Attention Boxing News readers!

[tonyevs]

I subscribed to BN from the late 80’s, and even though I’d know the results of the big fights almost a week before, I enjoyed reading someone else’s opinion on it ... see if they agreed or disagreed with my take.

I read it from cover to cover. And loved the small hall show reports because these would be difficult to find out about; yet be great resource to following guys from other side of the country operating below the radar.

The amateur roundup section was about the only thing I didn’t read.

Unfortunately I stopped getting BN about 5-10 years ago. Increasingly there was more pictures and less reading in the paper.
BN really lost its way!

Maybe I’ll take a look at how the paper is now next time I’m in a newsagents.

[roy]

When I first started reading Boxing News it cost 9d (about 4p in today's money)! Overall, I think it is as good now as it's ever been, with the editorials and the pieces by Elliott Worsell being outstanding.
For me, it is essential that, as a weekly newspaper, it continues to cover every single pro fight in the UK. No other publication reports on the small hall shows and the reports and previews are still the main reason I continue to subscribe.
The areas where I think improvements could be made are:
1. Sixty seconds. Is anyone really interested in hypothetical questions or someone else's taste in food and films? I would be more interested in ,say, what job they have outside of boxing; how many siblings they have; which other sports, if any, they pay to watch.
2. Rankings. It strikes me as being a bit lazy to churn out the world rankings every week. Couldn't they appear every 4 weeks with the British, European and Commonwealth rankings filling the other weeks?
3. Amateur scene. Always seems a bit hit or miss. I would like to, at least, see the full results of the European and world championships (not just the British and Irish results)
4. Yesterday's heroes. Perhaps a few more of boxers now in middle age

Although I would never buy the magazine for the photos, I have to say that the quality of the photos and general printing is of a high standard. Boxing Monthly seem to have taken note.

[Boxerbeetle]

It’s interesting how few people are interested in the amateurs. Must admit I’m not, almost feels like a different sport to me. Wouldn’t want to see coverage end though, even if I don’t personally read it.

[fizzjambo]

I’m maybe a bit different in opinion from some of the others who have posted so far. I don’t really bother reading most of the interviews, especially with current fighters. That kind of journalism is all over YouTube and social media currently and I’ve rarely ever read an interview with a boxer that I couldn’t have predicted 80% of what they are going to say beforehand.

More investigative pieces would be good, that generally in my humble opinion separates good quality journalism from the he said, she said interview stuff.

Previews and reporting is the what I buy the magazine for. The quality of much of this stuff on the internet is still very poor, either gloss over press release based stuff or biased to one particular fighter/camp/promotor. Boxing News reporting is genuinely good quality. There is a lot of very low quality content from wannabe hacks littering the internet in regarding to previewing and reviewing cards

[Flump]

I've been subscribing since 1986 and the mag is in as good a state as I have seen it. Where Matt Christie has made a difference is in the editorials and some of the features. It's good to actually see something being written on the seemingly don't mention the war subject of drugs in the sport. Of course you have to get a balance with the lots of positives the sport throws up but you're doing new fans a disservice if you don't flag what's not right too. Harry Mullan often wrote about mismatches, governing body ineptitude and bad officiating, it didn't put me off the game as a youngster but made me open my eyes to the deeply flawed but absolutely fascinating game that still excites me now.

I don't follow the amateur game as much myself but I know what being mentioned would mean to the kids involved, same with undercard fighters on small hall shows so I think that coverage is still necessary. And I was pleased that the old timers section returned as I know how annoyed my Dad and several other ex fighters were that it had disappeared for a while. What else has been good has the reaching out to occasional feature writers, the piece on Dempsey and Greb by Springs Toledo was terrific. I wouldn't expect every page to be of deep interest to me every week, but as long as there are some good previews and interesting features that's enough for me.

What does need to stop is writers referring to titlists as "ruler" or "boss" as in "WBA Interim Pan Continental Pacific Asian Americas ruler Buster Kickback" It just doesn't read well and in conversation would sound moronic. But all in all well done Matt, you're doing a great job.

[REEVE]

About 5/6(ish) years ago bn really dumbed down the reporting on the small hall shows in the uk and i thought that was a shame!

[MasterG]

I'm not great with names but when Harry Mullan was Editor thats when it was great, im sure if im correct a bloke called Claude Abrham took over after that and im pretty sure thats when it all changed.

[veriton]

I gave up the print subscription and now get the digital one so it's really cheap, I can live with it as it is but have the following observations.

Was shocked at how small the warrington v frampton review was. yes, i know it was before xmas but it was still a huge fight. it only got a few paragraphs. there must have been lots going on behind the scenes that we didnt know about. its the nuggests of information that make it stand out.

The features are good, I like them the best. some really good, in-depth pieces.

I seem to be in a minority but elliott worsell needs his stuff cutting down considerably. a lot of it is pure waffle.

I don't bother with the amateur pages, and just skim through the small hall reports. I used to love these but so few fights at that level are competitive there is really no sporting value in knowing what is going on.

Matt Christie's editorial piece is excellent, as is the bit where they ask people in boxing two questions.

I like the fighter spotlight at the back. some of the history pieces are worth reading.

so ill continue subscribing, i feel its a duty to support the mag.

bit weird, but I actually prefer the short fight reports in boxing monthly which appear way after the fights. its like being able to relive them once boxing has moved on.

[Cazelo]

reckon you could do a survey? would give you a way to quantify results.

as it happens I read all the reports. i also read the 60 seconds bit at the back along with loving the articles and previews.

I tend to skip the amateur section, sometimes the news and also the bit that relates to old publications.

[john2345]

Lots of good points made by earlier posters, and naturally a range of opinions. For me:

- the magazine has never been better. I’ve been reading it for over fifty years, and during that time it’s ranged from great to ok. Right now it’s top class, can’t wait for the postman on Thursday!

- I read the first pages - editors article, letters, views of the four expert guests, etc, with real interest.

- I love the Old Timers and EBA articles

- the big fight reports and the previews are essential reading.

- the 60 second profile is ok, not always of great interest to me but I’d hate to see it go

- amateur section, I tend to read only the parts I find of interest, for whatever reason

- featured articles, generally excellent

- small hall fight reports? I skim through these, usually looking for familiar names or some mention of a promising youngster. So I guess I don’t absorb all of what’s written. I can appreciate the dilemma you face there, it’s exoensive to cover all these shows, but they’re the life blood of the game. Couid be a ‘necessary evil’ to keep coverage as is, given that such shows are such a major part of the sport in this country.

[slapbangwhallop]

I'm a digital subscriber and even if I don't get round to reading every issue I am happy to support 'the cause'. I think its great value. Having it pop up every Tuesday night is really a brilliant service. The articles are informative and its got a good balance of quality imagery and verbiage.

Matt's editorials often take the bull by the horns and Elliot is doing some great work as well.

I'm sure its no easy task trying to grow subscribers for a niche sport that struggles to attract blue-chip sponsors but I wish you well and I'm pretty happy with the current format.

[m1kee50]

As someone who works with fighters, it's been disappointing to see in the last few months that when I go to the reports there is sometimes only a few lines. When I started regularly reading BN in 2006 it seemed that there was always room for a few lines at least to show that someone had actually been watching the fight. These days even the biggest fights get hardly any write-up in favour of think-pieces and interviews that are lovely to read but tbh not what I'm reading it for.

If I were asked what I would like to see more of (but not at the expense of the fight reports) it would be a tactics/tips section like they used to have with Darren Barker. Maybe make it a monthly feature with different fighters/trainers?

Warrington-Frampton I think is a great example, one of the fights of the year, but the photo covering it was bigger than the actual write-up.

[Espada]

I think it is more of an age thing, and what i used to read when i bought it religiously from the mid 80's though all the 90's. For instance I would never then have read the 'Old Timers' section. But now I would. I buy it 5-6 time a year usually when I am traveling abroad with work, I am going to look at a subscription online to 'support the cause'

I would love to see a online where are they now, especially about British Boxers. I mean the likes of Sean Murphy , Gary DeRoux, Sugar Gibiliru, Ross Hale, Paul Burke, Gary Nickels, ETC I would pay extra for these sort of interviews.

I know it is all my opinion though.

[Coco]

Call me a sentimentalist but I loved the old paper version