BoxRec

bruthead wrote:RIP indeed. A true gentleman in a tough business.

Thought Glyn had a 50% share in BM so hopefully it can keep going.

Yeah I'm sure he's talked about owning 50% of BM during his editorials. Fingers crossed it keeps going - I'll be renewing my subscription for sure.

Viktor Vaughn wrote:I don't really have the words to do him justice, but we did a tribute on 'Scene and I've included a piece he wrote for one of our end-of-year round ups. He got right into it and was the king of editorials:

http://www.BS.com/glyn-leach-b ... -52--81214

Rest easy, Big G.

Good work as ever, Terry.

Top bloke, got involved in the forum loads and always came across really well. Gutted. RIP Glyn.

Viktor Vaughn wrote:

Sklar wrote:

Viktor Vaughn wrote:I don't really have the words to do him justice, but we did a tribute on 'Scene and I've included a piece he wrote for one of our end-of-year round ups. He got right into it and was the king of editorials:

http://www.BS.com/glyn-leach-b ... -52--81214

Rest easy, Big G.

Good work as ever, Terry.

I’m not trying to linkjack here. I just loved his bit on the Upton Park show so wanted it out there again. The last thing I wanted to do today or any day was have to write something, especially something on Glyn’s death. Bluntness can be interpreted negatively and make people go under, but Glyn did it with our best interests in mind and for our own good. He was a great editor, knowing when to give you a rocket, when to bench you and, in my case, when to tell you to stop pissing about and get back on the horse. I was pretty much done a few months back, he chivvied me along nicely.

Thanks for inserting Glyn's Upton Park piece, that was the first time I read that, it truly captures the essence of boxing punters and boxing.

Stunned, truly stunned.

For me, he used to go that extra mile. When I was in my teens I regularly used to write to boxing monthly (some of the things were truly cringeworthy). Glyn would often reply, explaining why sometimes my letters didn't make the cut for "viewers corner" (some of them did) and would actually give a personal response to my questions.

I was reading them back the other day, I clearly had some man love for Henry Akinwande and Tommy Morrison as a teenager. Glyn must have been laughing his head off reading them, but those that didn't make the viewers corner he would offer his own personal opinion.

Loved his writing and was fab when he contributed here.

Just cannot believe it. At times saw Glyn as a bit of a "pen pal".

dalcumly wrote:I remember a strange editorial about 3 months ago when he said he was really struggling with the pressure of producing the magazine , I hope this didn't bring on a heart attack, poor soul.

.

I was talking to my wife about this last night, there was something, something kinda off and not 'Glyn like' about that piece.
I still think he wrote the best editorial columns I have read in my lifetime and was a true gent.
He never chased TV spots and was very self effacing, class act.

This is just so so sad.

RIP Glyn.

I want this thread to go about 50 pages deep with people sharing their stories about Glyn.

Glyn was a really accessible man and always had time for everyone. A couple of years ago I gave his subscription offer (I think it included a free mug !) a push across various Facebook pages and twitter to a few people and he clawed a few sales in. He was still 'catching up' with social media. After he kept emailing me asking how he could repay me and I said 'not everyone is after something' and said a thanks was more than enough, that it took me very little effort. But he insisted on sending me an issue every month despite me protesting in happy to pay for it. Very generous man.

Later he wanted to know how to set up twitter on his 'new f*cking phone' and how hash tags etc worked. He hit the ground running and was on it often, enjoying the interaction with fans. I recall an outburst once of his after Ricky Burns knocked out Nicky Cook in the opening round, had a promoters son tell him it was libellous and he just laughed.

I recently ended up as his email tech support after he'd got sky-go and wanted to watch it when he was fishing or something.

He once described himself to me as a fork lift driver whom fell into a dream job! But he was much more than that. He gave so many decent web guys a lift and even an opportunity to publish stuff - where others felt threatened and chastised them - but not Glyn. He only ever created allies , never enemies in a very fickle industry.

Why does life take the good guys and leave the sacks of sh*t behind ?

RIP

G0mez wrote:Glyn was a really accessible man and always had time for everyone. A couple of years ago I gave his subscription offer (I think it included a free mug !) a push across various Facebook pages and twitter to a few people and he clawed a few sales in. He was still 'catching up' with social media. After he kept emailing me asking how he could repay me and I said 'not everyone is after something' and said a thanks was more than enough, that it took me very little effort. But he insisted on sending me an issue every month despite me protesting in happy to pay for it. Very generous man.

Later I advised how to set up twitter on his 'new f*cking phone' and how hash tags etc worked. He hit the ground running and was on it often, enjoying the interaction with fans. I recall an outburst once of his after Ricky Burns knocked out Nicky Cook in the opening round, had a promoters son tell him it was libellous and he just laughed.

I recently ended up as his email tech support after he'd got sky-go and wanted to watch it when he was fishing or something.

He once described himself to me as a fork lift driver whom fell into a dream job! But he was much more than that. He gave so many decent web guys a lift and even an opportunity to publish stuff - where others felt threatened and chastised them - but not Glyn. He only ever created allies , never enemies in a very fickle industry.

Why does life take the good guys and leave the sacks of sh*t behind ?

RIP

I had that mug, it was actually a lot nicer to drink from than the magazine picture suggested!

Brilliant, Gomez.

Keep them coming people

That's seriously rubbish news....I've been buying the magazine for over a decade and Glyn's editorial at the front was always razor-sharp; it could variously be funny, controversial (but always supported with facts) or just take a look at a particular boxer and get to the bottom of where his career was at. He was also a great interviewer and profile-piece writer.....the story he did on Tyson Fury 2 or three issues back got closer to unlocking Tyson's character than any other piece.

I am hoping the magazine survives....not least because of all the immense effort Glyn invested in it and all the great writers he supported and kept busy.

RIP Mr. Editor.

Ah, so sad. They just don't make 'em like Glyn any more. And even when they did, there weren't very many of 'em.

http://news.boxrec.com/2014/glyn-leach-obituary

Chris W 1982 wrote:Brilliant, Gomez.

Keep them coming people

I'll be doing an Internet tribute; have already done one for the next issue of Boxing Monthly but am just trying to keep the tributes as different as possible. With so many Glyn memories I should be able to come up with a separate Internet piece that will read differently from the magazine one, but all day yesterday (Monday) I was in a bit of a daze, TBH. It is wonderful to read so many tributes to Glyn on this forum and he obviously touched the lives and hearts of so many of you, as he did mine.

Bodyshot3 wrote:That's seriously rubbish news....I've been buying the magazine for over a decade and Glyn's editorial at the front was always razor-sharp; it could variously be funny, controversial (but always supported with facts) or just take a look at a particular boxer and get to the bottom of where his career was at. He was also a great interviewer and profile-piece writer.....the story he did on Tyson Fury 2 or three issues back got closer to unlocking Tyson's character than any other piece.

I am hoping the magazine survives....not least because of all the immense effort Glyn invested in it and all the great writers he supported and kept busy.

RIP Mr. Editor.

Glyn set up what I think is an excellent team of contributors over the years and I am sure they will all stay loyal to the magazine and to Glyn's memory. The next issue is coming out for sure and, while this is obviously a difficult time for all of Glyn's colleagues, the long-distance ones as well as those who were close at hand, as far as I know Glyn's business partner, Nigel, will keep pressing ahead while seeking to retain Glyn's vision for the magazine.

Its funny as I never met Glyn but enjoyed the banter on here and his articles. I feel a sad loss today.

I can now understand how people feel when musician die who they admire or public figure and there is a massive outpouring of mourning. To us boxing fanatics it has hit hard, especially at his young age.

Gone but not forgotten.

Oh dear. I've only just seen the very sad news. I only spoke briefly last week with him. I'm stunned.what a truly nice man. He'll be very sadly missed.really hope his family and close friends are coping. Rest in peace glyn.you were an absolute gentleman

Glyn set up what I think is an excellent team of contributors over the years and I am sure they will all stay loyal to the magazine and to Glyn's memory. The next issue is coming out for sure and, while this is obviously a difficult time for all of Glyn's colleagues, the long-distance ones as well as those who were close at hand, as far as I know Glyn's business partner, Nigel, will keep pressing ahead while seeking to retain Glyn's vision for the magazine.

Thank you for taking the time to update us Graham....much appreciated.
Glyn built something special and unique there and it deserves to continue.

Been reading Boxing Monthly for years, wanted to be published in it. It was only a dream. I battered on Glyn's door. My ideas were poor but I wasn't going away. He gave me pointers, I took them on board. I came back with more ideas and he gave me a shot with an Andy Lee interview I did in 2012.

From that point we clicked. He appreciated my graft and I couldn't believe I was starting to become a regular in a magazine I'd read since 1995.

He opened up a bit. We became good mates. For the last year we talked every week. I could open up to him and give him my problems and by the end of the conversation he'd have solved them with his words. He was my safety net in boxing journalism. Lost without him. Time's a healer but knowing I'll never speak to him again hurts like hell.

I was always in awe of his writing. His honesty and the way he pieced it together is a rare thing these days. Something I need to learn. He gave a failed school leaver and a mouthy sod like me a shot.

I admired him, I respected him and when I heard the news I shed a tear.

A giant of boxing journalism who didn't crave the attention or limelight. He told me he would never do TV but he was beginning to enjoy working on BT Sport and allegedly. Things like that seemed to re-energise him.

As straight talking and fair a man as you'll ever likely come across.

Waffling now.

Cheers Glyn. RIP. I owe you big time.

Stunned and gutted to hear this. I started buying BM in 1994 and have never missed an issue since. I made friends via the BM Forum - Terry D & Capt Hook especially - at a time when it was the only place I could have a decent conversation about boxing with people who knew what they were talking about (and some who didn't).

When I was about 18 I wrote a preview of the Lewis-Golota fight and sent it to BM and was surprised to get a nice letter back that had some very good advice; as my own career progressed and I saw how few people would take the sort of time out of their day to do that for a total stranger it cemented my view that not only was he a great writer but he was also a great bloke.

Years later when I saw he posted on here I sent him a PM to mention this and thank him for it and he appreciated my getting in touch. Since then I have been fortunate enough to work in boxing and on 2 occasions I had ideas for stories linked to my work. I approached him via PM here, a little circumspect and stressing that I wouldn't mind if he said no but in both instances the stories appeared in the next month's edition of the mag. The second in particular was very special for me as he suggested that I write it rather than anybody else as he thought it would be best coming from me, and he printed it unchanged from what I sent in. After buying the magazine for nearly 20 years this meant a great deal to me and I will always be grateful to Glyn.

BM has always been my favourite mag and he was always my favourite journalist, he had his own voice and, I guess like many others here, I felt it spoke directly to me. I was glad he'd started to write more pieces for the mag recently and was looking forward to many more. So so sad to hear he has gone.

RIP Glyn, a top bloke, a true voice of boxing and a massive loss to the sport. You'll be very sadly missed.

I read Boxing Monthly from issue 1 and over the years, Glyn Leach became my favourite writer. Loved his writing style and perspective on the sport.

Very sad news of his passing, I didn't know him but was a fan of his. Rest in Peace, Glyn.

RIP Glyn,always loved reading his columns,52's no age,condolences to the family and friends

dondada wrote:Ah, so sad. They just don't make 'em like Glyn any more. And even when they did, there weren't very many of 'em.

http://news.boxrec.com/2014/glyn-leach-obituary

Great tribute, Ian.

You only need to read one of the several anecdotes of Glyn on here to sum up the guy,he really did seem like a man of the people

Keep the head up Graham

Lovely tribute Ian

dondada wrote:Ah, so sad. They just don't make 'em like Glyn any more. And even when they did, there weren't very many of 'em.

http://news.boxrec.com/2014/glyn-leach-obituary

Just read that. Great tribute Ian