Frank Maloney says sack BBBofC chairman for Flintoff license

[Glyn Leach]

Should the BBBC have one set of rules for celebs and one for the man on the street?

100% YES. Joe Public can do the sport no harm but a celeb can do massive damage.

Sounds like discrimination to me

It is, well spotted. And re your other post, my aim in this is to NOT get the sport banned. To NOT play into the hands of those who would love to see it wiped off the face of the earth. Why even toy with a situation from which boxing can gain nothing but lose an awful lot?

[Glyn Leach]

whats the diffeence if flintoff has got himself in shape between him and curtis taking to boxing, or even some of the white collar stuff.

Curtis was serious about having a career. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'll be astounded if Flintoff 'becomes a boxer' — and I'll happily eat my words if he does. Fitness does not come into it. Gerald McClellan was fit, Paul Ingle was fit. And this is licensed boxing, not white collar. Licenses are there for a reason, to separate the professionals from the part-timers. When Martin Offiah fought the other day, when Cracknell got smashed, these were not licensed bouts and I have no problem with them. They were not 'real boxing'. Flintoff's fight will be.

I would still give boxing a bad name if Offiah was on TV and got seriously hurt.

What about Haye vs Chisora was that "real boxing".... if the BBBoC would have said no, the LBF might have said yes.

We all know now that Curtis was deadly serious, but at the time of his first fight Football was still the day job very much - so I'm sure people might have been sceptical.

You're completely right on every point Stu, can't argue at all. Doesn't change anything though.

[Glyn Leach]

So.... where do we stand if by this time next year Flintoff is 5-0 (3) ........ will we all shut up?

Yep

[The Insider]

It is, well spotted. And re your other post, my aim in this is to NOT get the sport banned. To NOT play into the hands of those who would love to see it wiped off the face of the earth. Why even toy with a situation from which can gain nothing but lose an awful lot?

Not having a pop Glyn but you do seem to have a bit of a negative attitude towards all this. What's to gain? Could be quite a lot. I see a likable celeb who is driven enough to make a huge commitment of training to be a professional boxer. He might have to show heart, determination, hell even some skills in there. He may even inspire youngsters to take up the sport with what he is doing. Totally agree about the risk of him getting hurt but that applies for everyone. If he shouldn't fight, on that basis boxing should be banned outright. The boxing PR disaster to which you allude to if FF were to get seriously injured would not detract from how boxing is perceived by the public at all I don't think, everyone knows it's dangerous and the casual fan actually watches it for those "motorway accident" moments that we break our necks to get a peek of. Boxing is a fringe sport, you either like it or you don't. It's always had its fans and its knockers and I don't really see the harm of letting him rumble if the necessary trial bouts and medicals have been implemented.

[stujones]

Maybe not, but do you think the BBBoC have the need to "safeguard" the sport. By having Flintoff fight on one of their shows, with the insurances, medical check ups etc than on another show.

The LBF situation has potentially opened a can of worms and Flintoff would have gone there (or too another body) and got a licence to fight in the UK.

If Flintoff got hurt fighting as a Luxemberg (or any other) fighter then I think the BBBoC would have come for stick for not making him as safe as possible - not that I am suggesting the LBF is any less rigourous than the BBBoC, but I hope you get what I mean. By making sure he has gone through a rigourous testing protocol then he is as safe as possible - fighting for another board could leave holes and the BBBoC would take a large portion of the blame.

Especially if he was not given the chance to get a BBBoC licence based on who he is.

[Chambers2]

It is, well spotted. And re your other post, my aim in this is to NOT get the sport banned. To NOT play into the hands of those who would love to see it wiped off the face of the earth. Why even toy with a situation from which boxing can gain nothing but lose an awful lot?

I know you're not trying to get the sport banned, but you're using similar arguments as the people who do in this debate. When you're referring to the risks of this fight, the same risks pretty much apply to every other boxing match

It gains exposure for the sport (admittedly in a new and unconventional way), so it does stand to gain something, but my main argument is if Freddie wants to have a go at pro boxing and the BBBC says he meets the standards (same standards as Joe Public) then it's upto him. I'm sure he understands the seriousness of what he's doing and I'm sure he'll be giving it everything in training as he's got an elite sportsmans mentality

I imagine most of your frustration is targetted at the BBBC for granting him a licence, which I admit is a very grey area at the moment as we've not seen Freddie in action yet, but lets stick him in a 4 rounder with a fat cruiser (who'll no doubt get 1 weeks notice) and lets see what happens.

[JLP]

The point Glyn is clearly making is that were Flintoff to be seriously injured the questions asked would be like this one\\\ "Why, for the sake of a reality TV show, did the BBBC allow a man with only a few weeks of training under his belt turn professional? and if they were so glib and lackadaisical in that instance, when under the public spotlight, what on earth do they allow to pass Go under more typical circumstances?".....

[keithmoonhangover]

Apols, it was ignored rather than avoided. Don't get hung up on the term 'McClellan'd', my point was fighters getting hurt. How it happened, what kind of fight it was, doesn't matter. One of the most upsetting cases I've seen from ringside was Jim McDonnell and Kenny Vice, and that was no long drawn out battle.

I agree with you, but McDonnell made a full recovery, as did Harrison against Price, which was another fight where a fighter took a long time to recover. The fighters I mentioned are fighters that were more permanently damaged.

Anyway, Freddie will no doubt fight a complete dumpling, who is probably in more danger than Flintoff.

I think, like anyone else, if Freddie passes the BBBofC tests, then he has as much right to fight as anyone else.

[vxrandall]

maloney has no scruples. hypocritical little dwarf. another dinosaur that really ought to fk off out of the sport sooner rather than later.

[Chambers2]

The point Glyn is clearly making is that were Flintoff to be seriously injured the questions asked would be like this one\\\ "Why, for the sake of a reality TV show, did the BBBC allow a man with only a few weeks of training under his belt turn professional? and if they were so glib and lackadaisical in that instance, when under the public spotlight, what on earth do they allow to pass Go under more typical circumstances?".....

IF

[Glyn Leach]

It is, well spotted. And re your other post, my aim in this is to NOT get the sport banned. To NOT play into the hands of those who would love to see it wiped off the face of the earth. Why even toy with a situation from which can gain nothing but lose an awful lot?

Not having a pop Glyn but you do seem to have a bit of a negative attitude towards all this. What's to gain? Could be quite a lot. I see a likable celeb who is driven enough to make a huge commitment of training to be a professional boxer. He might have to show heart, determination, hell even some skills in there. He may even inspire youngsters to take up the sport with what he is doing. Totally agree about the risk of him getting hurt but that applies for everyone. If he shouldn't fight, on that basis boxing should be banned outright. The boxing PR disaster to which you allude to if FF were to get seriously injured would not detract from how boxing is perceived by the public at all I don't think, everyone knows it's dangerous and the casual fan actually watches it for those "motorway accident" moments that we break our necks to get a peek of. Boxing is a fringe sport, you either like it or you don't. It's always had its fans and its knockers and I don't really see the harm of letting him rumble if the necessary trial bouts and medicals have been implemented.

Feel free to disagree Insider, glad to hear your views. It certainly would be a PR disaster though, the like of which we haven't experienced for a long long time (thankfully). Your point about the public is very true. It wouldn't turn them off, not even slightly, but they aren't the problem. What it would do is arm the antis in authority, who have had to shut their mouths for the last 15 years or so. It's them that we need to worry about, they're the ones who can get serious and dangerous anti boxing momentum going.

[dondada]

god there is some bollox being spouted here.

whats the diffeence if flintoff has got himself in shape between him and curtis taking to boxing, or even some of the white collar stuff.

fact is Flintoff hasnt always been out of shape and could bowl 18 overs off the bounce at 88-93 mph in his hey day.

That makes him fitter than most, ergo all this crap about him getitng brain damaged, he is less liekly than a shopworn boxer trying to make weight .

Like it or not he is was an international athlete, this means his body is conditioned to stress and strain if anythign he is less likely to get hurt than most.

Make Freddie have a trial bout. Or maybe he has?

As for comparing it to Gervais v Bovey, that doesn't really stand up because they were both shite. OK, presumably the bloke who gets the call to box Flintoff won't be very good but he'll be leagues above either of those. Then again, he'll be told to go easy, I would have thought.

[Glyn Leach]

Apols, it was ignored rather than avoided. Don't get hung up on the term 'McClellan'd', my point was fighters getting hurt. How it happened, what kind of fight it was, doesn't matter. One of the most upsetting cases I've seen from ringside was Jim McDonnell and Kenny Vice, and that was no long drawn out battle.

I agree with you, but McDonnell made a full recovery, as did Harrison against Price, which was another fight where a fighter took a long time to recover. The fighters I mentioned are fighters that were more permanently damaged.

Anyway, Freddie will no doubt fight a complete dumpling, who is probably in more danger than Flintoff.

I think, like anyone else, if Freddie passes the BBBofC tests, then he has as much right to fight as anyone else.

I understand totally mate, it was me who used McClellan as the example

[Glyn Leach]

It is, well spotted. And re your other post, my aim in this is to NOT get the sport banned. To NOT play into the hands of those who would love to see it wiped off the face of the earth. Why even toy with a situation from which boxing can gain nothing but lose an awful lot?

I know you're not trying to get the sport banned, but you're using similar arguments as the people who do in this debate. When you're referring to the risks of this fight, the same risks pretty much apply to every other boxing match

It gains exposure for the sport (admittedly in a new and unconventional way), so it does stand to gain something, but my main argument is if Freddie wants to have a go at pro boxing and the BBBC says he meets the standards (same standards as Joe Public) then it's upto him. I'm sure he understands the seriousness of what he's doing and I'm sure he'll be giving it everything in training as he's got an elite sportsmans mentality

I imagine most of your frustration is targetted at the BBBC for granting him a licence, which I admit is a very grey area at the moment as we've not seen Freddie in action yet, but lets stick him in a 4 rounder with a fat cruiser (who'll no doubt get 1 weeks notice) and lets see what happens.

No denying that the risks are the risks Chambers, whoever cites them. They don't change. It's down to how they're perceived - we see the risks as acceptable, because fighters accept taking them; the antis believe they know better than the fighters and that they are saving these poor fools from themselves.

You're spot on, my problem is with the licensing of the fight. It may seem like splitting hairs to some, but there's a big difference between licensed and unlicensed in my head. If it's unlicensed, I can divorce myself and the magazine from it. If something goes wrong, I can say 'Yes, but it was unlicensed boxing, nothing to do with me and the boxing I'm interested in'. But for the Board to give this fight the seal of approval which forces me to pay attention, which puts our sport in the firing line, it just doesn't sit well at all.

All that said, I'm sure FF is taking this extremely seriously, knows what he's getting himself into, is a nice fella (always strikes me as one, anyway), and I genuinely do wish him well in his fight. And he has my full respect for doing it, I mean that. I just wish he wasn't doing it and that the powers that be weren't allowing him to do it under their jurisdiction. If it was unlicensed, I'd have no problem with it whatsoever.

[palooka]

It is plain silly that a man with very little boxing practice/experience can be put into a professional bout. FFS you wouldn't let a joiner with 6 months experience on a site, he'd hurt himself, Flintoff will be ok but not another Woodhouse who is an exception.

[stujones]

It is plain silly that a man with very little boxing practice/experience can be put into a professional bout. FFS you wouldn't let a joiner with 6 months experience on a site, he'd hurt himself, Flintoff will be ok but not another Woodhouse who is an exception.

So everyone has to have an amateur record?

[palooka]

A joiner on a site needs to know what a saw looks like, a professional cyclist will have rode in amateur races, a professional tennis player will have amateur experience, a (much derided) professional footballer will have years of playing in amateur set ups/teams. They learn the sport and the years of training strengthen their bodies to the sports knocks AND if they are not up to the increased demands and standards of professional standards they know not to bother trying. There are loads of very good amateur boxers who win national titles and don't feel up to the challenge of boxing pro.

[Hagler2002]

Frank Maloney is a 50 faced poisoned dwarf who just spouts bullshit & lies.

Well done on backing up my statement!

You managed somehow to worm your way out of the Sutherland mess but showed your true colours tonight.

[Wa1nuts]

Didn't hear what he said, but if its what everyones being saying he is very disrespectful and I can't understand why he would say that?!

[banjo]

What a fornicating plonker

[Glyn Leach]

What's he done? Turned off after the fight.

Ah, just seen the other thread...

[McCannW14]

Has anyone seen Wankoff I mean Flintoffs opponent?

Anyway I boxed in the vest off and on from 84 to 96. I have never wanted to see any fighter hurt.

But....... I hope Flintoff gets knocked out in the same way Jim McDonnell did against Kenny Vice and in the process Flintoff McGuigan and Robert Smith learn a valuable lesson. You can PLAY cricket but you don't play Boxing.

[Jeff Thomas]

I have watched the training footage and they've had an absolute nightmare. If flintoff wins it will be more to do with his opponent not throwing a punch then anything else. I've got a 3-1 amateur who would absolutely school him.

Coaching experienced boxers is not the same as teaching a beginner to box, they've not spent any time guiding him fundamentally by the looks of things, his balance and punching mechanics are totally off. Things that usually look ok on novices until punches start coming at them.

I like Barry and he's a very switched on guy. I'm very surprised he's got drawn into this nonsense.

[spudder56]

I have watched the training footage and they've had an absolute nightmare. If flintoff wins it will be more to do with his opponent not throwing a punch then anything else. I've got a 3-1 amateur who would absolutely school him.

Coaching experienced boxers is not the same as teaching a beginner to box, they've not spent any time guiding him fundamentally by the looks of things, his balance and punching mechanics are totally off. Things that usually look ok on novices until punches start coming at them.

I like Barry and he's a very switched on guy. I'm very surprised he's got drawn into this nonsense.

Quite simple mate Barry is there for the money there are no morals in money lol

[DavidPayne]

To me Flintoff's public profile isn't the problem with this fight.

The problem is Flintoff's public profile clearly persuading BBBofC to license him.

When on the evidence in play. He can't fight a lick.

No surprise that its Barry Mc - who loves a mainstream TV opportunity and makes a lovely mash potato - who is the trainer.