Boxing Social Magazine #6 - Bivol Believes by Boxing Social

OCTOBER 2020

CONTENTS

ISSUE SIX

004- HOUSE OF BAD CARDS -005 UK OFFICIATING UNDER SCRUTINY

012-017

BY MARK BUTCHER

006- HEAVYWEIGHT NEXT GEN -011 THE NEW WAVE OF BIG MEN BY GRAHAM HOUSTON

012- THE FIGHT WITH NEIL LEIFER -017 PHOTO ICON ON ALI-FOREMAN BY LUKE G. WILLIAMS

018- THE UNCROWNED KING -021 CATTERALL BELONGS AT THE TOP

018-021

BY TERRY DOOLEY

022- CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER -025 BIVOL SERIOUS THREAT TO CANELO BY PHIL ROGERS

026- JUST A TASTE -031 RODRIGUEZ'S STAR RISES BY CRAIG SCOTT

032- GORILLA OUT OF THE MIST… -035 RYDER ON THE CANELO TRAIL BY SHAUN BROWN

032-035

036- FIGHTERS AT WAR -039 BOXERS' CALL OF DUTY BY GRAHAM HOUSTON

040- MASSEY APPEAL -043 IBO CHAMP EYES MORE BELTS BY GARRY WHITE

044- SWEET MEMORIES -048 MCMILLAN REFLECTS ON CAREER BY LUKE G. WILLIAMS

EDITOR

PUBLISHER

DESIGNER

MARK BUTCHER JORDAN POLLOCK ELEANOR RIPLEY

CONTRIBUTORS GRAHAM HOUSTON, TERRY DOOLEY, LUKE G. WILLIAMS, MARK BUTCHER, SHAUN BROWN, CRAIG SCOTT, JOHN A. MACDONALD, PHIL ROGERS, GARRY WHITE

COVER

HARRY PAIN APRIL 2022

HOUSE OF BAD CARDS

EDITOR MARK BUTCHER FEELS BRITISH BOXING O F F I C I AT I N G D E S P E R AT E LY NEEDS A REBOOT AFTER A NUMBER OF BEWILDERING C A L L S I N FAV O U R OF HOUSE FIGHTERS. 4

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n an alternate universe, undisputed super-lightweight champion Jack Catterall is still basking in the glory of his upset victory over Josh Taylor and dreaming of bumper paydays and mega-fights amid the glitter and stardust of Vegas. But in this, more bitter, reality, boxing can pick your pocket and leave you empty-handed. Years of toil can seemingly come together in 36 minutes of action, but if two out of three officials are misguided, hapless or worse, a lifetime of work can be snatched away in the cruellest of circumstances. Catterall appeared to win clearly in February but two British judges scored for the more celebrated Taylor and another dream was dashed by domestic officiating. Add Catterall’s name to a long list of away fighters who have found themselves short-changed by British officials in recent times; Sonni Martinez, Akeem Ennis Brown, Jack Massey, Frank Urquiaga, Kiko Martinez, Miguel Vazquez (twice!) et al. There is a rather obtuse saying in British boxing that how you score a fight is a case of ‘what you like’, a preference of boxer or puncher, but in the eyes of the Board of Control’s judges ‘what you like’ often appears to be whatever the house fighter did in the previous 10 or 12 rounds. Over the last few years, hardened UK fight watchers have recoiled and ranted at a series of maddening verdicts that all have one striking similarity in common - the house fighter always sneaking home at the expense of an over-achieving underdog. The law of averages would suggest a few duff decisions in favour of away fighters, too, but oddly this never happens. The word ‘robbery’ is over-used in the fight game, but, whatever you choose to label this procession of poor calls, this is not a good look for British boxing.

PHOTOS FROM LAWRENCE LUSTIG/BOXXER & MARK ROBINSON/MATCHROOM BOXING

THE HOUSE OF BAD C A R D S N E E D S T O FA L L .

And it’s not just the scoring. In the UK, it feels like house fighters always receive the benefit of the doubt in any jam or test of the boundaries; be it Josh Warrington repeatedly headbutting and bloodying Kiko Martinez; Steve Gray throwing the towel out of the ring to give a battered Lewis Ritson ‘a chance’ against Jeremias Ponce; Bradley Skeete being hammered on the canvas by Hamzah Sheeraz – it seems to work one way and one way only. When a rising Anthony Joshua lamped helpless opponents on the canvas, the British referee would always let it slide. Perhaps these are just below par officiating performances, everyone has off days whatever your profession, but the lefthand side of the bill always lucks out without exception. Even when an away fighter seems in clear control, they drop rounds in mystifying fashion (see Marc Leach’s clinic vs Chris Bourke, somehow ruled a three-round fight by Terry O’Connor, or Erica Farias vs Sandy Ryan, a split decision thanks to Michael Alexander’s frankly laughable 97-93 card for the touted Ryan). One problem is that leading British officials wear both hats as judge and referee, and perhaps know blue chip domestic fighters too well having officiated them from novice level all the way up the professional ladder. Close-ish rounds often appear to be judged by who is expected to win, rather than what’s taking place in the ring at that moment. A star fighter thriving, of course, means more opportunity for officials, with their expenses paid for by the promoter in the UK. An awkward position to be in, you would think, especially if sharing the fight hotel with the principals. Meanwhile, we’ve watched in bemusement at Bob Williams judging a fight with an apparently obscured view in Richard

Riakporhe vs Jack Massey (scoring widely for the house fighter Riakporhe) and scrunched our faces at Terry O’Connor seemingly looking at his phone mid-fight (scoring widely for the house fighter Lewis Ritson) though the Board were satisfied with both men’s explanations. Scoring should be a blank slate, a case of Fighter A vs Fighter B, with no preconceptions and neutrality paramount, and perhaps the only way to solve this nagging issue is to have three overseas judges for some title bouts in the UK with less familiarity with the fighters. A regular promotion and relegation of A Star Class judges in the UK would also insist Board officials maintain and operate at the very highest of standards, rather than scrape by with mediocrity and know they will be backed regardless. Ian John-Lewis was (belatedly) demoted after his wayward 114-111 card for Taylor, but in their statement of explanation the Board said the score did not affect the ‘overall result of the contest’; an extremely weird take given the fight was a split decision and Lewis’ card gave Catterall the verdict, but no-one was surprised. The goal posts move to suit the narrative. There is a glaring lack of quality and, it would seem, sufficient training of boxing officials in this country. It’s been a closed shop for too long and, if a madcap, widely ridiculed scorecard is unlikely to damage your standing, why try harder, strive to improve, when you can just coast from major promotion to promotion? The officiating in British boxing desperately needs a reset. We should be far better than this. Livelihoods are at stake. The House Of Bad Cards needs to fall.

PHOTOS FROM EDDIE KEOUGH/MATCHROOM BOXING & QUEENSBERRY PROMOTIONS

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H E AV Y W E I G H T NEXT GEN IBH OF I N D U CTE E GRA HA M HOUSTO N CASTS HI S EX PERT E YE UPON THE N EW WAVE O F H EAV Y W EIGHTS HOP ING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD FOL LOW ING THE T YSON FU RY, O L E KSAN D R U SYK AND ANTHONY J OSH UA ERA. 6

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PHOTO FROM MIKEY WILLIAMS/TOP RANK

T H E R E U S E D T O B E A S AY I N G T H AT W E N T S O M E T H I N G L I K E :

“A S G O T H E H E AV Y W E I G H T S , SO GOES BOXING.” The reasoning behind this is that if the heavyweight division is strong, with fighters at the top who intrigue and excite the public, then boxing will be strong, and there’s truth in that. We all know who the top heavyweights of the moment are, but what about the big boys coming up, the next generation, if you will? Here’s a look at 12 heavyweights, all with fewer than 12 fights, who could capture the public’s imagination.

BAKHODIR JALOLO V A G E 2 7 UZBEKISTAN/BROO KLYN 10-0 (10 KOS)

2 2 E G A N O JARED ANDERS S) O K 1 1 ( 0 1 1 TOLEDO, OHIO 0 4 2 d n a s in 4 ft 6 t a h g u nderson is big eno e. g a k c a p l ta to e th e b to pounds, and he seems t’s not to a h W l. u rf u lo o c d n a e iv s He’s fast, talented, explo s been a h , n io p m a h c l a n o ti a n e US im -t o tw a , n o rs e d n A ? e k li een b ’s e H . k n a R p o T r, te o prom ’t moved perfectly by his n s a h e h d n a s rd o c re le spectab re h it w ts n e n o p p o g n ti mee eir th t u o k c o n k to ts h ig e eavyw h t n a w s n fa If . d n u ro a t los nd u ro trs fi e v fi h it w , x o b t cks tha ti n o rs e d n A , ts n e n o p ’s p e o h e s u a c e b t e y re u s s der pre n u im h n e e s ’t n e v a h e wins. W til n u 3 2 rn tu ’t n s e o d e h t met, bu ’s e h e n o ry e v e d e s s la outc rush. o n ’s re e th o s r e b m e v No

PHOTOS FROM MIKEY WILLIAMS/TOP RANK & PROBELLUM

6ft 7ins, 250lbs southpaw, Ja lolov won the super-heavyweight gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics although an active pro, thanks to the 2016 rule change. Jalolo v is expert at fighting at the distance that suits him. H e is difficult to beat in a long-range tactical match, an d he has a big left-hand counter waiting for opponen ts who try to back him up. Jalolov hasn’t been teste d as a pro, with five firstround KOs in his 10 wins and only one of his bouts going past the fourth round. He looks an intimidating proposition for just about an yone outside the elite level but it will be interesting to see how he gets on against tougher opponents who don’t go away easily.

CONTINUES APRIL 2022

9 2 E G A T O N Y Y O K A OS) K 9 ( 0 1 1 F R A N C E s the a h a k o Y st lli a d e m ld o g ic p io Olym and 240 s in 7 ft 6 t a s n o si n e im d l a c si phy y jo n e to s m e se o h w r e h c n u p pounds. He’s a boxertussle h g u to a d a h a k o Y . e c n ra F huge popularity in d pro n o c se is h in e ic R n a th a n Jo when outpointing e sixth f o s d n u ro f o le p u o c a g n bout, even losi ok lo ’t sn e o d t a th t u b , rd a c ’s e rounder on one judg nt e rr u c ’s e ic R f o t h lig in ll a t a a bad performance s, p a rh e p , k c a -b id la it b a e b impressive form. Yoka can n e h w g n zi la b s n u g ll a h it w t u but he certainly came o s in a p u a h u D n n a h Jo le b ra u d stopping the normally alifornia C f o a re A y a B e th in s in a tr the first round. He d so far it n a r te n u H il g ir V f o e y e d se under the practi rtnership. a p r e in a tr rte h g fi l fu ss e c c has been a su

J U S T I S H U N I AGE 23 A U S T R A L I A 5 -0 (4 KOS) uni was to have boxed for A ustralia in the Tokyo Olympics but a hand injury ruled him out. Big and strong at 6ft 4in s and 235lbs, Huni has excellent hand speed but se ems more of a wearingdown type of puncher than a big hitter. He went the full 10 rounds in only his fourth b out and in his most recent appearance he methodically broke down rugged former Aussie rugby star Pa ul Gallen for a last-round TKO in a fight that probably should have been stopped at least one round sooner.

1 3 E G A O IVAN DYCHK KAZAKHSTAN/ KISSIMMEE, OS) K 1 1 ( 0 1 1 F L O R I D A simple it s p e e k o k h c y D s lb 0 4 2 s, he 6ft 9in g n lo a d in h e b in s e v o m e H . — and effective s e h c n u p is h f o d n e e th n o ts left jab, keeps opponen asy e o to ll a n e e b ’s It s. b m o b d and drops in right-han rld o W d n a st lli a d e m ze n ro b ic so far for the Olymp s been a h e h r fa o S . st lli a d e m r e lv Championships si ld o ra e -y 2 4 a g in d lu c in s m ti ic matched carefully, KO v 4-year4 a d n a in st u A y a R ld o ra e Maurice Harris, a 48-y ko to be h c y D r fo e m ti is lly a re It v. o old Alexander Ustin let off the leash a little.

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PHOTOS FROM TONY YOKA, JUSTIS HUNI & IVAN DYCHKO

Z E R R O T D R A H C I R TULARE, CALIFORNIA

AGE 22

1 - 0 ( 1 KO)

ic p m ly O e th in v lo lo Ja ir d o h utsy loser to Bak aw p th u so e th t, u o b l a d e -m ld o super-heavy g t fans a th le y st g n ti it -h y v a e h , rd a Torrez has the go-forw and rn o b z, e rr To , e g ta ri e h n a ic x love. Proud of his Me ir a -l u u (T re la u T f o y it n u m m raised in the agricultural co al. u g n ili b e m o c e b to h is n a p S ee), California, is learning nd a g n ri a e b st e d o m is h h it w He is instantly likeable on in w e h h g u o th n e v e , ly te a n u polite manner. Unfort e when y e e th r e v o t u c a d re e ff su z two rounds, Torre in n o ls e M n lle A d e h tc a rm e v o clashing heads with the -era rn e d o m a r fo e d si ll a sm e th his pro debut. He is on owed sh t u b s lb 8 2 2 d n a s in 2 ft 6 heavyweight at only mpics, ly O e th in n e m r e g ig b h g u he can power thro far. o to e g d ri b a s a w v lo lo Ja h g althou

FRAZER CLARK E A GE 30 WEST MIDLAND S , U K 1-0 (1 KO) wo-time Olympian (and bronze medallist and boxing team captain in Tokyo), Clarke is a late starter to pro boxing at 30 although his deep a mateur background means he can likely be moved fair ly quickly by promoters BOXXER. Clarke is a big man (6ft 6ins, 250lbs) and he has the power-and-pressure sty le that will surely be too much for many heavyweights .

CONTINUES PHOTOS FROM LAWRENCE LUSTIG/BOXXER

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26 E G A V E I L A D A MOUR KO) 1 ( 0 2 E C N A R F / A I S RUS st in a g a d e fi li a u q is yd liev, controversiall , s in 7 ft 6 a is , s ic p Olym e th in e k r la C r e z a Fr ev had li A . e p ty r e h c n u oxer-p b A . w a p th u o s g 1-3 s in o g , 240lb s r u te a m a e in th e k r la C h it w y lr a iv quite the r tings. e e m r u fo in r e x o b against the British

AGE 29 VIKTOR VYKHRYST 9-0 (7KOS) UKRAINE lso known as Victor Faust, Vykhryst (6ft 5ins, 235lbs) was an elite-level amateur, winning a European Championships gold medal. He looks like being involved in some exciting fights as his career moves forward, if his January bout with Iago Kiladze is anything to go by. It was a five-knockdown war in the two rounds it lasted, with Vykhryst down twice and Kiladze down three times. Apart from the knockdowns, Vykhryst suffered a cut on the bridge of the nose. But he showed he can come back from adversity and also that he’s dangerous when hurt.

ARSLAN IALLYEV RUSSIA

A G E 2 5 12-0 (7KOS)

allyev didn’t have a long am ateur career but he’s shown progress as a pro, using his height and reach to good effect (he’s 6ft 5ins). The 236lbs Iallyev has quite good mobility for such a big man and he cleverly sw itches from orthodox to southpaw and back again.

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PHOTOS FROM MOURAD ALIEV & RYAN HAFEY/PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS

2 3 E G A T E JOSE LARDU ) S O K 7 ( 0 8 CUBA/GERMANY ra e ft a e g a te la a t a ro p d e rn arduet tu he was h ic h w in r e re a c r u te a m a l e v high-le s bronze ip sh n io p m a h C d rl o W d n a n Cuban champio that he is t e u rd a L t u o b a rn e c n o c e medallist. Th ut he’s b r, u te a m a n a s a s y a d st e b might have had his xed la re a h it w s) lb 0 6 2 s, in 4 ft (6 a skilled big man o g s d n a h is h ts le e h n e h w d style. Larduet looks goo he d n a , st a o c to t n te n o c s m e in combinations but se cal trim. si y h p r e tt e b in e b ld u o c e h looks as if

A N T O N I O M I R E L E S AGE 24 DES MOINES, IOWA 3-0 (3 KOS) akhodir Jalolov isn’t the only towering southpaw with a big punch a ttracting attention. Say hello to Anton io Mireles, all 6ft 9ins and 260lbs of him. Mireles d idn’t have a lengthy amateur career, with a 28-4 record, but he won a national Golden Gloves titl e and was superheavyweight alternate (first re serve) for the 2020 US Olympic team. Mireles has b lown away his first three pro opponents, none going past the second round. He has an elite trainer in Rob ert Garcia and he is managed by the astute Dav id McWater. His promoter, Bob Arum, says Mireles “has all the makings of a heavyweight superstar”. Mir eles says he’s a versatile boxer but that he’s naturally aggressive in the ring. The fans are fine with that.

PHOTOS FROM MIKEY WILLIAMS/TOP RANK & JOSE LARDUET

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N E I L

L E I F E R

O N

THE FIGHT 12

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PHOTO FROM HOWARD BINGHAM

W I D E LY R E G A R D E D A S B O X I N G ’ S FINEST EVER PHOTOGRAPHER, NEIL LEIFER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY OF THE SPORT’S MOST ICONIC PHOTOGRAPHS.

A H E A D O F T H E N E W P U B L I C AT I O N O F ‘ T H E F I G H T ’ B Y TA S C H E N , L E I F E R R E C A L L S H I S I M A G E S A N D MEMORIES OF THE INCREDIBLE ‘RUMBLE IN THE J U N G L E ’ , W H E R E M U H A M M A D A L I F A M O U S LY R O P E A - D O P E D G E O R G E F O R E M A N T O D E F E AT I N Z A I R E . I N C O N V E R S AT I O N W I T H L U K E G . W I L L I A M S . APRIL 2022

NEIL LEIFER IS 79 YEARS OLD BUT E N D E A R I N G LY - H A S L O S T N O N E O F T H E BOYISH ENTHUSIASM WHICH - ALONG WITH A B U C K E T L O A D O F TA L E N T A N D A N U N R I VA L L E D PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE - PROPELLED HIM FROM THE WORKING-CLASS PROJECTS OF NEW YORK’S LOWER EAST SIDE TO BECOME ONE OF T H E T I TA N S O F M O D E R N P H O T O J O U R N A L I S M .

ithin seconds of answering my afternoon phone call, Leifer makes it clear that although we have been allocated half an hour by his publishers Taschen he is happy to chat for “as long as you want”. It’s all the encouragement I need - if you love boxing, then any time in the company of Neil Leifer is to be treasured and savoured. A former staffer at Sports Illustrated and then Time in the days when those magazines really mattered, Leifer has photographed everyone “from The Pope to Charles Manson” but boxing has always – and will always – occupy a unique and special place in his heart.

Leifer worked the fight for Sports Illustrated and a selection of his superlative imagery from those historic days in Zaire features in a forthcoming volume published by Taschen, alongside photos by the late Howard Bingham as well as other Rumble-related imagery and extracts from Norman Mailer’s peerless 1975 account of the contest and its buildup entitled The Fight. The volume was first published by Taschen as a signed collector’s edition in 2016, while this release is a far more affordable trade edition. “Taschen have been very good to me. I’m very proud to be a part of this publication,” Leifer tells Boxing Social in his unmistakeable New York twang. “I mean to have my name on the same cover as Norman Mailer, how badly can I be doing?

“I was a huge Ali fan, of course,” Leifer says. “I believe that he was not only the greatest fighter I ever saw but the greatest athlete I ever saw. I think he could have played football or baseball - anything he’d chosen to do he would have succeeded at as he was such a tremendous athlete. “But before the Foreman fight, I couldn’t see Ali winning. Foreman had stopped Joe Frazier in two rounds and a lot of us were fooled into thinking he was invincible. As much as I was rooting for Ali, as you'll see in the book, they polled the press when I was in Zaire and I picked Foreman to win by knockout, and in the fourth round, too!”

However, Leifer also points out that there has been a fair amount of revisionism at A N D O H , W H AT work surrounding how Ali’s prospects FIGHTS HE HAS against Foreman were viewed at the time. The modern legend has it that everyone WITNESSED! had written the former champion off, “This trade edition is the same book as the and while it is true that Ali was a 4-1 From Patterson-Johansson I to Fury-Wilder collector’s edition, just a little smaller. It’s III, Leifer’s not only been there and got the very well done. There’s a four-page spread underdog when the first bell rang, as Leifer explains: “People forget there were t-shirt, but probably took the iconic photo of Foreman on the canvas when he was a lot of Ali believers as well. Look at the on the t-shirt, too! knocked out and in the trade edition, just picks in that poll there might even have like the collector’s edition, that is a fold-out. Today, the focus for our conversation is been more people who picked Ali rather It’s beautiful. I’m very, very happy with it.” one of the most iconic prize fights of all than Foreman.” [Leifer is correct - in the time - 1974’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ when Leifer is an unabashed Ali fan, but admits poll reproduced in the Taschen book 24 the immortal Muhammad Ali regained the that - like many of his peers - back in 1974 members of the press predicted an Ali win world heavyweight championship courtesy he couldn’t see how ‘The Greatest’ would versus 20 for Foreman]. of a scarcely believable eighth-round be able to plot a route past Foreman to stoppage of the hitherto unbeaten regain the heavyweight title. George Foreman.

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“

BUT BEFORE THE F O R E M A N F I G H T, I COULDN’T SEE ALI WINNING. FOREMAN HAD STOPPED JOE FRAZIER IN TWO ROUNDS AND A LOT OF US WERE FOOLED INTO THINKING HE WA S I N V I N C I B L E .

“

nother funny part about the fight is that everyone thought Foreman was massive and bigger than Ali, but if you looked at the tale of the tape they were both 6ft 3ins tall, they both weighed about 220lbs and they pretty much had the same reach. It wasn’t a case of a big guy fighting a little guy at all.”

“We were in the air flying from New York when Foreman got cut. When we got to the hotel in Luxembourg, everyone ended up in the bar having a beer or whatever and that’s when the news came through about the cut.

as planned and the flight would be leaving the next morning but then there was pretty much a revolution in the bar.

“Sports Illustrated weren’t going to let seven people fly to Zaire on the company’s dime and wait for another six “The question then, obviously, was how weeks for the fight so we were told to serious was it and was it going to delay come home. A small group of journalists the fight? The promoters of the fight were chose to head on to Zaire anyway but very nervous. They felt if the press in Zaire most people were told by their offices flew home then Ali might follow. Many to come home. In the end, I didn’t get to people were convinced Ali wasn't going to Zaire until the cut was healed and the fight stay while Foreman’s cut healed and the was rescheduled!” fight was rescheduled. “We were being told the fight wasn’t going to be delayed but it was obvious from what we were hearing via some experienced journalists who were already in Zaire who had seen the cut that there was no way Foreman would be fighting in eight days. The Zairean people in the bar were assuring us the fight would go ahead

O N C E T H E F I G H T F I N A L LY TOOK PLACE, OF COURSE, ALI SOLIDIFIED HIS LEGEND BY KO-ING FOREMAN TO REGAIN T H E H E AV Y W E I G H T T I T L E . CONTINUES

Another key part of the lore surrounding the fight is how the contest was postponed by just over a month due to Foreman picking up a cut in training after his sparring partner Bill McMurray’s elbow accidentally collided with the area above the then champion’s right eye. It’s an incident that occurred, Leifer explains, while he was on his way to Zaire. “There’s a very interesting story behind that,” Leifer says. “The Zaire government wanted to get as many American press over to the fight as they could, but there were a lot of publications who couldn't afford to send a writer and a photographer or a team of writers to Zaire. So the Zaire government put on a charter flight for the press which was pretty reasonably priced. “Most of the American press were on this charter flight about eight days before the fight. It was a big plane with about 350 people on it. You couldn't fly direct from New York to Zaire so the idea was we would spend a night in a hotel in Luxembourg and then the next morning the flight would continue on to Zaire.

PHOTO FROM HOWARD BINGHAM

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“I would put it way up there, but not at the top,” he confesses. “It’s hard to top the feeling and the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden in 1971 when Ali fought Frazier for the first time. That was electric. Of course, it was very exciting in Zaire and it was a unique location. And it’s a fight and occasion I’ll never forget, but the greatest Ali fight in my opinion - and I also rank it as the greatest fight I’ve ever seen period - was ‘The Thrilla in Manila’.”

“

Ali would take a walk along the Congo river and local kids would walk alongside or behind him - he was like the pied piper!

“

t’s a measure of the amount of historic prize fights Leifer has been at that he doesn’t even rate ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ as the greatest contest he witnessed.

I LOVE THIS SHOT - ALI LOOKS LIKE H E ’ S A L M O S T M E D I AT I N G A S H E GAZES ACROSS THE CONGO RIVER.

The kids were very shy and a bit afraid to talk but Ali would talk to anyone, of course.

LEIFER ON LEIFER Neil Leifer talks Boxing Social through three of his favourite photos he took in Zaire. “I love this shot [pictured above ] - Ali looks like he’s almost mediating as he gazes across the Congo river. Ali was completely accessible to the press. He was staying at a place called Nsele, which was President Mobuto’s equivalent of Camp David. A lot of the press stayed there as well although there wasn't much to do. I was very lucky - Don King had a few rooms reserved at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kinshasa, one of which he gave to me. A few of us were lucky enough to get in there. So, from the hotel I’d go out to Nsele every day.

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PHOTOS FROM NEIL LEIFER

One minute there’d be two kids walking with him, then four, and then a crowd. In this photo it’s around sunset - which is what photographers call ‘magic hour’. I’ve wondered many times since what Ali was thinking but at the time as a photographer I was just thinking: ‘Wow, look at the light on his face and on the water!’ It was perfect lighting. It would have been a beautiful picture in the middle of the day when the sun was overhead and you had shadows and so on, but during ‘magic hour’ at the end of the day it was something special. As soon as Ali stopped, I thought: ‘Oh my god, what a beautiful spot and what a beautiful picture!’ “This photo [pictured left ] was taken just before they played the national anthems. Ali normally wore a robe with nothing on the back of it except the two words ‘Muhammad Ali’. In my previous book there’s a picture of Ali wearing a robe Elvis Presley gave him - but this robe is in much better taste! I’m not exactly sure where Ali got it from. When I later photographed him dressed in a tuxedo for the Sports Illustrated sportsman of the year he brought two African robes with him, both of which had been given to him by Mobutu - beautiful ankle-length robes. I think the only time he wore this robe was when he came into the ring in Zaire, I don’t think he wore it at the weigh-in. Ali looks pretty serious here. I think because he was such a showman, and because of his playfulness and boasting, people forget that until he had a fight won he didn’t fool around much. Boxing’s a serious sport and any time Muhammad knew he was in for a serious fight for the most part he’d act pretty serious, too. He knew this wasn’t going to be an easy fight - he had to know that against someone who had power like Foreman. If anything [Drew] Bundini [Brown], who was always clowning around, looks even more serious than Ali. I used strobe lights for this shot which is why the quality of the lighting is so good here.” “This is one of my favourite photos in the book [pictured left ] because nobody else at the fight got a shot like this of Ali doing the rope-a-dope. You can actually see me in the photo at about nine o’clock - I’m the guy in the blue shirt leaning on the canvas. We were in Zaire for a week, so once the ring was up, with my assistant, we set up the camera that took this photo as well as one directly overhead that captured the knockdown. Of course, no one knew that anything like rope-a-dope would happen. This is always a good angle for a knockout but it just happened that instead it captured the rope-a-dope perfectly.” Mailer/Leifer/Bingham, The Fight TASCHEN £80 Visit Taschen.com for more information.

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DIGNITY IS MORE I M P O R TA N T T H A N ANYTHING. I’VE KEPT MINE AND J U S T WA N T T O FIND OUT WHEN I CAN FIGHT AGAIN.

THE U N C R OW N E D

KING

FOR MOST FIGHT-WATCHERS, JACK CATTERALL IS THE RIGHTFUL AND UNCROWNED 140LBS CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, BUT TWO JUDGES SOMEHOW THOUGHT OTHERWISE AND AWARDED JOSH TAYLOR A HOTLY DISPUTED DECISION IN FEBRUARY. NEVERTHELESS, CATTERALL’S STOCK HAS SKYROCKETED AND HE TELLS TERRY DOOLEY THAT HE REMAINS STUNG BY THE DECISION BUT ISN’T GOING AWAY ANY TIME SOON. CONTINUES PHOTOS FROM LAWRENCE LUSTIG/BOXXER

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BOXING IS A S I M P L E S P O R T,

RIGHT? oxing is a simple sport, right? You fight, you win, and you get the decision. Occasionally, you also get to fight for all the marbles. World title fights come and go, but if you get to fight for all the titles or their variants, WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO, it means something more than picking up an interim belt or two. It is the moment that every boxer worth their salt dreams about at night, to become a Champion with a capital ‘C’. You’ve won, the announcer collates the scores, and you hear the words, “And the new...”. Sadly, however, that isn’t always the case, Chorley’s Jack Catterall (26-1, 13 KOs) thought he had defeated Edinburgh’s’ light-welterweight world champion Josh Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs) in February only to enjoy a brief moment of life-changing celebration before the verdict, and boxing reality, went against him due to scores of 114-111 (from the omnishambles that is Ian John-Lewis) and 113-112 (Victor Loughlin), over-ruling 112-113 (Howard Foster) in his favour.

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You could call it the straw that broke the camel’s back if it wasn’t for the fact, and it is a fact, that Britain, under the auspices of the BBB of C, is now world-renowned as the place where bad decisions take place on a near-monthly basis. We can all wax lyrical about the Board’s impeccable safety record, but Catterall still took punches to his head and body, albeit fewer than Taylor, in what was a losing effort, so how can we can wring our hands, argue that we want to make the sport safer and rail against the impact of concussion and injury when fighters are taking punches only to be robbed of the right result?

“I’m beaten up over it inside, you can’t change what happened and you just have to move on with things,” said Catterall when speaking to Boxing Social. “It was a horrible experience. One moment I was on cloud nine after beating the champion despite being a massive underdog and doing what I always knew I could do. Then I hear ‘And still...’ — I’m absolutely devastated.”

“You know what, you get a feeling in there if you are winning the rounds,” he answered when asked if he felt he had done enough. “Josh will probably have another feeling, but I was that confident I didn’t even need to ask [trainer] Jamie [Moore] going into round 12 if I’d done It is incongruent and only serves to protect enough. It didn’t even cross my mind the interests of a closed club that refuses to ask if I was winning because I could to take accountability for its actions and see that there was a difference in their is allowed to do so for the flimsiest of corner and later saw that Ben [Davison] reasons. Fighter safety? That doesn’t apply had told Josh he needed to knock me if the unfavoured party routinely loses out to get the win.” fights that they should have won.

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I WON THE F I G H T, A N D T H E SCORING DIDN’T R E F L E C T T H AT.

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In the aftermath, Taylor took to social media to defend the verdict, but the champion, who has always had an edgy persona, seemed rattled by the criticism and went from ‘The man you love to hate’ to someone some fans now just hate — transitioning from boxing Twitter’s version of Simon Cowell to Piers Morgan. “I went to Josh after the fight to shake his hand and told Josh I thought I’d won,” said Catterall. “Then I went back home and there was a bit of back-and-forth on social media. "Josh didn’t show the respect. He lost the fight, he’s getting a lot of comments, and he’s not acting like someone who won the fight. We all do our own thing, but he’s certainly not a person I’d like to be associated with and the reason he isn’t getting any credit is because people think he lost the fight. In that situation, don’t be on Twitter so much and admit that you lost the fight then go for the rematch. “Dignity is more important than anything. I’ve kept mine and just want to find out when I can fight again after having some family time. I was waiting for the fight for 15 months. I wasn’t earning any money. It was hard work, but I kept going and took my chance when it came. It just doesn’t happen overnight.”

As for the Board, fans, some people within the trade and those willing to put their opinions out there will freely admit that they have lost all faith in them.

I lose and he talks about moving on. The fight just wasn’t for me, it was for my family, Jamie and Nigel [Travis] and my whole team — the frustration just isn’t down to me. It hurts us all.

The safety record cannot be used as a sticking plaster on a severed limb when there are so many bad decisions being made without any explanation or openness. The Board will never, ever accept that transparency is needed, which, for this writer, is a clear sign that they are not as above board as they like to make themselves out to be. The cat is out of the bag: British boxing can no longer sneer at other jurisdictions — Germany, for example "Josh is talking about moving up to — with a straight face. welterweight, but I can’t see him having Sadly, though, our fighters have no choice that same level of success up there with but to continue kicking up their fees to a those fighters, so we will see. Board of Control that many no longer have I will stay at 140. faith in. “I won the fight, and the scoring “It is just one of those things. I can’t control didn’t reflect that,” mused Catterall. it, it is what it is,” he said when asked if “I’ve lost a lot of confidence in the Board, anything can be done about the Board’s but I’m a boxer and have to continue chokehold on British boxing. “There has fighting for them. I expect them to do their been talk of legal action and my local MP job — I do my job by boxing for them — mentioned it, but I don’t believe anything but they are making mistakes left, right will come of that. It is out of my hands.” and centre.

“I SHOWED I AM MORE THAN CAPABLE OF BOXING AT WORLDLEVEL. I’D LOVE THE RE M ATCH AT 140...

“Nothing can replace winning that world title. If I’d have got my hand raised, I’m sure Josh would have called for a rematch.

PHOTOS FROM LAWRENCE LUSTIG/BOXXER

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CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER 22

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O N M AY 7 I N L A S V E G A S , D M I T R Y B I V O L B E C O M E S T H E L AT E S T O B S TA C L E T O C A N E L O A LVA R E Z ’ S S E E M I N G LY I N E X O R A B L E M A R C H T O WA R D S G R E AT N E S S . B U T T H E W B A L I G H T- H E AV Y W E I G H T C H A M P I O N A R G U A B LY R E P R E S E N T S C A N E L O ’ S B I G G E S T T E S T S I N C E H E WA S T W I C E TA K E N T O T H E W I R E B Y A LUCKLESS GENNADIY GOLOVKIN. WITH A CAREER-CHANGING OPPORTUNITY JUST A M O N T H AWAY, A N I C E - C O O L B I V O L T E L L S P H I L ROGERS HE IS MORE THAN READY TO ETCH HIS N A M E AT T H E P I N N A C L E O F T H E S P O R T.

aking on the superstar of any sport is a unique test of nerve. Such icons arrive with an aura as colossal as the billboards carrying their name, their greatness illuminated under the brightest of spotlights. It’s enough to rattle even the most experienced of competitors and, though such a daunting prospect leaves many caught like a rabbit in the headlights, boxing’s brightest and best still line up to have their name handpicked by the sport’s golden ticket, Mexico’s Canelo Alvarez. His latest opponent, however, surveys the task ahead with an air of ice cool composure.

“HE’S JUST A MAN,” DMITRY BIVOL TELLS BOXING SOCIAL. “With this fight, it takes pressure off me and it makes me more motivated and more excited because some people are saying that Canelo is such a special fighter that he’s capable of beating [Anthony] Joshua and stuff like that! So, to me, it’s just a point to prove. He’s a great fighter. I respect him. I respect him as a man and as a fighter. But he’s just a man. He makes mistakes and I can exploit that and I believe that I’m more than capable of exploiting his mistakes and winning this fight.”

The undefeated Russian has made the long trip from St. Petersburg to Santa Monica, USA, for most of his training camps over the years and preparation for this next fight is no different. Loyal stablemates in the form of Uzbekistan’s Israil Madrimov, Bek Melikuziev, and compatriot Radzhab Butaev have all rallied around, assisting with sparring and analysis. It’s left Bivol feeling at his physical and mental peak. “It’s the best shape of my career. 27 to 33 is the best shape of every boxer and I’ve got this fight at this time. I’m the same age as Canelo. It’s good for me. We have the same training method as always, nothing has changed. Because it works. It made me a world champion.” 2021 was, of course, a phenomenal year for the Russian’s opponent, with Canelo becoming only the sixth male fighter in the history of the four-belt era to unify all of the titles. Yet while most of us watched on as fans in awe of a modern great, Bivol was studying the footage for flaws, hoping that one day an opportunity would emerge to test himself against the sport’s most prized asset. “I watched him like a future opponent. I’ve watched all his fights since he fought against Floyd Mayweather. I watched him last year and thought about what I can do against him. I watched his fight against Kovalev and Kovalev was better in this fight until he was hurt. I’m going to be the taller and the rangier guy and in the ring it will show. We’re working on our gameplan.”

CONTINUES PHOTO FROM ED MULHOLLAND/MATCHROOM

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“

I WA N T T O B E FA M O U S F O R MY BOXING SO WITH THIS OPPORTUNITY IT GIVES ME A CHANCE TO SHOWCASE MY SKILLS.

“I believe the people who watch my fights, who know who I am, who study me, they appreciate, they respect, and they know about me. But the people who maybe have the wrong opinion of me, probably that’s the people who have never seen my fights. In my life, I enjoy being myself. I don’t wear a mask. I don’t trash talk. I am who I am. How I was raised. And in the ring I’m the same. I enjoy showing good boxing to people to make them enjoy my fights. So with this opportunity it’s good for me. Of course, I want to be famous for my boxing so with this opportunity it gives me a chance to showcase my skills to the world but I’ll still be myself. Nothing is going to change.”

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“

he magnitude of the task that lies ahead on May 7 is not lost on Bivol, and nor is the fact that this will be his first time entering the ring as the bookie’s underdog. He reflects upon the challenge of upsetting the odds with a wry smile but when talk turns to winning over his doubters his mood quickly changes. His humbles beginnings, the son of onion farmers in Kyrgyzstan until several poor harvests forced them to emigrate to Russia, taught him lessons that remain today. But it also adds to a feeling that he deserves respect.

Life undoubtedly will alter, however, when the huge cheque for this fight lands. Many a fighter across numerous weight classes has jostled to be where Bivol now finds himself, the thought of their bank balance transformed beyond all recognition. The Russian, however, refuses to entertain thoughts of the money. The date is his focus, Canelo his target, and the reward is simple. It’s winning. “Of course, everyone loves money. Me, too! But it’s not what I’m thinking about when I fight Canelo. I know I can beat him if I do my job well and this has motivated me. Good cheque? Of course it’s good. But it’s not the main thing. For me, it’s just another fight. I just need to make it perfect. How this fight will change my life, we’ll see after. Before I fight, I only think about the date. I don't think about the cheque after the fight or how I’ll rest after the fight. I just think about the date. Not what will be after. It helps me focus on the fight and not other things. I’m just calm, relaxed and I’m enjoying it because I have such a great opponent in front of me.”

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I’M JUST CALM, RELAXED AND I’M E N J O Y I N G I T B E C A U S E I H AV E S U C H A G R E AT O P P O N E N T I N F R O N T O F M E .

PHOTOS FROM ED MULHOLLAND/MATCHROOM

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DMITRY BIVOL

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JUST A TA S T E 26

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JESSE RODRIGUEZ HAS EMERGED AS ONE OF BOXING’S BRIGHT NEW STARS IN 2022 BUT, AS CRAIG SCOTT DISCOVERS, THE NEWLY CROWNED SUPER-FLYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION IS THIRSTY FOR MORE AFTER SAMPLING THE BIG TIME WITH A ROUSING WIN OVER THE RESPECTED CARLOS CUADRAS.

PHOTO FROM ED MULHOLLAND/MATCHROOM BOXING

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mean, I like coffee a lot,” opens boxing’s youngest current world champion, WBC super-flyweight belt holder, Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (150, 10 KOs), when pushed for a hobby that doesn’t involve swollen knuckles or blistered feet. Coffee – the world’s greatest energiser – takes the place of any anguish and ability, clenched in the young Texan’s fist during a brief break from arduous sessions in the gym or in the ring.

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Rodriguez’s performance when sublimely outclassing Mexican super-flyweight stalwart, and former world champion, Carlos Cuadras on just a few days’ notice snatched the attention of boxing’s casual and hardcore fanbases. When speaking to Boxing Social, the unbeaten 22-year-old recalled the night and the fight that etched his name irrevocably in the sport’s history. “I was offered a world title fight at 21 but that fell through, so that was heartbreaking

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I WAS OFFERED A WORLD TITLE FIGHT AT 21 BUT THAT FELL THROUGH, SO THAT WAS HEARTBREAKING AND, WHEN THIS CAME UP, I HAD TO SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY.

and, when this came up, I had to seize the opportunity. In the first two rounds, I was honestly more psyched that I was fighting [Carlos] Cuadras because I grew up watching him on HBO fighting the top 115-pounders. But as far as fighting-wise, he was a true warrior, he was strong and [it] was really taking a toll on me; I was really sore after the fight. But I was able to hold my own. I feel like it was destined, you know.”

PHOTO FROM ED MULHOLLAND/MATCHROOM BOXING

When Rodriguez utters thoughts of destiny, he knows only too well that success slips and slides through his blood. Older brother, Joshua Franco, surprised many when capturing his own WBA version of a world title, toppling Australia’s Andrew Moloney in the summer of 2020. Franco repeated that victory eventually at the third time of asking, after a rematch had initially ended prematurely as a draw when the San Antonio fighter suffered a gruesome eye injury, which seemed to be a result of legal Moloney punches. “Before I started, I had no interest in boxing, but my brother, Joshua, he was always interested, he always wanted to box, but my mom never let him. One day, she finally did so he went to the gym, and he had started to like it. He had gone for about two weeks and then one day, I just decided, ‘I want to try this, I want to see what it's like’.

Because I was just in school at the time, so I tried it and the rest is history. I was nineyears old; I had never been in a boxing gym. I had never even watched boxing, to be honest.” ‘Bam’ continued: “It was [boxing] to stay active at the time, but I started sparring and fighting, and that's when I really started to fall in love with it. Especially when I won my first tournament, I had my first two [amateur] fights and then I fought in the Junior Olympics and I won that, and that's when I really, really fell in love with it – on that day. The end goal, now? I want to be a multiple and undisputed world champ for sure, and one of the best in the world pound-for-pound. And I want to be remembered as a great. I want to be remembered as a ‘Chocolatito,’ a legend in the smaller weight classes…”

CONTINUES

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I S AY B E F O R E E V E R Y F I G H T E X P E C T A G R E AT P E R F O R M A N C E , A N D T H AT ' S W H AT I ' M G O I N G T O K E E P DOING; I'M GOING TO KEEP D R O P P I N G J AW S , C AT C H I N G EYES AND JUST DOING ME.

“

PHOTO FROM MELINA PIZANO/MATCHROOM BOXING USA

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Both men are working in conjunction with Japan’s Teiken Promotions, and their paths are unlikely to cross at any time soon. Despite that disappointment for purists, Rodriguez remains hungry for the juicier tests at 115 pounds. The superflyweight division is his springboard as a recognised world champion, but the laidback Texan has dreams that float pounds heavier: “At the end of my career, I'd The younger of the title-winning Rodriguez probably say at the most, [I’d have titles Franco siblings remarked, “I was there at] 130, no more than 130 for sure. From live, it was something special. That's my ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, just keep expecting stablemate, so, it'd be hard to fight him, amazing performances. but that would be something legendary for sure.” hen talk sparks of Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, the timeless Nicaraguan phenomenon, Rodriguez goes bashful. He was on hand to watch as Gonzalez dismantled Julio Cesar Martinez, defying his own body clock and standing up against the heavy blows he’s absorbed throughout his 17year professional career.

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"My main promotion right now is Teiken, so whatever they say, whatever they feel is best for me, then I'm not going to second guess them; they're really looking out for me, so whatever they say, I'm in the same boat as them, man.” All aboard. DAZN’s coverage of Rodriguez’s coming out party, beating Cuadras, has stirred intrigue in the young stylist. But when asked about his increased popularity, he almost shrugs, relaxed, nonplussed. For some fighters, boxing isn’t an excuse to swagger into busy rooms full of false bravado, or the ‘Get out of jail’ free card that fills them with a moral invincibility.

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“It's everything: the taste, the caffeine, it has a nice vibe to it, especially when you drink it outside on a good day, that's when it really hits. After boxing, I've been wanting to open a coffee shop for a long time now, so I'll probably invest my money for that starting [from] now.

Like I said, I love coffee a lot so after boxing I would love to run my own coffee shop. [This came from] my brother. I never used to drink it, but one time in camp he had made a coffee that he didn't like so I was like, ‘Let me try it then’. That's when I fell in love with it because that coffee was good to me, man.”

PHOTOS FROM ED MULHOLLAND/MATCHROOM BOXING

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For some fighters, it’s an art form. For guys like ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, boxing is an expression of something deeper; it’s a skill that even he can’t describe confidently. But when he fights, you’ll see it. For now, though, and after he hangs up the gloves, though, it’s all about coffee.

AT T H E E N D O F M Y C A R E E R, I ' D P R O B A B LY SAY AT T H E M O ST, [ I ’ D H AV E T I T L E S AT ] 130, N O M O R E T H A N 130 F O R S U R E . FROM JESSE ‘BAM’ RODRIGUEZ, J U ST K E E P EXPECTING AMAZING P E R F O R M A N C E S.

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GORILLA OUT OF THE MIST... PHOTO FROM MARK ROBINSON/MATCHROOM BOXING

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ohn Ryder has suffered his fair share of knockbacks in boxing, but negotiated them to become one of the fight game’s most enduring performers. Having dropped a hotly disputed decision to Callum Smith in November 2019, ‘The Gorilla’ rebounded with a close but crucial win over twotime world champion Danny Jacobs in February and is now pursuing a dream stadium fight against pound-for-pound supremo Canelo Alvarez later this year. Ryder never lost faith and tells Shaun Brown he wants another big fight in the summer before taking on the might of Canelo in December. The scorecards were read out, John Ryder had won. With the energy he had remaining, Ryder leapt twice in celebration after 12 compelling rounds with classy American operator Danny Jacobs. Smiles, jubilation, and relief. The biggest win of the British supermiddleweight’s career by far. A cause for celebration but it didn’t take long for some of the shine to come off for the fighter. The Islington southpaw’s victory was a tale of two fights wrapped up in one. Six rounds that displayed the smooth skillset of Jacobs early and a further six that showed how far Ryder had come in a career that may have broken the resolve of others. Some believed it to be a robbery. Conspiracy theorists felt Ryder was receiving the nod to make up for a night in Liverpool three years ago where many had thought he had done enough to become a world champion against Callum Smith. “Initially, I was buzzing straight after the [Jacobs] fight and then you see some of the comments on social media [and] it kind of takes the shine away from you,” said Ryder (31-5, 17 KOs) when speaking to Boxing Social. “You’re on cloud nine for a moment and then straight back down to earth with a bang and it’s harsh. For a career best win for me, the enjoyment of it didn’t last as long as it should have done. I need to go and get another career best win now to enjoy it some more!” Watching the fight back wasn’t required viewing immediately for the 33-year-old. Recovering in bed for a few days partly drained from mental exertions, and time with his family was much more important. However, a guest spot on a podcast ensured that rewatching the bout became necessary.

“I didn’t watch it back for a couple of weeks. I was due to go on to a podcast and I thought l’ll be talking about this fight and people calling this a robbery, so I better watch it and give a true account of it,” said Ryder. “It was a close fight, don’t get me wrong. I gave myself six clear rounds, I gave him four and another two were pretty level. People see fights differently, but I knew in my heart of hearts I won that fight and, if you look at his reaction at the end, he doesn’t look like a winner. He’s a hell of a fighter, had a hell of a career as well but on my record it’s a great win.” Ryder isn’t one to dwell on the past for too long. The here and now is what counts. Throughout his 12-year-career, he has become accustomed to not making the headlines, being in closely contested fights where he hasn’t always got the nod and standing under an undersized spotlight because his fists talk far more than his social media accounts. ‘The Gorilla’ has had his rest, enjoyed being a dad and partner again but the gym is his jungle. Ryder is always “ticking over”. Ensuring the tools don’t go blunt as he works away waiting on the next fight date.

W H AT ’ S N E X T ? Ryder would like to be back out in the summertime. In the distance is a possible fight against undisputed supermiddleweight champion Canelo Alvarez at the end of the year. But as he puts it: “You can’t just do 12 rounds in February, it’s not enough to see you through to a fight with a pound-for-pound king in December. If it was to happen, I’d like a good fight in the summertime, really get the wheels in motion and be fully prepared for what’s in store come December.” Eddie Hearn, who promotes Ryder and Canelo once again, believes the Mexican will fight three times this year. Dmitry Bivol in May, Gennadiy Golovkin in September and then Ilunga Makabu (at cruiserweight) in Mexico or a blast across to Blighty to face Ryder.

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Beating Jacobs, and now a real possibility of fighting the biggest name in the sport are a far cry from six years ago when Ryder lost a unanimous decision to former British middleweight title challenger Jack Arnfield. Over the years, Ryder has always kept the faith. The belief that his time will come and that somewhere along the way there would come a victory which would change everything for him. But the morning after losing to Arnfield in Manchester there was a moment where his patience had briefly run out. “I remember sitting there in Manchester after the Arnfield loss having breakfast with Kevin Mitchell and him saying, ‘Why don’t you come and do a bit of personal training with me and the boys?’ I think Darren Barker had just opened a gym. Yeah, definitely thought about it and contemplated it for a while but then you get called back into the gym for a bit of sparring, you get the urge back and you’re back on the horse again and another fight date’s pending.”

S O, H OW D O YO U B E AT C A N E LO ? “It’s a tough one,” says Ryder. “He barely puts a foot wrong. You look at his fight with [Floyd] Mayweather and it was a younger, inexperienced Canelo. He’s had good fights as well with Erislandy Lara. It was close, I don’t think there was too many cries for robbery. He done enough to win and got the verdict. I think you’ve got to mix it up with Canelo. I think you’ve got to keep your head in the fire and do what Canelo does. Be there but be evasive. Keep the head movement, the shoulders rolling, keep a good defence but stay loose, stay elusive and mix it up with him.

“ H O P E F U L LY, I ’ M TA L K I N G TO YO U I N D E C E M B E R F O R A F I G H T W I T H C A N E LO. ”

Having trained with Ricky Burns while the Scot was at Tony Sims gym, he has always shared a similar work ethic and love, almost addiction for the sport as the veteran workhorse. It’s not just about the fight night, the success and the conveyor belt of goodies that come with it. Being inside the gym environment, around similar people, and training alongside friends and familiar faces is where Ryder is comfortable and at ease. “I’ve always loved being in and around the sport and the people involved with it. I’m lucky I’ve got a very supportive partner and a great family who back me all the way and one day I’ll get to repay them all.” A world title would do just that. He wants to fight the biggest and the best from now on. Beating Jacobs has whetted his appetite for more starry opponents of the sport. And they don’t come much bigger than Canelo Alvarez. Not that all his eggs are in the Mexican’s basket, but the end game is pointing towards Ryder being in the opposite corner for the British debut of the fourweight world champion.

PHOTOS FROM MARK ROBINSON/MATCHROOM BOXING

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FIGHTERS AT WA R

W I T H T H E C O N F L I C T I N U K R A I N E D O M I N AT I N G HEADLINES, MANY OF THE EASTERN EUROPEAN N AT I O N ' S B O X I N G H E R O E S H AV E R E S P O N D E D T O T H E CALL TO ARMS AND RETURNED TO THEIR COUNTRY T O D E F E N D H O M E S O I L , L E D B Y H E AV Y W E I G H T R O YA LT Y V I TA L I A N D W L A D I M I R K L I T S C H K O . B U T I T ’ S N O T T H E F I R S T T I M E N O T E D B O X E R S H AV E F O U G H T O N T H E F R O N T L I N E A N D TA K E N C E N T R E S TA G E I N WA R T I M E ; I B H O F I N D U C T E E G R A H A M H O U S T O N R E F L E C T S O N P R E V I O U S C A L L S O F D U T Y.

’m sure we’ve all been stirred by the sight of brothers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko standing shoulder to shoulder with their countrymen while Ukraine is under attack from Russian forces. We’ve also seen images of Ukrainian fistic stars Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko in combat gear.

“The Marine Corps later calculated that Ross had fired over 350 rounds of ammunition,” according to author Douglas Century in Barney Ross. Ross was wounded by mortar shell fragments in the side, arm and leg. A bullet went through his left ankle. “The pain was so intense that he felt himself losing consciousness,” Century wrote. “Delirious, feverish, shaking — he didn’t yet realise he was suffering from the malaria that would plague him for years to come — he was convinced that if he blacked out he would never awaken.”

As the horror in Ukraine continues, one’s thoughts are with everyone in harm’s way. And one is reminded, too, of the service and sacrifice made by boxers throughout history when they answered the call. One immediately thinks of Barney Ross, the former welterweight champion who served with the 2nd Marine Division in the Pacific during the Second World War and saw action in the bitter battle of Guadalcanal.

"THE JUNGLE SUN FRIED US ALIVE." Ross wrote in his autobiography No Man Stands Alone. “The rains came fast and sudden, soaking us and then making us crawl around in deep mud. Then there were the jungle insects — malarial mosquitoes kept buzzing around, and bugs and scorpions crawled inside our clothes and down our backs.”

Reinforcements arrived and Ross was evacuated to a medical aid station. He later received the Silver Star for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity” in action against the enemy.

Ross was part of an amphibious landing that hit the cleared beachhead on November 2, 1942. He was part of a volunteer scouting patrol that came under heavy fire from Imperial Japan forces. Ross returned fire, using all of the ammunition in his Browning automatic rifle, then using the rifles of severely wounded comrades and finally heaving hand grenades at the enemy positions.

Battling Siki, the “Singular Senegalese” (real name Louis M’barick Fall), fought with a French colonial unit in the First World War before going on to win the world lightheavyweight title. Exact details of Siki’s wartime service are sketchy. “All accounts agree about two basic facts: that Fall served on nearly every front and left the service in 1919 decorated with the Croix de Guerre and Médaille Militaire,” Peter Benson wrote in the book Battling Siki.

CONTINUES PHOTO FROM ARCHIVE PL/PJF MILITARY COLLECTION/ALAMY

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enson added that Fall (spelled Phal by some sources) suffered war wounds, quoting the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper, which reported that, when asked about his war record, the boxer took off his shirt and rolled up his trouser legs to reveal “several wounds from bayonets, shrapnel and machine gun bullets”. Eugene Criqui amazingly resumed his ring career and won the world featherweight title after a German sniper’s bullet shattered his jaw while Criqui was serving with the French army in the First World War. Criqui spent two years in hospital according to the Boxing Over Broadway website while surgeons rebuilt his face using wires, plastic and pieces of sheep’s bone.

GEORGES CARPENTIER, LATER TO BECOME LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, VOLUNTEERED FOR SERVICE IN THE FRENCH FORCES IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR. He was a pilot in a squadron formed for reconnoitring purposes. “Bullets have many times whistled round and about my aeroplane; shells have often burst perilously near to it; frequently has it rocked ominously,” Carpentier wrote in his autobiography My Fighting Life, published in 1920. Carpentier was awarded the Croix de Guerre with palm for his service.

had been appointed and which he even filled for several months. But Tom’s motto was thorough. Whatever he had to do, that he always did with all his might.”

Instead of going into battle, in what proved to be the last days of the war, Tunney’s company was assigned to guard aircraft hangars and warehouses that contained supplies.

McCormick was 25 when he died. He left a A noted boxer who did not survive the widow and child. Tunney was a Lieutenant Commander in First World War was Tom McCormick, a the US Naval Reserve in the Second World Gene Tunney, ‘The Fighting Marine’, never former British welterweight champion, War while his great rival Jack Dempsey actually saw action in the First World War. who died in the Somme Offensive against served in the Coast Guard. His brigade was in France in 1918, with the German forces in July 1916. fighting only a few miles away. Another great heavyweight champion, McCormick had served in the army five Joe Louis donned uniform but never saw “Tunney’s adrenaline began to flow, much years earlier but rejoined. “Not only did he action in the Second World War. as it did on the day of a fight,” author Jack rejoin, but he also asked to be sent out [to Cavanaugh wrote in his book Tunney. “But However, Louis made a significant the Front] as soon as possible,” the weekly Tunney, after months of preparing to fight contribution to the war effort. “Louis’s publication Boxing noted. the Germans, was in for a disappointment. military record was indisputably “He might have stayed at home as a So was the rest of Company D of the 5th impressive,” the book Joe Louis: 50 Years Gymnastic Instructor, a post to which he Brigade of the 11th Marine Regiment.” an American Hero, tells us.

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“In addition to contributing the purses of two heavyweight championship bouts to service charities, he put on close to 100 exhibitions for the troops and travelled more than 70,000 miles visiting soldiers at countless bases and hospitals around the world.” And, of course, Louis uttered the famous quote:

“WE’LL WIN BECAUSE WE’RE ON GOD’S SIDE.” Upon discharge, Louis received the Legion of Merit medal for exceptional meritorious conduct. In more recent times, welterweight contender Garland “Rip” Randall lost his life in the Vietnam conflict. Boxing Illustrated featured Texas’ Randall in its November 1967 issue, with an all-caps cover blurb “RIP RANDALL WAR HERO!”

Randall was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star for gallantry while serving as a machine gunner in an infantry battalion. “I’m not going to die in Vietnam,” Randall told reporter John Hollis prior to heading back to the fighting after emergency leave — one of his sons was due to have heart surgery. “A lot of guys have gone over and come back,” Randall added. “I’m coming back and I’m going to box again.” But, just three months later, BI published an In Memoriam tribute. “Spc. 4 Rip Randall will fight no more,” the article stated. “Cut down by Viet Cong shrapnel, he died in combat, manning a machine gun for Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Division, on Oct. 17.” Randall left a wife and five children, aged one to eight. He was 26 years old.

PHOTOS FROM SCIENCE HISTORY IMAGES/RBM VINTAGE IMAGES/ALAMY

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MASSEY APPEAL 40

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JACK MASSEY FIRST ILLUSTRATED HIS CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE WHEN LOSING A CONTROVERSIAL DECISION TO THE TOUTED RICHARD RIAKPORHE IN DECEMBER 2019 BEFORE IMPRESSIVELY CLAIMING THE IBO CRUISERWEIGHT CROWN WITH A THREE-ROUND BLITZ OF BILAL LAGGOUNE LAST NOVEMBER. PHOTOS FROM FIGHTZONE & MARK ROBINSON/MATCHROOM BOXING

’m feeling fit and, with the things I’ve been working on in the gym, I’m ready to go,” reveals Jack Massey, following confirmation that the inaugural defence of his IBO cruiserweight world title is scheduled for April 30 at the University of Bolton Stadium. His opponent is yet to be confirmed, but whoever faces him from the away corner holds no concerns for the new champion. “Being a world champion has been a massive confidence boost. This fight you’ll see a different Jack Massey,” he says confidently. This is quite a revelation, as the one the boxing public last saw in November didn’t look too bad either. In front of a vocal home crowd, the man nicknamed ‘One Smack’ stopped opponent Bilal Laggoune in just three rounds on his way to collecting his IBO world title. It was the first stoppage defeat of the Belgian’s career, who in his previous outing had provided Massey’s Belfast rival Tommy McCarthy with a stiff test over 12 rounds for the European belt. The IBO crown doesn’t always get the respect that it deserves, but the 28-year-old is adamant that he couldn’t care less what the doubters might think. “I know a lot of people obviously see it as the lesser of the five titles, but at the end of the day you can still call yourself a world champion,” he says. “It’s also a great bargaining chip as well to help make some big serious fights, both domestically and further. It just positions me for all these great opportunities down the road.” One person loudly trying to position himself for a shot at Massey’s (19-1, 10 KOs) newly minted belt is Brixton’s Isaac Chamberlain. The Londoner, previously most well-known for a stupefying points reversal to Lawrence Okolie, was the recipient of a tough upbringing that has been the source of several articles by esteemed Guardian journalist Donald McRae.

“

IF YOU’VE GOT THE HEART AND GUTS TO WIN, THEN Y O U ’ L L D O I T. T H E O T H E R S T U F F D O E S N ’ T M AT T E R .

“

NOW THE IN-FORM MASSEY IS KEEN TO BUILD ON THAT SUCCESS BY ESTABLISHING HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE CRUISERWEIGHT DIVISION’S LEADING LIGHTS. IN CONVERSATION WITH GARRY WHITE.

This, coupled with regular appearances on Mick Hennessey promoted shows on Channel 5, has provided Chamberlain with the kind of attention that has so far been elusive to the selfeffacing Massey. “So, Isaac Chamberlain sold a bit of weed back in the day. What’s all that about?” questions Massey, amidst spontaneous laughter. “How’s that make anyone a better fighter having a tough story? I’m not from The Bronx, I’m from a little boring town called Chapel-en-le-Frith in the High Peak. But I’ve been in with people in the past from rough council estates, gypsy communities, and stuff, but they’re all just human at the end of the day. If you’ve got the heart and guts to win, then you’ll do it. The other stuff doesn’t matter. “But if the fight makes sense, then yeah, I’d take it. But what does he [Chamberlain] bring to the table? He’s got no belts. His opponents haven’t been up to much either. You see lots of these guys that make a name for themselves through social media or whatever, but eventually they have to step up their opposition, and they get found out.”

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one of the above is said with malice towards Chamberlain or anyone else; in fact, each sentence is shoehorned by laughter. If urban decay is the backdrop to Chamberlain's story, helping mould him and many others, then a childhood growing up in the clean air of a national park has done likewise for Massey. A happy life in a small picturesque town, may not be the stuff that sells papers. “I need a sob story,” quips Massey. But it has undoubtedly made him the amiable, well-rounded person that he is today. The UK cruiserweight division is currently in rude health, with Lawrence Okolie holding the WBO world title, and Chris BillamSmith cleaning up everything else below. Both Billam-Smith and former opponent Richard Riakporhe enjoy prominent positions across many of the alphabet sanctioning bodies. Massey himself is rated sixth with the IBF, a position helped by his securing of their European belt last summer. However, he could be forgiven for being frustrated by his lack of representation elsewhere; especially when most of the watching public felt that he deserved to get the verdict against Riakporhe when they fought for the vacant British title at York Hall in late 2019. On the night, a granite-tough Massey weathered the best shots of the hard-punching Londoner; having him clinging on and spoiling throughout the later rounds.

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But he refuses to be bitter. “The rankings are what they are. There’s no point trying to make sense of them,” he reflects. “Even the loss [to Riakporhe] doesn’t bother me that much now. “Obviously, it got me down after the fight and for a few days afterwards. But even though I’d lost it still felt like I’d won. It was my first fight on Sky Sports, it got my name out there, and I showed everyone I could do a good solid 12 rounds.

“I JUST FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES AND HOW IT HAS H E L P E D M E G O I N G F O R WA R D . I H AV E N ’ T R E A L LY T H O U G H T ABOUT IT SINCE. IT’S ALL IN T H E PA S T N O W. ” However, there is still the sense that the British title is the one that got away. The 28-year-old is one of those fighters who covets a Lonsdale Belt, and the opportunity to fight for it at the iconic York Hall is clearly something that meant a lot to him. “I’d love a fight with Chris Billam-Smith for it,” he acknowledges, but romance is now outweighed by pragmatism.

PHOTO FROM FIGHTZONE

`“Obviously, if the money was right, I’d be daft not to take it. But you're probably not looking at the same sort of purse as for a world title. Maybe it’ll come further down the line or on the way down.” That inevitable ‘way down’ is still a long way off, for a fighter who credits a promotional switch to Dennis Hobson for his recent upwards trajectory. He refuses to look past that first defence later in the month. But surely, he is salivating at the prospect of further world title opportunities? “There are some great fights out there. It makes sense to go after them,” he agrees. “A world title fight against one of those top domestic names, say, Richard Riakporhe, would be good.”

PERHAPS, HE HASN’T FULLY FORGOTTEN THOSE YORK HALL SCORECARDS AFTER ALL...

“

BUT EVEN THOUGH I’D LOST IT STILL FELT LIKE I’D WON. IT WAS MY FIRST FIGHT ON SKY SPORTS, IT GOT MY NAME OUT THERE, AND I SHOWED EVERYONE I COULD DO A GOOD SOLID 12 ROUNDS.

“

PHOTOS FROM DENNIS HOBSON PROMOTIONS & KEVIN MAREE

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SWEET MEMORIES 44

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LUKE G. WILLIAMS CATCHES UP WITH ONE OF BRITISH BOXING’S PUREST TALENTS OF THE LAST 30 YEARS, FORMER WBO FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION COLIN MCMILLAN.

PHOTO FROM PA IMAGES/ALAMY

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t’s scarcely believable that it’s just two months shy of 30 years since Colin McMillan was crowned WBO featherweight champion.

The Sunday Times, “he is one of the very few who can render sweet and scientific a sport that is so often brutal, ugly and corrupt.”

Given the rough hand he was dealt by lady luck, ‘Sweet C’ who also won the British and Commonwealth titles in a 31-4 pro career - could be forgiven for being bitter, resentful even. After all, when he was at the peak of his powers, the Barking stylist suffered a terrible shoulder injury that saw him cede his world title to Ruben Palacio.

Post-injury, though, ‘Sweet C’ was never the same again. The question of what he might have achieved had that left shoulder not popped out of its socket at Kensington Olympia, remains one of the great ‘what ifs’ of British boxing.

On that grim night in September 1992, McMillan was just 26. During a meteoric rise to world honours, he had been hailed in terms of pure boxing skills - as Britain’s answer to Sugar Ray Leonard or even Muhammad Ali. “Like them,” wrote Nick Pitt in

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Nevertheless, there is not a trace of bitterness in the now 56-year-old. Indeed, you’d be hard pressed to find a more optimistic man than McMillan, whose sunny disposition warms the heart on the bitterly cold afternoon that Boxing Social speaks to him via telephone.

“I know I had a lot more to offer had it not been for the injury,” McMillan muses. “But at the same time, I’m fortunate I got the injury after I became a world champion. If I’d had it three or fights earlier, I might not have had the chance to become world champion. I guess how it panned out is how it was meant to be.” Thirty years on, McMillan maintains a sense of purpose, as well as perspective. “Life is good,” he says. “I call it semiretirement! I’ve got a boxing academy, we go into schools and put together non-contact boxing programmes. I’ve been doing that for eight or nine years. That keeps me busy and has been going really well. “I’ve also been doing some mentoring. I’ve got two fighters I’m working with, Hamzah Sheeraz and Umar Khan. They’re coming along. I also put on events, dinners and so forth. I try to do a couple a year – one for my academy charity and another for a different good cause.”

McMillan won the British title by beating Gary De Roux in May 1991 and less than five months later had defended it twice, becoming the then fastest ever outright winner of a Lonsdale Belt (a mark later bested by Michael Ayers and Ryan Rhodes, but unlikely to be matched by many others, given the modern preponderance of meaningless sanctioning body baubles and revised three defence requirement). Winning that Lonsdale Belt for keeps is an achievement McMillan justifiably still speaks of with pride. “It is still one of the premier belts. That was a great feeling to win it outright. It also gave me a great grounding. That’s why I went the route of also fighting for the Commonwealth title. I wanted that grounding and experience.”

McMillan toughed it out to beat Percy Commey - a product of the great fighting city of Accra, Ghana - for the Commonwealth strap in January 1992. “That was a tough Awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2019 New Year’s fight,” he recalls. “When I saw him before the fight he was tall Honours list for his tireless charity work, McMillan has managed and skinny. But he had a good background, was deceptively to avoid the post-fighting career pitfalls that many former strong and gave me a hard fight. He was very awkward. boxers fall into. For this, McMillan credits the values installed in I got a cut and had a bit of a cold. He made it a very difficult him by his parents, Mike and Maria. night’s work.” “I’ve been fortunate,” he admits. “When I was growing up my Less than four months later, McMillan got his world title parents always emphasised to me the importance of education. shot. The mists of time, as well as the short memories Whenever I go into schools that’s something I always tell the of fans, have served to obscure just how tough a task kids – even if you’re sports-orientated, you must make sure you McMillan faced when he stepped into the ring on May get an education. That way if your sporting career falls by the 16, 1992 to contest the WBO featherweight title against a wayside you can do other things. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve formidable foe - Italian Maurizio Stecca, then 45-1 and an found other goals to pursue after my boxing career finished.” Olympic gold medallist. As a youngster, McMillan was a talented all-round sportsman, CONTINUES but it was boxing that captured his imagination. “I played football, athletics, table tennis, cricket, but when I was 15 I went to the local boxing gym, loved it and knew that was the sport for me." McMillan was a dazzling amateur, winning four London ABA titles, representing England and only just missing out on a place in the Olympics. After turning pro in 1988, he was desperately unlucky to be stopped in his third paid contest because of a horrific cut against Alan McKay. But he soon bounced back, taking the old-fashioned and now regrettably unfashionable route to world honours via hardearned domestic laurels.

“

FROM THE EARLY DAYS, THE GUYS THAT INSPIRED ME WERE MUHAMMAD ALI AND SUGAR RAY LEONARD – I REALLY LIKED THE WAY THEY FOUGHT. THEY MOTIVATED ME TO GET INVOLVED IN BOXING.

“

PHOTOS FROM ALAMY/REUTERS/PA IMAGES

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e was an exceptional fighter and a highly accomplished technical boxer,” McMillan recalls. “Having missed out on the Olympics myself, to fight and beat him for the world title was very special. When you’re young and start boxing it’s your dream to become a world champion and to do it by beating someone as good as that made for a really great night. “At the time, boxing and my fights were on terrestrial TV so those fights went out to a very big audience. I would have people coming up to me in the streets the whole time. "It was a great time for boxing and I was fortunate enough to be a bit of a great era.” Later that year came that fateful night against Palacio and from then on McMillan entered a period of slow but inexorable decline. His attempt to regain the WBO title against Steve Robinson in 1993 ended in a points defeat and, although he then strung together eight straight wins, Paul Ingle brought the curtain down on his career in 1997, stopping ‘Sweet C’ in eight rounds. Thankfully, McMillan knew when the game was up. “My aim was always to be the number one. Rather than stay around it was time for me to get out with my health intact and move on and try to do other things. “I stayed away from the gym for a year. If you’re still there sometimes you get the urge. It’s easy to start thinking: ‘I can still do this!’ But whenever I punched the bag I could really feel it in my shoulder, which was a permanent reminder that I couldn’t do it any more. I always said that when I retired I wanted that to be it. I didn’t want to make a comeback. I only wanted to retire once.

"If you approach it like that you’ve got a better chance of coming out of your career with your health intact. "That’s one of the most important things I try to impress upon young boxers – when all is said and done you want to be able to come out in a state where you can still articulate yourself and your heath is still intact. “When I was younger, one of the first things I did was speak to various retired champions and I was shocked by how mentally some of them had paid the price for a long, hard boxing career. You need to know when to get out. You can’t hang about too long.” McMillan doesn’t frame it as a regret, but he sportingly indulges in some speculation as to what might have happened had his pure boxing skills tangled with those of another extravagant British talent in fellow feather Prince Naseem Hamed (pictured together below). The two men’s careers overlapped, but fate dictated they would never quite intersect. “We sparred once,” McMillan recalls. “I was a lot more advanced than him then to be fair, it was when I was close to fighting for the British title and he was still an amateur. I remember thinking this guy is good, we might meet one day. I think the people who gave him difficulty were well-schooled, technical boxers. I always fancied that fight. I always thought I had the ring knowledge and IQ to do well and win. I would have loved to get that fight!”. A Hamed showdown never happened, but the memories remain of those glorious nights of McMillan at his peak nights when he weaved pugilistic poetry and we realised that it wasn’t only Rays Leonard and Robinson who were as sweet as sugar, but a slight, polite lad from Barking, too.

“ F O R M E , B O X I N G WA S A B O U T HITTING AND NOT GETTING H I T. T H E N O B L E A R T O F SELF-DEFENCE.

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PHOTO FROM PA IMAGES/ALAMY

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