Boxing Life Stories

Galal Yafai, the WBC interim champion at flyweight, gives an honest and forthright interview, talking about his title, his progress since winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics, and possible future fights with the likes of Bam Rodriguez and Kenshiro Teraji. Yafai also tells Tris Dixon about his hopes and dreams while he worked in a Land Rover factory, rolling the dice for two Olympic cycles, his fight...

Keith Thurman talks to Tris Dixon about getting back in the ring and blitzing Brock Jarvis, his prolonged spells on inactivity, wanting to get into the mix at 154lbs and his career highs and lows. Thurman also discusses his start in boxing, from being trained by a school janitor in Florida all the way to winning world titles and headlining in Las Vegas. Follow me on Instagram, X and TikTok. This c...

Boxing historian John DiSanto has run the PhillyBoxingHistory website for more than 20 years and he has made it a mission to preserve as much of Philadelphia's boxing history as possible. Among his many projects is raising funds for gravestones for deceased fighters buried in unmarked graves and, among others, he has done that for Tyrone Everrett and Matthew Saad Muhammad. He is presently raising...

Ohara Davies talks to Tris Dixon about his return to the ring in Ghana and the lowest of the lows he felt last year. Davies talks about playing a character in boxing, the fake friends within the sport, his incredible respect and admiration for Anthony Joshua, and the aspirations he still has in boxing. Ohara Davies for BoxingScene – https://www.boxingscene.com/articles/returning-ohara-davies-hopin...

Spencer Fearon shares his memories of James Cook MBE, who passed away last week. Fearon talks to Tris Dixon about their times together, prompting both laughter and sadness, reflects on his own career but it's the wonderful James Cook that features most in their conversation. https://www.boxingscene.com/articles/the-lucky-ones-got-to-know-james-cook James Cook MBE INTERVIEW – https://feeds.megaphon...

One of the most colorful of all boxing champions, Vinny Paz talks to Tris Dixon about his incredible life in boxing. He discusses the movie of his life, Bleed For This, with Miles Teller in the lead role, his famous feuds and big fights, going into detail to talk about his contests with Roberto Duran, Roy Jones, the late Greg Haugen, Dana Rosenblatt, and countless others. (This episode was recorde...

Barnsley super middleweight star Callum Simpson talks to Tris Dixon about the remarkable popularity that has seen him twice box at his hometown football stadium, his big rivals at 168, the likelihood of him moving up in weight and his sweet tooth. Simpson also discusses his journey from fighting on the small halls, building his fanbase and how it has grown since working with Sky Sports and Boxxer....

Josh Kelly talks to Tris Dixon about life in and out of the ring, and how he has changed his mindset from someone who had suffered with anxiety to someone who desperately wants to fight the best at 154lbs. Kelly talks about the best fighters in his division, his relationship with trainer Adam Booth, his relationship with golf, and how he has matured in recent years. Please give this podcast a rati...

Tris Dixon speaks to Lucas Roehrig, the undefeated cruiserweight prospect and recent Wasserman signing who is managed and trained by George Groves. Roehrig discusses his early development, learning the ropes in and out of the ring, sparring top 200-pounders like Chris Billam-Smith and Jai Opetaia, his hopes for the future, and whether he will ever fall out with his mentor, Groves, the way Rocky di...

Kyrone Davis is a dangerous middleweight contender who is not high on the list for any of the champions to face. Having defeated unbeaten prospect Elijah Garcia last year, he takes on an unbeaten Cuban – Yoenlis Hernandez – this weekend. It is another tough fight, for a man who has done much of his work in Philadelphia. Davis, who has also fought the likes of David Benavidez, moving up in weight a...

Paddy Donovan suffered the first defeat of his career when he was disqualified in Belfast against Lewis Crocker in March. Donovan was heartbroken and distraught at the time. His team immediately filed for a rematch and the IBF granted it, meaning he will likely face Crocker again – probably back in Belfast in September – with the winner due to challenge Jaron Ennis. Donovan also talks to Tris Dixo...

Caleb Plant boxes Jose Armando Resendiz this weekend in Las Vegas, with Jermall Charlo in a separate bout in the hope that they meet later this year. Plant is one of the most interesting characters in boxing today, principled, tough, he does not know how to take a backward step. The former super-middleweight champion talks to Tris Dixon about the rough upbringing that has made him, the losses he h...

Light-heavyweight contender Matt Floyd is desperate for a big fight. The 15-1 (10 KOs) Australian has even chased down bouts with the likes of Tommy Fury and other influencers, having found his options restricted in Australia. That is, in part, because he has served prison time. As a child who was abused by pedophiles, Floyd made it his mission to hunt pedophiles and torture them. It resulted in h...

Former light heavyweight contender Mark Prince talks about his battles inside and out of the ring. As one of Britain's top fighters in the 1990s, he was involved in several wars on Sky Sports before getting his big chance in Germany against Dariusz Michalczewski. He then had an unlikely comeback, that was inspired by the tragic murder of his son, Kiyan, a budding footballer with Queens Park Ranger...

Former light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion Michael Moorer talks to Tris Dixon about his huge nights in the ring, against the likes of Evander Holyfield and George Foreman, but is also open about his struggles away from the ring. He talks about how tough life can be for a fighter away when he is not fighting, whether he is an active boxer suffering from the sport's politics or life after the...

Boxing historian George Zeleny has spent a lifetime in the sport. George has been on hand to see many of the greats travel to the UK, including Ali, Tyson and Liston, and he has seen the great and the good of British boxing in more than 50 years. Many leading British fight figures have confided in him over the years but, at heart, he remains a fan and his passion for the sport and the is clear all...

Australian star Jason Moloney is a former world bantamweight champion who has become a darling in Japan and is one of the most-liked guys in the sport. You can see why, as he reflects on his decorated amateur and professional careers, his incredible relationship with his twin Andrew, making it big from Australia and the huge nights he's boxed on, from taking on Naoya Inoue in Las Vegas, to boxing...

This week, Boxing Life Stories hosts Kurt Emhoff, the first fight attorney that we've had on the show and Kurt is also a boxing manager. Kurt has been involved in the sport for more than two decades, and talks about some of his clients, some of his biggest cases, and some of the most significant talking points in the sport today, including lawsuits, the need for central governance in boxing and mu...

In a hugely emotional podcast, light-heavyweight contender Jesse Hart talks about growing up in Philadelphia, as the son of local heavy-hitting legend Eugene "Cyclone" Hart, his road to becoming a top-ranked fighter, the current light-heavyweight landscape and his role in it – including the likes of Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol, David Benavidez – and others, and his hopes for the future. But the...

WE ARE BACK!!! This week, I'm delighted to have the colourful and controversial Victor Conte on the podcast. Conte works with many of the leading fighters in the world, including Terence Crawford, Bam Rodriguez, Devin Haney, Joshua Buatsi and he's recently linked up with Chris Eubank Jnr. Conte is very much an anti-doping advocate today, but he shot to infamy as the mastermind of the BALCO scandal...

The Welsh Dragon, Joe Calzaghe, one of the great fighters of the modern era and one of the finest ever fighters from Britain, reflects on his incredible Hall of Fame career, and Calzaghe brings the curtain down on Boxing Life Stories. For now. Joe talks about his dad's tea – with lumpy milk – that raised the eyebrows of the travelling HBO crew, why Joe 'The Cat' Calzaghe never happened, how nervou...

Irish amateur standout Eric Donovan was close to boxing at the London Olympics in 2012 but instead was headed to rehab. Now, following a long journey into recovery, Donovan is a retired professional with an incredible story to tell. Donovan is a father, counsellor, trainer and husband, and he is the voice of wisdom and an engaging talker, whose incredible story – which, in professional boxing term...

Former European champion and world title contender Jim McDonnell talks about the big fights, against the likes of Azumah Nelson, Barry McGuigan and Brian Mitchell, the devastating knockout loss to Kenny Vice, being part of the famous Royal Oak stable and becoming a top trainer, working with the likes of James DeGale and Danny Williams. Jimmy Mac, as he known in boxing, was a ferocious trainer, and...

'Sweet D' Derek Williams reflects on an incredible career that saw him win Commonwealth and European titles, while fighting the likes of Lennox Lewis, Bert Cooper, Jose Ribalta, David Bey, Hughroy Currie and Jimmy Thunder. Williams also travelled the US, taking dangerous fights and sparring some of the biggest names, including Gerry Cooney and Mike Tyson.  Now a columnist for Boxing News, Williams...

The former heavyweight champion boxed a who's who of stars, from Mike Tyson to Vitali Klitschko and John Ruiz to Zejko Mavrovic, London's Francis was either linked to fighting them (George Foreman in Vegas, Herbie Hide and David Tua), sparred them or he boxed them. His colourful life saw him grow up in foster care before serving several spells in prison and living life on the wrong side of the tra...