THE GIFTED ONE - THE KIRKLAND LAING STORY
Contributed by Paul Zanon“Laing’s flashy hands down style can get him into trouble. It can also get him out of trouble, but it’s been good enough to see him through 20 years of boxing.”Harry Carpen...
RUBY ROBERT - THE BOB FITZSIMMONS STORY
Contributed by Paul ZanonBald, knobbly kneed, pale and often called ‘chicken legs’ due to the lack of muscle in his lower body, Bob Fitzsimmons hit like a mule’s kick and intimidated the most fears...
THE WELSH WIZARD - HOWARD WINSTONE
Merthyr Tydfil, the small town approximately 23 miles north of the Welsh capital Cardiff is famous for historically punching well above its weight. The town’s DNA, characterised by its industrial h...
NO GUTS, NO GLORY - THE REPTON BOXING CLUB
Contributed by Paul Zanon PART 1Paul Zanon speaks to Darren Barker, former IBF middleweight champion and Repton boy.“There’s not many people you could talk to, when it comes to Repton who would hav...
JOE BUGNER - A LIFE OF FISTIC TRAVELSContributed by Paul Zanon “I remember leaving our village Szőreg when I was six. The Russians moved in and my mum, Margaret, moved us out. She was a single pare...
JOHN HENRY LEWIS - SENSATIONALLY HUMBLE
Contributed by Paul Zanon “My uncle is actually the first black Light-Heavyweight Champion in America, period: John Henry Lewis—the first ever lineal Heavyweight Champion, not just a belt-holder,...
THE PADDINGTON EXPRESS - TERRY DOWNES
Contributed by Paul ZanonOn 9 May 1936, Luis Firpo fought Saverio Grizzo and Jimmy Wilde fought Domingo Sciaraffia. In other boxing news, a certain Terence Richard Downes was born in Paddington, Lo...
BUNNY JOHNSON - THE LONG, SLOW PATH TO BOXING HISTORY
Contributed by Sportswriter Paul ZanonIt’s been 45 years since Britain crowned its first ever black heavyweight champion in Bunny Johnson. However, the 73 year old Jamaican born British resident ha...
‘Why Waltz with a guy for 10 rounds if you can knock him out in one?’Contributed by sportswriter Paul ZanonCharacteristics you tend to attribute to heavyweight boxing include, height and body mass....
Contributed by sportswriter Paul Zanon Debates about how one fighter would have fared against another from a bygone era are fairly common. Within the heavyweight category, you’ll often hear, ‘He wo...
Interview by Paul Zanon for BVB“His immediate aim is to win the fight on 11 April, but Dan’s focus is second to none, he’s just got one mission. To become heavyweight champion of the world. That’s ...
Wilder vs. Fury prediction: Competition winning blog by Gavin Worley
The time for talking is almost over, although I am sure the verbal jousting will continue well into this eagerly-anticipated heavyweight showdown. The second instalment of Deontay Wilder’s WBC titl...
Contributed by sportswriter Paul ZanonEight decades before Carl Froch was boasting about his knockout of George Groves with 80,000 fans in attendance, Len Harvey had already fought in front of 90,0...