Boxing Esq. Podcast #76 - Erik Magraken

My guest on the podcast is Erik Magraken, a managing law partner at McIsaac & Company in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, who has done work with the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) and maintains the excellent Combat Sports Law Blog that is a great resource for combat sports issues.

We discuss the bill proposed by Georgia Congressman Brian Jack to amend the Boxing Safety Act of 1996 and curtail the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of 2000. They’ve named the bill The Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act. Erik and I discuss whether this bill is actually about reviving American boxing, or is it just cover for the UFC to bring their practices of being the promoter and sanctioning body over to boxing.

We also get into the support that the ABC lent the bill and whether they consulted with the Athlete’s Voice Committee or even their full membership before endorsing the proposed bill. We also recap what’s good and bad about the status quo under the Ali Act and how things may look if this proposed bill is passed and become law.

It was an informative conversation - hope you enjoy it.

The Boxing Esq. Podcast · Boxing Esq. Podcast #76 - Erik Magraken

Boxing Esq. Podcast #75 - Jose Corpas

My guest on the podcast is one of my favorite storytellers in the sport and one of my favorite writers in general, Mr. Jose Corpas.

Jose has a new book out called the 4-Belt Error, where he retroactively goes back in time and issues belts to the deserving fighters of yesteryear to put them on an even footing with fighters of today who have more opportunities to win belts and be called a champion.

We got into all aspects of the book and talked about some the fighters of the past who deserve to held in higher esteem, including Peter Jackson, Willie Meehan, Luis Firpo, Dave Shade, Kid Azteca and Rodolfo "Chango" Casanova. We also talked about Jose’s family and roots in Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and Brooklyn. His fandom for the Pittsburgh Pirates and neighborhood hero John Candelaria. We spoke about his previous books Black Ink and New York’s Greatest Fighters and finally, we got into what he thinks the future of American boxing looks like. It was a fun, wide-ranging and informative conversation - hope you enjoy.

The Boxing Esq. Podcast · Boxing Esq. Podcast #75 - Jose Corpas

Boxing Esq. Podcast #74 - John Nash

I’m finally back with my friend John Nash from the excellent Hey Not The Face Podcast.

We got into all aspects of the newly announced Saudi-TKO team up to do a so-called boxing league. We discussed both Dana White and Turki Alalsheikh’s statements about the league during their press tour this week. We also talked about what this league would actually look like and its likelihood of success.

We then talked about how this league fit in with the rest of the Turkiverse and how it differs from the Riyadh Season, Ring Magazine and WBC Grand Prix events that Turki or Saudi are funding. We also queried how some of these entities might not withstand Ali Act scrutiny.

It was an informative conversation - hope you enjoy.

The Boxing Esq. Podcast · Boxing Esq. Podcast #74 - John Nash

Boxing Esq. Podcast #73 - Tom Loeffler

This week's guest is promoter Tom Loeffler of 360 Promotions. We talked about Tom’s upcoming show on Friday at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California featuring his newest Abel Sanchez trained Kazakh - Saddridden Akhmedov. We got into the origins of 360 Promotions and what it’s like for a smaller promoter in the US who isn’t on a major tv network or streaming service.

We also talked about his star fighter Serhii Bohachuk and his date in Riyadh in February, Tom’s relationship with Dana White and how UFC Fight Pass has been integral in helping him develop his young fighters. Tom also recounted his days as a promoter of GGG and the Klitschko brothers and discussed what he thinks about Wladimir’s rumored comeback at 50.

The Boxing Esq. Podcast · Boxing Esq. Podcast #73 - Tom Loeffler

Boxing Esq. Podcast #72 - Brin-Jonathan Butler

Always great to have my good friend writer Brin-Jonathan Butler on the podcast. Brin has written extensively about Mike Tyson and was the perfect person to discuss the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul event with.

We got into the good, the bad and the ugly about the event including the historic viewing numbers, and the great rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. But we also discussed some of bugaboos with the announcement team, the god-awful problems with buffering issues and the unfortunate interview where we had to see Mike Tyson’s bare ass.

We also discussed Brin’s interview and upcoming feature in The Ring on Oleksandr Usyk. We do a quick and dirty recap of the first fight in May 2024 as we look forward to their rematch in December.

We also briefly talked about the verdict in Conor McGregor’s civil rape trial and how that might affect his career going forward.

Always a great conversation with Brin - hope you enjoy.

The Boxing Esq. Podcast · Boxing Esq. Podcast #72 - Brin-Jonathan Butler

Boxing Esq. Podcast # 71 - Matthew Brown

My guest this week is Matthew Brown from Brunch Boxing. We talked about how Matt found his passion for the sport of boxing by following the inspiring comeback of Big George Foreman. We got into how he further developed this interest in the sport on Twitter and eventually formed Brunch Boxing both its website and podcast.

We then analyzed the big fights from this past weekend featuring the homecoming bouts for Keyshawn Davis and Jaron “Boots” Ennis and the respective undercard fights of interest.

We also discussed a few stories that Matt has broken on the Brunch Boxing website including the sale of Ring magazine to the Saudis and the implications for boxing media and the sanctioning bodies. The ongoing controversy involving the WBA, Fight Fax and BoxRec.

And finally we talked about what’s up with the PBC - what we can expect from the PBC for the rest of 2024 and what their schedule may look like in early 2025.

The Boxing Esq. Podcast · Boxing Esq. Podcast #71 - Matthew Brown

Boxing Esq. Podcast #70 - Tris Dixon

Very happy to have as my guest this week one of the best boxing writers and podcasters in the business, Tris Dixon, author of the critically acclaimed Damage and the editor at boxingscene.com.

We discussed Tris’s journey from growing up in the woods of England to training as a boxer under Kevin Rooney in the Catskills and Matthew Saad Muhammad in New Jersey. We also talk about his transition into becoming a boxing writer and eventually being named editor at Boxing News. We talked about his excellent books - Road to Nowhere and Damage, which I highly recommend.

We analyzed the big fight card from this past Saturday featuring the fight for the undisputed light heavyweight title between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitri Bivol and we also discussed the continued rumors of a Saudi boxing league and Dana White’s potential involvement.

It was a great conversation - hope you enjoy it.

The Boxing Esq. Podcast · Boxing Esq. Podcast #70 - Tris Dixon