ONLINE COACHING
WHEN Scotland went into lockdown, my son and I set up a gym in our shed and made a ring from fence posts and rope. I then looked around on the internet for some inspiration and coaching tips. This was not an easy task, as I have an aversion to hairless Americans with their tops off! Eventually, Fran Sands, the founder of Myboxingcoach, from Sefton ABC, came to our rescue and recommended Jimmy Brennan at Carlisle Villa ABC for our circuit training. Both of these guys are providing great coaching and fitness classes for free online. Could online coaching, run by clubs with limited capacity under the current government rules, be adopted throughout the country? These online classes could be paid for through bank transfers and memberships, rather than through the usual subs. More than ever we need to give back to boxing, and not just by paying for channels and pay-per-views. As Boxing News has highlighted, our gyms are vital centres in society for many of our poorest and most neglected communities. Robbie Alexander
MISSING OUT
WITH all the boxing politics between promoters and their fighters, we, the boxing fans, are the ones missing out. I know COVID isn’t helping, but please let us have a Canelo Alvarez fight again soon! He is one of the top fighters in the world and he needs to be active and appreciated. It’s scandalous that fighters like Canelo aren’t showing off their skills due to disputes over money and other matters. The likes of Canelo don’t come around often, so let’s hope this all gets sorted out soon so that we can see the great Mexican in the ring again. Patch Hammond
BOXING NOVEL
I AM writing in the hope that the readers of BN will be interested in reading an authentic boxing novel I’ve recently written (Scenes of Crime). It concerns a London gangster whose younger brother becomes British heavyweight champion. The gangster becomes his brother’s promoter, and the action moves to the USA where, after meeting with success against some American heavyweights, the fighter is badly overmatched by his ambitious brother. This is in a fight for the world heavyweight title, which ends in disaster. Later action involves the older brother becoming involved in the rackets in the USA, his subsequent imprisonment, his escape from prison (with mafia assistance), his return to England and his eventual vengeance-based downfall. It is published by Kindle Direct as an e-book only (priced at £1.77). Ken Irons