Dan Rafael...opinions?

[ed robinson]

Hey Stuart, I've not been told by anyone what to say, I'd just rather it was as fresh and interesting as I can get. Promoters would generally rather release their news themselves and the web means that stories leak out all the time. The Klitschko v Chishora story came up twice, the first time I just said something along the lines of it looks increasingly likely that Chisora will take the fight - when it was in the public domain that Chishora had been offered the fight but also that his team weren't sure they'd take it. The second time was just the point that Don Charles was fuming because the fight had never actually been cancelled, contrary to certain reports, just postponed. Fair play to you if you know much of the news I give. Perhaps you've got a better reading list than me....

[el_grande_mauro_mina]

It's a no brahemer for boxing's hot swot!

Hahaha! I am brilliant am I not - gizza job Glyn!

HYa ha, great work Carlos!! Do as the man says Glyn, give him a job!

Thank you Jamie!

[dondada]

Hey Stuart, I've not been told by anyone what to say, I'd just rather it was as fresh and interesting as I can get. Promoters would generally rather release their news themselves and the web means that stories leak out all the time. The Klitschko v Chishora story came up twice, the first time I just said something along the lines of it looks increasingly likely that Chisora will take the fight - when it was in the public domain that Chishora had been offered the fight but also that his team weren't sure they'd take it. The second time was just the point that Don Charles was fuming because the fight had never actually been cancelled, contrary to certain reports, just postponed. Fair play to you if you know much of the news I give. Perhaps you've got a better reading list than me....

You can't aim a TV show at the likes of stujones unless you called it 'The Anorak Hour'

Items to include a statistical analysis of fighters' current lung capacity to the cubic centimetre - by country and division, etc.

[el_grande_mauro_mina]

No need to explain Ed, I know what you mean and I trust your integrity. And it's good to be defensive, shows pride in what you do. I respect that. As for Bunce, well, he's always been a law unto himself, that's what works for him lol. Struggling with a headline for a Braehmer feature here, anyone got any ideas? My brain's gone numb.

It's a no brahemer for boxing's hot swot!

Hahaha! I am brilliant am I not - gizza job Glyn!

That is actually really good Carlos!

Clever Brahem(n)s

Cheers man!

Thats a good one Stu!

How about.

Cleverly is a Braehmer man than most!

[SweetLikeSugar]

Stop it Carlos. Just stop it.

[el_grande_mauro_mina]

Stop it Carlos. Just stop it.

Cleverly is going to have to box with his head for his next fight against Brahemer.

[Glyn Leach]

Settled for this: BIRD-BEATER BRAEHMER THE NO FUN HUN. Whaddya reckon?

[DavidPayne]

Jurgg-er-naut.

Braehmer Slammer.

Germ Warfare.

Braehmer puts Das Boot in

[orbtastic]

haha, got to get a war ref in there somewhere. they don't like it up 'em etc.

[winkveron]

Damn, Mooresy beat me to the 'No Braehmer' idea.

[whiskey]

Graduate Clev hopes to pass German exam with world honours.

[Glyn Leach]

OK, finished that feature, onto the next one - and more challenging, I reckon. A headline for a feature on ASHLEY THEOPHANE. Help!

[whiskey]

OK, finished that feature, onto the next one - and more challenging, I reckon. A headline for a feature on ASHLEY THEOPHANE. Help!

Theophane to bring the pain.

Ashley hopes to slam the Daw(s).

[SweetLikeSugar]

How about;

Ashley Aiming To Open Up Daws To Greater Things

[Glyn Leach]

Ooooooooh ...

[SweetLikeSugar]

Is that a;

"Oooooh ... that's a good one"

or a

"Oooooh ... you should cut your fingers so you can't post any more drivel like that"

?

[freddydoesdallas]

DAWS TO FEEL THEoPane

[Glyn Leach]

DAWS TO FEEL THEoPane

Oh my, that's special!

[freddydoesdallas]

DAWS TO FEEL THEoPane

Oh my, that's special!

you sound like my old teachers

[Glyn Leach]

DAWS TO FEEL THEoPane

Oh my, that's special!

you sound like my old teachers

No, they were saying 'speshul'

[iamasadlittleboy]

Got to be a treasure one in there some where, surely?

[Bricks]

I don't like the fella for several reasons....

Firstly he's unprofessional, i remember when he tried to pass off a fight report on a Chris John fight a couple years back, when in fact he hadn't even bothered to watch the fight.

I also find it totally unprofessional how he has now started labelling Haye 'Ducker' at the same time as he sidles upto the Klitschko's. Just wrong for a high profile reporter to display such obvious agenda. But i recall him also calling Calzaghe a ducker when Joe broke a hand against Ashira and had to pull out of the original date for the Lacy fight.

I think Rafael also displays what i think is a clear bias against British fighters. He's bashed pretty much all of our leading lights in recent years. Its probably just the usual 'we're just better than you at the end of the day' arrogant attitude that he and many of his countrymen have towards fighter who aren't American. But whatever his reasons i don't like it.

And i'll be honest, his weight bothers me too. Yeah i know it sounds mean, but i think if you report on sport(especially a sport like boxing) and are relatively young, then you really should make an effort to be in a presentable shape. Its hard listening to some glutton talking bad about fighters knowing the sacrafices fighters make in the ring and in their lives.

I hear that he's now joined the Ringside team on SKY..i know he was on the other day, but i hope its not going to be a regular thing. There are plenty of American based reporters out there who are far better at their job than Rafael.

he's really just a glorified fan ( a second rate forum poster to put it in context). i have at times felt sometimes his opinion issomething he has read rather than seen upfront. i kind of see him as a new age mike katz. katz was all hot air too. i hate to sound cruel. but good luck to the guy espn and sky obviously like him and so must many fans. just my opinion.

[Bricks]

The problem with Ray Feel is he is from that school of American boxing hacks who wrongly believe they are big, better and more important than the actual fighters.

These kind of guys think the words "balance" and "Objectivity" are swear words. This guy's blog on ESPN is very much in the "look at me" mould.

As well as this, his writing ability is average at best.

he's a blogger! Thats what i was looking for but couldnt pinpoint. He is a perez hilton wanabee and the problem i have is unlike hilton or our own steven bunce he doesnt really make the effort to give us any fantastically insightful info on a situation be it anything he has heard or researched.....again echoes of michael katz.......who remember when in the immediate aftermath of hatton-mayweather, bunce was making what seemed veiled or coded references to billy graham being on his way out. It was brave journalism as he could well have had it wrong. Hell it might even have been a hunch or something he had known for ages but kept quiet in order not to stir it.........but he ended up being right and it became a big story.....but despite that bunce didnt try and make it an egotistical scoop.....quite the opposite.

One thing that i didnt like on the last ringside was how they seemed to still be downplaying the super 6 when talking about froch,one of them said that once froch finished with the super 6 he'd be in line for "big fights", the inference being the super 6 had been some small tournament.....it hasnt....it has been imo the greatest thing to happen to boxing after pacman in the last 5 years and a world class tournament and format. Potentially a froch-ward fight should be a superfight within boxing even if not in the mainstream.

[stujones]

Hey Stuart, I've not been told by anyone what to say, I'd just rather it was as fresh and interesting as I can get. Promoters would generally rather release their news themselves and the web means that stories leak out all the time. The Klitschko v Chishora story came up twice, the first time I just said something along the lines of it looks increasingly likely that Chisora will take the fight - when it was in the public domain that Chishora had been offered the fight but also that his team weren't sure they'd take it. The second time was just the point that Don Charles was fuming because the fight had never actually been cancelled, contrary to certain reports, just postponed. Fair play to you if you know much of the news I give. Perhaps you've got a better reading list than me....

You can't aim a TV show at the likes of stujones unless you called it 'The Anorak Hour'

Items to include a statistical analysis of fighters' current lung capacity to the cubic centimetre - by country and division, etc.

A bit cold for fishing isn't it, Ian? I would say that many on here could be classed as "anoraks" in some shape or form.

Anyway Ed - my reading list I would imagine is significantly worst than yours. I was hitting some hard times financially last year so I decided against renewing my subs to BM - I really couldn't afford it and now, even though thankfully, lady luck turned a corner late last year - I now only buy the odd issue.

What I do read, and remember, just typically comes from 3 resources - here (both the forum/s and the news site), fightnews and the BBC website. Its particularly hard to get completely original news when you read stuff from Eric Armit, who I simply don't know how he does it. What we get on here in the forum, is typically "gossipy" news - some annoymous member will put something up... a rumour or something. Now, as I said before, what you say makes the gossip and rumours that I here sound alot more official.

For example, the Winky Wright vs Macklin fight was suggested as going to happen pretty much the day after it was announced Hennessy got the deal for Macklin vs Barker. For someone to suggest Winky Wright quite randomly is surely more than guesswork.

Between this forum and the current scene one (there are a few decent news items there) you get the news quickly.

[dondada]

Hey Stuart, I've not been told by anyone what to say, I'd just rather it was as fresh and interesting as I can get. Promoters would generally rather release their news themselves and the web means that stories leak out all the time. The Klitschko v Chishora story came up twice, the first time I just said something along the lines of it looks increasingly likely that Chisora will take the fight - when it was in the public domain that Chishora had been offered the fight but also that his team weren't sure they'd take it. The second time was just the point that Don Charles was fuming because the fight had never actually been cancelled, contrary to certain reports, just postponed. Fair play to you if you know much of the news I give. Perhaps you've got a better reading list than me....

You can't aim a TV show at the likes of stujones unless you called it 'The Anorak Hour'

Items to include a statistical analysis of fighters' current lung capacity to the cubic centimetre - by country and division, etc.

A bit cold for fishing isn't it, Ian? I would say that many on here could be classed as "anoraks" in some shape or form.

Back handed compliment mate