David Payne

Emotional transference. Benn, Hearn and all that shit "I've been fucked so many times. I don't even get upset about it. Boxing is one of the worst businesses in the world." Eddie Hearn speaking to GQ in 2022. Perhaps it says more about the writer than the protagonist that news of Conor Benn signing with Zuffa Boxing drew a wry smile. The schadenfreude of it all. Eddie Hearn, the sport's most lusty chapman, with the film star crop and the double breasted roll neck and white pimp soles, betrayed by the fighter he stood by in his darkest moments.

Emotional transference. Benn, Hearn and all that shit

"I've been fucked so many times. I don't even get upset about it. Boxing is one of the worst businesses in the world." Eddie Hearn speaking to GQ in 2022. Perhaps it says more about the writer than the protagonist that news of Conor Benn…

Sheffield's Dalton Smith kicks Matias off the throne in Brooklyn Occasionally, a fighter comes in from the margins and steals hearts. Dalton Smith, the Super-Lightweight from Sheffield, travelled to the US to box Puerto Rican, Subriel Matias - a man with a reputati...

“Regardless of substance, it is from within this frothing flood of cynicism that a story like Dalton Smith's, and his triumph on Saturday night, offers a refreshing reprieve from that negative and often irresistible current.“ #MatiasSmith #boxing

roundtable.io/shortUrl/igy...

In the footsteps of Prince Naseem, Sheffield's Dalton Smith faces moment of truth versus Matias Dalton Smith, a 28-year-old Super-Lightweight from Sheffield - home to Naseem Hamed once upon a time - will seek to tread in the Prince's footsteps when he boxes WBC Champ Subriel Matias in New York o...

I think Smith has a chance tonight. Good style to find a way with Matias. But it’s a big ask away from home and a step up in levels. Empty arena might help, might not. #MatiasSmith #boxing

roundtable.io/shortUrl/h1f...

You said I couldn't dance, but now I'm back. Tyson Fury returns.....again. Tyson Fury is resuming his boxing career for the umpteenth time in a decade that has wandered from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again. From the dizzying zenith of 2015, the nights tangling w...

“…the spotlight draws him despite his reported love of anonymity. It is a peculiar relationship he has with fame and reflective of his huge fluctuations of mood that there is no middle ground, no medium index. It is either all in or all out.” #TysonFury #boxing

roundtable.io/shortUrl/cz6...

OTD 1952 - Jake LaMotta dropped for the first time. Jake LaMotta was proud of never being knockdown, included a series of fights with Sugar Ray Robinson. A life told in film, Raging Bull by Martin Scorcese & played by Robert DeNiro. LaMotta's last nigh...

“New Year’s Eve 1952 in Miami. Bloodlust grips the crowd, high on bearing witness to the barbarity of Jake LaMotta's end as a contender, empathy diluted by Old Fashioneds and Daiquiris.” #OTD #NYE #BoxingTwitter #RagingBull Jake LaMotta dropped for 1st time. Loses.

roundtable.io/shortUrl/PGQ...

OTD 1908 - Jack Johnson changed the world It is difficult to over-state the significance of Jack Johnson's victory over Tommy Burns on December 26th in 1908. Johnson became the first black fighter to win the Heavyweight title and so began a t...

Well it’s a little tardy, but nice to do a little reading on Jack Johnson winning the title in Sydney of all places where Tommy Burns was finally convinced to face the unrelenting challenger. He took quite the beating on this day in 1908. #OTD

roundtable.io/shortUrl/Nc7...

Weight of expectation - bloated Okolie blasts another carcass Lawrence Okolie is the WBC Number 1 contender. That is a factual sentence. The basis for this status is harder to establish. As a former Cruiserweight champion he has credence, as a heavyweight, he ha...

Hard to know what to make of Lawrence Okolie’s at the weekend. Should be way past plucky trial horses. 2026 presumably brings stiffer tests than the ‘bah, humbug’ I felt about Ebenezer Tetteh. Okolie’s weight suggested he felt similar. #boxing

roundtable.io/shortUrl/bDi...

Rocky Horror Show - Joshua finally ends the theatre Jake Paul is not a boxing innocent. He didn't wander into this Anthony Joshua fight unaware of the potential to be hit in a way he'd never experienced. The risk was the selling point. The perversity o...

It was a shambles wasn’t it?
It began as a peculiar Rocky type story but became Rocky Horror. Paul scuttled around racked with fear, Joshua walked behind like the chief mourner at his own funeral.
Eventually, a proper #boxing punch landed. #JakeJoshua

roundtable.io/shortUrl/v2i...

Anthony Joshua looks to Jake Paul's over-exposure therapy Following humiliation at the hands of Daniel Dubois in 2024, Joshua stepped away from the spotlight. Undertook surgery and stayed away from the fight game that made him. A belated fight Tyson Fury now...

“The bounty for Joshua is multi-faceted. A purse disproportionate to the risk, which is essentially zero, and the opportunity to work his way past the ghosts of his loss to Dubois in late 2024.”

#JakeJoshua

roundtable.io/shortUrl/qjc...

Johnson, Dubois, Baumgardner....a rich undercard to Joshua versus Paul The Jake Paul fight with Anthony Joshua may be scoffed at, but yet again Paul provides a platform for elite female fighters to demonstrate their ability in front of a huge television audience. Alycia ...

As incoherence strangled the contrived script Jake Paul was keen to deliver earlier. Reminding all of his lack of qualification. Terror will surely soon visit. Echoes of big Frank Bruno’s face before the Tyson rematch. #boxing #JakeJoshua

roundtable.io/shortUrl/nSl...

OTD 1982: Directo al corazon - Bobby Chacon conquers Rafael Limon It is 43 years since Bobby Chacon won the WBC Super-Featherweight title against arch rival, Rafael Limon. Their fourth meeting proved the most poignant as it came in the same year Chacon had contempla...

Enjoy revisiting old fights, the Bobby Chacon v Rafael Limon fight for the @WBCBoxing Super Featherweight title #OTD ‘82 a luminous example. Their 4th fight & arguably one of the greatest contests put to film. The tragedy in Chacón’s life incredible too. #boxing roundtable.io/shortUrl/9tH...

Big Johnny Fisher wins, but is floored and flawed. The end is near. Likeable rogue Johnny Fisher got back in the win column last night but much was revealed about his potential to sustain a career worthy of the legion of fans who buy tickets and the attention his prom...

I like Fisher’s brand of humility and bravado but last night suggests precious little road left to cover. “Fisher did the little dip and roll routine, then stood up in his stance and set about doing what he always does - wail away without thought.” #boxing

roundtable.io/shortUrl/uYs...

Hughie Fury Returns in Rotterdam. Still hoping Hughie Fury returns from yet another lull in activity which has stolen the modicum of momentum he acquired beating three trial horses in 2024. He boxes in Rotterdam this weekend against Middlesbrough'...

Most kindly, Hughie Fury may be described as….enigmatic. Alternatively, he could just be plain frustrating. Aged 31, he is #boxing in Rotterdam this weekend against another modest opponent - Michael Webster. It’s a slow burn on his latest run. #boxingtwitter roundtable.io/shortUrl/2nG...

New: Boris Johnson’s ‘Brexit Titanic success’ was half right Nearly ten years on, the first full assessment of Brexit confirms what millions warned: Britain made itself poorer

Rachel Reeves says there’s a “hole” in the public finances.

A new decade-long Brexit study explains it:

a 6–8% hit to GDP – that's £180bn-£240bn a year – means less tax, less investment and less money for everything else.

Brexit made Britain poorer. Much poorer.

Newmarket MP Matt Hancock gave a £37bn Covid testing contract to Jockey Club director Dido Harding, who subcontracted it to Grand National sponsor Randox, employer of Tory MP Owen Paterson, whose late wife chaired Aintree racecourse. That's how the Tories handled the pandemic.

FYI: If you want Saturday's loaded PPV you can subscribe to DAZN & buy it as a 1 off. Or you can upgrade to the new "ultimate" package that includes 12 PPVs per year & you get it as part of that package. You can subscribe here prf.hn/click/camref...
#boxing #BenavidezYarde #NormanHaney #BamMartinez

What’s in a name? Armando Casamonica chases European title A famous surname opens doors in the sprawling dystopia of boxing. Super-Lightweight contender Armando Casamonica is followed by a name with rich boxing history, father Sandro was a capable fighter too...

In Spain this weekend Armando #Casamonica challenges Jon Fernandez for EBU title, the Italian is the son of Sandro a former Lightweight contender. He carries a name with a more infamous back story from Rome’s underworld. Just another day in #boxing roundtable.io/RTBOX/what-s...

Eubank, Benn and great British rivalries Article first appeared at Roundtable Boxing As Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn emerge from the darkness and drills of their respective training camps and into the dwindling light of boxing’s gaze, their shared animosity, whether real or contrived, is a reminder of the many great rivalries that have been woven into the tapestry of British boxing history. The dynastic element of their story is a unique one and elevates their place in the folklore of the sport beyond the sum of their respective abilities.

Eubank, Benn and great British rivalries

Article first appeared at Roundtable Boxing As Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn emerge from the darkness and drills of their respective training camps and into the dwindling light of boxing’s gaze, their shared animosity, whether real or contrived, is a…

Wardley defeats Parker in thudding brawl In a pulsating encounter in London, Fabio Wardley of Ipswich found a way to stop Kiwi Joseph Parker in the 11th round and in doing so positioned himself as Oleksandr Usyk’s next opponent for the Undisputed Heavyweight title. Wardley’s rise from the anonymity and peculiarities of White-Collar boxing to the cusp of such opportunity is both romantic in its appeal and astonishing in its reach.

Wardley defeats Parker in thudding brawl

Dave Allen. Good fighter. Inside Dave Allen, he of the self-deprecation and tales of humility, regret and over hand right, lives a capable heavyweight. One of much greater boxing acumen than his lack of preparation invariably exposes to the watching public. Much of his enduring box-office appeal is founded on whimsical charisma, improbable durability and, well, man-child Yorkshireness. An area of England known for its grit, community and truculence.

Dave Allen. Good fighter.

Inside Dave Allen, he of the self-deprecation and tales of humility, regret and over hand right, lives a capable heavyweight. One of much greater boxing acumen than his lack of preparation invariably exposes to the watching public. Much of his enduring box-office appeal…

Leroy Murphy vs Chisanda Mutti - double knockdown revisited 40 years later The moment Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed fell to the floor simultaneously in final round of the fictional Rocky II rematch, Balboa rising to beat the count and win the title, fight fans could be forgi...

Think the double knockdown in #Rocky2 was improbable? Just a few years later, 19th Oct ‘85, Leroy Murphy and Chisanda ‘Kent Green’ Mutti were both on the canvas in their IBF Cruiserweight fight in France. I love digging around beneath these curiosities. #boxing

bigfightweekend.com/history/lero...

Liddard outsmarts for British title As is customary for British title fights at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, a venue situated in the heart of London’s East End and steeped in fight history, Kieron Conway and George Liddard offered a compelling fight for those who gathered, and the handful of customers DAZN hasn’t yet ostracised. Champion Conway entered the ring as the tried and trusted, Liddard as the upstart in a rush.

Liddard outsmarts for British title

As is customary for British title fights at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, a venue situated in the heart of London’s East End and steeped in fight history, Kieron Conway and George Liddard offered a compelling fight for those who gathered, and the handful of…

Hello, @rspb.bsky.social, @the-wildlifetrusts.bsky.social, @nationaltrust.org.uk.
Where the hell are you?

There are no more miracles. Ali and Holmes 45 years on Article first published at BigFightWeekend.com October 2nd 1980. The Last Hurrah. 45 years ago, Larry Holmes beat up his hero. A fight which sickened those watching on who loved his hero too. Muhammad Ali had reached into his deep reserves of magic and found there were no more miracles to summon. Aged 38, Ali’s feet were now slow, his energy sapped by a decade of grueling encounters with Frazier, Foreman and Norton, weight drained by misuse of Thyroid pills and the first creep of neurological demise becoming ever more evident.

There are no more miracles. Ali and Holmes 45 years on

Article first published at BigFightWeekend.com October 2nd 1980. The Last Hurrah. 45 years ago, Larry Holmes beat up his hero. A fight which sickened those watching on who loved his hero too. Muhammad Ali had reached into his deep reserves of…

Some good news.

London is meeting legal limits for toxic NO2 pollution for the first time – almost 200 years earlier than predicted – following the Mayor’s "world leading air pollution policies," City Hall announces.

The Ultra Low Emissions Zone - and similar policies - really do work.

If the government wants economic growth it must bring essential industries into public ownership Successive governments clobber households and small businesses by hiking interest rates to manage inflation, but don’t inconvenience corporations.

Since privatisation England's water companies paid £88.4bn in dividends.

90% of water companies owned by foreign investors/govts.

90% of dividend not recirculated in the UK economy. No UK tax paid on dividends.

Public ownership would make a difference.

Can Crawford succeed where De La Hoya failed? Article first appeared at BigFightWeekend.com This Saturday in Las Vegas, alas no longer the singular mecca of boxing that once it was, Terence Crawford reaches the final scenes of his decorated career on the grandest stage of all. A 17-year voyage in which he has become undisputed champion in the Lightweight, Junior Welterweight and Welterweight divisions. It is a compelling assembly of titles in an era more famous for the obstacles the sanctioning bodies impose on those pursuant of transcendent glory than the fights won to overcome them.

Can Crawford succeed where De La Hoya failed?

Article first appeared at BigFightWeekend.com This Saturday in Las Vegas, alas no longer the singular mecca of boxing that once it was, Terence Crawford reaches the final scenes of his decorated career on the grandest stage of all. A 17-year voyage in…

A working-class hero departs. Article first published on BigFightWeekend.com Ricky Hatton’s impact on British boxing during an illustrious 15-year career is difficult to over state. The council estate beginnings were as important as the Vegas venues he would eventually reach in carving out his place in the affections of the tens of thousands who would follow him to the States, famously drinking the bars dry, and the many millions who loved him from afar.

A working-class hero departs.

Article first published on BigFightWeekend.com Ricky Hatton’s impact on British boxing during an illustrious 15-year career is difficult to over state. The council estate beginnings were as important as the Vegas venues he would eventually reach in carving out his…

Norwich gyms offering free access TODAY A variety of Norwich gyms and sports centres are offering free passes today, September 24, to celebrate National Fitness Day.

My girl Vivienne’s first ever by line. Very proud of her. @viviennepayne.bsky.social

www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/2549073...

Any serious British Government should have George within it. He would strain at the leash but he has a perspective that is so intuitive, informed and bigger picture focussed that he should be used for the greater good.