Features
There are endless ‘what if’ stories in boxing. There are numerous tales of fighters turning around their lives from a criminal past. Boxing has many redemption stories, the sport has undoubtedly saved many. But it can’t save everyone,...
IBHOF inductee and boxing gambling expert Graham Houston looks for the betting value in this weekend’s action including former IBF 140lbs champion Sergey Lipinets’ encounter with unbeaten Canadian Custio Clayton. Boxing tonight (ear...
“I am ready to play.” It is no great surprise to Sergey Lipinets that he is facing a change of opponent this Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville. The 31-year-old Russian (16-1, 12 KOs) fights for the interim IBF welte...
Terry Dooley draws parallels between the self-harming business model that originally sent HMV into administration and British boxing, where fight fans are being rinsed by multiple PPVs and substandard contests at a time when money is tight ...
In his latest column for Boxing Social, Team Lomachenko cornerman Russ Anber gives his insight and analysis of Vasiliy Lomachenko’s defeat against Teofimo Lopez… The Aftermath: A few days on and I’m still heartbroken and in a state of...
IBHOF inductee Graham Houston looks back at a weekend where controversial scorecards were at the fore in the UK and America, with judges Terry O’Connor and Julie Lederman both under fire. Two fights over the weekend raised, once again...
“Boxing’s a mad game, isn’t it?” asks unbeaten Kirkby fighter, Brad Strand (4-0, 1 KOs). From his tone, it was apparent the question was rhetorical and he’s right – boxing is quite mad at times. Still relativ...
“My career hasn’t blossomed yet.” If it was a perfect world and dreams came true, then Michael Hunter’s prediction as a child would have been realised a long time ago. “When I was a kid, I thought the least amount I was going to d...
“I feel better now than when I was world champion.” Paul Butler’s car had not long got a flat tyre when Boxing Social phoned to interview him. “Nightmare. I was driving home from the gym. Just had to drive 50 miles at 35 m...
IBHOF inductee and boxing gambling expert Graham Houston looks for the betting value in this weekend’s action involving the high stakes encounter between lightweight champions Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez as well as some intriguin...
Often you will read of how a boxer instantly clicked with boxing. It was meant to be. They quickly picked up the fundamentals and soon it became like riding a bike. It is rare that anyone will admit the opposite. Showing what they believe t...
Ahead of this weekend’s massive lightweight showdown between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez, Russ Anber talks Boxing Social through the 11 fights he has spent in the corner of the Ukrainian maestro… Gamalier Rodriguez, May 2015, W...
There’s something slightly nasty about Kirkby’s Nick Ball (13-0, 6 KOs). Not in his personality or the way he conducts himself outside of the ring; in fact, he couldn’t be more of a gentleman. But when slipping between the ropes, the ...
When the first lockdown kicked in people that I spoke to within the trade told me it was a rare opportunity to grab a breather and a bit of space. Peter Fury was no different. Indeed, the hardest part for Fury was probably the fac...
“It’s mad.” In Boxing Social’s current World Flyweight rankings Jay Harris sits at number five and deservedly so. In early 2019, it was unlikely that the Welshman would have had held such a lofty position. That March, Harris, then...
Saturday’s undisputed lightweight title showdown between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez has captured the imagination of the boxing world. For the last six years, Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) has seemed virtually unbeatable and breezed ...
As Russ Anber sits and waits in the Top Rank Bubble for Lomachenko vs Lopez, he reflects on the pool playing skills of Roy Jones, Abel Sanchez and Liam Smith, as well as his favourite places to eat in Las Vegas… Since the late 80s, early ...
“They’ll rob me if it goes to points so I’m going in with that mentality and attitude to end the fight myself.” Martin Harkin says this is the opportunity he has been waiting for since he began boxing at eight-years-old. This Sunday...
As Russ Anber prepares for his 12th fight in Vasiliy Lomachenko’s corner, he reflects on his journey with the Ukrainian so far, and what makes Loma great… People often ask me how I came to work with Vasiliy Lomachenko. It’s a story I ...
IBHOF inductee and boxing gambling expert Graham Houston examines recent fights where seemingly safe proposition bets went awry to the anguish of seasoned bettors. With odds on, obvious favourites inflated as never before, a bettor seeking ...
In the third instalment of his October diaries from Las Vegas, boxing insider and king of the handwraps Russ Anber discusses blue chip middleweight prospect Janibek Alimkhanuly after another explosive performance from the Kazakh at the...
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, they say, and that’s certainly the case for Liverpool’s explosive talent, Andrew Cain (6-0, 6 KOs), currently enjoying a return to boxing after almost four years in the wilderness. It wasn’t injury...
Kash Farooq had just finished watching the Ivan Baranchyk vs Jose Zepeda war when Boxing Social rang up to interview him. Just one in a long list of fights that the Glasgow student has taken in during his time away from the sport....
In the second of a regular series of October diaries from Las Vegas, Russ Anber recalls his first impressions of boxing’s fight capital (aka ‘Sin City’) and how he grew to appreciate its charm beyond the gaudy lights of th...