BoxRec

I love boxing mags. They're a wonderful time capsule. Between several moves I've had to let my collection go, but I miss it sometimes.

Has anyone researched boxing magazines in libraries? Do they have them? I'd assume you'd have to go to a major city to find a library with boxing mags. I'm a couple hours from Washington DC. Has anyone here done boxing research in DC, say at the Library of Congress?

And has anyone checked out the collection at the Hall of Fame in Canastota? I think I've read that they have a complete collection of The Ring.

My first issue of The Ring that I bought was in 1988. I started collecting every month issue. I learned a lot reading about champions and contenders, past and present.

My favorite issues were when The Ring used to select the best fighters of the last 50 years and the best heavyweights of all time type of topics issues.

I want to obtain the special article The Ring selected about The 100 Greatest Punchers of All Time in 2003. I think that was The Ring's final great issue.

I have collected old boxing mags and books for years, although I do not have the time to pursue this hobby as much as I'd like any longer.
Some of the stuff I have:

- The Ring, complete years 1928-20012.
- Boxing News, about 40 complete years, and a a good chunk some of the very old stuff from 1909-1917.
- Boxing Illustrated/Digest, complete years 1989-1999, plus some individual issues before and after
- Lots of individual edistions of various publications: Boxing Scene, International Boxing, Fight Game, Boxing Monthly
- Some really old mags from 100 years or so ago, Mirror of Life & Boxing World, World Boxing & Athletic Chronicle, Self-Defense, National Police Gazette, plus copies of complete years of Boxing Blade 1922-23.
Also go around 700 boxing books and bios.

I also had over 450 4-hour VHS tapes with fights, but had to bin them all because the quality of the tapes, many of them over years old, was severely eroded. Plus a lot of the stuff I had is available on YouTube!.
Still got a few hundred DVDs with fights though.
Collecting old boxing mags and books is a great hobby, you are never bored or struggeling to find something to read.
But they take up a lot of space in the house, for me to continue collecting it would have to be something very special.

Absolutely loved those magazines in the late 70s and 80s and 90s - they are incredible to look at now - I go to a lot of second hand stores and good wills and never see any old boxing issues or collections but if I did I'd buy the lot - It's really something remarkable how many different American boxing magazines there were during and just after the Ali era into the roaring 80s - Not sure if the sport can ever return to that level of popularity and general cultural interest -

-KOKid- wrote:I have collected old boxing mags and books for years, although I do not have the time to pursue this hobby as much as I'd like any longer.
Some of the stuff I have:

- The Ring, complete years 1928-20012.
- Boxing News, about 40 complete years, and a a good chunk some of the very old stuff from 1909-1917.
- Boxing Illustrated/Digest, complete years 1989-1999, plus some individual issues before and after
- Lots of individual edistions of various publications: Boxing Scene, International Boxing, Fight Game, Boxing Monthly
- Some really old mags from 100 years or so ago, Mirror of Life & Boxing World, World Boxing & Athletic Chronicle, Self-Defense, National Police Gazette, plus copies of complete years of Boxing Blade 1922-23.
Also go around 700 boxing books and bios.

I also had over 450 4-hour VHS tapes with fights, but had to bin them all because the quality of the tapes, many of them over years old, was severely eroded. Plus a lot of the stuff I had is available on YouTube!.
Still got a few hundred DVDs with fights though.
Collecting old boxing mags and books is a great hobby, you are never bored or struggeling to find something to read.
But they take up a lot of space in the house, for me to continue collecting it would have to be something very special.

And you didn't had KO Magazine? I think that was the best magazine ever if it's about the sport of boxing.

My first ever copy of The Ring was Hagler-Hearns back-to-back before their fight. I had never seen it before. It was like a window into another world.

My nan then got me a subscription. I read it 3 or 4 times a month and whatever was written in it was gospel as far as I was concerned. Not too ling after I was getting KO magazine too.

About 6 months later my uncle saw me reading it and the next day he dropped off his collection for me which was pretty much every issue from about 1964-1975.

Later my granddad found an old taped up copy of a special edition from the 1940s.

One thing I noticed reading them was that no mater what era they're written in the journalists always consider the heavyweight division poor.

Ezzard wrote:One thing I noticed reading them was that no mater what era they're written in the journalists always consider the heavyweight division poor.

Yeah, you're absolutely spot on about that Ezzard.
Back in the Dempsey era they lamented about the state of the heavies & longed for the days of Sullivan, Corbett & Jeffries. Then during the Louis era they wanted to go back to the days of Dempsey & Tunney. And so on...
I don't know why that is. What's particularly amazing to me is that during the division's absolute heyday when Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Norton, Quarry, Shavers, Lyle ruled the writers of the day still complained about the status of the division & considered the Louis & Marciano days superior.
Crazy.

I remember after Ali beat Foreman reading about how poor the division must be when a guy Ali's age could be champion!

I love The Ring magazine - I'm trying to build a complete a collection as possible - there's a page on Boxrec which has all the covers to date (except I think 2 from 1922) - well done to whoever put that together

I'd be interested in how other collectors are getting on.....

Ade L, my collection is complete from about 1970 on to when I stopped buying it when Golden Boy took it over. I also have several issues from the '60s as well as some from the '50s as well. With my oldest issue being from 1949.

sweetviolenturge wrote:Ade L, my collection is complete from about 1970 on to when I stopped buying it when Golden Boy took it over. I also have several issues from the '60s as well as some from the '50s as well. With my oldest issue being from 1949.

Thanks for the reply - sounds like quite a collection! Do you have any fave issues / covers? My favorite issue in my collection is the Micky Ward / Arturo Gatti cover where they are holding baseball bats - I was lucky enough to meet Micky & got him to sign it

sweetviolenturge wrote:Ade L, my collection is complete from about 1970 on to when I stopped buying it when Golden Boy took it over. I also have several issues from the '60s as well as some from the '50s as well. With my oldest issue being from 1949.

Sweet, that's a heck of a collection. I'd still love to see that 2 page article you told me about from your December '71 issue on Halimi Gutierrez. I sent you my address. I would totally appreciate if you could send me a copy of it. Thanks, man.

scartissue wrote:

sweetviolenturge wrote:Ade L, my collection is complete from about 1970 on to when I stopped buying it when Golden Boy took it over. I also have several issues from the '60s as well as some from the '50s as well. With my oldest issue being from 1949.

Sweet, that's a heck of a collection. I'd still love to see that 2 page article you told me about from your December '71 issue on Halimi Gutierrez. I sent you my address. I would totally appreciate if you could send me a copy of it. Thanks, man.

Oh shit! So sorry man, it totally slipped my mind. I still have that issue set aside, but then I went in for my neck surgery & well, I just plain forgot.
I apologize, I'll get it out to you in the next couple of days.

- Jim

sweetviolenturge wrote:

scartissue wrote:

sweetviolenturge wrote:Ade L, my collection is complete from about 1970 on to when I stopped buying it when Golden Boy took it over. I also have several issues from the '60s as well as some from the '50s as well. With my oldest issue being from 1949.

Sweet, that's a heck of a collection. I'd still love to see that 2 page article you told me about from your December '71 issue on Halimi Gutierrez. I sent you my address. I would totally appreciate if you could send me a copy of it. Thanks, man.

Oh poo! So sorry man, it totally slipped my mind. I still have that issue set aside, but then I went in for my neck surgery & well, I just plain forgot.
I apologize, I'll get it out to you in the next couple of days.

- Jim

You are the man, Jim. Look forward to seeing it.

I have been collecting boxing mags since about 1960.i had a huge collection of Boxing Illustrated from 1960,70,80s.given many away to friends.My passion as a young boy was the Ring Magazines.I still have many from the 1930,40,50,60s.My dad was a Featherweight from Newark NJ and Long Iland City NY.He is in many Ring Mags from the 40,50s.He boxed 14 times in the old Madison Square Garden in NY.Boxed 2 main events.If you contact me maybe we can trade or sell.I am looking for videos of my dads two bouts that were on tv.His name is Archie DeVino.Maybe you know someone who can help me.He boxed the European Feather Champ on Dec.1,1950.this was an Featherweight Elimination bout,winner would challenge the great champ Willie Pep for the title.my dad was stopped in rd 7.I also have many Ring record books,it's a records of all fights from different years.I have two first editions signed by founder and publisher Nat Fliescher.they are great reads for true boxing fans.I no longer follow the newer fighters for many reasons.I no longer buy fight mags. Get back to me I live in Florida.email address is [email protected].

Looking for old videos from Friday Night Fights from the old MSG in NYC.the sponsor was Gillette Razor Blades.the bouts were on the radio and TV.The announcer was the great Don Dunphy. rate him the best fight announcer.Late 1940s-early 1950s.

I would like to collect all the issues of World Boxing, International Boxing/Boxing International, Big Book of Boxing and Boxing Pictorial from the 1970s but you just don't see them on eBay from the UK.

If there is anyone that wishes to sell issues, please tell me (at a sensible price!!).

Phil

does anybody know the years "Boxing Beat" ran? The pin ups I've come across of Tyson and Tommy Hearns are incredible.