rounded out the conclusion of this spring's boxing season, but a particular one did not. That bout was to be a championship decider between WBA Heavyweight Champion Nikolai Valuev and Ruslan Chagaev, the "Champion in recess" (no really, that's the title bestowed to him by the WBA, since he hasn't been able to defend quite often, as to be explained). The scrappy Chagaev whupped on the giant Valuev in 2007 to take his belt and undefeated record and the latter has wanted the title back ever since. However, Chagaev is rather injury/mishap-prone, causing their rematch to be hampered on more than just this occasion. In the meantime, Valuev defeated John Ruiz to claim the WBA belt as a co-holder, with the just-cancelled rematch to determine the one true champion. After the latest call-off, Valuev's promoter, Don King, wants Chagaev stripped of his (pseudo-)title and his man crowned the real champion. The cause this time? A positive blood test for hepatitis that Chagaev and Universum have refuted.