AYALA AN INSPIRATION
I HAVE never written to you before but was urged to after reading the exceptional article on Alejandra Ayala, executed with typical brilliance by Elliot Worsell. What an inspirational story, so well told. What we have in Ayala, despite the horrific injuries she endured, is a woman who should be a flag-bearer for our sport. Though she suffered brain trauma that resulted in part of her skull being stored in her stomach, she speaks only positively about boxing. She bears no malice to her opponent. She always understood the risks involved and would not change a thing. Boxing continues to define her, and her ambition now is to coach the young. The article made me smile, it made me cry, and most importantly of all, it highlighted that we shouldn't shy away from the worst that can happen in boxing, we should instead champion stories like this and ensure every active boxer reads them.
Alistair Douglas
LACK OF SUPPORT CAN'T BE JUSTIFIED
MAY I thank Matt Christie for his kind words about our Boxer's Firewalk for Ringside Charitable Trust. Matt has supported us constantly, abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower (the terror in his eyes was hilarious!) and walking over burning hot coals was never something he would have otherwise done willingly, but, in common with the many people who have skydived, abseiled and firewalked for Ringside, his compassion for our struggling ex-boxers translates into action.
What a stark contrast to the deafening silence of the promoters, elite fighters and others who choose to ignore the work of Ringside Charitable Trust. The lack of support from those who make incredible sums from boxing is a moral vacuum at the heart of British boxing and can never be justified.
Plans are being made for an even bigger fundraiser next year, and rest assured, Ringside aren't going anywhere until the support structure so desperately needed becomes a reality. Action, as Matt demonstrates so well, is the key to success. Andrew Fairley
SMALL HALL REPORTS
BOXING NEWS seems to be stuck in the past by attempting to cover every fight that occurs in Britain. Am I the only one who finds pages of small hall fight reports, where nearly every one of them ends 40-36 in favour of the home fighter, an absolute waste of time? Perhaps a simple results page would serve the purpose better until the promoters put on fights that are actually worth writing about. The contrast between those reports and the quality elsewhere in the magazine is striking. For reference, I am 63 years old and have been reading BN for nearly 50 of those.
Ted Scott
*Editor replies: It would be good to get feedback from other readers on this. We know the issue of reports divides opinion.