Matt Christie leaves Boxing News

[CaptainSpacerod]

Matt Christie's away this week but I'm listening to The Opening Bell's breakdown of the Usyk fight and have to say that Barry Jones is next level good. So many insights and knowledge bombs. Does he show up on any podcasts regularly?

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t ... 1526653062

He's on this one in virtually every episode

Thanks for the heads-up mate, will definitely check this out.

[Deserter]

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t ... 1526653062

He's on this one in virtually every episode

Thanks for the heads-up mate, will definitely check this out.

Went to plunge in last night, but looks like it hasn't been updated in a month - may be me putting 2+2 together and getting 5, but that coincides with Rob Tebbutt announcing he was stepping away from BN, so looks like this podcast is dead (for now at least)?
Can see that Tebbutt himself is still active with Below The Belt,.

[CaptainSpacerod]

Thanks for the heads-up mate, will definitely check this out.

Went to plunge in last night, but looks like it hasn't been updated in a month - may be me putting 2+2 together and getting 5, but that coincides with Rob Tebbutt announcing he was stepping away from BN, so looks like this podcast is dead (for now at least)?
Can see that Tebbutt himself is still active with Below The Belt,.

I didn’t know that about Tebbutt, yeah that would seem to suggest it won’t be continuing in this form.

That said, I haven’t picked up on any Alex Steedman style delusions of grandeur from these lads who all seem very happy, schedules permitting, to have lengthy boxing chats for I assume relatively little remuneration, so maybe they’ll emerge under a different banner elsewhere

[veriton]

Actually went to Smiths to buy a copy for a fiver. Pacheco is from Seattle (not South Central LA) and Naz started his career at featherweight according to BN this week.

[MightyWarrior]

The boxing news online effort I’ve looked at recently has been woeful stuff, the free content anyway.
The previews written like something on the back of a beer mat.

Rob Tebbut has fumbled the ball badly here

The death knell of a grand institution

[Graham Houston]

Actually went to Smiths to buy a copy for a fiver. Pacheco is from Seattle (not South Central LA) and Naz started his career at featherweight according to BN this week.

Thanks for letting me know about the errors, Veriton.

First, the Naseem Hamed error. I'll address that as the error appeared in an article under my byline.

Here is what I actually wrote:

Prince Naseem was 19-0 (17 KOs) going into the fight and was boxing as a featherweight for the first time, having campaigned at 118 and 122 pounds.

The error was therefore inserted at the production stage. I have no control over that. Once the article leaves my computer, that's it, Veriton. It's no longer in my hands. (Yeah, I know Naz was boxing at 114lbs for a few fights but essentially his biggest wins were at 118, 122 and then, of course, huge wins at 126. Right?)

Re. Diego Pacheco. I didn't write that piece but, in the spirit of fairness, I think it should be pointed out that Diego was born in South Central L.A. but moved to Seattle to join the David Benavidez camp where Jose Benavidez Sr trains him as well as training David Benavidez and Jose Benavidez Jr.

Re. errors, I am certainly capable of making them. I'm only human and there is such a thing as human error. Many publications in US/Canada have a "Setting It Straight" section in which errors are corrected. Mistakes happen in the best of publications; even the most accomplished of writers are capable of making a mistake. Mistakes happen in the writing/publishing business. I try to make as few as humanly possible.

[veriton]

Thanks for the reply Graham, and appreciate that mistakes can happen in such a fast-moving environment with seemingly fewer BN staff these days.

For clarity for everyone else, the Naz sentence read: "Hamed was 19-0, 17KOs, going into the fight and was boxing at featherweight for the first time, having turned pro at featherweight, and then growing into the bantam and super-bantam divisions'.

I get that one just crept in, but the reasoning behind the Pacheco one I'm afraid I disagree with. Pacheco is always announced as being from South Central LA, and it's certainly a place that has a very well known history and the association that comes with that. We could assume anyone from there would be a tough boxer who has navigated gangland to reach the top of boxing. So plenty of cudos. To say he's from Seattle because he trains there...well Seattle to me is Starbucks, Amazon and Microsoft so a very different place. I think Pacheco has earned the right to say he's from South Central LA so let's give him that respect.

While I've got your ear though...is BN ok at the moment? Christie, Butcher, Tebbutt have all gone recently. I've been a reader for 40 odd years - subscriber for most - but my big fear is it goes the same way as BM once Kelsey got hold of it. With Tebbutt now out of the frame, what is the future of BN please?

I just tried to renew my subscription but it was a Filipino call centre and apparently I didnt even have a sub to renew! It's a long way from when Wilma O'Brien was on the end of the phone. The price has also gone up from 120 to 150 and I havent seen anything about that in the mag. My life has centred around BN dropping through my letterbox (first Friday and now Thursday)for almost my whole life and I love it dearly. Is there anything you can tell us about the state of play?

[LloydVanDams]

Has anyone else been informed via email that their BN sub has ended, although it still has time to run on it?

Mine isn't due until October, yet in the last three days, I've been told that I had one week remaining, then just a single day, and today I've been reliably informed that it has ended!

I know that things are a bit of a dumpster fire over there, but what's going on here?

I would try socials or BN's email for an answer, but I have a feeling that I wouldn't get one in the current climate.

[Graham Houston]

Thanks for the reply Graham, and appreciate that mistakes can happen in such a fast-moving environment with seemingly fewer BN staff these days.

For clarity for everyone else, the Naz sentence read: "Hamed was 19-0, 17KOs, going into the fight and was boxing at featherweight for the first time, having turned pro at featherweight, and then growing into the bantam and super-bantam divisions'.

I get that one just crept in, but the reasoning behind the Pacheco one I'm afraid I disagree with. Pacheco is always announced as being from South Central LA, and it's certainly a place that has a very well known history and the association that comes with that. We could assume anyone from there would be a tough boxer who has navigated gangland to reach the top of boxing. So plenty of cudos. To say he's from Seattle because he trains there...well Seattle to me is Starbucks, Amazon and Microsoft so a very different place. I think Pacheco has earned the right to say he's from South Central LA so let's give him that respect.

While I've got your ear though...is BN ok at the moment? Christie, Butcher, Tebbutt have all gone recently. I've been a reader for 40 odd years - subscriber for most - but my big fear is it goes the same way as BM once Kelsey got hold of it. With Tebbutt now out of the frame, what is the future of BN please?

I just tried to renew my subscription but it was a Filipino call centre and apparently I didnt even have a sub to renew! It's a long way from when Wilma O'Brien was on the end of the phone. The price has also gone up from 120 to 150 and I havent seen anything about that in the mag. My life has centred around BN dropping through my letterbox (first Friday and now Thursday)for almost my whole life and I love it dearly. Is there anything you can tell us about the state of play?

I believe an announcement is imminent re. a new managing editor (it's not me). But the word I get is that BN is "entering a new period of stability". So, as they say, "Stay tuned." ... I agree with you that Pacheco should be considered as being from South Central L.A. which, as you rightly point out, is very different from Seattle, But Diego does train in Seattle so the writer of the piece was probably going by that.

Re. the Hamed error, I think this was just a case of the copy editor (sub editor) making a change where none was actually needed. When I was a copy editor (sub) or an editor as such, my philosophy was: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." You tinker around with someone's copy, especially if time-stressed, and there's always a chance you'll introduce an error where none existed. Irritating for the writer when this happens.

A reader for 40 years! That's great to hear. Thanks for the support.

[SeanBrennan]

so great to have Houston on the forum

[Graham Houston]

so great to have Houston on the forum

Thanks Sean! I have dropped in from time to time. Tried not to overdo it.

[SeanBrennan]

so great to have Houston on the forum

Thanks Sean! I have dropped in from time to time. Tried not to overdo it.

Your presence is never anything but welcome sir, thank you for joining us.

[veriton]

Thank you Graham, and it's very good to hear that BN could be settling down after what has appeared to be, from the outside, turbulent times. I should say the only concern has been the movement of staff as the actual content has remained spot on. BN is as strong as ever and I'm very grateful for you leading it at the moment.

[SeanBrennan]

Thank you Graham, and it's very good to hear that BN could be settling down after what has appeared to be, from the outside, turbulent times. I should say the only concern has been the movement of staff as the actual content has remained spot on. BN is as strong as ever and I'm very grateful for you leading it at the moment.

I hope it continues, I didn’t realise how little writers make either, definitely a labour of love

[Broonito]

Thank you Graham, and it's very good to hear that BN could be settling down after what has appeared to be, from the outside, turbulent times. I should say the only concern has been the movement of staff as the actual content has remained spot on. BN is as strong as ever and I'm very grateful for you leading it at the moment.

I hope it continues, I didn’t realise how little writers make either, definitely a labour of love

A labour of love but one that me and the other guys pour a lot of our lives into. We're lucky to be doing it and while I know some are not happy with a few things I can assure we are giving everything we can. Hopefully, things will settle for the long-term and we can carry on grafting and improving.

Cheers for all the support and feedback you give to BN.

Shaun Brown

[Deserter]

Continue to buy BN at the newsstand and when you judge it against the chaotic business backdrop, the limited resources etc, I think the guys involved have to be commended for turning out a solid weekly publication.
My own personal gripe remains the blow-by-blow match reports that come days after the event and frequently don't add any additional insight or any value full stop. To give an obvious example, nobody buying BN surely has any interest in reading a report on the Okolie vs Lerena fight that was as pedestrian as the fight itself. Nobody really cares about getting a round by round recap of that fight, instead those column inches would surely be better served by evaluating where Okolie goes from here, what he thought about his own performance etc?
Analysis + Access are the potential USPs of BN that don't always appear to be leveraged.
Sorry, I don't mean to sound harsh, but I just genuinely don't get it - if you're a big enough fan to be a regular reader of BN, you've either already watched that fight and formed your own opinion, or you've read what happened (or didn't happen in this case) already. Either way, I don't understand who that type of report is for.
At the very least come out and have a strong opinion, rather than just 'fighter x did this and fighter y did that'.
Rant over. Will continue to purchase :)

[JamesPhilips]

Thank you Graham, and it's very good to hear that BN could be settling down after what has appeared to be, from the outside, turbulent times. I should say the only concern has been the movement of staff as the actual content has remained spot on. BN is as strong as ever and I'm very grateful for you leading it at the moment.

I hope it continues, I didn’t realise how little writers make either, definitely a labour of love

A labour of love but one that me and the other guys pour a lot of our lives into. We're lucky to be doing it and while I know some are not happy with a few things I can assure we are giving everything we can. Hopefully, things will settle for the long-term and we can carry on grafting and improving.

Cheers for all the support and feedback you give to BN.

Shaun Brown

Here’s some good advice - don’t waste over half an issue on women’s boxing which is terrible quality and very few care about.

[Coco]

I hope it continues, I didn’t realise how little writers make either, definitely a labour of love

A labour of love but one that me and the other guys pour a lot of our lives into. We're lucky to be doing it and while I know some are not happy with a few things I can assure we are giving everything we can. Hopefully, things will settle for the long-term and we can carry on grafting and improving.

Cheers for all the support and feedback you give to BN.

Shaun Brown

Here’s some good advice - don’t waste over half an issue on women’s boxing which is terrible quality and very few care about.

x2

[Gnome]

Continue to buy BN at the newsstand and when you judge it against the chaotic business backdrop, the limited resources etc, I think the guys involved have to be commended for turning out a solid weekly publication.
My own personal gripe remains the blow-by-blow match reports that come days after the event and frequently don't add any additional insight or any value full stop. To give an obvious example, nobody buying BN surely has any interest in reading a report on the Okolie vs Lerena fight that was as pedestrian as the fight itself. Nobody really cares about getting a round by round recap of that fight, instead those column inches would surely be better served by evaluating where Okolie goes from here, what he thought about his own performance etc?
Analysis + Access are the potential USPs of BN that don't always appear to be leveraged.
Sorry, I don't mean to sound harsh, but I just genuinely don't get it - if you're a big enough fan to be a regular reader of BN, you've either already watched that fight and formed your own opinion, or you've read what happened (or didn't happen in this case) already. Either way, I don't understand who that type of report is for.
At the very least come out and have a strong opinion, rather than just 'fighter x did this and fighter y did that'.
Rant over. Will continue to purchase :)

Believe it or not, I avoid reading about boxing on the internet so I can get the news first from Boxing News. Saves me having to trawl through godawful websites. Weird, but people like us exist.

Like a previous poster, getting my copy in the mail is a wee highlight of the week for me.

[Gnome]

I hope it continues, I didn’t realise how little writers make either, definitely a labour of love

A labour of love but one that me and the other guys pour a lot of our lives into. We're lucky to be doing it and while I know some are not happy with a few things I can assure we are giving everything we can. Hopefully, things will settle for the long-term and we can carry on grafting and improving.

Cheers for all the support and feedback you give to BN.

Shaun Brown

Here’s some good advice - don’t waste over half an issue on women’s boxing which is terrible quality and very few care about.

I always skip the articles about women's boxing as well. I think the Where Are The Now articles could easily be twice as long - they are enjoyable but I think a lot are missed opportunities, should be much more in-depth.

[CaptainSpacerod]

Joining Matt and Alex on the opening bell this week is Joe Gallagher. F4ck me what a brilliant bloke he is, no sense of self pity just a genuine desire to continue helping others.

They talk of how Joe’s coaching blueprint has now been adopted by Crolla and Quigg and others who’ve learnt the ropes under him and are now trying to make their way in the world of coaching.

I’m sure a listen to this would give the “Tesco Joe” brigade, who were very vocal on here a few years ago, much food for thought

[coneye]

Joining Matt and Alex on the opening bell this week is Joe Gallagher. F4ck me what a brilliant bloke he is, no sense of self pity just a genuine desire to continue helping others.

They talk of how Joe’s coaching blueprint has now been adopted by Crolla and Quigg and others who’ve learnt the ropes under him and are now trying to make their way in the world of coaching.

I’m sure a listen to this would give the “Tesco Joe” brigade, who were very vocal on here a few years ago, much food for thought

Think Gallagher is a very good trainer , has he produced absolute superstars , in the ALI De la Hoya , Hagler mould , Well no , but what he has done is consistantly developed boxers to be the best of THEIR ABILITY , ok some could argue that maybee another trainer may have got a bit more out of them , but he has done it time and again , for me thats what a succesful , good trainer does

[Deserter]

Continue to buy BN at the newsstand and when you judge it against the chaotic business backdrop, the limited resources etc, I think the guys involved have to be commended for turning out a solid weekly publication.
My own personal gripe remains the blow-by-blow match reports that come days after the event and frequently don't add any additional insight or any value full stop. To give an obvious example, nobody buying BN surely has any interest in reading a report on the Okolie vs Lerena fight that was as pedestrian as the fight itself. Nobody really cares about getting a round by round recap of that fight, instead those column inches would surely be better served by evaluating where Okolie goes from here, what he thought about his own performance etc?
Analysis + Access are the potential USPs of BN that don't always appear to be leveraged.
Sorry, I don't mean to sound harsh, but I just genuinely don't get it - if you're a big enough fan to be a regular reader of BN, you've either already watched that fight and formed your own opinion, or you've read what happened (or didn't happen in this case) already. Either way, I don't understand who that type of report is for.
At the very least come out and have a strong opinion, rather than just 'fighter x did this and fighter y did that'.
Rant over. Will continue to purchase :)

Believe it or not, I avoid reading about boxing on the internet so I can get the news first from Boxing News. Saves me having to trawl through godawful websites. Weird, but people like us exist.

Like a previous poster, getting my copy in the mail is a wee highlight of the week for me.

I believe it, but I think you'd also have to accept that you're an outlier in that regard. There certainly aren't enough to build a business model around.

[JamesPhilips]

A labour of love but one that me and the other guys pour a lot of our lives into. We're lucky to be doing it and while I know some are not happy with a few things I can assure we are giving everything we can. Hopefully, things will settle for the long-term and we can carry on grafting and improving.

Cheers for all the support and feedback you give to BN.

Shaun Brown

Here’s some good advice - don’t waste over half an issue on women’s boxing which is terrible quality and very few care about.

I always skip the articles about women's boxing as well. I think the Where Are The Now articles could easily be twice as long - they are enjoyable but I think a lot are missed opportunities, should be much more in-depth.

The where are they now articles are by far my favourite part of the magazine.

[Gnome]

Continue to buy BN at the newsstand and when you judge it against the chaotic business backdrop, the limited resources etc, I think the guys involved have to be commended for turning out a solid weekly publication.
My own personal gripe remains the blow-by-blow match reports that come days after the event and frequently don't add any additional insight or any value full stop. To give an obvious example, nobody buying BN surely has any interest in reading a report on the Okolie vs Lerena fight that was as pedestrian as the fight itself. Nobody really cares about getting a round by round recap of that fight, instead those column inches would surely be better served by evaluating where Okolie goes from here, what he thought about his own performance etc?
Analysis + Access are the potential USPs of BN that don't always appear to be leveraged.
Sorry, I don't mean to sound harsh, but I just genuinely don't get it - if you're a big enough fan to be a regular reader of BN, you've either already watched that fight and formed your own opinion, or you've read what happened (or didn't happen in this case) already. Either way, I don't understand who that type of report is for.
At the very least come out and have a strong opinion, rather than just 'fighter x did this and fighter y did that'.
Rant over. Will continue to purchase :)

Believe it or not, I avoid reading about boxing on the internet so I can get the news first from Boxing News. Saves me having to trawl through godawful websites. Weird, but people like us exist.

Like a previous poster, getting my copy in the mail is a wee highlight of the week for me.

I believe it, but I think you'd also have to accept that you're an outlier in that regard. There certainly aren't enough to build a business model around.

Sure, but it would be a weird old boxing magazine not to discuss the latest boxing results