Boxing and Newspapers - Interview with The Times' Sports Ed
It’s a common gripe of boxing fans that even ‘big fights’ simply aren’t given much publicity in national newspapers. Readers of BoxRec News will know that Felix Sturm v Martin Murray is a big fight – but would sports editors, never mind casual fans, even recognise the names?
The Times has been in circulation since the late eighteenth century. It is a newspaper which still commands big sales and global respect. BoxRec News decided to seek the view of its Sports Editor, Tim Hallissey (pictured).
1. As an Editor, what are your feelings about boxing as a sport?
TH: It’s a hugely compelling sport and one which has been an interesting case study. There was probably a time in the 90’s when one could almost see the end of boxing as a sport due to some unfortunate tragedies plus the fragmentation of titles. Yet it appears to have come through all of that.
2. What determines whether you give a fight or fighter space?
TH: Success sells, good stories, good narratives. There’s a misunderstanding about sports coverage that we’re only interested in negative stories but that’s simply not true. ‘Happy clappy stories’ are what people want. Another dissection of an England World Cup exit is something no one wants yet when they beat Germany 5-1 sales went through the roof. Hatton, Calzaghe and Haye are all good stories.
3. Where does boxing currently sit in the pecking order of sport coverage?
TH: If anyone from any newspaper says it isn’t football at the top, they would want their bumps felt. Then for us it’s cricket, rugby, golf, tennis, motor racing. Boxing is in the next group after that. It’s a very individual sport with a very individual cast list. Golf and tennis are too but they have more regular slices of action whereas boxing is more episodic. There are probably around three or four a year. It’s purely a personal point of view but I find the pre-fight posturing tedious. It might be part of the tapestry of the sport but it’s hard to sell to our readers.
4. Who stands out as the most appealing boxer, from a journalistic perspective (one Brit, one international)?
TH: Amir Khan is a great, ongoing British story. Manny Pacquiao – we’ve had some great copy from him and the adulation he gets at home is terrific.
5. What effect does a damp squib of a hyped fight (e.g. Klitschko v Haye) have for a sports editor?
TH: There’s no question that it doesn’t help. With Haye, he over-talked himself a bit. You have a crap fight but then you get a crap football match and a crap cricket match – it happens in different sports. It’s when you keep having them that it becomes detrimental.
6. Would a return to terrestrial TV help boxing get more coverage in the media?
TH: The simple answer is yes. The more readers can access boxing, they will become more familiar with the fighters. Then again, Naseem Hamed was almost exclusively on Sky and he made a big indent. Generally, more TV exposure would help our readers.
7. What would have to change for boxing to secure more coverage from you?
TH: More success, really, not that we’ve been success starved of late. More fighters winning titles and selling out stadiums.
More on this topic can be found in this month’s Boxing Monthly magazine.
