Matt Christie leaves Boxing News

[Deserter]

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

If you read my point it's that the value is from discussing the implications of the results and any relevant insider perspectives, not just doing a tedious RbR summary. The idea that knowing that fighter x edged round 5 by landing more jabs than figher Y constitutes content strong enough to justify paying for is laughable.

[veriton]

I just 'renewed' online, even though the call centre reckoned I didn't even have a sub for the last year.

One thing I did find interesting this week (bought from Smiths for a fiver) is that the p4p top 25 didnt feature Katie Taylor. It didn't mention anywhere it was male fighters only and p4p does mean all things equal.

Maybe they just didn't think she was good enough

[margaret thatcher]

if pound for pound evens it out, then men should be fighting women as long as theyre the same poundage? how would katie do vs fellow 135ers shak stevenson, gervonta davis, keyshawn davis, etc

[veriton]

Vergil Ortiz Jnr is number 25 so the last one on the list so is Taylor better than him, all things equal? I'm not sure she is. Talking point anyway.

[CaptainSpacerod]

Vergil Ortiz Jnr is number 25 so the last one on the list so is Taylor better than him, all things equal? I'm not sure she is. Talking point anyway.

I would’ve thought she’s nowhere near as good as Vergil or any other world / European / British level fighter. The talent pool in women’s boxing is so shallow that it makes comparisons with top male fighters pointless

[JamesPhilips]

Vergil Ortiz Jnr is number 25 so the last one on the list so is Taylor better than him, all things equal? I'm not sure she is. Talking point anyway.

I would’ve thought she’s nowhere near as good as Vergil or any other world / European / British level fighter. The talent pool in women’s boxing is so shallow that it makes comparisons with top male fighters pointless

[JamesPhilips]

I have to say this week’s issue was one of the best for ages. I was seriously considering unsubscribing to Boxing News after the dreadful 28 pages of women boxing edition (I didnt read a SINGLE of those articles.)

But this weeks edition was great. Some really interesting Boxing Monthly (RIP miss that mag) style articles about diverse subject matter and NO women boxing articles thankfully! I will read every article this week

Maybe the mag has improved now that the failed actor whose only role was a small part in an Alex Reid / Callum Best film no one’s ever seen or heard of has left

Keep going in that direction BN!

[oliverfennell]

Hi all,

Just thought I'd chip in the capacity of managing editor, which was made official earlier this month.

I don't want to go over the ins and outs of what's happened at BN over the past several months, but rest assured the magazine is not in danger. Those members of staff who left had their reasons, and it's up to them what they do or don't say about it. It's not my place to discuss their business. It was just an unfortunate run of events that led those resignations, but they were not related. Luckily I was in a position to step up to the plate after working largely behind the scenes for a while and then increasingly getting involved as these various developments panned out. But I reckon everyone who was going to leave has now left and those who remain will be staying put for the foreseeable future, so hopefully that means a period of stability is now upon us.

That chain of events explains why we've had the odd typo or other kinds of gremlins. Not an excuse, just an explanation - instability and running on a skeleton crew can have that effect. But I'm glad to hear the content has (mostly) been well received even as it's been put together under difficult circumstances.

And I said "mostly", because as has been discussed on here, not everybody has been happy with everything. But hopefully you'll appreciate it is literally impossible to please everybody. Case in point:

Nobody really cares about getting a round by round recap of that fight,

Yet a couple of pages earlier, a different reader was calling for that very thing.

Similarly, a lot of people do seem to appreciate the history features and "where are they now" interviews, but someone recently complained to me that BN is "stuck in the past" because of those articles.

There are those who don't like focusing on international fighters and events, and others who say we're too UK-centric.

For all those speaking out against female boxing coverage, there are others who applaud it.

And so on.

So, it's a balancing act, and in that regard I'll listen to all opinions and requests, but won't be able to meet all of them. I'll have to identify trends in terms of what works and what doesn't, on an overall basis rather than any individual's.

You guys on this forum are probably the best gauge of that, so by all means please carry on the conversation, or reach out to me separately (PM me for contact details)

Oh, and finally, regarding subscriptions problems. That was due to a transfer of that side of the business to a new distribution company, and the previous one did not provide the existing customer database. That meant the usual scenario of reminders being sent out when subscriptions were nearing the end of their term were missed in some cases, and if they were not set to automatically renew, they didn't. That's been a real headache and I'm sure has cost us valuable repeat business, but the new team are very much on the ball with customer services, as I have been told by several satisfied customers whose problems/missing issues/lapsed subscriptions have been resolved.

You can email [email protected] or call 01293 312184 and I'm sure they'll be able to help, or you can simply set up new subscriptions at https://boxingnews.imbmsubscriptions.com

Thanks all.

Oliver Fennell

[johnmanchester]

I have to say this week’s issue was one of the best for ages. I was seriously considering unsubscribing to Boxing News after the dreadful 28 pages of women boxing edition (I didnt read a SINGLE of those articles.)

But this weeks edition was great... and NO women boxing articles thankfully!

Women's boxing is definitely overdone, but this sounds OTT ^

I don't know anyone so histrionically offended by women's boxing that they will refuse to read a single word on any female boxer. Is it an ideological thing or what?

[Coco]

Good to have you back on here Oliver

[JamesPhilips]

I have to say this week’s issue was one of the best for ages. I was seriously considering unsubscribing to Boxing News after the dreadful 28 pages of women boxing edition (I didnt read a SINGLE of those articles.)

But this weeks edition was great... and NO women boxing articles thankfully!

Women's boxing is definitely overdone, but this sounds OTT ^

I don't know anyone so histrionically offended by women's boxing that they will refuse to read a single word on any female boxer. Is it an ideological thing or what?

Lol you made an account just to say this?
Women’s boxing is awful, so I am not interested. It’s very simple. If women’s boxing got to a high level, say like Tennis or volleyball I’d watch it.

[skanksta]

Well I just found out today in the gym...

You can listen to your BN articles on headphones instead of reading between sets - I had no idea..!

[JamesPhilips]

I was never that excited about Bruno winning a ‘world’ title… never seemed like a real title. And he barely got through the fight…

But I did really enjoy the Oliver McCall interview / article - he seems really lucid and talks very interestingly. I can’t remember many if any articles focused on McCall, who’s a very interesting character.

In his article on British Heavies Graham Houston rightfully brings up the questions regarding Lewis’s nationality, though virtually in the same sentence brings up that he was the first British born champ since Bob Fitzsimmons….but surely it would’ve been appropriate to mention Bob’s own movements which are similar to Lennox and include moving to NZ at a young age where he began his pro career. Also his mother was Irish (his parents met in Ireland), and then moving to the USA at the age of 27 (I think) where he became resident and lived til his death.

But I enjoyed the issue a lot. Not much in boxing happening right now so must be difficult to fill pages but I like the new approach a lot. Strong articles. The ‘where are they now’ is a particular favourite

[SeanBrennan]

Good to see Fennell at the helm, decent journalist.

Who owns the magazine now?

[veriton]

Good luck with it all Oliver.

Happy to see some actual news has started appearing in the pages again, and there's proper previews too along with the rankings.

Enjoyed the Bruno and Frankie Gavin pieces but something that does drive me mad is a story about the past without a photo of the subject now.

The McCall story had a great recent pic for context.

We're all getting older and I do like to see what people look like, instead of viewing them as 'frozen in time'. The Gavin Stirrup pic in the Old Timers article was the best one in the mag this week in my opinion.

Anyway, good to hear that the future of the magazine is assured.

[oliverfennell]

Good to have you back on here Oliver

We've come a long way since Charlie Zelenoff, TML and oven mitts!

[Graham Houston]

I was never that excited about Bruno winning a ‘world’ title… never seemed like a real title. And he barely got through the fight…

But I did really enjoy the Oliver McCall interview / article - he seems really lucid and talks very interestingly. I can’t remember many if any articles focused on McCall, who’s a very interesting character.

In his article on British Heavies Graham Houston rightfully brings up the questions regarding Lewis’s nationality, though virtually in the same sentence brings up that he was the first British born champ since Bob Fitzsimmons….but surely it would’ve been appropriate to mention Bob’s own movements which are similar to Lennox and include moving to NZ at a young age where he began his pro career. Also his mother was Irish (his parents met in Ireland), and then moving to the USA at the age of 27 (I think) where he became resident and lived til his death.

But I enjoyed the issue a lot. Not much in boxing happening right now so must be difficult to fill pages but I like the new approach a lot. Strong articles. The ‘where are they now’ is a particular favourite

Hi James. Just replying to this. TBH I thought everyone would be well aware of Bob Fitzsimmons' history because his name has been brought up so many times over the years whenever British heavyweights have been in contention for world titles. Sometimes when writing an article one has to decide what to leave out. Otherwise a two-or-three-page article can turn into what in the US they used to call a "book-length feature". One thing that struck me when researching the piece was the low regard in which Lennox Lewis was held by American fans and writers for much of his career. Shocking, really. (Glad you enjoyed the latest issue!)

[JamesPhilips]

I was never that excited about Bruno winning a ‘world’ title… never seemed like a real title. And he barely got through the fight…

But I did really enjoy the Oliver McCall interview / article - he seems really lucid and talks very interestingly. I can’t remember many if any articles focused on McCall, who’s a very interesting character.

In his article on British Heavies Graham Houston rightfully brings up the questions regarding Lewis’s nationality, though virtually in the same sentence brings up that he was the first British born champ since Bob Fitzsimmons….but surely it would’ve been appropriate to mention Bob’s own movements which are similar to Lennox and include moving to NZ at a young age where he began his pro career. Also his mother was Irish (his parents met in Ireland), and then moving to the USA at the age of 27 (I think) where he became resident and lived til his death.

But I enjoyed the issue a lot. Not much in boxing happening right now so must be difficult to fill pages but I like the new approach a lot. Strong articles. The ‘where are they now’ is a particular favourite

Hi James. Just replying to this. TBH I thought everyone would be well aware of Bob Fitzsimmons' history because his name has been brought up so many times over the years whenever British heavyweights have been in contention for world titles. Sometimes when writing an article one has to decide what to leave out. Otherwise a two-or-three-page article can turn into what in the US they used to call a "book-length feature". One thing that struck me when researching the piece was the low regard in which Lennox Lewis was held by American fans and writers for much of his career. Shocking, really. (Glad you enjoyed the latest issue!)

Thanks Graham. And yes I understand space is limited and as you say you have to be selective over what is included for that reason, that’s completely reasonable and understandable. I really enjoy the article based approach BN has adopted. I look forward very much to receiving the issues

As for Lewis - yes the US press did falsely represent him… he was clearly a very very good heavyweight. I do think the US have reconsidered that though. The US press can be extremely partisan and for years it seems they would put down any non US / non Mexican fighters especially if not US based. The Klitshckos got a lot of stick too especially Wladimir, Teddy Atlas used to go after him at every opportunity it seemed

Have a great week and look forward to the next issue.

[SeanBrennan]

It’s great that Graham is on here!

[Flump]

It’s great that Graham is on here!

it really is, and great that he stepped in during BN's hour of need. Always enjoyed his writing, it's no coincidence that he's enshrined forever in the IBHoF.

[SeanBrennan]

It’s great that Graham is on here!

it really is, and great that he stepped in during BN's hour of need. Always enjoyed his writing, it's no coincidence that he's enshrined forever in the IBHoF.

Absolutely, I remember reading his stuff in the 90s, quality

[MightyWarrior]

Everyone would love to see a great comeback by boxing news, and I suppose this week’s edition would be a great place to start, or maybe there’s not enough time to put everything together for the type of issue it deserves.
Graham Houston doing the preview, I hope.

[veriton]

Everyone would love to see a great comeback by boxing news, and I suppose this week’s edition would be a great place to start, or maybe there’s not enough time to put everything together for the type of issue it deserves.
Graham Houston doing the preview, I hope.

He is doing the preview, so quality stuff as usual. Really good preview of Crocker v Donovan 2 by Oscar Pick too. I keep banging on about it but can't see how you'd be without it as a boxing fan.

[SeanBrennan]

I’m very positive about the future of BN now, I think it’s going to survive and thrive

[Glass Joe]

Former boxing news editors Matt Christie and Trish Dixon recent podcast to dissect boxing in 2025 – is it booming under Turki Alalshikh’s influence, or just papering over deep issues?

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s ... 0729985922