Sports Journalist · 24 articles
When Andy Murray or Emma Raducanu steps out to play at Wimbledon, they do so unencumbered with the type of baggage that afflicts many an emerging talent on the boxing scene. They have the familiar sporting luxury of simply picking up their racket and carrying it onto the court, there is no requirement to hang […]
As sweat dripped unremittingly from the steaming torso of Joe Frazier, venerable trainer Eddie Futch made the reluctant decision to pull him out. “I want him, boss,” pleaded an exhausted ‘Smokin’ Joe, but Futch would have none of it and replied solemnly: ‘It’s over’. Frazier would never forgive him for this public act of compassion […]
I never did like Naseem Hamed. Sure, I could admire his skills in the same way that Reg Gutteridge did, before turning to Jim Watt at ringside and questioning “It’s not necessary Jim; maybe I’m old fashioned?” as the self-proclaimed ‘Prince’ clowned and mocked soon to be former European bantamweight champion, Vincenzo Belcastro. Reg was […]
At one point in the 1994 released movie ‘A Bronx Tale’ Lillo Brancato Jr remarks in a look-back voiceover, “These guys had a reputation for breaking up bars, but they knew in that instant, they’d made a fatal mistake. This time they walked into the wrong bar.” The ‘guys’ were a group of Hells Angels bikers whose lack […]
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – this truth once proclaimed by a Chinese proverb has now been bastardised by a million internet bores flogging their own saccharine brand of off-the-peg faux inspiration. You can often find these same words decamped to dusty, sterile corners of a multitude of offices […]
Akeem Ennis Brown takes the latest step on his perfect, if not slightly stop-start, journey through professional boxing when he defends his British and Commonwealth titles against Sam Maxwell this weekend. The Frank Warren promoted card is loaded with an enticing mixture of title fights, with a further two British and an English strap on […]
For Tina Rupprecht, boxing is a labour of love. Any hopes of making money in her thus far eight-year career have long been dashed as she resigns herself to the fact that the sport will continue to cost her financially rather than solicit the keys to newfound riches. Yet her drive and enthusiasm are infectious and clear […]
The demise was reminiscent of Tony Soprano in that final scene in the New Jersey diner. The fade to black: raw, unexpected and, for many, unsatisfactory. Liam Cameron’s world had been bright, recently filled with the promise of opportunity. And then there was nothing. Early mornings pounding his feet rhythmically on the pavement and days […]
Boxing may be a sport associated with fireworks but it has not been without connections to putting out fires over the years. The most obvious example being Terry Marsh, who as well as being a member of White Watch with the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, won the IBF version of the 140lbs title in 1987 before […]
“You can’t always get what you want But if you try sometime you find You get what you need” These words may have been lifted straight from a Rolling Stones song from their 60s heyday, but they retain their relevance to Liverpool bantamweight Carly Skelly. The 34-year-old is clear about what she needs, and that is another shot at […]
“Calzaghe would have beaten Ottke. He just wouldn’t have had the power; eventually, as the fight went on, I think Calzaghe would have worn him down. I’d definitely give the fight to Calzaghe. No doubt about that,” Tocker Pudwill tells Boxing Social when assessing the merits of the two men that he fought – yet who tantalisingly never fought […]
“I’m not joking: I thought I had a bleed on the brain and I thought to myself ‘you’re going to die in this ring’. But do you know what? I did not actually give a shit. At least I would be dying doing something I love.” With these words, former British champion and WBO world […]