finally cancelled BN subscription

[blanca]

..after years of being a subscriber i've done the unthinkable and cancelled BN. It may be a product of getting older but recently its been a slog reading each copy whereas previously the mag was read thru over the weekend. Im not sure that the quality of the mag has diminished, more that boxing has changed.it no longer excites me like it did,im so cynical now as well, look at mayweather,hes an absolute bore to watch and hes making all that money fighting has beens and never were's then he call himself tbe..and so called fans back up his claims...takes the p:ss. Catchweight fights, eddie hearn and his wanky sky ppvs, shite 90/10 matchups filling up bills..i cant get excited anymore...so am taking a step back and the Bn subs are the first to go. Hope things change..

[Datsue]

Funnily enough, I was thinking of picking up the new one, it's got Carlos Acevedo in it, for my money the best boxing writer going (though he's certainly from the pompous Septic literary wannabe hard man school, to be fair).

[danamba7]

I thought by BN you meant B-o-x-n-a-t-i-o-n!

Never subscribed to Boxing News before but like to pick up certain ones that take my interest, especially if I'm training it to London and back.

Will you still purchase the odd one or giving it a miss completely?

[blanca]

Ill prob read the best bits in the shop! Ive already cut my sky sports subs, now this, yearning for the days when i would happily stay up until 5am to watch a 50/50 matchup..if those days return i may get the mag again.might start goin to small hall fights again, get back to grassroots

[ShadrachSimmo]

My yearly subs ends next week and I'm no renewing it. I've not missed many issues over the last 6 or 7 years not sure if I'll bother getting it anymore. I feel the same as Blanca it's still a good mag but I don't know if I'll continue buying it.

[Boxerbeetle]

On a semi-related note, I'm cancelling Sky Sports today for very similar reasons (when I can finally get through to the fvckers, that is). It's just not worth the cost for the amount of boxing it shows, particularly as any reasonably big fight will be on PPV anyway. Will be keeping my B0xnati0n subscription though.

[dalcumly]

There's a clear trend here. I like all the full time staff at Boxing News, they all seem to be real enthusiasts and work hard. But they are all from a 'younger' generation. Its all twitter, facebook, podcasts etc. Other informed Boxrec users with inside knowledge of the 'paper' industry will claim that people don't read magazines and newspapers anymore, so by concentrating on the magazine they will lose money. If that really is the case - then why not close the magazine ?

I'm convinced, but only as a 'punter' that if they concentrated on covering British boxing more widely, and stuck to what I'd call the 'basics' then the magazine could survive and prosper. But of course what do we old grey haired 'has-beens' know. Well, we certainly upset ALL the opinion polls at the General Election that's for sure!!

[REEVE]

Just my opinion but bn is not anywhere near as good as it was I haven't bought in 3 or 4 years

[blanca]

Well there are certain sections of BN that need to go. Imo the letters page is truly abysmal,same contributors writing mundane crap,then u have the heros and villains bit,they used to have good regular sections like Eric Armits snips,old timers,body and soul,i liked the nod to historical events. I also liked reading about what the old pros were doing.now most articles are about how much money floyd is making,al haymon or some US boxer giving it big about how hes gonna do this and that..i guess the latter has always been an issue! I thinks the news lads at BN are trying to make their mark,but it wasnt broke so dont try and fix it. As i said earlier my decision has been influenced by boxing in general, its in a sorry state,and until we go back to the days of max 2 world champs per weight then i see no reason to spend my money following it..other than supporting small hall shows

[Sklar]

Growing cynical is fairly normal. Perhaps shifting your focus to researching the history of the sport may be the answer. Fifteen years ago I was like expe or one of those other youngsters who knows it all (pretty much), and not in the derogatory sense, nowadays I know pretty much fornicate all about what's going on at the moment. I don't watch much of the current stuff (other than heavyweights and cruiserweights), have left the YouTube world to the kids and really only visit this forum for nostalgia purposes.

[hitman_hatton1]

stopped buying it about 5 yrs back.

still get boxing monthly.

could make a killing selling all me back issues.

i've only missed about 2 or 3 of those since early 1999.

[Deserter]

so by concentrating on the magazine they will lose money. If that really is the case - then why not close the magazine ?

I'm convinced, but only as a 'punter' that if they concentrated on covering British boxing more widely, and stuck to what I'd call the 'basics' then the magazine could survive and prosper. But of course what do we old grey haired 'has-beens' know. Well, we certainly upset ALL the opinion polls at the General Election that's for sure!!

The magazine is still at the core of BN brand, but it's about recognising that in this era you have to leverage other platforms as well to build awareness and engagement.
By the way, I'm glad you're convinced, but just bear in mind it's the equivalent of me saying I'm convinced I know more than Gordon Ramsey about running a successful restaurant business on the basis of having eaten at a couple of his places.

[grub]

I used to get my subscription as Xmas & birthday presents (6 months each). That's not possible anymore and am really in two minds whether to keep it on myself. I used to avidly steam straight through BN each Friday; now I've quite often not finished it by the middle of the following week (and it comes out a day earlier). I don't think the quality has dropped at all though. I'm giving serious thought to a BM subscription instead.

[ardybo]

..after years of being a subscriber i've done the unthinkable and cancelled BN. It may be a product of getting older but recently its been a slog reading each copy whereas previously the mag was read thru over the weekend. Im not sure that the quality of the mag has diminished, more that boxing has changed.it no longer excites me like it did,im so cynical now as well, look at mayweather,hes an absolute bore to watch and hes making all that money fighting has beens and never were's then he call himself tbe..and so called fans back up his claims...takes the p:ss. Catchweight fights, eddie hearn and his wanky sky ppvs, shite 90/10 matchups filling up bills..i cant get excited anymore...so am taking a step back and the Bn subs are the first to go. Hope things change..

Boxing News is a top quality publication and outside of the times I lived or worked outside of Ireland, I have been reading it since 1983. I haven't noticed any drop in the standard, so I fully intend to renew my subscription which ends at the end if the month. If you're a real boxing fan you will most likely come back to the paper.

[Old bones Ian]

Hero's and Villians section is a double page waste, I appreciate that the editors and writers know their stuff, but there's so much more going on in boxing they could write about, past and present. Show off their writing skills instead.

[palooka]

There's a clear trend here. I like all the full time staff at Boxing News, they all seem to be real enthusiasts and work hard. But they are all from a 'younger' generation. Its all twitter, facebook, podcasts etc. Other informed Boxrec users with inside knowledge of the 'paper' industry will claim that people don't read magazines and newspapers anymore, so by concentrating on the magazine they will lose money. If that really is the case - then why not close the magazine ?

I'm convinced, but only as a 'punter' that if they concentrated on covering British boxing more widely, and stuck to what I'd call the 'basics' then the magazine could survive and prosper. But of course what do we old grey haired 'has-beens' know. Well, we certainly upset ALL the opinion polls at the General Election that's for sure!!

Yeah, thanks for that

[Supremo]

I think Boxing News is a great magazine, excellent analysis and I like their previews of forthcoming weekend fights. However, if you want to talk about a magazine whose standards have dropped then look no further than the ring magazine....

[magwitch]

..after years of being a subscriber i've done the unthinkable and cancelled BN. It may be a product of getting older but recently its been a slog reading each copy whereas previously the mag was read thru over the weekend. Im not sure that the quality of the mag has diminished, more that boxing has changed.it no longer excites me like it did,im so cynical now as well, look at mayweather,hes an absolute bore to watch and hes making all that money fighting has beens and never were's then he call himself tbe..and so called fans back up his claims...takes the p:ss. Catchweight fights, eddie hearn and his wanky sky ppvs, shite 90/10 matchups filling up bills..i cant get excited anymore...so am taking a step back and the Bn subs are the first to go. Hope things change..

Mayweather probably is a tool, but he fights a couple of times a year. He KO'd Ricky Hatton, just beat Pacquiao easily. Other good fighters have stepped up and had no joy, such as Guerrero and Maidana, and that's just the recent ones. He hammered some good fighters just to get where he is, such as Sharmba Mitchell and that lad that came off his bike and died, who fought Castillo.
Basically, if anyone's not happy about Mayweather's boring style or big mouth then just climb in the ring and knock him out until that happens, he can do what he wants.

I agree about the Eddie Hearn comments. Sold PPV for Cleverly Bellew - the worst fight in history. Did this guy sell Harrison and Haye or was that someone else? Also the fight I wanted to go to, Groves-vs. Froch I, 18,000 tickets "sold out" in 37 seconds. I never knew a thing about it. Cheers Hearn

[Bodyshot3]

..after years of being a subscriber i've done the unthinkable and cancelled BN. It may be a product of getting older but recently its been a slog reading each copy whereas previously the mag was read thru over the weekend. Im not sure that the quality of the mag has diminished, more that boxing has changed.it no longer excites me like it did,im so cynical now as well, look at mayweather,hes an absolute bore to watch and hes making all that money fighting has beens and never were's then he call himself tbe..and so called fans back up his claims...takes the p:ss. Catchweight fights, eddie hearn and his wanky sky ppvs, shite 90/10 matchups filling up bills..i cant get excited anymore...so am taking a step back and the Bn subs are the first to go. Hope things change..

I still buy Boxing Monthly without fail but Boxing News is perhaps just twce a month....I am really not a fan of those pages where the team pontificate about the week's fights/results/rankings....that's just office observations re-heated as news/analysis. Far better to have a busier news section than the team examining their own finger-nails. And yes...the letters are dire.

Sounds harsh...but that section annoys me greatly; just lazy journalism and a waste of good editorial space. Get out there and find some gym news rather than serve-up some office gossip/hunches. Was hoping Matt Christie would cut that dross out although his main editorials are far more punchy than Tris Dixon's.

[CharlesListon]

I think its gone downhill since Claude Abraham left.
They lost the every punch,every fight, every week tagline and in recent months have reduced the reporting from small hall shows.
As others have said, Heroes and Villians is a waste of pages. I don't think anyone will learn how to box by reading a few pages of Darren Barkers "How to" section, but what really gets my goat is the (albeit small section) "who wins out of pernell whittaker v floyd mayweather " fantasy type poll where non expert facebook and twitter twats express their opinion.
Likewise the diet pages are a waste. I'd rather read the usually excellent ringside reports from the ringside reporters such as Andy Whittle and Daniel Herbert, who always provide an unbiased version of events.
I still subscribe, but don't know for how much longer.

[blanca]

I think its gone downhill since Claude Abraham left.
They lost the every punch,every fight, every week tagline and in recent months have reduced the reporting from small hall shows.
As others have said, Heroes and Villians is a waste of pages. I don't think anyone will learn how to box by reading a few pages of Darren Barkers "How to" section, but what really gets my goat is the (albeit small section) "who wins out of pernell whittaker v floyd mayweather " fantasy type poll where non expert facebook and twitter twats express their opinion.
Likewise the diet pages are a waste. I'd rather read the usually excellent ringside reports from the ringside reporters such as Andy Whittle and Daniel Herbert, who always provide an unbiased version of events.
I still subscribe, but don't know for how much longer.

U have mentioned everything that pisses me off about BN! Thats how i feel,i go to the gym loads and can find much more useful dietry and training advice elsewhere. BN isnt and shouldnt be used for stuff that mags like fighting fit were for. Agree those 'who wins..' articles are pointless, i dont care if Chuck from Pontypridd thinks Floyd Havard would have messed up Billy Hardy.i want facts,i want fight reports,i want in depth articles about boxers and boxing both contemporary and historic. I dunno the financials behibd this but why not leave the schoolyard bantz to the website and produce a classic BN for the printed format?

[Boxerbeetle]

Mayweather probably is a tool, but he fights a couple of times a year. He KO'd Ricky Hatton, just beat Pacquiao easily. Other good fighters have stepped up and had no joy, such as Guerrero and Maidana, and that's just the recent ones. He hammered some good fighters just to get where he is, such as Sharmba Mitchell and that lad that came off his bike and died, who fought Castillo.
Basically, if anyone's not happy about Mayweather's boring style or big mouth then just climb in the ring and knock him out until that happens, he can do what he wants.

You remember the names of Guerrero & Mitchell, but forget the name of Diego Corrales? For shame

[jamesmcdonnell]

Mayweather probably is a tool, but he fights a couple of times a year. He KO'd Ricky Hatton, just beat Pacquiao easily. Other good fighters have stepped up and had no joy, such as Guerrero and Maidana, and that's just the recent ones. He hammered some good fighters just to get where he is, such as Sharmba Mitchell and that lad that came off his bike and died, who fought Castillo.
Basically, if anyone's not happy about Mayweather's boring style or big mouth then just climb in the ring and knock him out until that happens, he can do what he wants.

You remember the names of Guerrero & Mitchell, but forget the name of Diego Corrales? For shame

Probably Mayweathers best performance that - absolutely tore him to bits, and Corralles was a bad hombre.

[handsofstone]

Mayweather probably is a tool, but he fights a couple of times a year. He KO'd Ricky Hatton, just beat Pacquiao easily. Other good fighters have stepped up and had no joy, such as Guerrero and Maidana, and that's just the recent ones. He hammered some good fighters just to get where he is, such as Sharmba Mitchell and that lad that came off his bike and died, who fought Castillo.
Basically, if anyone's not happy about Mayweather's boring style or big mouth then just climb in the ring and knock him out until that happens, he can do what he wants.

You remember the names of Guerrero & Mitchell, but forget the name of Diego Corrales? For shame

Probably Mayweathers best performance that - absolutely tore him to bits, and Corralles was a bad hombre.

Corrales was unbeaten going into the Mayweather fight too right?

[jamesmcdonnell]

As I recall he was. That was a great matchup.