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