Review - Bunce Live at Sunderland

Well, with being of Black and White persuasion it normally takes a bloody good excuse to venture into Sunderland. However, I thought it was time to buck the trend and visit 'Mackemland', more importantly I thought it was nigh time I checked out Mr Bunce to see whether the man himself was in the flesh the same loveable lunatic we have seen on our TV screens.

So, it was with much anticipation I travelled the 20 miles or so to Pullman Lodge on the seafront of the city to check out the latest installment of Bunce Live, a series of live shows catered for the hardcore boxing fan in the absence of Setanta and the demise of the excellent show hosted by Messers Bunce and Kerr.

First impressions were good, I was greeted at the door by what can only be described as a 'friendly bouncer'. I was shown exactly where the show was being held and was asked to please 'sit to the right' although on closer inspection I could really have sat where I wanted due to the relatively low turnout, I would guess I was one of about 25 people who attended this show.

The low attendance was a real shame and one of only a few negatives on the evening. It is evident that in the North East we don't have a Haye, Calzaghe, Khan or a Hatton to really latch onto and this was shown by as I have mentioned a low turnout. The flip side to this is that what we had was a very knowledgeable and interested crowd and none of the stupid heckling and patter you get at other shows from people who have only turned up to go on the beer.

Anyway, on to the show itself. Straightaway it was evident that the Steve Bunce we saw in Sunderland was exactly the same Steve Bunce we have all seen on TV, and for me that is mainly a positive thing. The show kicked off with Bunce telling various stories (in between plugging his new book!) of varying interest. Of particular interest were his views on Barry McGuigan who lets say whilst he has the man's respect as a fighter it is also fair to say won't be getting a Christmas card this year and, it has to be said, vice versa.

Other stories and rants of note were the perilous situation we find our sport in regarding the lack of TV. Bunce was at pains to point out that Sky's dominance and lack of quality especially in terms of undercard fights would mean that as fans we would continue to be served up at times stuff that could only be described as rubbish - no arguments on that score from me.

I found his views on our current fighters interesting, in particular David Haye, not getting enough credit from our media. It was obvious he was referring to some writers from our most prominent 'red top' newspaper but to his credit he stopped short of naming names.

If I were to nit pick I would say I was not really interested in hearing about a certain light-welter's drinking habits or about Mike Tyson's love for pigeons, but hey, that's just a personal opinion and a minor gripe about what was generally a very interesting opening part of the show.

Next up came an interview with local cruiserweight David Dolan. Again, this was an interesting and welcome part of the show. Bunce in his own way was a very good interviewer and Dolan a very likeable guy with some interesting David Haye stories to tell, needless to say Haye did not have it all his own way in sparring while both were amateurs. After the interview I found myself wanting to follow Dolan's career more closely and I for one hope he beats Rob Norton in January.

A quick 20-minute break ensued with Mr Bunce taking the time to speak to everyone in attendance (obviously with the small crowd this would not have taken too long but still I thought it was a good gesture especially I was sitting on my own and could have been open to various 'billy nomate' jokes!).

Second half of the show kicked off with an interview with Prizefighter heavyweight and Audley Harrison victim Danny Hughes. Again, this part of the show was a success. Hughes came across very well and interestingly spoke highly of big Audley saying that he felt he 'hit hard'. When pressed on who was the better fighter out of Sexton, Fury and Chisora he sat on the fence a little which was refreshing to hear in a way as he did not come out with any rubbish about knocking so and so out, he was respectful and it was good to hear. Take note please, Mr Fury!

All in all both interviews left me wanting Dolan and Hughes to prosper in their careers.

The last part of the show was your classic Q + A session where the audience were invited to ask the man himself his views on a variety of subjects. Highlights were:

• Calzaghe's legacy is untarnished despite Kessler losing to Andre Ward. In fact Bunce only had good things to say about Joe
• Pacquaio would beat Mayweather if the fight was held in the next six months
• Khan would beat the likes of Devon Alexander or Tim Bradley
• Worst title fight he ever saw: Nelson v De Leon, in Bunce's words 'the best cure for insomnia around'

This part of the show I enjoyed the most - I could have quite happily stayed another hour and listened to people's questions and hear fellow fight fan's views on a variety of topics. In fact, and again this is a minor gripe, if I were to offer one bit of advice for future shows it would be to make the Q + A longer as opposed to the stories in the first part of the show.

All in all though a genuinely enjoyable and positive night. Minor gripes aside and the fact that Bunce rarely finishes a story before launching into another one this was a great night.

Bunce was exactly what it said on the tin and whether you love him or hate him you have to say that on the evidence of this show he is a vital and welcome player in British boxing.

Heck, I would even go back to Sunderland if he came back.