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Boxing

Eubank v McKenna

Last night was something of a rarity: live boxing on free-to -air television. The Noble Art has suffered from satellite coverage and pay-to-view and I cannot be the only disillusioned fan. There was not much sport to watch so I switched on at 9.00pm for the undercard of Belfast Boy Michael Conlon v [...]

March 8, 2025 // 0 Comments

The joys of Sussex

The other day a colleague on the Rust wanted a head’s up on the Wiston Wine Estate. I had never visited it though Wiston is a highly-rated vineyard but the enquiry set me thinking how much Sussex has to offer. There are vineyards at Ridgeview, Rathfinny and Nye Timber and, although each [...]

September 26, 2023 // 0 Comments

Rugby union’s new “waist and below” tackle rule won’t work

Sometimes one could be forgiven for forming the view that some newsworthy developments just couldn’t be made up if one was writing fiction. It’s just been announced that – in effect – in the the amateur version of rugby union in England, tackles must now be made at waist [...]

January 21, 2023 // 0 Comments

Argentina & me

Everyone has a favourite country, neither of birth nor adoption, and mine is Argentina. It started some 50 years ago when a creative friend redefined park football with a fantasy team of South Americans called the Assassins FC de Montevideo supposedly on tour to Europe. It was more than fun but a [...]

December 5, 2022 // 0 Comments

Boxing in the dock (again)

The debacle of the recent non-fight between Chris Eubank Jnr and Conor Benn – actually a bout cancelled by the British Board of Boxing Control as “against the interests of the sport”, apparently  despite the protests (up to and including threatened legal action) of promoters [...]

October 15, 2022 // 0 Comments

Boxing’s muddy waters never settle

Since  the dawn of human time the “sport” of boxing – gladiatorial combat using only fists – has been inextricably linked with corrupt practices. Where should I begin? Shoe-horns or knuckle-dusters in gloves? “Fixed” contests, with or without boxers (from [...]

October 12, 2022 // 0 Comments

The place of sport in life

Some might argue that the belief held by some that world sports constitute little more than contests between power-hungry nations vying for global pride, supremacy, power, influence and control continued by means other than war has been somewhat undermined by events over the last 100 days in [...]

June 3, 2022 // 0 Comments

Sporting issues this weekend

The narrow victory of Northampton Saints (32/31) over Harlequins was enthralling, confirming my view that the most enjoyable sport currently on offer is to be found in the Rugby Premiership. This is subject to one caveat: the uncontested scrum. I checked the rationale for this with Derek Williams. [...]

May 1, 2022 // 0 Comments

Muhammad Ali/Ken BurnsBBC2

Ken Burns, the American documentary maker, is a man much admired on the Rust.    You pretty much know that any documentary by him will be well-researched, non judgmental and have excellent footage and interviews. This 8-parter on arguably the biggest figure in sport ever was no exception. The [...]

April 5, 2022 // 0 Comments

Saturday sport – rugby and boxing

Yesterday was one for sports-following – in my case, the resumption of the Six Nations tournament and then, by chance, a boxing bout I joined via radio. For the rugby union internationals – Scotland against France at Murrayfield and then England against Wales at Twickenham – I made an [...]

February 27, 2022 // 0 Comments

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