Boxing in football's shadow by Kerry Duffy Nov 6th 2005

The dominance of football on the back pages of our national newspapers continues unabated, regardless of the lacklustre performances, the shameful antics of its players or the continuing and subsequently boring dominance of the top clubs. Barely a week goes by without the words “overrated”, “pampered”, “disgraceful” and “roasting” being heavily featured in the football supplements of most newspapers, yet the men who really earn their money the hard way fail to be adequately recognised. Of course, I am pleased our footballers have somehow managed to find their way to next year's World Cup finals in Germany and I hope they can match the nation's expectations. I do, however, feel somewhat let down, when upon opening the sports pages for a preview of a fight, a result, or just some evidence that boxing exists as a mainstream sport, there is nothing of note. In the recent months since Ricky Hatton's headline grabbing victory over Kostya Tszyu, there have been a handful of British fighters deserved of their own headlines. To name but a few, Clinton Woods, who I recall got barely a national column inch, Joe Calzaghe, Carl Froch, Robin Reid. . . Whatever the outcome of their battles, it was a battle no less and they should be due a mention. The boxing related headlines that do tend to generate most publicity are usually reserved for the stories that generate disgust. Death, drugs, rape and the infamous become the topics of a wasted column. These sad tales are generally deemed more newsworthy for the bloodthirsty public and can only add to the sometimes ill-informed reputation that precedes the sport. What do the public want from a boxer before they will pay attention? The stereotypical bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks who redeems himself in pursuit of victory? The clown with a heart of gold? Or maybe the young hope who crosses the boundaries to unite a nation? These may be familiar circumstances but the truth is that not all fighters follow a script that the public writes. It was a nice change of pace when our rugby boys and the cricketers managed to wrestle the limelight away from David Beckham et al but I do feel our boxers are long overdue a turn to shine. Maybe boxing is just too real to appeal to the masses - or is that a grand underestimation of this sports loving nation? I think the journalists are failing to realise where the public interest lie. Whatever the reason for the media's lack of interest, I want to see less perma-tanned pretty boys and more semi-naked bruisers when I open my newspaper over breakfast! (Editor comments: “Hear! Hear! Another particularly timely and apposite article from Ms. Duffy. You can guarantee one thing – if, God forbid, a pug died in a ring tucked away in some British backwater, that would get plenty of national column inches. As much as I love football, the game's wages and subsequent celebrity-doused newspaper pages are signs of moral corruption. Although the boxing business has become almost legendary in its capacity for double and treble-crossing, the sport itself is the purest on earth. The men that achieve success in the hardest sport of all deserve their plaudits. Well done for raising the issue, Kerry.”)

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Good Piece Nov 6th 2005, 16:28:13 by dcoyne Well done Kerry, an excellent article nice to see a female perspective on the subject. I think the financial implications are about to change in the new year, the Professional Boxers Union headed by Barry McGuigan and Mickey Cantwell are about to deliever some good news on this subject which will definately be to the advantage of Boxers up and down the UK.