Swindon to Sweden with Lawrence Bennett

Shaun Brown
18/08/2015 11:50am

“I thought he said Swindon, but it wasn’t Swindon it was Sweden!” It was only his second professional fight but cruiserweight Lawrence Bennett was about to go on the road. That road would involve a trip to Stansted, a flight, another drive, a sleep and then a fight against Stefan Schallengruber in the city of Linkoping, located in southern Sweden. “I didn’t have a job at the time,” Bennett (7-1, 1 KO) told Boxing Monthly. “My manager said to me: ‘We’ve got a fight’ and I’m thinking how am I going to get to Sweden in time for tomorrow. I sat there for five minutes, and I said we’re doing it. I didn’t know the opponent but he’s got two arms, he’s got two legs, he’ll think I’m coming to fall over but I’m coming to fight. I want to win.”

TKO Radio: 'Title Shot - The Godfrey Nyakana story'

TKO Radio
17/08/2015 10:12am

Twenty years ago, documentary film footage about light-middleweight Godfrey Nyakana was put to one side, but the team who made the film have since revived the project and turned to online funding site Kickstarter to raise the required finance to finally release 'Title Shot'. Director and producer Gaylen Ross was kind enough to join us. The Kickstarter funding opportunity ends on Monday 7 September, so click on the link here -- https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/391667550/titleshot -- to watch the 'Title Shot' Kickstarter video about the project, learn more and, if you like what you see, back the film…..interview below.

Glyn Leach Tribute

Boxing Monthly
16/08/2015 12:14pm

On the one-year anniversary of his sad and untimely passing, Boxing Monthly pays tribute to the magazine’s greatly missed Editor Glyn Leach.

Gale force

Paul Zanon
15/08/2015 12:40pm

IBF super-middleweight champion James DeGale claims boxing is his saviour. “If I didn’t have boxing, I don’t know where I would be,” DeGale told Boxing Monthly. “Some of the teachers at school said I would never come to anything with my life. One of them even thought I might end up in prison. I proved them all wrong. When my granddad and dad sent me down to my local boxing gym [Trojan] when I was 10 years old, I instantly became attached to the sounds and the smells. I remember sparring for the first time and got my head punched in. Instead of running away, the day after, I was in that ring and giving it back to that kid. Within two months, none of the kids I originally sparred wanted to get in the ring with me anymore.”

TKO Radio: Remembering Robinson-Gatti I

TKO Radio
14/08/2015 11:10am

Every so often a fight leaves you stunned and amazed. In August 1998, Ivan Robinson and Arturo Gatti fought for the first time in a boxing barnburner that was subsequently named the 'Fight of the Year'. Gatti was already a firm favourite with TV networks and fans, due to his all-action style, whereas Robinson was considered more of a boxer but keen to stand his ground and take his chance in the spotlight. Ivan was kind enough to join TKO Radio and relive that memorable night!

Macklin on Lee-Saunders, 168lbs offers and Murray

Shaun Brown
13/08/2015 10:49am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjA8KgaICj0

Middleweight contender Matthew Macklin returns to action on 28 August when MGM Promotions brings boxing to the Andalucian Plaza in Marbella. It should be a night that keeps Macklin busy, moves him to win number 33 and on to a 17 October appearance on Matchroom’s latest card in Birmingham. A few hours later, the Birmingham fight faithful and many an eager boxing fan will sit down to watch Gennady Golovkin and David Lemieux go to war at Madison Square Garden in a WBA/IBF middleweight unification clash. “Every time there's a fight the landscape changes,” Macklin told Boxing Monthly. “Lemieux is champion, Billy Joe [Saunders] could be champion [in his rearranged clash with WBO champion Andy Lee on 10 October in Manchester]… the landscape changes every few months.”

Vargas victorious, eyes rival Lo Greco

Shawn Smith
12/08/2015 4:35pm

Lee Baxter’s first show as a promoter in the Toronto area took place on Tuesday night and, although the fights may not have been as competitive as everyone had expected, Baxter suggested it’s just the start. In the main event, Samuel Vargas blasted Mexican opponent Ulises Jimenez in only two rounds. Vargas, 22-2-1 (12 KOs), used body shots and head movement to capitalise on Jimenez’s lack of footwork, pummeling him against the ropes. He dropped Jimenez three times before the referee finally stopped the bout. “You have to let these guys know that it’s your house,” said Vargas after the fight. “If you don’t, they’re going to get an edge or think they have a chance. Once you break that chance, they will be too scared. I had to let him know I was the big dog.”

TKO Radio: Richmond Unchained

TKO Radio
12/08/2015 1:34pm

Author Luke Williams spent over 10 years working on his new book 'Richmond Unchained: The Biography of the World's First Black Sporting Superstar'. Luke joins TKO Radio to discuss the incredible story of Bill Richmond, who traded slavery in the United States for boxing stardom in England. Richmond had an innovative fighting style; became a trainer, publican and was a true sporting star of his time.

Butcher waits for fortune

Shaun Brown
12/08/2015 11:37am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tWjk5we0qs

Lady luck hasn’t smiled on Iain Butcher. The Scottish flyweight (12-2, 4 KOs) has had a tough time over the last couple of years with inactivity and opponent pull-outs which have stalled a career that looked full of promise after he battled Liverpool's Kevin Satchell to the brink at the city's Echo Arena in July 2013.

Lawrence Bennett: From the track to the ring

Shaun Brown
11/08/2015 10:07am

On 17 October inside the sweaty confines of the historic York Hall, the jovial and likeable Lawrence Bennett will challenge Matty Askin for his English cruiserweight title. For Bennett (7-1, 1 KO), it will be another ‘pinch me’ moment after winning the Southern Area title last year with a 99-94 points decision win over Jack Morris. It was a dream come true for the 32-year-old Bennett after a remarkable transition that began with hopes and dreams on the athletics track to those of a much smaller running area inside the squared circle.

From Colombia to Canada, Samuel Vargas fights for a better life

Shawn Smith
10/08/2015 10:18am

One by one, the opponents fell as Samuel Vargas climbed the professional ranks. Each fight showed a little more. He was a little lighter on his feet, a little more snap in the jab, a little more head movement. A blip in 2013 only seemed to motivate the young fighter more as he rallied to knock off five straight opponents and reclaim his spot as Canada’s top super welterweight. Then the Errol Spence fight on PBC happened. “I took a fight that was good for me and my team money wise,” said Vargas. “It is what it is, you win some and lose some. I put myself in a better place in life so that I could keep boxing.”