A nice little earner.

On July 2nd 1921 the undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World  Jack Dempsey climbed through the ropes to take on the French contender with the film star looks, Georges Carpentier. The fight is remembered more than anything else because it was to generate the first ever million dollar gate. Promoter Tex Rickard built a 91, 000 seat stadium in Jersey City and many would later claim that it was here that the Roaring Twenties and the modern day era of super-sports was truly born. Now, over ninety years later, comes news that at long last a deal has been done to enable two of the finest boxers in the modern game to meet in what will be the richest fight in history. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are the real deal and even at this late stage in their careers are capable of pulling off a fight for the history books. Or maybe not. You never can tell with boxing. All those years ago, when the fans started climbing down from the bleachers and making their way home, they could contemplate that after all the hype and ballyhoo Carpentier was just an overblown, albeit handsome, light-heavy who Dempsey had put away in under four rounds. The signs are good but it remains to be seen if Mayweather and Pacquiao will be better value for money. Good luck to all who put bread on the table in this the hardest game.

Jack Dempsey developing his sledgehammer left-hook.

Is Newham's Olympic legacy just another kebab in front of the telly?

According to a report by the physical fitness think tank UKactive, the London borough of Newham, principal hosts of the 2012 Olympics,  has reaped little sport participation benefit from all that much vaunted Olympic legacy. Newham residents are less physically active than anyone else in the country with almost 40% failing to get half an hour per week of moderate exercise. The report goes on to point out the disparity in exercise and sport participation between deprived and affluent parts of the country. As far as London is concerned Richmond is at the opposite end of the scale to Newham with only 16.3% of residents failing to hit the 30 minutes a week mark. Anyone who knows anything at all about wealth disparity will not be surprised at this as in just about every indicator from life expectancy to mental health to obesity it's the poor who are, by definition, worse off.  What is less clear is why something as rewarding but inexpensive as physical exercise is so unpopular in more deprived arrears. I suspect that answers to this conundrum will depend on political outlook. The poor are lazy, lack of facilities, poverty induced depression and inertia, bad diet, multiple low paid jobs leaving little time or energy for sports; all these are likely responses. As far as Newham is concerned it might be more useful, rather than looking at the non-active 40%, to find out what motivates the moderately active 60% and the no doubt much smaller number who are very active indeed. One thing is beyond dispute. This country's 2012 Olympians were disproportionately drawn from the privately educated well of sections of society. What kind of incentive is that for kids from the estate?

The Rumble Remembered.

Forty years ago today Muhammad Ali achieved what most pundits thought was beyond him and knocked out the ferociously hard hitting George Foreman to regain the Heavyweight Title. Much water has flowed under the bridge since the Rumble In The Jungle. As a Black Muslim, opponent of the war in Vietnam and a braggadocio when a respectful dignity was still the required stance for a black male in America, Ali had never been popular. But he was to rise above it to become a much loved international idol tragically silenced by Parkinson's and the legacy of some brutal encounters in the ring.
The taciturn George Foreman would re-emerge twenty years later as a garrulous and jovial rolly-polly comeback heavyweight who would end press conferences with a cheery, "My name's George Foreman. I'll see you at the buffet." He would go on to recapture two versions of the title at the unbelievable age of forty five and make a fortune from the sale of his famous no-fat grill.
Much has been written about the Rumble In The Jungle and doubtless there is much more to come. I just wanted to say thank you to two brave athletes who gave their all to entertain the likes of me.

A sporting weekend to remember.

It was certainly some weekend for British sport. What with the biggest ever medal haul at the European Athletic Championships, the England team taking home the Women's Rugby World Cup, Alistair Cook   coming good in the end and leading his team to victory in the 5th Test and series against India and Sheffield's Kell Brooks winning the IBF version of the World Welterweight Championship, blimey!
What all this sporting activity meant for most of us of course was spending hours slumped on the sofa watching other people exert themselves. All well and good, and I spent far too much time glued to the box myself to start throwing stones at anyone else, but perhaps we could have done with a bit more publicity for initiatives like the Street Games charity who while all the splendours of the elite side of sport were going on gave 1,500 disadvantaged London kids the chance to try a sport at a multi-sport festival. Yes, I do know about the Coke and Mars sponsorship but needs must.

All change for one Kipper at least.

Even the most cynical of us would have to admit that when it comes to gender politics there has been movement in the right direction. It's difficult to imagine old time fight game impresarios like Jack Solomons and Harry Levine telling the world that they always felt themselves to be women trapped inside the body of a man. But when former boxing manager and promoter Frank Maloney announced that he would like to be known as Kellie in future and was undergoing sex change procedures there was nothing but support and understanding from the boxing world with everyone from Lennox Lewis to Steve Bunce  wishing Maloney well. What Kellie Maloney's old comrades in UKIP will make of it all remains to be seen. Much choking on the G&Ts I would imagine.

Will the friendly games guarantee a YES vote?

I don't know how justified Glasgow's claims to having staged the "friendly games" are but the atmosphere seemed pretty warm and it certainly looked as though everyone was having a good time. Of course there have been great sporting moments, heart warming stories and mind boggling feats of skill and fitness. After the closing ceremony the big question will be if the feel good factor north of the border will translate into a resounding YES vote for Independence. My abhorrence of nationalism not withstanding, I tend to favour the efforts of small nations struggling to get out from under the heel of more powerful ones. Come on you Jocks!

It's only a game but……...

When asked about the pressure of playing cricket, Australian all-rounder and former wartime pilot Keith Miller was dismissive, "Pressure is having a Messerschmidt up your arse. This is just a bloody game".  That might be  the kind of gung-ho attitude that we demand of our sports stars but the truth is that no sport has such a shocking record of mental illness than does first class cricket. In last night's post Test defeat interview Alastair Cook did not look or sound like a well man. We wish him well of course but perhaps it's time for a first-class cricketer to come out and stand up for the victims of all employment centred stress related illness.

Boxing is back!

Professional boxing in this country doesn't have anything like the appeal and interest to the general public that it used to have. There was a time when the names of British and World champions were known to just about everyone but not anymore. It was easy to keep track when there were eight or ten weight divisions and a universally recognised world champion in each. Now, with seventeens weights and half a dozen governing bodies, you have to be very committed to the sport to keep up. The long time absence of boxing from terrestrial TV must have resulted in some loss of interest as well. Not that there is a lack of quality fighters, or for that matter quality promotions, but for whatever reasons boxing is no longer a mainstream interest. Well the trend was reversed last night and no mistake. Eighty thousand fans packed into the Wembley Arena to see Carl Froch defend his IBF and WBA super-middleweight titles against George Groves. Their first match had resulted in a controversial stoppage and a win for the champion. Froch left no room for doubt last night bringing matters to a close in the eighth round with as good a right hand as anyone can remember. The fight showcased the physical chess, conditioning, courage and mental will that make boxing a unique sport. For one night only - boxing was back.

Rubin Carter.

Despite what Bob Dylan said to the contrary, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter who died yesterday, probably would not have been World Middleweight Champion. He was however a tough and intimidating fighter who thoroughly deserved his ranking as one of the leading contenders for the title. But the man was much more than that. After being wrongfully convicted of murder and spending two decades in prison, much of it in solitary, Rubin never gave up hope and refused to give in to the system. He remained strong and dedicated his life to helping the wrongfully convicted. Rubin Carter was a product of a racist society but never a victim of that society. He was way too strong for that.

On the Brussels Beat.

What is it with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho? Not content with constantly slagging off the Arsenal he is now telling the Jocks that an independent Scotland will not be able to join the EU.
I think I got that right.

Putin voted top gay icon. Everything to play for in Sochi.

The Winter Olympics has never really captured my imagination until recently. The events must be great fun to participate in but don't do it for me as a spectator. That is until I started watching the snowboarding yesterday. Amazing! Just totally gobsmacking skill and courage. I thought that Jenny Jones was a frizzy haired woman from the Green Party, but no, she is in fact Bronze Medallist in "slopestyle". The snowboarders seem like such a nice bunch of kids who love their sport and genuinely want each other to do well. Bit like the skateboarders at the Southbank.
Of course the other big talking point at Sochi is President Putin's demand that this year only sex of the most traditional variety will be permitted in the Olympic Village. But could anything be more camp than an Olympic Opening Ceremony and who would have thought that Putin himself would turn out to be the biggest gay icon since Dusty Springfield? Word to the wise Vladimir - you can't go flashing yer pecs at every opportunity while indulging in every ultra-manly pursuit that the great outdoors can offer without some people putting two and two together.
I did ask Her Indoors what was meant by "traditional sex" but she just muttered something that I didn't quite catch.

And so we say farewell to KP.

                                             

Don't hold back Geoffrey.

England's defeat in the third test at Perth provides an opportunity for that most loved of English art forms, the post match analysis. Geoffrey Boycott tucks whippet under arm, returns tripe sandwich to trouser pocket and steps smartly up to the microphone…..
A dose of man flu meant that apart from just wallowing in self pity I have also been able to keep up to speed on the debacle down under by listening to the daytime catch up on Radio 5Live Sports Extra as well as the occasional live session in the early hours. What a wonderful thing it will be for future social historians when they discover recordings of BBC Test Match Special. What will they make of "Aggers", "Blowers", and the rest?  So far this series Boycott has surpassed himself and has been unstinting in his efforts to bring to our attention the shortcoming of the England team. "You could find more brains in a pork pie". "Pietersen seems to be living in fairy land".  Why, the archetypal grumpy old Yorkshireman has even complained bitterly about the standard of lunch being served up to the media by the Aussies. Ah! Geoffrey! Where would we all be without you?

RIP Baby Jake Matlala

South Africa lost another hero with the death of Madela's favourite boxer the great Baby Jake Matlala. A fine tribute from Steve Bunce in The Independent.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/steve-bunce-as-nelson-mandelas-favourite-fighter-baby-jake-matlala-who-also-died-last-week-gave-hope-to-postapartheid-south-africa-8999011.html

The sporting life.

We have a complex and demanding relationship with sport. The expectations are huge in terms of wanting our side to win whatever the cost and at the the same time demanding a level of honesty, decency and altruism completely at odds with a multi-million pound industry. Sport has let us down this past week. We have no right to expect any better but still we feel aggrieved. George Grove's pre-fight taunting of Carl Froch and the extreme Aussie sledging during the First Test of the Ashes Series leaves a nasty taste in the mouth for those of us who, in part at least, live our lives through the achievements of others and demand of our heroes a physical prowess and sense of honour that we could never aspire to ourselves. But that is what sport is. It's a form of theatre where all of human strengths and failings are magnified and portrayed in a brief moment. That's why we love it. We can be sad when sport fails to live up to our expectations - and forever grateful when it does.

Fond farewell to the little master.

We all have memories of events, perhaps historically important ones, that we are pleased to have witnessed or been a part of. Most of us will also have regrets about missing out on certain iconic moments. I suppose that all we can do is try to end up with as many of the former and as few of the latter as possible. Among my own snapshots of the past that I'm particularly pleased about is seeing Sachin Tendulkar play at Lords. The ground was packed with British Indian families complete with grandmothers, small children and boxes of chapatis. With a fine disregard for Norman Tebbit's "Brit Test" they cheered the Indian side at every opportunity. But Tendulkar  had only to scratch his knee on the boundary to be cheered to the rafters by all of us. The Little Master leaves test cricket not only with a peerless batting record but leaves cricket fans with the kind of warm feeling that the likes of Norman Tebitt could never engender in a thousand years.

It's only a game but....

When Aussie test all rounder and World War 2 Mosquito pilot Keith Miller was asked about the stress of test cricket the great man's reply was straight to the point, "Stress is having a Messerchmitt up your arse mate, cricket's just a bloody game."  Perhaps we do make too much fuss about sport but sometimes it seems to be a metaphore for all that we aspire to and all that we hold dear. The First Test in this Ashes Series was dramatic from start to finish and you would have to be even more cynical than me not to be thrilled by the performance of Ashton Agar. In a story that might be straight out of Wilson of the Wizard, the 19 year old debutant who was only selected forty eight hours before the match, walked to the crease with a huge grin on his face, gives his mum a wave and proceeds to smash a handfull of records, give England fits and give the spectators the thrill of a lifetime. England's Graeme Swann who finally caught him was the first to run over and congratulate the youngster. Occasionaly sport is worth the fuss.

Farewell Audley Harrison.

Show biz, and professional sport is very much a part of the entertainment industry, can be a hard old game. Fans can be very unforgiving and none more so than boxing fans. Many boxing aficionados will be heaving a sigh of relief at the news of Audley Harrison's retirement. Despite a 31-7-0 pro record Audley was never able to really make his mark in the upper echelon's of the paid ranks. At 6 ft 5 in and  250 pounds he cut an impressive figure and with an outstanding amateur record and a stiff jab to back it up their were high hopes, but alas it was not to be. I hope Audley has a happy retirement. I know that he's not short of a bob or two but mostly I hope that when he looks back on his pro career he will be able to raise a smile. Fuck the critics. Good luck Audley.

IOC toss out wrestling.

If the IOC get their way wrestling will no longer be a part of the Olympic Games. It seems incredible that  bureaucrats can, at the stroke of a pen or the click of a mouse, discard one of the original Olympic sports. Wrestling has a history that dates back to ancient Greece, has been integral part of almost all societies and of course was one of the founding sports of the modern Olympic movement. But such are the commercial and political pressures in today's Games who knows what machinations have taken place behind closed doors. Wrestling is not the most natural of spectator sports it's true. The general public may find the idea of watching wrestling appealing but the reality can be difficult to understand and even dull. That is of course why professional wrestling evolved the way that it did. Having said all that can wrestling really be less interesting to watch than air pistol shooting or dressage? Of course there will be a form of wrestling in future Olympics - judo. The history of judo is one not just of a sport but of a physical education system with a huge amount of political clout. The judo movement has always distanced itself from wrestling and indeed many of the early practitioners denied that it was a sport at all. Yes, it may be goodbye to Freestyle and Greco-Roman but the future of Olympic Judo is assured.
I feel sorry for the young wrestlers who, thanks to commercial and political interests that they have no control over, will be denied the pleasure of Olympic competition. There is some consolation however in knowing that people have wrestled since long before the dawn of written history and that youngsters will be coming to grips and testing themselves against each other long after the IOC has been forgotten.

Nicola Adams. How cool is she?

Even for those of us who are not big fans of cycling, Bradley Wiggins winning Sports Personality Of The Year raises a smile of pleasure. Bradley seems like a decent sort. Bit of a laugh, not remotely up himself but a working class bloke with his head screwed on. But how distressing to see that no less than  230, 000 people are somehow able to hold in their minds the two concepts 'personality' and 'Andy Murrey' at the same time.
The Bad Old Days Will End special award goes to Nicola Adams not only for looking unbelievably cool at last night's ceremony, but also for breaking new ground and winning over the rather conservative male boxing fraternity. As Carl Froch said, "A lot of people have had their mind's changed and changed for the better".