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george willis

George Willis

A columnist for the Post since 1997, George Willis has covered World Championship Boxing, the World Series, the NBA Finals, the Masters, the Ryder Cup and the Super Bowl. The Baseball Hall of Fame voter is a graduate of New Mexico State University.

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  • Tonight's fight will Pacq punch

    ARLINGTON, Texas -- Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey stood face-to-face in the center of Cowboys Stadium yesterday, posed in the traditional boxing stare down after weighing in for tonight's WBO welterweight...  

    March 13, 2010 12:00 AM
  • Can't blame Knicks' Lee for wandering eye

    Maybe he was just saying the politically correct thing, which is what David Lee normally has done during his four years with the Knicks. Despite playing on a series of underachieving teams, he never complained...  

    March 09, 2010 12:00 AM
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    D'Antoni: 'It's about as bad as it can get'

    For the first eight minutes of last night's game between two teams who can't wait for the season to end, it looked like the Nets had taken the early vacation. They were down 24-8 with 4:42 left in the first quarter...  

    March 07, 2010 12:00 AM
  • Mayweather-Mosley bout can jump-start race to new market

    The question came up during the Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley press conference earlier this week: Name the last time a non-heavyweight fight this big featured two African-Americans? Toss out bouts involving Mike Tyson...  

    March 06, 2010 4:08 AM
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    Business pitch could lure LeBron

    LeBron James' on-court skills were in full display last night at the Meadowlands, where his array of dunks and jump shots produced 26 points as the Cavaliers whipped the Nets, 111-92. Those skills will be in high...  

    March 04, 2010 12:00 AM
  • LeBron to Nets? Maybe in a few years

    In theory, the Nets are a lot like the Knicks and all the other NBA teams that have purged their rosters of talent and payroll in order to increase cap space with the hope of signing a big-time free agent this summer....  

    March 03, 2010 12:00 AM
  • Pacquiao: Mayweather was looking for excuse to back out

    Manny Pacquiao says Floyd Mayweather Jr. wasn't ready to face him this spring, and their disagreement over blood-testing procedures was just a smokescreen to get out of the proposed welterweight championship mega bout....  

    February 27, 2010 12:00 AM
  • Clottey believes Pacquiao isn't using performance-enhancer

    Joshua Clottey says if Manny Pacquiao is using performance-enhancing drugs "God is going to solve the problem." Otherwise, Clottey chooses to believe Pacquiao is clean and has no qualms about the lack of blood testing...  

    February 27, 2010 12:00 AM
  • Legendary reminder: Teams win titles, not individuals

    Legends Night last night at the Garden couldn't have come at a better time. While anyone interested in the Knicks seems consumed with getting this guy or that guy when free agency begins July 1, it was good to be...  

    February 23, 2010 12:00 AM
  • Tiger's statement leaves golf future in doubt

    Let's be honest. If you’re a fan of golf or a fan of Tiger Woods the golfer, all you really wanted to know from his public statement yesterday was when is he going to return to the PGA Tour. In that regard he left us...  

    February 20, 2010 3:17 AM
  • Haiti quake tragedy hits home for Berto

    Andre Berto is a changed man. Changed for the better he says, changed after finding triumph in tragedy and valuing life after seeing death. The reigning WBC welterweight champion has been deeply immersed in the Haiti...  

    February 20, 2010 12:00 AM
  • How long buzz lasts all up to McGrady

    The 29-game diversion was on a plane headed to New York last night eager to give Knicks fans something interesting to watch while this long NBA season mercifully reaches a conclusion and the real drama begins. Tracy...  

    February 19, 2010 12:00 AM
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    Moves show Knicks still focused on future

    Donnie Walsh wasn’t at his usual seat during pregame warm-ups before last night’s 115-109 loss to the Bulls at the Garden. No doubt the Knicks GM was in his office working on a blockbuster deal before today’s trade...  

    February 18, 2010 4:22 AM
  • Shedding Hill would be small price for Knicks

    Jordan Hill was shooting free throws yesterday and working with assistant coach Herb Williams well after the other Knicks had concluded their practice and headed for the showers. With his dreadlocks flapping as he...  

    February 16, 2010 12:00 AM
  • Upcoming bouts help ease pain of blockbuster cancellation

    Though the frustration, skepticism and finger pointing over the failed negotiations for a bout between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao haven't totally subsided, the dark cloud is starting to lift. At least there's...  

    February 13, 2010 12:00 AM
  • Quest for 'Winning Time' a lost cause for Knicks

    Dan Klores' new film "Win ning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks" is making the rounds prior to its debut as part of the 30 for 30 series on ESPN. It's basically a film about Reggie Miller and the Knicks...  

    February 10, 2010 12:00 AM
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    'Old' rivals Jones-Hopkins set for rematch

    The two master debaters were at their podiums yesterday to answer questions as to why the public should care about two forty-something boxers staging a rematch nearly two decades after their first bout. While their...  

    February 10, 2010 12:00 AM
  • Adamek's fight for notoriety continues tonight in Newark

    Before the threat of a snowstorm, a crowd of 8,000 to 10,000 was expected at the Prudential Center tonight to watch former two-division world champion Tomasz Adamek continue his quest for heavyweight glory. That is a...  

    February 06, 2010 12:00 AM
  • Texas license for Margarito will be load of nonsense

    I've made travel arrangements to attend the March 13 boxing card at Cowboys Stadium, interested to see how Brooklyn-based Joshua Clottey fairs against Manny Pacquiao, and disgusted by the thought Antonio Margarito...  

    January 30, 2010 12:00 AM
  • Mark's only move is to get this done

    After playing 15 of 16 regular- season games and leading the Jets to the AFC Championship game, quarterback Mark Sanchez is poised to make his first important call of the offseason: whether to undergo elective knee...  

    January 29, 2010 12:00 AM
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    With spotlight on Knicks, it's time for them to step up

    To borrow a phrase from Jets coach Rex Ryan, this is the time of year when the Knicks are supposed to be "the biggest show in town." The football Giants and now the Jets have concluded their NFL seasons, while...  

    January 27, 2010 12:00 AM
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    Ryan & Jets won't mute their swagger

    Rex Ryan made it clear yesterday the cocky attitude he and his Jets displayed during his rookie season as head coach isn't going to be any less arrogant next season. "We're the biggest show in town," Ryan declared...  

    January 26, 2010 12:00 AM
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    Vaunted Jets defense sliced, diced by Peyton

    INDIANAPOLIS -- The grind began early in the week, when Peyton Manning began watching film of the Jets defense, trying to get into the mind of Rex Ryan. He played a hunch and scoured the film of a 2005 game between...  

    January 25, 2010 12:00 AM
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    Playoff-bitten Colts not looking ahead

    INDIANAPOLIS — If not for all those Vince Lombardi trophies the Patriots won, the Colts would be considered the NFL’s team of decade. The fact that they aren’t underscores why they’re taking nothing for granted today...  

    January 24, 2010 3:54 AM
  • MSG doubleheader

    BOXING is off to a wobbly start in 2010. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao couldn’t agree on terms for their much-anticipated bout, and now the welterweight unification fight scheduled for Jan. 30 between Shane Mosley...  

    January 23, 2010 3:10 AM
  • Caldwell quietly getting job done

    INDIANAPOLIS — If you think Jim Caldwell believes any less in his Colts than Rex Ryan believes in his Jets just because he doesn’t proclaim their brilliance to anyone who is listening, you would be wrong. The two...  

    January 23, 2010 3:05 AM
  • Garcon doing all he can for Haitian family

    INDIANAPOLIS -- Andre Berto, who boxed for the Haitian Olympic team in Athens, pulled out of a championship fight next week in Las Vegas because he was too physically and mentally exhausted from worrying about family...  

    January 22, 2010 12:00 AM
  • Quiet Colts itching to shut up Jets

    INDIANAPOLIS -- If only there was more time, maybe we could learn how the Colts really feel about the Jets and their trash talk about beating Indianapolis in Week 16. If a few more questions could have been asked and...  

    January 21, 2010 12:00 AM
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    In Indy, Peyton more than a quarterback

    INDIANAPOLIS — New York might love Derek Jeter and Cleveland might cherish LeBron James, but the love affair between Peyton Manning and this Hoosier city is like none that has ever existed in sports. It’s one thing to...  

    January 20, 2010 2:27 AM
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    Laydown vs. Jets still irks Colts fans

    INDIANAPOLIS -- It was dreary, cold and overcast in Indianapolis yesterday, but Hoosiers here still were running hot over the Colts' decision to pull their starters against the Jets on Dec. 27, costing them a chance at...  

    January 19, 2010 12:00 AM