NO HOLDS BARRED

Even though we regularly bash Sports Illustrated and its corporate monopolist parent, Time Warner, there still are many interesting articles both in its dead tree version and on its web site. In that valuable category is an interview with the great Roberto Duran by our colleague Rich O'Brien.

My favorite questions:

7. What is your favorite movie?

Duran: I like all movies. Maybe Casablanca. Anything with Humphrey Bogart. And Steve McQueen -- The Magnificent Seven. Also Mickey Rooney -- Rooney, not Rourke [laughs].

8. What about Cinderella Man or Million Dollar Baby?

Duran: [Shrugs] They were not so real.

Rich, by the way, was one of the many great writers I was privileged to edit in our brief but glorious run at Boxingranks.com where I served as editor-in-chief.

Speaking of old Boxingranks.com writers, two of them are writing away at HBO.com. Ron Borges has been there for some time, while Nat Gottlieb is a new addition. They especially have a lot to say about tonight's Winky Wright-Sam Soliman fight and the middleweight division.

With all these former Boxingranks.com wordsmiths floating around, you would think that more web sites would gobble up the rest of its former staff -- that is, if they want to pay for intelligent, well-written, hard-hitting, fiercely independent, and uniquely insightful analysis. I guess that disqualifies the bulk of them.