Boxing Life Stories

By Tris DixonSports

Boxing Life Stories episodes

March 30, 2022 Season 4: #24 Gene Kilroy
Gene Kilroy was a friend, advisor and confidant to Muhammad Ali. He spent a huge part of his life as Ali’s business manager and is universally seen as the last surviving member of Ali’s inner circle.

Here, he talks about his time with The Greatest, the incredible moments he experienced and the celebrities they encountered and he details Ali’s relationship with other heavyweight legends.

He discusses Zaire, Manila, Deer Lake and much more besides in a phenomenal look back over a phenomenal time.

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1 hr 22 min
March 23, 2022 Season 4: #23 Kash Farooq
Kash Farooq was 16-1 and tipped for stardom until changes appeared on his brainscan at the end of 2021.

The Scottish bantamweight prodigy had a bat fanclub in the sport, was promoted by Matchroom and shared a Fight of the Year contender with Lee McGregor.

There was then due to be a big fight on a Devin Haney bill in Las Vegas, a return with McGregor and then possibly a world title fight but all of those plans were sadly derailed.

Here, Farooq talks about his decision to retire, what was behind his call, his disappointment but also his hopes for a long future with his health intact.

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1 hr 20 min
March 16, 2022 Season 4: #22 Anthony Leaver
For almost 15 years, Anthony Leaver has been part of the Matchroom boxing media team.

He joined the promotional group to work across poker and golf, but soon found himself working on boxing, on Prizefighters and with the likes of Audley Harrison, James DeGale, Carl Froch, Tony Bellew and many others.

But when Matchroom opened their New York office, he was on his way to head up their media operations and he's subsequently handled media relationships for Canelo, Roman Gonzalez, Demetrius Andrade, Danny Jacobs and many more.

Here, he talks about getting the breaks, working for Eddie Hearn, his pride in Frank Smith's career progression and his unique nickname!

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1 hr 56 min
March 09, 2022 Season 4: #21 Kevin Lueshing
Kevin Lueshing is a former British welterweight champion who famously dropped a 30-0 Felix Trinidad before losing a punch out in Nashville.

Lueshing was an exciting fighter, as seen in his seven-knockdown fight of the year for the British crown against Chris Saunders, but he also boxed the likes of Kirkland Laing and Harry Simon.

Away from the ring, Lueshing was tormented by his father, who was beyond violent with him, suffered abuse as a small boy, became a model, was a huge puncher and he later worked behind the scenes with the likes of Frank Bruno and Nigel Benn, old training partners from back in the day.

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1 hr 33 min
March 02, 2022 Season 4: #20 Kevin Mitchell
For more than 30 years, Kevin Mitchell covered boxing for The Guardian and The Observer.

The award-winning author and journalist was ringside at the biggest fights and interviewed the biggest names and was unafraid of crossing swords with some of the most famous and litigious figures in the sport.

Kevin also helped a young and naïve Tris Dixon take his first few steps in the world of boxing journalism.

More importantly, he wrote the excellent books War, Baby: The Glamour of Violence about the tragic Nigel Benn-Gerald McClellan fight and Jacobs Beach: The Mob, the Fights, the Fifties, about organised crime’s involvement in the sport through the 1950s. Mitchell also penned Frank Bruno’s autobiography with him and is one of the most decorated writers of his generation.

Now retired, Mitchell still follows the sport, unable to get it out of his system despite its flaws, the tragedies and the politics but he can also look back fondly on his meetings with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Don King and many more.

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2 hr 26 min
February 23, 2022 Season 4: #19 Al Bernstein
International Boxing Hall of Famer Al Bernstein has been involved with boxing for half a century.

For many, he's the voice of the sport having covered some of the most iconic fights of all time. He's also appeared in multiple boxing movies, has his own podcast – Al Bernstein Unplugged – has written for major boxing publications and he's written a book 30 Years, 30 Undeniable Truths About Boxing, Sports, and TV.

But it's for his work on ESPN, Showtime and Channel 5 over the last several decades and the coverage of the likes of Marvin Hagler, Mike Tyson, Tyson Fury, Floyd Mayweather and many others that have sealed his deserved plaque in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

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1 hr 51 min
February 16, 2022 Season 4: #18 Jackie Kallen
Jackie Kallen has been involved with boxing for almost 50 years. She cut her teeth as an entertainment journalist interviewing the likes of Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones and the Beatles and then found herself in the basement of a Detroit Rec Center covering boxing.

She became a publicist for the famous Kronk Gym, working closely with Tommy Hearns through his glory years and beyond, and wound up managing James Toney and a successful stable of fighters in subsequent years.

Now, a motivational speak with a decorated career, she worked on The Contender TV series with Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard and a movie about her life was made with Meg Ryan in the lead role.

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1 hr 27 min
February 09, 2022 Season 4: #17 Murad Muhammad
Enigmatic promoter Murad Muhammad has worked with the likes of Muhammad Ali, prisoner James Scott, Matthew Saad Muhammad, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Roy Jones and Manny Pacquiao.

As well as being around some of the biggest names in the sport, he's had personal friendships with some of the major players in TV, including Disney CEO Bob Iger, and he recounts some of the relationships and deals he's been involved with and been a part of over the years.

Muhammad, who resides in New Jersey, has stories about Don King and many other boxing movers and shakers and insists that as far as promoters go, he, Murad Muhammad, "is the greatest of all times."

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1 hr 53 min
February 02, 2022 Season 4: #16 Barry Hunter
Barry Hunter has become one of the go-to trainers in the USA. After his noteworthy work with the Peterson brothers, who he trained from their childhoods until their career twilights, he's worked with a who's who of top-tier talent including Adrien Broner, Tony Thompson, Raushee Warren and Isaac Dogboe.

As part of the US amateur set-up, he's also worked with Shakur Stevenson, Ricardo Williams, Errol Spence and countless others.

Here, he talks about PEDs in the sport, playing the drums, the real-life Broner, his relationship with Virgil Hunter (no relation), growing up hard and much more besides.

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1 hr 19 min
January 26, 2022 Season 4: #15 Matt Christie
Matt Christie succeeded Boxing Life Stories host Tris Dixon as the editor of Boxing News.

Here, Matt talks about his early exposure to boxing, how he was destined for the top job and how he finds life in the editor’s chair on the world’s oldest boxing publication.

He also discusses the future-proofing of the brand, big nights ringside in the US and he talks about how BN adapted in the pandemic and much more besides.

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2 hr 21 min