It’s been a long year. The last time I’d heard the youthful enthusiasm in the brewed, cross-country accent of our subject, we were sitting on the edge of a different ring apron in a different City. The background noises at that time were mutterings between a certain Cuban trainer and his masseur. Now, it was […]
Struggling for breath and looking up at the same Belfast air he’d breathed in as a child, victory seemed so far from home. Thousands looked on as the accomplished amateur from the proud fighting City tried to rally to his feet. It just wasn’t to be – this time. “To be honest with you, I’m […]
World champion. Olympic medalist. Father. Proud Tuscaloosan. Entertainer. It was that last adjective that hung awkwardly from the silence during my conversation with WBC heavyweight World champion, Deontay Wilder, way back in November 2017. He’d just bludgeoned Bermane Stiverne, with the hopelessly overmatched Haitian folded in half across the bottom rope in the opening round. […]
The suspicious, wandering eyes of the fighters at Detroit’s infamous ‘Kronk’ gym slowly focused on their source of intrigue. Pen and paper in hand, conducting an interview with the legendary Tommy ‘The Hitman’ Hearns, was Michigan-born publicist Jackie Kallen. The gym was steeped in history when it had burned down tragically last year, but back […]
Fans of the Sweet Science could be forgiven for scratching their heads when posed the question of Turkey’s best fighter. The sizzling nation, famed for its tough footballing background and growing interest in K1 kickboxing, has seemingly left boxing in the shadows. One man is on his own turbulent mission to change that. Ahead of […]
It’s startling, isn’t it? Boxing. Only a handful of years ago, Anthony Ogogo had the World at his feet and an Olympic medal proudly draped around his neck. He’d signed a contract with Golden Boy Promotions and was tipped for the top by former-Chief Exec, Richard Schaefer. Ogogo became the face of the enormous, global sandwich […]
His jet black hair glistens under the spotlight, sweat beading as he glides viciously from attack-to-attack. The youthful expression worn on the face of the prince of Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan is deceptive. Calm in the face of the fire, his transition from poise to predator is seamless. Undefeated Eastern warrior Dmitry Bivol (14-0, 11 KO’s) had become […]
The shadows of Mexican boxing icons, if strewn across the searing Sinaloa sidewalk, would be noticeably congruent. Normally small in stature, tenacious and with a hankering for carnage within the squared circle, they’ve followed their own genetic blueprint… Never before had Mexico boasted a World champion at super-middleweight, until the boy from Mazatlán captured the WBO […]
The cruel winter wind slices the faces of those meandering from pillar-to-post, hunting for their purpose on the streets of New Jersey. The young men, with hands deep in their pockets in areas such as Pemberton or Hillside Township, are searching for their own means of escape – though, fast money always seems to render […]
Gazing upon the seemingly endless landscape in Luss, Scotland, it’s hard to imagine a gruelling female athlete punching for pay. The picturesque village and its rolling hills were far more aligned to farming and traditional bed and breakfasts. After travelling to New York to face off with WBA super-middleweight champion Alicia Napoleon, classical musician Hannah […]
In a sport which rarely offers transparency, it’s always surprising when confronted with refreshing honesty from men or women who train to punish their opponents. Miles from the brash bravado of boxing’s multitude of televised platforms, thirty-six-year-old Ross Murray (8-1, 1 KO) was preparing for his biggest opportunity as a professional. Hailing from Glasgow’s working […]
Waking up in East Hartford was a blessing. It was the home of the Falcons, enormous US technological company Pratt & Whitney and the Great River Park, yet merely a compass direction away, things weren’t as clean-cut. A City of great ethnic diversity had been split almost equilaterally amongst its four corners. “To describe Hartford […]