BoxRec

i have always been a fan of frank bruno and bought boxing news just for the interview with him. what was that all about!!?

the reporter i don't know who he is was trying to get a sensational scoop or something on bruno and it messed up the interview. anybody else read it??

The reporter was Danny Flexen. Search through the recent posts to see what other boxrec members think of him - there was a debate about him a couple of weeks ago

donal wrote:i have always been a fan of frank bruno and bought boxing news just for the interview with him. what was that all about!!?

the reporter i don't know who he is was trying to get a sensational scoop or something on bruno and it messed up the interview. anybody else read it??

Danny does come on here periodically to defend himself!
If you put some decent questions to him, hopefully he'll answer them for you

For those of us who dont know, what happened?

I hope this thread isn't going to degenerate into cheap gags at the expense of Frank Brunos problems.

overhand_right wrote:For those of us who dont know, what happened?

I hope this thread isn't going to degenerate into cheap gags at the expense of Frank Brunos problems.

Not much happened really, a thread was started saying Flexen was crap etc, but it turned into a sensible enough debate about journalism and boxing news journalists. Flexen came on, said his piece and also included a piece about it in his boxing news blog

What was the gist of the Bruno article, and the contentious points? I can't get BN here in Thailand. I've heard from somebody else before this thread that Bruno had been "stitched up" in it.

I attended a Bruno Q&A recently, I met him in the car park outside before the event... he came across well and seemed happy enough but the topic of our chat and his subsequent Q&A was his boxing past, not his drug problems. That seem's to be when it all went a bit frosty...

From what I remember about the article it was the drugs (and whether they were mentioned in the interview) that was the main problem for Bruno. Flexen said he had been looking forward to the interview for ages and that it was intended to be a spirited article about Bruno's fight against his demons. That's from (my somewhat unreliable) memory, so I'm ready to stand corrected if necessary!

donal wrote:i have always been a fan of frank bruno and bought boxing news just for the interview with him. what was that all about!!?

the reporter i don't know who he is was trying to get a sensational scoop or something on bruno and it messed up the interview. anybody else read it??

I'm always suspicious of posters who pop up to have a go with no real track record of posting previously, but I'll suspend my suspicions that there may be an agenda here and take your post at face value.
I should state that I work in magazines and have worked as a journalist in the past, but have never had any involvement with Boxing News and know nothing about Danny Flexen. However, after reading the article in question, my first thought was... a good, solid piece of journalism.
Danny is a young reporter and it would have been so easy to 'bottle it' and not ask the tough questions, but he didn't. Who wants to read another sycophantic piece about 'lovable Old Frank'? Our 'trade paper' should dig beneath the persona in a bid to give a true flavour of the man, flaws and all - it's not a PR rag. As Danny himself pointed out, it was a ridiculous stance for Bruno to take regarding drug use when it was a matter of public record already.
I thought it was a balanced piece that highlighted the aspects of Bruno's character that has endeared him to so many of us, but also didn't shy away from the mental scars he clearly now bears.... and was all the better for that.
If you read this Danny then I'd only say keep on doing what you're doing and you'll build up a fine body of work.

Hey guys. Yes, I had been looking forward to it for months. I envisaged writing a "against the odds" type story, showing how Frank had overcome his demons. Sensationalist? Perhaps. Potentially moving? Certainly. But when I got there, it was clear his agent had not told Frank that we had agreed to discuss his problems post-boxing. He thought it was a boxing interview only, and became incredibly frosty when I attempted to ask him about the drug problem, divorce, unfortunate mental breakdown etc. Therefore, I crafted the article with what I had and I think it turned out pretty well. It's balanced and includes positives and negatives, but then I would say that, wouldn't I. An idea for anyone who hasn't already wouyld be to read it and judge for yourself.
What I will say is please do not confuse my piece with the much shorter and unabashedly negative version used in the Sunday Express and the Daily Star. Let me know what you think of the BN piece; I'd be glad to know (probably).
As for the Fennell v Flexen thing, I have no problem/rivalry there, unless Oliver knows different?

dbflex wrote:Hey guys. Yes, I had been looking forward to it for months. I envisaged writing a "against the odds" type story, showing how Frank had overcome his demons. Sensationalist? Perhaps. Potentially moving? Certainly. But when I got there, it was clear his agent had not told Frank that we had agreed to discuss his problems post-boxing. He thought it was a boxing interview only, and became incredibly frosty when I attempted to ask him about the drug problem, divorce, unfortunate mental breakdown etc. Therefore, I crafted the article with what I had and I think it turned out pretty well. It's balanced and includes positives and negatives, but then I would say that, wouldn't I. An idea for anyone who hasn't already wouyld be to read it and judge for yourself.
What I will say is please do not confuse my piece with the much shorter and unabashedly negative version used in the Sunday Express and the Daily Star. Let me know what you think of the BN piece; I'd be glad to know (probably).
As for the Fennell v Flexen thing, I have no problem/rivalry there, unless Oliver knows different?

No problem/rivalry with me, either, Danny. How would there be between two people who've never even conversed together, let alone met? Teddy's comment stems from the previous thread about you, and him naming me and Tom Podmore as two alternatives he'd have preferred. Obviously I wouldn't mind doing your job, but I'm not going to hold it against you that you took it!

As for the Bruno article, I haven't read it, because as I said I'm in Thailand now. I do miss my BN, though (had bought it every week since 1991), but a subscription sent to the Far East is just too expensive. As you seem to be the main internet guy at BN (correct me if I'm wrong), would you consider some kind of online subscription service?

The main internet guy is Tris Dixon – I wouldn't mind his job but I don't hold it against him that he took it – so you're best off asking him. I think it is a viable concept.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/562 ... ns-humans-

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/posts/view/4 ... s-strange/

These are the two shortened forms published in the tabloids. In fairness, nothing too sensational other than the headline
I haven't read the actual article myself so would be pleased if anyone could forward it

Maybe a lessoned learned there Danny, make sure that the subject knows your going to ask those type of probing questions next time. maybe not just take the agents word for it that its ok. as seems the case here.

I'll be a big fan of yours if you can get an interview in BN with Kirkland Laing

stictched up just like morrissey was by the nme ...again !

wasnt meaning any offense by this topic just didnt no who the writer was and i have always been a fan of bruno was annoyed lol

anyone remember bruno v ekklund in london, that was when frank was in top form. i think he was under rated as a boxer too.

Just to reply to Ian, with boxers like Frank – reserved, a little suspicious, reclusive – it's not easy to get their direct numbers, hence having to go through an agent. Ideally I would have gone to Frank directly but it's not always possible; maybe agewnts are ruining the game like football lol

oliverfennell wrote:

dbflex wrote:Hey guys. Yes, I had been looking forward to it for months. I envisaged writing a "against the odds" type story, showing how Frank had overcome his demons. Sensationalist? Perhaps. Potentially moving? Certainly. But when I got there, it was clear his agent had not told Frank that we had agreed to discuss his problems post-boxing. He thought it was a boxing interview only, and became incredibly frosty when I attempted to ask him about the drug problem, divorce, unfortunate mental breakdown etc. Therefore, I crafted the article with what I had and I think it turned out pretty well. It's balanced and includes positives and negatives, but then I would say that, wouldn't I. An idea for anyone who hasn't already wouyld be to read it and judge for yourself.
What I will say is please do not confuse my piece with the much shorter and unabashedly negative version used in the Sunday Express and the Daily Star. Let me know what you think of the BN piece; I'd be glad to know (probably).
As for the Fennell v Flexen thing, I have no problem/rivalry there, unless Oliver knows different?

No problem/rivalry with me, either, Danny. How would there be between two people who've never even conversed together, let alone met? Teddy's comment stems from the previous thread about you, and him naming me and Tom Podmore as two alternatives he'd have preferred. Obviously I wouldn't mind doing your job, but I'm not going to hold it against you that you took it!

As for the Bruno article, I haven't read it, because as I said I'm in Thailand now. I do miss my BN, though (had bought it every week since 1991), but a subscription sent to the Far East is just too expensive. As you seem to be the main internet guy at BN (correct me if I'm wrong), would you consider some kind of online subscription service?

id be up for that it takes too long for post to get through to Barbados, not much fun reading previews of fights that happend 2 weeks ago aside form that
Good luck Danny with your work either way...seems you are trying to keep it real.