The constant swinging of the door, testing its hinges on the home dressing room at the back of our historic York Hall, was the last thing the losing fighter needed to hear. Coming and going, family and friends offered their sympathy, with their voices bouncing off the emotionless face of the defeated, heavy favourite. Over two […]
When the final bell sounds, as it always does, on a fighter’s career, it’s worth reflecting on their impact on the sport. Their footprint. Their ‘legacy’ was in danger of being blown away like loose receipts, forgotten, whilst careers of certain boxers glisten, even as the dust gathers on their boots. Some men talk louder than others. Some […]
Searching for fulfilment in the sport he’d grown to love had dragged Angel Fernandez from Galicia, North West Spain, to Surrey. Studying the work of fabled trainers Jorge Rubio and Ismael Salas first-hand, the young Fernandez revealed his journey from Spanish kickboxing to training some of the sport’s most exciting talents, when speaking exclusively to Boxing […]
“Now, I can tell you in my opinion, I thought that I knew everything about boxing. I was wrong.” It’s a funny type of isolation, boxing. Despite spending months preparing for bouts with trusted coaches, surrounding yourself with sparring partners and encouraging your gym-mates, the opening bell signals thirty-six minutes of soul-searching. The courage summoned […]
Perched on the concrete steps infront of his home, Terence Crawford (34-0, 25KOs) looks every-inch the protagonist from an HBO drama. Pulling back his beautifully coated dogs or posing with his school of children at a Junior Wrestling Championship, he offers up the ‘family man’ alternative. A complex character, Crawford, he was seemingly either draped […]
The streets of Toxteth, Liverpool, overlooked their own sense of irony. In the eighties, south of the city centre, its streets were infected with racism and civil unrest. Immigrants from a variety of Commonwealth countries had settled post-World War II, broadening the demographic for the generations that followed. From fighting on the streets to sharing […]
The last twelve months were painful for Cuban fighters, often ignored or steered in the opposite direction, denied their opportunity. Reeling from the embarrassing defeat suffered by one of the nation’s greatest ever pugilists, Guillermo Rigondeaux, they were marched towards further disappointment. Erislandy Lara lost his World title in a unification bout with Jarrett Hurd; […]
Stevie McKenna has taken the leap; from the little streets of leafy green County Monaghan, nestled amongst Ireland’s Border region; to the fast-paced sidewalks of Hollywood, glistening in boxing’s hotbed. I’d caught up with his younger brother, Aaron, dubbed ‘The Silencer’, before he turned professional with Goldenboy Promotions. Aaron had celebrated an exciting first year […]
On speaking to friends who had visited Cuba in recent years, they told me, ‘you wouldn’t even know Arroyo Naranjo existed’. Many homes are left without running water, whilst schools of children play Spanish stick-ball in the streets, content. On the outskirts of Havana, boxing was prevalent in the little municipality, as it was throughout the […]
I started a new job today. I’d been at my old place for years, grafting, trying to establish myself. It was all getting very long in the tooth and thankfully this new position popped up! The money at my new place is literally TEN times what I was on before and all I need to […]
With his fingers taut, angrily flexing skin-and-bone and biting down in disbelief, he revealed the indignation sharply drawn across his jawline. Michael Conlan (9-0, 6KOs) became the poster boy for amateur boxing during the Olympics – for all the wrong reasons. One of Ireland’s most celebrated amateurs, ranked number-one with AIBA and a former World […]
Growing up in an area like Benwell would turn many boys into men, quicker than nature had intended. One of the toughest areas in the United Kingdom in recent years, it became notorious for unemployment, drug abuse and arson. The latter was used mainly as a form of witness intimidation, according to reports during the […]