Steve Bunce: The 'sweet science' of storytelling

Steve Bunce: The 'sweet science' of storytelling

Rich Clarke
podcast
Bunce graphic.png

Steve Bunce is the most influential journalist in British boxing today.

He is also a collector of sporting tales, master storyteller and someone who revers the fight writers of yesteryear.

I firmly believe that boxing has a special narrative. It creates stories like no other sport, therefore 'Buncey' was the perfect guest to discuss the topic. 

Expect a lot of tales and tangents in this 90 minutes as we discuss the particular storylines thrown up by the 'sweet science'

Steve Bunce and me

Steve Bunce and me

The phrase ‘sometimes you just could not make it up’ is vastly overused but…

TOPICS

Leprechauns - McGuigan v Pedrosa and Eubank v Close II

The T-junction narratives of Joshua v Ruiz II

The Daily Mirror's front page after Clay v Liston, calling out the reporters who got it wrong, including their own

Leon Spinks - the eight-fight novice who beat Ali and then threw it away in the rematch seven months later. He was arrested seven times between the fight

The adversarial nature of the boxing build-up - press conferences and weigh-in

Why those nasty press conferences may have reached their peak

How the police so nearly saved Errol Christie's life (Christie v Kaylor press conference story)

The fake hate and real hate in press conferences

How wrestler Gorgeous George forced Ali to change his promotional game (Story on YouTube)

Why Anthony Joshua won't do theatrical press conferences because of his violent past

The Larry Holmes v Trevor Berbick grudge

The natural 'rise and fall' story arc of boxing

The litany of British legends who were left with no money

The character of the promoter - Don King, Eddie Hearn, Frank Warren

The growth of YouTube channels in boxing

The critics of the new channels and the deconstruction of old media virtues

Buncey asks some advice about podcasting  

Why boxing writing has a special tradition

Filing copy from fight night by knocking on houses and asking to borrow a phone

The danger of living in the past as a boxing writer

The concept of the Chief Sports Writer

Has boxing writing gone downhill?

Why boxing movies are the best sports movies

The legend of Nosher Powell

Buncey's novel - The Fixer

Why boxing is the only sport that seems to work on pay-per-view

Buncey's prediction for boxing's future - the threat from MMA

LINKS

Steve Bunce Twitter

Steve Bunce at The Independent

The Fixer - novel

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