Boxing Life Stories

Stanley 'Kitten' Hayward was a world class Philadelphia welterweight who beat future Hall of Famers Curtis Cokes and Emile Griffith and he also battled city rivals Bennie Briscoe, Cyclone Hart, Gypsy Joe Harris and Bennie Briscoe. He turned pro all the way back in 1959 and after a 47-fight career he had a successful career working in the Philadelphia law courts, where we first met some 15 years ag...

Gerladine Davies has been in boxing for four decades and has worked with a who's who of the sport. A fixer, a publicist, a point of contact... She's done it all, from hosting travel events in Las Vegas through the Fabulous Four era of Duran, Leonard, Hagler and Hearns to trying to salvage out of hand boxing parties in Boston, she was once thrown out of Johnny Tocco's famous gym for being a lady be...

Former WBO featherweight champion Colin McMillan could be forgiven for being sour. Just when he had the world at his feet, as the reigning champion, he lost his crown in his first defence when he suffered a dislocated shoulder. Things changed from that moment. But McMillan has retained his highly positive disposition and is one of boxing's good guys. He had a fascinating career, trying to forge hi...

Trainer Tony Sims is one of the quiet men in boxing. He's become one of the go-to coaches in British boxing, working with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Darren Barker, Kevin Mitchell, Conor Benn, Ted Cheeseman, Lee Purdy and many more. A former talented amateur, who by his own admission couldn't punch, he talks about working on the fish market, nearly turning pro, working the doors at Stringfellows...

Wayne Elcock is a former British middleweight champion who boxed Arthur Abraham for the IBF world middleweight crown in 2007. Elcock was a prominent fixture on the British boxing landscape, fighting the likes of Matthew Macklin, Howard Eastman, Lawrence Murphy, Darren McDermott, Anthony Farnell, Scott Dann and Steven Bendall. Here, he talks about the troubled days that saw him land his 'Mad Dog' n...

Former European heavyweight champion Michael Sprott has done almost everything in boxing. There isn't one leading European heavyweight he hasn't fought as a pro or sparred with, from being in training camp with both Klitschko brothers, working relentlessly with David Haye, going to Russia in camp with Alexander Povetkin to fighting the likes of Danny Williams, Matt Skelton and Audley Harrison. On...

Bristol boxing legend Chris Sanigar has seen and done it all. Here, he recalls to Tris Dixon an incredible life in boxing that saw him fight as a decorated amateur, become one of the most entertaining warriors on the scene before going on to a career as a manager, trainer and promoter that yielded a number of world, British, European and Commonwealth champions. He cut his teeth on the busy London...

Adam Booth and Tris Dixon are together to analyse the eagerly anticipated rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. Fury was imperious, and this podcast includes audio from Booth and Dixon's YouTube show, Counterpunch, which you can subscribe to here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMai9Qq3hpc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For 22 years Claude Abrams worked on the weekly boxing magazine Boxing News, serving more than 10 years as editor. He was hired by his predecessor Harry Mullan and then subsequently hired his successor, Tris Dixon. In between, he covered huge fights, was at the small halls and was exposed to things only a BN editor is exposed to; from rowing with promoters, to going to Azumah Nelson's house, to sp...

Adam Booth and Tris Dixon get together to breakdown the biggest fight of the year so far, the much anticipated heavyweight rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. Adam trains Josh Kelly and Michael Conlan among others and has previously worked with the likes of David Haye and George Groves. He's also coached Andy Lee, who is part of the Fury camp, and Wilder, who he used to bring over as sp...

Former WBA world light-welterweight champion Gavin Rees tells a cautionary tale. Even though he made it to the top of the sport, he did it while partying hard, drinking heavily and not living the life. Had he done what he now preaches as a trainer, things could have been very different. Still, during a career that saw him fight Souleymane Mbaye, Adrien Broner, Derry Mathews, Anthony Crolla and And...

Welshman Barry Jones won the WBO super-featherweight crown but had the title taken from him when a change was discovered in a brain scan. He was on the verge of big money fights, unification bouts and they all slipped through his fingers. An out of the ring battle ensued and he boxed twice more, including a loss to Brazilian great Acelino Freitas, before he walked away for good, with 18 wins a los...

Middleweight contender Chris Eubank Jr welcomes host Tris Dixon into his Brighton home for a deep conversation about the man behind the stoic expression. Eubank Jr, rated the No. 1 contender for Canelo Alvarez's WBA title, talks about getting into trouble as a youngster, making headlines in his youth and his hard boxing education in Las Vegas, where he lived and completed what was left of his chil...

Duke McKenzie won world titles at three different weights. He's gone on to have a successful post-fight career as a boxing pundit, too. But life has been far from easy for Duke. A self-confessed bad amateur boxer, he – along with his brothers – suffered violent abuse at the hands of his father, he was not a naturally gifted fighter or athlete for that matter and he had to plead with Hall of Fame p...

Tris Dixon sits down with Manchester's Joe Gallagher to discuss the trainer's forty years in the sport. Joe reflects on his time as an amateur boxer, a trainer, a manager and as a promoter, but it's as a coach where he's enjoyed the most success. Working with the likes of Matthew Macklin, Anthony Crolla, the Smith brothers, Scott Quigg, Callum Johnson and many others, he's built an impressive stab...

There is more than one Dicky Eklund. There was the promising pro who was matched early against a developing Sugar Ray Leonard and then the strung out junkie portrayed by Christian Bale in an Oscar-winning performance in the film The Fighter. Dicky has had a hard life; in and out of prison, on and off drugs, in and out of boxing. The half brother and trainer of 'Irish' Micky Ward, he now looks back...

Coach Adam Booth goes in depth with Tris Dixon on health, happiness and success. They talk about ambition and contentment and there's also some boxing thrown in, as the two discuss Adam's current stable, including Joe Joyce, Michael Conlan and Josh Kelly. There's also a broader discussion on the use of PEDs in boxing, when to stop a fight and much more besides. Adam was the first guest on the Boxi...

Host Tris Dixon reflects on some of the inspirational stories he's listened to this year, from Joe Calzaghe mourning the loss of his father Enzo, to Dave Coldwell talking about being bullied, Jamie Moore on being shot and much more. Micky Ward reflects on his friendship and rivalry with Arturo Gatti, Johnny Nelson remembers his idol, Brendan Ingle, Ian Darke recalls a riot at Madison Square Garden...

Former heavyweight contender Peter McNeeley is best known for being in the opposite corner when Mike Tyson returned to the ring after his 1992 prison sentence. McNeeley, son of respected former heavyweight Tom, lasted 89 seconds, but he went out on his shield. Here, Tris Dixon catches up with the man who also fought Henry Akinwande, Butterbean and Brian Neilsen in a colourful career that saw him w...

Tris Dixon goes one-on-one with former light-heavyweight contender and now trainer John 'Iceman' Scully in a revealing interview with someone who lives and breathes boxing. Scully now has a role training 175lbs king Artur Beterbiev and he's worked with Chad Dawson and Matt Remillard, among others. He still also actively spars, aged 52, having retired with 38 wins against 11 losses. Scully fought t...

International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter J Russell Peltz has been at the sharp end of boxing for 50 years. As Philadelphia's foremost boxing promoter in recent years, he's worked with Boogaloo Watts, jimmy Young, Matthew Saad Muhammad, Jeff Chandler, Cyclone Hart, Willie Monroe and his favourite, 'Bad' Bennie Briscoe. Rich with incredible stories, Peltz has experienced it all and here discusses...

Gary Balletto was a Rhode Island sweetheart who shot to fame in season two of the popular US television series The Contender. Gary was a good looking guy, an exciting fighter and some tipped him to win the series, which included future world champion Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage and eventual winner Grady Brewer. It didn't work out that way and Gary was eliminated in the second round, only fighting once...

Tony DeMarco won the world welterweight title back in 1955 when he stopped Johnny Saxton. The Boston idol, who headlined more at the Boston Garden than anyone else, fought several world champions, including two violent tussles with Carmen Basillio, Kid Gavilan, Chico Vejar, Denny Moyer, Virgil Akins and Don Jordan. Now, aged 87 depending on the records you go by, DeMarco was inducted into the Inte...

'Irish' Micky Ward has become a boxing cult hero due to the wars he took part in during a ferocious career. Most celebrated for his part in one of boxing's great trilogies, with the late Arturo Gatti, Ward also became known to the wider public when the film of his life, The Fighter, starring Mark Wahlberg as Ward and Christian Bale as his brother, Dicky Eklund, had Oscar-winning success. Ward and...

Teddy Atlas was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2019. He is one of the foremost fight commentators of this generation and one of the boxing's great trainers. He welcomed Boxing Life Stories host Tris Dixon into his Staten Island home to go through his story and his time in the sport. Starting with an intimate look at his childhood and the moments that carved his character, A...