I miss the Boxing magazines

[Todd]

The boxing magazines are more expensive than most other sports type mags. The last time I looked, they ranged from 5.99 to 7.99 as a cover price.

Compare how many ads appear in the Ring vs. how many appear in SI or ESPN. They have to pass the costs on somewhere, so it goes to cover price and subscriptions.

[Juan C Ayllon]

I know this is a bit unrelated, but I just got the go-ahead from Nigel Collins to do a feature piece on David Diaz for their October issue. It'll be around 1800 words.

Wow! I find it somewhat ironic that I'll be doing a feature piece for a magazine I used to read as a teenager and as a young adult. Amazing.

Cheers,


Juan C. Ayllon

[Punchdrunk]

Allright Juan! That has to be a fantasy come to life. Congrats!
Gary

[Juan C Ayllon]

Thanks, Gary. It is pretty cool.

I'm just reminded of a line from one of my favorite movies of all time, "The Right Stuff." It goes, "Just don't screw the pooch." In other words, I just hope I don't choke!

I'm actually going over the transcript I typed of an interview I did with David earlier today and coming up with a few clarifying questions. Man, this is hard stuff!

Have a great day,


Juan

[kenmore]

To anyone who knew the staffers at the World/International Boxing magazines of the late '70s: was there any kind of rivalry between writers Randy Gordon and Steve Farhood? Or any kind of clash between the two?

I ask only because I know that Farhood joined World/International Boxing in 1979, right about the same time that Gordon left to join The Ring. I noticed that Farhood seemed to be ripping some of Gordon's stories.

Any comments?

[BDeskins]

Good job and congrads Juan!

[Juan C Ayllon]

Hi Barry,

Thanks! I actually completed and sent in the piece in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. I'm pretty happy with it.

It's a feature piece and should be coming out in the next issue of Ring at the beginning of October.

I'm looking forward to seeing it in print, myself!

Cheers,



Juan

[Roberto Aqui]

I remember back in the day

Most miss favorite parts of their youth. I still miss my HS girlfriend. Never got over her.

[wolgast]

The first Ring magazine I ever bought was the February, 1960, issue. I remember the color (orange), who was on the cover (Ingo vs. Floyd I), and the name of the drugstory/pharmacy/luncheonette where I bought it (Evans Pharmacy). I thought I was in heaven! All those great photos and the results from each state toward the rear in agate-sized type. I now own one of the few known complete Ring magazine collections in the world, bound in leather by years (February to January for many years the way Nat Fleischer published). It represents boxing history and is something I will pass on to my children, who probably will never appreciate it the way I do. It took me a long time and some help from people like the late Jim Jacobs (who told me he had two complete collections) to acquire every issue. Though few, if any, can match Fleischer's contribution to The Ring in particular and to boxing in general, current editor Nigel R.T. Collins has been the most qualified and brillant of any of Fleischer's successors.

P.S. And if you can tell me what Nigel Collins' middle two intiials (R. T.) stand for, I will buy you a subscription for one year. If I find out you called him, all bets are off!

[Roberto Aqui]

P.S. And if you can tell me what Nigel Collins' middle two intiials (R. T.) stand for, I will buy you a subscription for one year. If I find out you called him, all bets are off!

Let's try Ridley Tyrell!

[wolgast]

nope

[kenmore]

Does anyone know what ever became of John Ort, the writer at Ring Magazine in the late '70s who gained notoriety for being in Don King's pocket?

After Ort left Ring Magazine, what did he do? I never again saw his name in connection with boxing writing for anyone.

[PeteLeo]

P.S. And if you can tell me what Nigel Collins' middle two intiials (R. T.) stand for, I will buy you a subscription for one year. If I find out you called him, all bets are off!

Let's try . . . Rough Trade! Whoops, that kind of sends a wrong signal, doesn't it?

Okay, Ripe Turnip! PeteLeo.

[GorDoom]

I miss 5 dollar Levi's 501's. I miss 10 cent Zig Zag rolling papers. I miss gas at 28 cents a gallon. I don't miss the mags because they became irrelevant. Ring, KO, World Boxing, etc. starting in the 80's had the same 4-6 writers writing for them.

None of them could write. & their knowledge of the sport didn't seem to go further back then Ali.

I do understand the satisfaction of a mag or newspaper in your hands. I dislike reading online newspapers for instance.

BUT ... Forget the nostalgia, the simple fact is that from the early to mid-'80's on the boxing mags were crap written by crappy writers ... Not to mention at least 2 months out of date.

I much prefer the internet with INSTANT access to results & stories from around the boxing world.

I just can't work up any nostalgia for bad writing & out of date reporting.

GorDoom

[Funk49]

I remember back in the day walking down to the local newsstand with allowance in hand or money made by pop bottle deposits and buying monthly titles of The Ring,KO,World Boxing and International Boxing(as well as some others).I always enjoyed picking these up and reading about the goings on,interviews,articles,pictures,results and the ratings.Sadly other than The Ring(I still have to go out of my way to even find that at stores)I haven't seen KO or any of the other titles on shelves for a few years.I'm not even sure what titles other than The Ring are still even published.I guess with the popularity of the internet the newsstand magazines have become obsolete but I still miss having an actual copy in my hands.Besides,you just can't bring the computer to the crapper to read like you could with the magazines.
Seriously I miss them.Anyone here feel the same?

Yup, I'm in the same boat. I check out the magazine rack every time I go Krogering; and usually am disappointed by the lack of choice. Ring and Boxing World are all I usually see.

[Funk49]

I miss 5 dollar Levi's 501's. I miss 10 cent Zig Zag rolling papers. I miss gas at 28 cents a gallon. I don't miss the mags because they became irrelevant. Ring, KO, World Boxing, etc. starting in the 80's had the same 4-6 writers writing for them.

None of them could write. & their knowledge of the sport didn't seem to go further back then Ali.

I do understand the satisfaction of a mag or newspaper in your hands. I dislike reading online newspapers for instance.

BUT ... Forget the nostalgia, the simple fact is that from the early to mid-'80's on the boxing mags were crap written by crappy writers ... Not to mention at least 2 months out of date.

I much prefer the internet with INSTANT access to results & stories from around the boxing world.

I just can't work up any nostalgia for bad writing & out of date reporting.

GorDoom

Thanks for the reality check Gordo.

[sweetsci]

Does anyone know what ever became of John Ort, the writer at Ring Magazine in the late '70s who gained notoriety for being in Don King's pocket?

After Ort left Ring Magazine, what did he do? I never again saw his name in connection with boxing writing for anyone.

I could be wrong, but I think Ort may have passed away within the last five years. I seem to remember reading that somewhere. However, a Google search doesn't turn up anything but stories on the 1970's ratings scandel.

[Roberto Aqui]

I miss 5 dollar Levi's 501's. I miss 10 cent Zig Zag rolling papers. I miss gas at 28 cents a gallon. GorDoom

Damn, the ol' Bucket zeroed in to my inner being. Guess it's no use denyin' my ol'ness any longer.

I agree. I zoned out on all the Ali as God 80s boxing mags. Pure self defense, pre-internet of course.

[BDeskins]

If I am not mistaken John Ort tried to start a new boxing publication in the middle 1980s, which was a very decent looking mag in terms of looks, but the rest was pretty crappy. I recall the very first issue had a long lost detailed Canadian newspaper report from around 1919, or 1920 of Jack Dempsey knocking out Jack Johnson...yes that Jack Johnson, but funny, I have never seen any other reports, which that pretty much summed up the quality of the mag!

[PeteLeo]

Back in the Seventies, Boxing Illustrated had that same story and even included a photocopy of a newspaper article detailing Johnson's valiant effort before a private club audience which ended when Dempsey crushed him in the sixth. Some folks claim that Dempsey KO'd Johnson twice during private, invitation-only matches. Can't say that I believe it completely, but weirder things have been claimed (such as Michael Jackson sleeping with women and fathering children). PeteLeo.

[BDeskins]

I magazine that I saw it in claimed to be the first magazine to ever print the result.

[dancing hero]

I kinda look back on the days of the boxing mags with nostalgia sometimes. I'm not old, I used to buy KO and the Ring on a regular basis, but the internet is updated daily and the mags are months behind. I haven't bought a boxing mag for months, bought one last year around the time of the Klitschko-Peter fight and then one in December just before Christmas.

[iskigoe]

I wonder what this means for memoribla. Magazines will be more important to save with less sold. I dont think people save things they read on the web, the way they save mags