Thanks for the comments, Veriton. Steve decided to leave BM following Glyn's passing and I was asked by the Publisher to write a column on the social media aspect, which is certainly more restrictive in terms of content. It's far easier to write a straight column about any subject in boxing rather than unearth a fresh angle from a social media standpoint for a monthly publication. I've endeavoured to mix it up with a few interviews, but inevitably the focus is on the spats and gaffes featuring leading fighters on Twitter. Fred Sternburg is certainly of interest for people in the boxing media and trade, but may not be to everyone's taste as subject matter. I worked at Boxing News for four years when it was black and white and most of the ink came off in your hands. But it's a different world now. We move with the times. I had a conversation with Jeff Powell in Macao where he told me that the old school journalists who refused to adopt social media were marginalised and faded from view. Not everyone likes it or uses it, but the medium is here to stay.veriton wrote:no mate, that social media page has replaced farhood's column which i used to enjoy. it's a poor swap in my opinion and doesnt really add anything as it is forced to focus on tittle tattle, which seems as odds with the knowledgable style of the rest of the mag.
Developing the social media side of BM is essential if the magazine is to continue. The interactions I have had via @BoxingMonthlyEd have been largely positive and we are reaching fight fans who may not previously have been aware of the magazine. We have to find a balance between old and new. Sports magazines have been in the death throes for some time and, with news in boxing being so immediate, a monthly fight magazine is a challenge. It's not as simple a process as some might think. I had a Glen Tapia feature ready to go then Top Rank squeezed in a fight against Michel Soro, Tapia was KOed and the piece never saw the light of day. Time and effort wasted. Most of the features in BM are on UK-based fighters, but the onus is on me to find original, international content. In the last 18 months, I've interviewed Gulliermo Rigondeaux, Mike Tyson, Tim Bradley, Roman Gonzalez, David Lemieux, Jermain Taylor, Nonito Donaire, Hekkie Budler, Amnat Ruenroeng, Peter Quillin and Iran Barkley for BM among others. Not a bad list. Some pieces capture the imagination more than others, but it's a pleasure for me to work for Graham and be part of the Boxing Monthly team and it's my intention that the magazine is ready to face the publishing challenges of the future. Social media is a big part of that. - Mark Butcher.
