Question for older boxing fans

Great post, SaintPat!

I somehow got two copies of Flash's newsletter in the mail in 1980. I think he must've gotten my address from an ad I ran in Ring (they had a free classified section). I was too young to understand it - it wasn't slick like World Boxing or Ring (which in hindsight weren't slick at all). Now I wish I would have subscribed. What a great character Flash apparently was!

On the TV UHF channels they used to have "Boxing from the Olympic", and the Spanish language stations had boxing from Mexico.

 

Yeah I’d kill for a Tonight’s Boxing Program complete set. May have to see if there’s any out there.

ESPN in its earlier days would sometimes show up late at night with West Coast fights from the Forum or the Olympic with Chick Hearn (who I loved) on commentary. You’re flipping around and all of a sudden you see Pipino Cuevas is fighting!

 

What was the name of the newsletter style periodical around in the 90's? I loved that thing. Way more up to date results than BI, Ring or KO.

 

In the 1980's, boxing magazines were a bit better back then. Boxing was on TV, USA's Tuesday night fights and EPSN. HBO was at its peak. News print coverage was a bit better too. PPV was booming

The internet to me actually helped boxing pre 1960. Suddenly the fights you heard about were viewable without a VHS or projector.

 

Was that Flash Gordon's effort?

 

Yes, it was something-Flash or Flash-something. Pre-internet and early internet, that thing was great, very current. Ring would have results that were 6 to 8 weeks old.

 

Before ESPN, we followed boxing on various other sources, newspapers, television too.

 

For me I began following boxing as mentioned before previously, I went to see the Muhammad Ali vs Floyd Patterson fight on Nov 22 1965 on Closed Circuit Television at the local high school, my dad and uncle took me. It was shown in black and white, Ali predicted that he would punish the rabbit for calling him Cassius Clay, many people in the crowd still referred to Ali as Clay, especially the older men. Ali stopped Floyd, TKO 12. I then began following his fights, the second Henry Cooper fight on May 21 1966, the London fight on Aug 6 1966, then the Karl Mildenberger bout on Sept 10 1966. They were all televised live on ABC's Wide World Of Sports. I saw the highlights of the Cleveland Williams Nov 14 1966 fight as well as both the Ernie Terrell, Zora Folley fights on that same program. I also followed the WBA Tournament to find a new champion in 1967. I followed a lot of other fighters, Carlos Monzon, Bob Foster,Jose Mantequilla Napoles, and Roberto Duran. I used to watch the bouts on NBC's Boxing From The Forum, The CBS Sports Spectacular, and NBC. I also collected Ring and KO magazines. In a sense I grew up with boxing. Me and my dad , uncle and brother would watch it. Later with HBO, my dad and brother in law and myself watched really great fights in the 1980's.

 

Most of us were WAY before DVD's and VCR's. I started following in 1963...

 

Boxing News, was the best for me, starting buying around 70/71 came out on Thurs in England, I used to count the days, remember one front cover in particular, it showed Bad Bennie sitting at a piano ? hands taped, caption read " The fighter who trades in fear " didn't he just .

 

Bad Bennie was a very intimidating fighter, even Carlos Monzon said that he had a lot of respect for him.

 

I wondered if that was a later version of Tonight's Boxing Program. Someone was selling 90's issues of Flash on eBay in the last several days.

 

I saw you mentioned the Flash Newsletter ? There was also The Boxing Times & Boxing Update They were printed every 10 days & mailed out to subscribers so the information was up to date compared to the Mags. John Gregg of ESPN fame started the Boxing Times & he was on the old Prodigy chat scene. He sent out to several of us from all around the country asking us to report on fights & fax in the reports He paid our expenses & got us press credentials. I covered the ArkloTex. That was Arkansas, Louisiana & most of West Texas. sending in reports to all of them.Was great for a few years till the Mailing costs got so high it forced him to sell out
Someone bought him out & changed it to an online mag called The Blue Corner I dont know if that is still going. Had some great times Made some great friends & loved every minute

 

I used to reserve a copy of Boxing News. I'd pick it up every Friday on the way to school and had read all24 pages by Saturday lunchtime.
I loved it in its old smudgy format.

 

One funny memory was when I said that Dallas HW Ike the President Ibeabuchi would beat David Tua No one outside of Texas had really heard of Ike & I was ridiculed lol Several because of his surname thought he was Japanese. After the fight their opinions changed dramatically it was " Where have you been hiding him"? & He's Awesome !! I felt quite the prophet lol