Boxing Life Stories

For more than 30 years, Kevin Mitchell covered boxing for The Guardian and The Observer. The award-winning author and journalist was ringside at the biggest fights and interviewed the biggest names and was unafraid of crossing swords with some of the most famous and litigious figures in the sport. Kevin also helped a young and naïve Tris Dixon take his first few steps in the world of boxing journa...

International Boxing Hall of Famer Al Bernstein has been involved with boxing for half a century. For many, he's the voice of the sport having covered some of the most iconic fights of all time. He's also appeared in multiple boxing movies, has his own podcast – Al Bernstein Unplugged – has written for major boxing publications and he's written a book 30 Years, 30 Undeniable Truths About Boxing, S...

Jackie Kallen has been involved with boxing for almost 50 years. She cut her teeth as an entertainment journalist interviewing the likes of Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones and the Beatles and then found herself in the basement of a Detroit Rec Center covering boxing. She became a publicist for the famous Kronk Gym, working closely with Tommy Hearns through his glory years and beyond, and wound u...

Enigmatic promoter Murad Muhammad has worked with the likes of Muhammad Ali, prisoner James Scott, Matthew Saad Muhammad, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Roy Jones and Manny Pacquiao. As well as being around some of the biggest names in the sport, he's had personal friendships with some of the major players in TV, including Disney CEO Bob Iger, and he recounts some of the relationships and deals he's been...

Barry Hunter has become one of the go-to trainers in the USA. After his noteworthy work with the Peterson brothers, who he trained from their childhoods until their career twilights, he's worked with a who's who of top-tier talent including Adrien Broner, Tony Thompson, Raushee Warren and Isaac Dogboe. As part of the US amateur set-up, he's also worked with Shakur Stevenson, Ricardo Williams, Erro...

Matt Christie succeeded Boxing Life Stories host Tris Dixon as the editor of Boxing News. Here, Matt talks about his early exposure to boxing, how he was destined for the top job and how he finds life in the editor’s chair on the world’s oldest boxing publication. He also discusses the future-proofing of the brand, big nights ringside in the US and he talks about how BN adapted in the pandemic and...

Harlem Eubank is an unbeaten professional from Brighton, and nephew to the legendary Chris Eubank Sr and cousin of Chris Eubank Jr. He’s also the son of former pro Simon Eubank. Here, he talks about fighting in the family, training under Adam Booth, his rise on the small hall circuit, his famous surname and how he’s different from his more famous relatives and his hopes for the future. Harlem talk...

Bournemouth's British, Commonwealth and European cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith has big ideas and big ambitions. Trained by Shane McGuigan after a decent if not glittering amateur career, Billam-Smith has risen quickly in the pros. He's become a Matchroom staple, twice boxing at Fight Camps, and he's already met men like Tommy McCarthy and Richard Riakporhe and he's sparred Mairis Bried...

Bob Hatrak has one of the most-extraordinary stories in the history of boxing. Hatrak was the warden of Rahway Prison in New Jersey in the 1970s when light-heavyweight contender James Scott rose to prominence in the rankings from behind the prison walls. Scott, who had a long history of legal woes before going down for life, started Hatrak's Boxing Authority programme and managed to miraculously c...

Executive director of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Ed Brophy was a lifelong boxing fan who has created a utopia for boxers and fans alike. He's done it all in the sleepy upstate town of Canastota in New York and after opening with just a small museum in 1989, he's built it in to one of the sport's bucket list destinations. Here, he talks about his journey building the Hall, its expansion...

A British boxing jack of all trades, Carl Greaves was a good fighter who boxed the likes of Alex Arthur and Michael Gomez in a decent career. But he's arguably better known now as trainer to David Avanesyan and as one of the country's most popular managers, promoters and matchmaker, who is now working behind the scenes for Sky and Boxxer. Greaves takes us through his colourful journey in the sport...

Dewsbury's Gary Sykes is a former British super-featherweight champion who faced all of his domestic rivals and just missed out on a huge fight in the US with Adrien Broner. A former GB teammate and sparring partner of Amir Khan, Sykes twice entered Prizefighter and was famously upset in a round by Gary Buckland, when Sykes was the British champ. An underrated but popular warrior, Sykes has strugg...

Hull's Tommy Coyle is one of Britain's best-loved fighters of the last 20 years. The all-action warrior came through an eight knockdown thriller with Daniel Brizuela to win the Fight of the Year in 2014 but he also fought the likes of Derry Mathews, Gary Sykes, John Simpson, Michael Katsidis and Hull rival Luke Campbell. Also know for infamously 'debagging' Eddie Hearn in Boston, Coyle talks about...

Commentator John Rawling has been the voice of the fights for the BBC, ITV, Sky Sports, BoxNation and now for BT Sport. He's also contributed to the Guardian for several decades and he's been a fixture at ringside since the 1980s. Here, he talks about his start in the world of broadcasting and journalism and goes on to to take us on a journey through the incredible nights and relationships he's en...

Former middleweight and super-middleweight champion Michel Nunn, one of the pound for pound stars on the 1990s, went from a life of celebrity and fame to nearly two decades behind bars. Nunn defeated plenty of big names, Curtis Parker, Sambu Kalambay, Iran Barkley, Marlon Starling, Donald Curry and he also fought James Toney, Frankie Liles and Steve Little. Here, he talks about his frustration at...

Bernd Boente is best-known as the right-hand man to heavyweight champions Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko. Here, he talks about his start in boxing in the 1980s, his journey through German TV working in the sport and his time as a journalist before joining up with the Klitschkos and forming KMG in 2006. Boente also recalls the highs and lows of being by the side of the brothers, against the likes of...

Arv Mittoo is a Birmingham journeyman who notched a staggering 100 fights through his pro career. He boxed the likes of Ashley Theophane, Gary Woolcombe, Scott Haywood, Lee Meager and Tunde Ajayi in compiling his 10-85-5 record. Here, he talks extensively about life on the road, the subculture of British boxing’s show savers and much more in between. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast...

Ron Gray was a tough heavyweight who fought on both Muhammad Ali-Henry Cooper bills in the UK back in the 1960s. Ron was friends with the great middleweight Randy Turpin and was even his housemate for a while, he was also a prolific fighter in the boxing booths and knew everyone on the fight scene, in and out of the ring. In retirement, Ron experienced just about every role, including as matchmake...

Promoter Nisse Sauerland has spent his life in boxing. Son of the Hall of Fame promoter Wilfried and brother to the more outspoken Kalle, Nisse has had a wide-ranging career from working at Babestation to promoting world heavyweight title fights.  He’s also seen a huge change that saw Sauerland Event become Wasserman Boxing in a huge merger. He’s become an important part of the fabric of the Europ...

300-fight journeyman Peter Buckley fought a who’s who of British boxing. In his long career, he was matched with prospects, contenders, future champions and even future Hall of Famers. He met the likes of Naseem Hamed, Duke McKenzie, Acelino Freitas, Spencer Oliver, Lee Selby, Derry Mathews and countless others. Often he’d take a call at short notice to save a show but he was written off at his pe...

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Ricky Hatton is a British sporting icon who was known for his huge fanbase. Tens of thousands of supporters would flock to the Mancunians fights, whether it was home in Manchester or in Las Vegas, and they saw him fight the likes of Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather and Ricky Hatton. Here, in colourful detail, Ricky recalls the highs of his incredible career and the lows of a personal life that saw h...

IBF featherweight champion Kid Galahad talks about his career in boxing and life out of the ring. He discusses his recent world title win over Jazza Dickens and his future aspirations but he also talks about his family move from Doha to Liverpool when he was just four. There, his brothers were enticed in to a life of crime but when he moved to Sheffield he had a chance meeting with Prince Naseem H...

Former Manchester light-heavyweight Maurice Core moved quickly as a pro and won a British title within a dozen fights. He trained out of the legendary Champs Camp and was extremely close to trainer Phil Martin. Maurice boxed the likes of Noel Magee, Fabrice Tiozzo, Mark Prince, and Nicky Piper but Martin's death hit him hard and he hung the gloves up after just 18 fights. He became a trainer, work...

Kieran Farrell was an exciting 14-0 prospect with the world at his feet when he fought Anthony Crolla. After 10 hard rounds for the English title, Farrell was stretchered from the ring and things would never be the same again. Farrell had a brain bleed and was told he would never box again. Already facing obstacles outside the ring, life got much tough but Farrell has dug deeper. Now a trainer, ma...