Review of Ring Theory

Ring Theory: Meditations on 35 Years in Boxing

By William Dettloff

Winding Road Stories, 2025

No one would argue that the past 35 years has signified a golden age of boxing writing. As the sport becomes increasingly niche in the United States, fewer of the great writers concern themselves with the wild contradictions of boxing. Former senior writer at The Ring and editor-in-chief of Ringside Seat William Dettloff, however, is an exception.

A collection of nearly four dozen articles, Ring Theory shows Dettloff's talent for weaving together a good story with empathy for the fighters, humor, and wisdom. He covers all the big events and top fighters from the past three-plus decades with fluidly-presented narratives and distinguished description. The writing is beautiful without being pompous.

As with any boxing anthology, the collection of articles is somewhat disjointed, but a thesis emerges. Fighters will necessarily continue to fight until the desire is literally beaten out of them. Dettloff experienced that feeling on an amateur level. Quite a few legendary fighters couldn't retire until they were forced to. The end of the careers of Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez, Mike Tyson, Manny Pacquiao, Evander Holyfield, and Arturo Gatti are all featured. Only Lennox Lewis could walk away after an impressive, albeit grueling, victory.

This topic of legends fighting too long wanders into several sections: "The Fighter's Journey," "The Business," "The Final Bell," and "History." It can feel a bit repetitive at times. In addition, fans of Roy Jones and Pernell Whitaker may not appreciate the articles written about them as they're really the only two fighters who receive sustained criticism. Otherwise, Dettloff shows compassion for the fighters without slipping into sappiness. Articles on his own boxing experience, journeyman Walter Cowans, and reminisces of ten champions were particularly insightful.

Ring Theory is a collection of articles from our era's entry into the pantheon of great boxing writers. It gets to the essence of the sport and is a must-read for fans interested in the boxing's recent history.

Odelia Ben Ephraim to Face Sarah Kaddour

Odelia Ben Ephraim is scheduled to fight Sarah Kaddour at Gymnase Jean Jaures in Cherbourg, France on Saturday. This is another short notice fight for the 26 year old. She last fought on April 11.

Ben Ephraim is on a four-fight losing streak and now sports a 5-6 record. But her record is not indicative of her talent and skills. The former French featherweight champion dropped a dubious decision to Narymane Benloucif to relinquish the title in 2024. Then, Odelia fought Tania Alvarez for the European junior featherweight title in Alvarez's hometown. That decision was suspect as well.

Last September, Ben Ephraim fought Teresa Makinen, who looks like a future champion. Odelia put up a great fight in a high-level affair. She took a short notice fight last month and is in tough once again.

Kaddour is a 30 year old from Clichy, France with a 1-1 record as a pro boxer. But she has a wealth of success in kickboxing. A former world champion, Kaddour transitioned to what the French call boxe anglaise in 2025.

Kaddour throws hard straight shots, but has a tendency to lunge with her punches. She bounces around the ring, a technique that is generally frowned up on in professional boxing. In kickboxing, she exhibited strong kicks, but not much punch variety.

Kaddour is the A-side in this junior featherweight bout, but Ben Ephraim has a real shot to win. She throws precise combinations, has a high work-rate, and varies her shots. She hasn't yet shown knockout power, and that has resulted in several bad decisions against her. As the opponent, Odelia will need to win in convincing fashion.

This contest is scheduled for six two-minute rounds.

Yan Zak Dominates Arshdeep Singh Bhatt

From the opening bell, cruiserweight Yan Zak was in complete control against Arshdeep Singh Bhatt today. Displaying a shrewd game plan, flashy skills, and responsible technique, Zak won by fifth round TKO at the New Olympic Sport Palace in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The "Terminator," a 26 year old, opened the fight probing Singh's high guard with jabs. He soon found the left hook to the body available, his jabs acting as a decoy. By the end of the round, Zak's jabs were looking to land, not just set up the body shots.

Singh proved himself to be a decent fighter with solid technique. He had a crisp jab of his own and occasionally countered Zak's jabs, but the difference in hand speed forced the Punjabi to keep his hands home most of the time.

Singh, a 27 year old, opened the second returning Zak's jabs with his own and going to the body with left hooks. But Zak kept touching the body and snapping back Singh's head with his stick. Yan began timing Singh, landing showy counters just as the thought of throwing entered Singh's mind.

In the third, Zak included left hooks to the head and rights to the body. He added layers to the attack as the fight went on, showing maturity and more of a pro style. In past fights, he had kept his hands low when he felt in control, but today the right glove was sensibly plastered to the right side of his face when he jabbed.

Singh had been game until the fourth when he tired rapidly. The body shots wore him down as did Zak's combinations. The Indian fighter got the worse of an accidental butt and shook his arms towards the end of the round. Walking back to his corner, he wheezed, trying to catch his breath.

In the fifth, Singh had a brief moment of restoration before Zak's hard combos forced him to take a knee. He arose before the ten count, but was clearly gassed and the fight was stopped a minute and ten seconds into the round. Zak is now 7-0 with 5 KOs. Singh falls to 11-3 with 9 KOs.

With the win, Yan captured a minor belt, but more importantly this fight represented an important step in his pro career. In past fights, he sometimes got bored trying to get the opponent to open up. Today, he was focused throughout. Every move seemed to be the right one, whether boxing on the outside in the third or forcing Singh back to the ropes in the fourth. The only mistake he made was allowing Singh to throw several wild uppercuts from the outside without consequence. Always skilled and talented, Zak displayed an especially high ring IQ against a game opponent.