Daniel Cann

Carlos Monzon

King Carlos: Street fighting man Undoubtedly one of the greatest middleweights of all time has to be Argentina’s Carlos Monzon. Inside the ring he was all domination and control, ruling the World middleweight roost for an impressive seven years defeating all comers. Outside the ring his life was often reckless and out of control. Chaos and control would be running themes throughout his turbulent life, that he is still adored by his countrymen is testament to his exceptional ring career. ... Read more...

Clash of the Titans (2010)

Those of a certain age will remember a film starring ‘LA Law’s’ Harry Hamlin and ‘Rocky’s’ trainer, Burgess Meredith in a camp sword and sandals Ray Harryhausen ‘creature feature’ that entertained and enthralled millions of kids worldwide. Seemingly lacking in any original ideas and obsessed with remakes or ‘reimagining’s’ of old films or television series we now have ‘Clash of the Titans’ the remake. Have thirty years and the obvious leap in the special effects department: from stop motion to ... Read more...

Bob Foster

Maximum Bob! Bob Foster must be considered as one of the greatest (if not the greatest) World light-heavyweight champions of all time. He was certainly one of the hardest hitting! Like Cornishman (and another Bob!) Bob Fitzsimmons, Foster was a tall, gangly looking fighter with pipe stem arms and legs and with a long thin torso. But the power he could generate especially in his vaunted left hook left many ringsiders gasping and many opponents flattened. For just over six years when he hel... Read more...

Ward v Gatti

18 May 2002 Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut In all the years I have been a follower of the sport of boxing (over a quarter of a century and counting) there has never been a contest of such drama, intensity and courage as shown in the Arturo Gatti versus Micky Ward contest held at Uncasville, Connecticut on 18 May 2002. No title was at stake and to be honest none was needed, this was for that most important commodity of all: self respect. In an age where the proliferation of so ... Read more...

Wild Target (2010)

This is a quintessentially British comedy remake of original French film (‘Cible Emouvante’). Bill Nighy plays 54 year old hitman Victor Maynard who is told by his infirm but still formidable mother (Eileen Atkins) that it is time to settle down after a long and successful career at the top of his profession. Victor lives for the approval of his mother, constantly living in the shadow of his deceased father and grandfather (also assassins of course). One particular mission gets Victor entang... Read more...

Four Lions (2010)

A film about four inept Jihadist terrorists in Britain is not your typical subject matter for a comedy. Unsurprisingly ‘Brass Eye’s’ King of controversy Chris Morris is involved on co-writing and directing duties and it shows. Love him or loathe him Morris is master of dealing with tough subjects most comedians shy away from. I went to a screening of this one with some trepidation and much anticipation. My main worry was: would it be too dark? Or even worse: unfunny? Well, Morris and co-write... Read more...

Muhammad Ali

‘I am the Greatest!’ Muhammad Ali transcended sport, when he literally became the most famous man on the planet. The road to that remarkable achievement was a long and winding one with plenty of bumps along the way, but without doubt he captivated both boxing and non-boxing fans with his prodigious talent, good looks and his outspoken personality. He was the most flamboyant showman, the most outrageous and unashamed self-publicist and perhaps its most gifted performer. Boxing in the early ... Read more...

Killers (2010)

From writers Bob DeRosa and Ted Griffin this comedy is a mixture of two genres: the spy movie and the rom-com. Ashton Kutcher is Spencer Aimes, a spy on a last job in Nice, France. Here he meets Jen Kornfeldt (‘Knocked Up’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’s’ Katherine Heigl) on holiday with her parents. The two fall in love and later marry. The action then moves on three years later to perfect American suburbia where Spencer is in a regular job and Jen is blissfully happy in her marriage, totally unaware of ... Read more...

Rocky Marciano

The Brockton Blockbuster Rocco Francis Marchegiano better known to the world as Rocky Marciano was the least technical world champion of modern times. He had one method of fighting, to get close to his opponent and batter them into submission as soon as possible. He was a threshing machine who just did not let up throwing punches from all angles non-stop until his opponent was either knocked out or overwhelmed. This ‘style’ required enormous reserves of stamina as well as physical and mental ... Read more...

Sandy Saddler

Featherweight Giant In boxing beating a legend or following a legend is a tough thing to do. Sandy Saddler knew all about that. As a result he has perhaps never quite received the acclaim his talents deserved. An eye injury prematurely ended his career and arguably he never quite got the breaks. One thing that cannot be questioned is that Saddler undoubtedly belongs in the Parthenon of featherweight greats. He had fearsome punching power, great physical strength and stamina and that essential... Read more...