BoxRec

Given the recent unexpected and very depressing death of Ron Lyle, which living old school fighter would you LOVE Boxing Monthly to do a profile and one-on-one interview with before it's too late?

You never know, maybe Mr Leach will read this and even consider a feature on one of the fighters some time soon... If he's feeling festive.

I'm going to throw out two fighters who have become almost mythical figures, certainly in cyberspace, that would make me cream in my pants in the middle of WH Smith if I saw interviews with them in BM:

CANDY SLIM AKA JEFF MERRITT

ROY TIGER WILLIAMS

If Leach or someone from BM tracked those boys down and featured them I will personally feed them mulberry wine intravenously into their veins.

Jake LaMotta..........

I would want someone to ask him about his career, his thoughts on modern boxing, the money, present p4p fighters, the multiple boxing organisations, ppv television and how well he would have done in the modern era.

Nice piece on Candy Slim here

http://ringsidereport.com/?p=1339

Good thread...not strictly speaking an old timer but I don't recall ever reading an in depth interview with Azumah Nelson. He must have some terrific stories to tell

Thanks mate, but that's a terrible article. The writer recycles a few well known Merritt anecdotes, has a quick browse of Boxrec and writes an article with no actual research. For instance, he writes that Ernie Terrell had lost a decision to Chuck Wepner, "a clear sign that he should hang up the gloves". Had the writer known what he was talking about, he would be aware that Terrell beat Wepner easily and got screwed by the judges. That pretty much sums up the writer and internet boxing journalism in general. It pisses me off.

I think what would be really meaty are one on one interviews with some of the fighters mentioned, as opposed to these useless internet articles written by illiterates and based entirely on what they see on a Boxrec page.

ERNIE TERRELL is a good name to throw onto this list however, he seems in great health and fully cognitive. Would love to hear him talk about his days fighting, and the 80s, 90s and the present era.

An interview with Marvin Hagler, run through a few of his best fights to get his opinion on them today. See who (if anyone) he follows in the game today.

loaded_gloves wrote:Thanks mate, but that's a terrible article.

Fair enough, nice to see someone cares enough to actually write about him I suppose I mean. I didn't read the whole thing, just googled to find out if he was still alive, and was surprised to hear he is. I thought he'd picked up a bad drug habit and that was the end of him.

Yes, thanks for taking the time to do so mate! The most 'recent' anecdote of him comes from as far back as 1991, outside the Tyson/Ruddock fight, and its not a flattering one. I hear he's living in Vegas still, Don King's first ever heavyweight, possibly still crazy & dangerous, what an interview that would make!!!

You can imagine that if Boxing Monthly does a regular feature on some of the older fighters before they go to that great boxing ring in the sky, Glynn will become something of a Grim Reaper.

Glynn - Hello, can we do a feature on you for next month's mag?

Old boxer - Bloody hell, do you know something I don't? How long have I got??!

milpool wrote:You can imagine that if Boxing Monthly does a regular feature on some of the older fighters before they go to that great boxing ring in the sky, Glynn will become something of a Grim Reaper.

Glynn - Hello, can we do a feature on you for next month's mag?

Old boxer - Bloody hell, do you know something I don't? How long have I got??!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA - almost lost my chewing gum there and collapsed into a little coughing session!

loaded_gloves wrote:Given the recent unexpected and very depressing death of Ron Lyle, which living old school fighter would you LOVE Boxing Monthly to do a profile and one-on-one interview with before it's too late?
You never know, maybe Mr Leach will read this and even consider a feature on one of the fighters some time soon... If he's feeling festive.

I'm going to throw out two fighters who have become almost mythical figures, certainly in cyberspace, that would make me cream in my pants in the middle of WH Smith if I saw interviews with them in BM:

CANDY SLIM AKA JEFF MERRITT
ROY TIGER WILLIAMS
If Leach or someone from BM tracked those boys down and featured them I will personally feed them mulberry wine intravenously into their veins.

Give us a chance soldier! That's all of four days you've left us to put that together before we print! Maybe next year though, good chance

AMAZING.

Do you think you could find them? Tiger seems pretty easy to track down as he is mates with Shavers and Holmes and lives in Philly, but............... MERRITT?

There's the story that Ali and Merritt had a sparring session whilst Ali was in exile and Merritt was on the way up, it was to sort out who was the man in Miami. And Ali apparently came out as the man!

And also Ernie Shavers has told of when he was playing cards with Merritt and Larry Holmes, and after one hand for a few thousand dollars which Ernie won, Merritt accused him of a bad deal, so Ernie offered him outside for a fight! you wouldn't of wanted to of been in the middle of that.

What would be a good article is what all of Larry Holmes challengers are up to today, just don't ask me to do it

loaded_gloves wrote:AMAZING.

Do you think you could find them? Tiger seems pretty easy to track down as he is mates with Shavers and Holmes and lives in Philly, but............... MERRITT?

Can but try. Not blowing the trumpet but BM's US writers are MASSIVELY experienced, nearly all 30 years-plus men. If they can't with their connections I don't know who can. Has to be worth a throw

Old bones Ian wrote:There's the story that Ali and Merritt had a sparring session whilst Ali was in exile and Merritt was on the way up, it was to sort out who was the man in Miami. And Ali apparently came out as the man!

And also Ernie Shavers has told of when he was playing cards with Merritt and Larry Holmes, and after one hand for a few thousand dollars which Ernie won, Merritt accused him of a bad deal, so Ernie offered him outside for a fight! you wouldn't of wanted to of been in the middle of that.

What would be a good article is what all of Larry Holmes challengers are up to today, just don't ask me to do it

Merritt was giving Ali hell apparently, and a desperate Ali had to rally to kayo Merritt - sounded like an incredible brawl. There was also the time Holmes was in a car with Merritt and Merritt was obsessed with the idea of driving up to Don King's farm and shooting all his cattle. He sounds like a hell of a guy!

Shavers also had his jaw broken in sparring by one of the big man's left hooks, incidentally. He is supposed to be one of the great heavyweight punchers. Heroin curtailed his career pretty quickly.

There's a guy on the Boxers of the Past forum who was ringside for Merritt-Stander and was shocked by the power of his punches, which actually decked Ron off his feet for one of the few times in his life. Holmes was knocked down by Kevin Isaac on the undercard, but I digress.

Glyn Leach wrote:

loaded_gloves wrote:AMAZING.

Do you think you could find them? Tiger seems pretty easy to track down as he is mates with Shavers and Holmes and lives in Philly, but............... MERRITT?

Can but try. Not blowing the trumpet but BM's US writers are MASSIVELY experienced, nearly all 30 years-plus men. If they can't with their connections I don't know who can. Has to be worth a throw

Very exciting Glyn - BM would be the first magazine in decades to feature these cruelly ignored old war horses. Would be an awesome read!