Three-time heavyweight king Muhammad Ali told us all he was ‘The Greatest’ many, many years ago. Few believed him back then, but there are no arguments now.
45 years ago today we saw a huge heavyweight upset and the birth of an intense rivalry writes James Slater. Is Ali versus Norton an omen then for Joshua-Parker?
Ken Norton was thought to have confirmed the demise of Muhammad Ali on this day in 1973, writes Matt Christie
Muhammad Ali was at his best in 1966 and found a worthy foe in George Chuvalo
James Slater catches up with Chuck Wepner 43 years after he turned in a spirited effort against Muhammad Ali
James Slater tells the story of a victory close to Earnie Shavers’ heart
Muhammad Ali was close to invincible in 1967 but he would meet his match outside the ring, writes Matt Christie
Doug Jones threatened Clay’s transformation into the all-conquering Muhammad Ali, writes Matt Christie
The famous Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier rivalry begins, writes Matt Christie
Deontay Wilder isn’t the first world champion to break the rules and have his technique come under scrutiny. Elliot Worsell looks at 10 other champions who embraced their imperfections
Joe Frazier proves heavyweight supremacy against Jimmy Ellis, writes Sam Corbishley
How the king of the ring – Muhammad Ali – surrendered his crown to the kid from St Louis in 1978
“I Couldn’t Have Lost To A Better Man”
Leon’s victory was the biggest upset in a heavyweight title fight since Ali forced Sonny Liston to quit on his stool
Muhammad Ali becomes the first member of GB’s Olympic boxing team to get a doping ban
Ernie Terrell may have lost his biggest fight to Muhammad Ali but he stood tall in a golden era, writes Matt Christie
James Slater analyses the mysteries of Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston
On January 28 1974, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier renewed their bitter rivalry
The original ringside report from the night George Foreman stunned Joe Frazier, and the world
Alan Hubbard, who travelled the world with him, remembers the life, times and legacy of The Greatest, Muhammad Ali
In his own words Henry Cooper told Boxing News what it was like to face Muhammad Ali
Matt Christie pays tribute to the enduring greatness of Muhammad Ali
Tris Dixon pays tribute to the career of Joe Frazier, one of the finest of them all
Boxing News sits at the heart of the boxing scene. We want to share with you our passion by guiding you through the world of boxing, share our ringside seats and experiences, to listen to your opinions as we form our own, and to retain the integrity and excitement that seduces boxing fans around the world.
Boxing News was founded in 1909 by original editor John Murray as, simply, Boxing. Murray had been a regular contributor to Health & Strength magazine and convinced its owner, Bill Berry (later Lord Camrose) to launch a weekly magazine dedicated solely to boxing. It is believed Murray had been inspired by Jack Johnson beating Tommy Burns to become the first black World heavyweight champion. In his first editorial, Murray stated, "Boxing will stand for good clean sport. Its success of failure is in the hands of those who believe in sport of this character. Our energies will be devoted to giving the best paper that time, thought and money can devise." When circulation began to decline in the depression days of the late 20s, the name of the magazine was changed to Boxing, Racing and Football. In October 1931, the paper was sold to a syndicate of London sportsmen, who installed Sydney Rushton, a long-time London fight reporter, as the new editor. The layout changed, the page size was increased and Rushton proved less popular than Murray. The paper was again put up for sale and, while waiting for a buyer, the old features were reinstated and there was no official Editor. Another set of sportsmen bought the paper and Godfrey Williams was named editor. He attempted to run Boxing as a newspaper, cutting popular features and reducing news stories down to the shortest possible length. The circulation quickly dropped to its lowest ever.
Billy Masters, a city printer and huge boxing fan, saved the paper, appointing W.H. Millier as the new editor. He completely reinvigorated the magazine, helped in no small measure by its first colour cover. In 1935, Millier departed and the owner replaced him with Sydney Ackland, who had previously worked as John Murray's assistant editor and had been taught by him. World War II brought many changes as first Sydney, then replacement Stanley Nelson, contributed to the war effort. Murray made a popular comeback as editor but ill health forced him to step down in 1941. Gilbert Odd took over until the building housing the paper was destroyed by the enemy. Odd was then called up for national service and both Masters and Murray served further terms. Now with the new name of Boxing News, the paper was bought by Australian publicist Vivian Brodzky and former promoter Sydney Hulls. Northern sports writer Bert Callis was the new editor. Odd took over for a second term upon Callis' retirement. Odd implemented the tradition of reporting the results and fighters' weights for every single fight in the country. When Odd quit to write books, he was succeeded by Jack Wilson and then Tim Riley. When Brodzky died, Boxing News was sold twice in quick succession, and Graham Houston became editor in 1971, immediately broadening the range of coverage, especially in North America. Houston left in 1977 to work on morning newspapers in Canada. This prompted the appointment of perhaps BN's greatest Editor of recent years, Harry Mullan. Circulation increased exponentially during the Mullan years, which doubled as a time of great change in the boxing world. Most notable new developments were the proliferation of 'world' titles and the increase in the number of major British promoters. Mullan was fiercely principled and tremendously well respected in the boxing fraternity. When Mullan left in October 1996, he was given this glowing tribute from then BN Publisher Peter Kravitz: "His writing stands comparison with the Lieblings, Hausers and Mailers of this century of boxing." Assistant Editor Claude Abrams succeeded Mullan in November 1996. Boxing News was redesigned and switched to a full-colour format and become more extensive in content. In March 1999 the paper went to A3 size before reverting to A4, and increasing in size to 48 pages (from 24) in September 2005. The magazine remained the main trade paper in Britain. Abrams left BN – after 22 years – in December 2009, just three months after the publication celebrated its centenary, and was succeeded as editor by Tris Dixon.
Tris left the magazine in December 2014, with Matt Christie taking over as editor.
