BoxRec

If you choose to write about someone who is still alive, you will need to find the person, meet them, and spend hours talking to them. For it to be a proper book anyway. You need to get to know your subject, where they come from, thier way of thinking etc.

If you, for arguments' sake, pick Roy Jones, you would have to go and spend time interviewing him at his home for the book to have any gravitas. You would also have to research his opponents and speak to them too so that you get a rounded context. Expensive, time consuming, and hard work...

Would be very, very satisfying for you though when it was published.

And if the fighter you did the book on is alive, no doubt he would become a great friend.

I wonder how much impact (negative and positive) YouTube career interviews, like Tris Dixon's, will have on production and sales of written word biographies?

bennie wrote: ↑09 Feb 2021, 07:02 Has anyone written a book on Tex Cobb? He was the king of the wisecrack for many years and one of the hardest men ever to fight for the world heavyweight title.

Cobb's needs to be written in the first person. He'll never do it though.

Tex really ought to do one, I’m positive it would absolutely brilliant. Aside from the actual boxing you can just tell there be loads of off the wall stuff from his life outside the sport

Pat Barrett would be a good one, heavy handed high level operator who has also allegedly a main face amongst the Cheetham Hill Hillbilly gang in Manchester, was badly beaten by a Moss Side mob whilst his nephew was murdered alongside him and now training Zelfa Barrett, be a colourful story.

Manchester Massive wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 13:22 Pat Barrett would be a good one, heavy handed high level operator who has also allegedly a main face amongst the Cheetham Hill Hillbilly gang in Manchester, was badly beaten by a Moss Side mob whilst his nephew was murdered alongside him and now training Zelfa Barrett, be a colourful story.

No way will he open up. It’s not out of the question he is still ‘friendly’ with the gang elders.

Manchester Massive wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 13:22 Pat Barrett would be a good one, heavy handed high level operator who has also allegedly a main face amongst the Cheetham Hill Hillbilly gang in Manchester, was badly beaten by a Moss Side mob whilst his nephew was murdered alongside him and now training Zelfa Barrett, be a colourful story.

Mick is right I suspect. Don't see Pat anymore but used to see him quite a bit back in the day and he was always civil but we only ever talked boxing and a couple of mutual interests. Never once talked about his mates.

Stevieaber wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 12:55 Tex really ought to do one, I’m positive it would absolutely brilliant. Aside from the actual boxing you can just tell there be loads of off the wall stuff from his life outside the sport

His kick boxing and karate side careers, his Hollywood movies, barroom brawls, divorces, drugs, winning a 100m libel suit against Sports Illustrated then having it overturned . . . There's plenty to talk about!

Tuan_Jim wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 14:53

Stevieaber wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 12:55 Tex really ought to do one, I’m positive it would absolutely brilliant. Aside from the actual boxing you can just tell there be loads of off the wall stuff from his life outside the sport

His kick boxing and karate side careers, his Hollywood movies, barroom brawls, divorces, drugs, winning a 100m libel suit against Sports Illustrated then having it overturned . . . There's plenty to talk about!

Did you ever hear him co-commentate on televised boxing?

I saw a fight fairly recently, I think it was late 80s maybe early 90s, with Cobb on the broadcast. He was fun, had a slightly different style, nice turn of phrase and so on.

Counter-puncher wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 15:06

Tuan_Jim wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 14:53

Stevieaber wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 12:55 Tex really ought to do one, I’m positive it would absolutely brilliant. Aside from the actual boxing you can just tell there be loads of off the wall stuff from his life outside the sport

His kick boxing and karate side careers, his Hollywood movies, barroom brawls, divorces, drugs, winning a 100m libel suit against Sports Illustrated then having it overturned . . . There's plenty to talk about!

Did you ever hear him co-commentate on televised boxing?

I saw a fight fairly recently, I think it was late 80s maybe early 90s, with Cobb on the broadcast. He was fun, had a slightly different style, nice turn of phrase and so on.

I very, very dimly recall him doing it once for a round or two, would love to know what fight it was! Or any others he called.

There's a good compilation of his Letterman interviews on YouTube at the moment. Worth watching before a copyright claim takes em down.

I *think* it was the American version of Canizales- Vazquez (sr, I suppose I should call him)

Nope, not that.

Billy Walker had an entertaining biography.

His brother George seemed like a very interesting character.

Tuan_Jim wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 17:00

Counter-puncher wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 15:06

Tuan_Jim wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 14:53

His kick boxing and karate side careers, his Hollywood movies, barroom brawls, divorces, drugs, winning a 100m libel suit against Sports Illustrated then having it overturned . . . There's plenty to talk about!

Did you ever hear him co-commentate on televised boxing?

I saw a fight fairly recently, I think it was late 80s maybe early 90s, with Cobb on the broadcast. He was fun, had a slightly different style, nice turn of phrase and so on.

I very, very dimly recall him doing it once for a round or two, would love to know what fight it was! Or any others he called.

There's a good compilation of his Letterman interviews on YouTube at the moment. Worth watching before a copyright claim takes em down.

Bobby Czyz-Murray Sutherland is one he called.

Rockytony67 wrote: ↑18 Feb 2021, 13:48

Tuan_Jim wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 17:00

Counter-puncher wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 15:06

Did you ever hear him co-commentate on televised boxing?

I saw a fight fairly recently, I think it was late 80s maybe early 90s, with Cobb on the broadcast. He was fun, had a slightly different style, nice turn of phrase and so on.

I very, very dimly recall him doing it once for a round or two, would love to know what fight it was! Or any others he called.

There's a good compilation of his Letterman interviews on YouTube at the moment. Worth watching before a copyright claim takes em down.

Bobby Czyz-Murray Sutherland is one he called.

Thanks, never seen that fight, will give it a watch. I think he calls an early Tony Tubbs fight in the 80s.

high tower 1 wrote: ↑18 Feb 2021, 13:22 Billy Walker had an entertaining biography.

His brother George seemed like a very interesting character.

I’ve got a signed copy of that somewhere.

There’s a bit in it where he said Jimmy saville was a great guy. Didn’t age well!

Andy Lee’s is very good too. Definitely the most sensible boxer about!

Jimmy2020 wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 14:06

Manchester Massive wrote: ↑16 Feb 2021, 13:22 Pat Barrett would be a good one, heavy handed high level operator who has also allegedly a main face amongst the Cheetham Hill Hillbilly gang in Manchester, was badly beaten by a Moss Side mob whilst his nephew was murdered alongside him and now training Zelfa Barrett, be a colourful story.

Mick is right I suspect. Don't see Pat anymore but used to see him quite a bit back in the day and he was always civil but we only ever talked boxing and a couple of mutual interests. Never once talked about his mates.

He did a pod With Marvin Herbert the other day. Confessed to being in the Tottenham boys.:,