The under-appreciated genius of Guillermo Rigondeaux

Mark Butcher
23/04/2015 1:00am

Genius is not always appreciated in its own time. Unnatural brilliance is too often misunderstood. The mercurial talents of Guillermo Rigondeaux have proven especially divisive. Mark Butcher caught up with the Cuban master during the latest stop in his world title roadshow in Macao for this feature in our September 2014 edition.

The art of stopping a fight

Mark Butcher
18/04/2015 8:40am

In a sport synonymous with brutality, some of boxing’s most memorable moments are paradoxically associated with compassion. Trainer Eddie Futch gently pushing down a near-blinded Joe Frazier as he rose to face Muhammad Ali in the 15th round under the 120 degree lights in Manila was boxing at its most stirring. But it usually rests upon an impartial observer, the referee, to decide the precise moment a fighter has had enough. 

The reinvention of Kevin Mitchell

Mark Butcher
17/04/2015 10:00pm

Popular Londoner Kevin Mitchell had to lose his way before he found himself as a fighter. In our February 2015 edition, Mark Butcher spoke to the WBC's No.1 contender at 135lbs as he inched ever closer to his world title destiny.

Storm Warning: The return of Tim Bradley

Mark Butcher
17/04/2015 9:00am

In our December 2014 issue, we talked to a philosophical Tim Bradley as the four-time world champion returned from his first pro defeat against Manny Pacquiao with more titles on his mind. The articulate Californian reflected on his incredible journey from dishwasher to pound-for-pound rated fighter with trademark honesty.

David Lemieux - Handsome Devil

Mark Butcher
16/04/2015 7:00am

There are few more scintillating sights in boxing than middleweight David Lemieux tearing out of his corner with his mind set on destruction. In Boxing Monthly's August 2014 issue, the Montreal menace promised Mark Butcher that he would be 'the face terrifying many fighters'.

The second coming of Jermain Taylor

Mark Butcher
15/04/2015 9:00am

Before the escalation of his much-publicised troubles, Mark Butcher spoke to then-IBF middleweight champion Jermain Taylor about his incredible battle back from brain injury and the brink. The following feature appeared in our January 2014 issue.

A taste of Kid Chocolate

Mark Butcher
14/04/2015 11:00pm

Peter Quillin has dodged bullets so many times he probably shouldn’t be here. His life experiences would have laid waste to most ordinary people. But Peter Quillin isn’t the average person. Mark Butcher talked to the compelling Cuban-American in our September 2014 issue.

The Hexecutioner

Mark Butcher
14/04/2015 5:00pm

It is fitting that the ‘Rainbow Nation’ of South Africa is home to one of boxing’s most colourful world champions. With his punk hairstyle changing on a fight-by-fight basis, WBA 105lbs champion Hekkie Budler is one of the stars  of the lighter weights. Mark Butcher caught up with the diminutive South African in our June 2014 issue.

Vintage BM: Sykes and the Waiting Game


The Central Gym in Batley, West Yorkshire, is stifling. Cracks along windowpanes proclaiming “DICKY’S GYM” in flaking white paint offer scant ventilation. Trainer Julian McGowan’s star pupil, Gary Sykes, looks weary, sore and has a bloodshot right eye. Preparations are underway for a pre-Xmas payday, possibly on the undercard of the Stuart Hall-Vusi Malinga fight for the vacant IBF bantamweight title in Leeds on 21 December.

Long road to glory – The Amnat Ruenroeng story


Many of the best stories are about redemption. The fulfillment of a distant dream when chances are few and all hope seems lost. Not many lives have undergone the radical transformation of Thailand’s current IBF flyweight champion and former convict Amnat Ruenroeng. His story seemed destined for sadness until boxing took him down an unlikely path to salvation and ultimately glory.