Barry McGuigan sits still for just a moment in Belfast’s Europa Hotel as he contemplates his answer. 

Former boxing promoter Frank Maloney is undergoing a sex change, it has been reported.

The story of Sir Henrys and its famous Sweat night has been well told in the past. How a weekly dance night in the Cork venue grew into one of the best house events in Europe in the 1990s, attaining quite a reputation for its amazing atmosphere and the quality of music on offer.

The boxing impresario Don King would have been suitably impressed with the hype generated at a Cork County Council meeting when standing orders were suspended to discuss the art of pugilism.

The neighbours inthis corner of London won’t shed a tear when the Olympics are over and the Irish go home.

IT was a Shakespearean tragedy on a canvas and a Saturday night.

FEAR and loathing continues to dominate Fine Gael and Labour’s pre-budget bust-ups.

Muhammad Ali was among the mourners on Monday at the funeral of long-time rival Joe Frazier in Philadelphia.

WORRIED eyes turned towards Philadelphia these past few days, knowing the news was bad, hoping without logic that Joe Frazier could beat the odds one more time. Outside the boxing community, however, concern was muted.

IT’S a familiar, hackneyed old show. And one which is rerun a lot these days.

AT TIMES, the build-up to this Ryder Cup has seemed more like that of a boxing world title fight, such has been the fall-out from Rory McIlroy’s seemingly innocuous comment that he would quite like to play against Tiger Woods this weekend.

There was a time well within living memory that such a contest would have dominated discussions for weeks beforehand – and afterwards.

LAZING about, tapping your feet and sipping beer are usually the extent of a festival goers’ activities. Not for much longer.

Amir Khan’s high-profile clash with Marco Antonio Barrera will go ahead on March 14 as planned after a medical examination confirmed the Mexican legend will be fit to box.

EVANDER HOLYFIELD should learn next week whether he has secured another shot at the world heavyweight title at the age of 46.

MIKE ‘The Rebel’ Perez, a former world junior champion, will headline the most exciting professional boxing show ever staged in Cork where he will be joined by two other Cuban-born world junior champions on another Nowhere to Hyde bill at Neptune Stadium on September 13.

MIKE TYSON’S phenomenal rise to glory and his epic fall from the pinnacle will be examined in a new documentary on the former undisputed world heavyweight champion to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

ONLY a big fight night in the Big Apple can start with Don King in a Santa Claus outfit and end with a promoter and his boxer both staking claims to fight the same man.

JOHN DUDDY’S first professional fight on Irish soil is to be televised live on US television.

A day after thousands bade a rousing farewell to singer James Brown at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre in New York, friends and relatives gathered tonight for a more humble memorial service near the place the Godfather of Soul called home.

With his Shaq-like dimensions and fearsome features, Nikolay Valuev — history’s tallest heavyweight champ — intimidates foes and titillates fans, but can Don King’s colossus fight? L. Jon Wertheim reports.

It is the ultimate sporting merger of brain and brawn. Simon Lewis investigates the strange new world of Chessboxing.

Don King has backed Ricky Hatton’s bid to establish himself as one of the world’s leading welterweights irrespective of whether a title is on the line in Boston on Saturday.

"The Clones Colossus" Kevin McBride scored a fourth round TKO win over Byron Polley overnight in Cleveland in what was his first fight since defeating Mike Tyson last June.

Ricky Hatton’s next opponent is still unknown as his promoters attempt to arrange a defence against IBF mandatory challenger Ben Rabah.

IRISH middleweight Andy Lee is gearing himself up for his professional debut in the USA in the New Year.

NIKOLAI VALUEV reaped the rewards of more than a decade of hard work to become the tallest and heaviest world champion in boxing history.

Vitali Klitschko’s trainer believes a number of “young, strong fighters” can step up to become world heavyweight champion.

Kevin McBride’s camp insist he will not be fighting Matt Skelton on December 10 at London’s ExCel Arena.

Promoter Don King has accused WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko of ducking Hasim Rahman after the fight was postponed for the fourth time.

KEVIN MCBRIDE believes he is on the brink of clinching a deal to face WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz. McBride shocked the boxing world when he beat Mike Tyson - prompting the former undisputed world champion to retire in June.

Joe Calzaghe’s frustrating wait for a career-defining world super-middleweight title unification fight is set to continue after the Welshman suffered another injury setback in Cardiff.

THE BUILD-UP to this afternoon's FA Cup Final has felt less like a football story than a tale of the tape, a heavyweight eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with all the appropriate chest-pounding, shadow boxing and verbal sparring.

Dethroned WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz announced his retirement following last night’s defeat by former middleweight James Toney in New York.

Danny Williams today pledged to bounce back from December’s crushing defeat by WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko by clinching another world title shot.

IT was third time lucky for Donald Trump as he wed Slovenian beauty Melania Knauss in one of the most extravagant society weddings in recent memory.

It was third time lucky for Donald Trump today as he wed Slovenian beauty Melania Knauss in one of the most lavish society weddings in recent memory.

FLAMBOYANT fight promoter Don King filed a $2.5bn lawsuit against ESPN yesterday, claiming he was defamed by a programme on the cable sports television network.

Don King’s ‘Battle For Supremacy’ night of heavyweight boxing turned into a battle for credibility at Madison Square Garden.

Frank Malley

A court will hear a former heavyweight boxer’s lawsuit against film star Sylvester Stallone.

DANNY Williams arrived back in Britain yesterday insisting he had won over America by proving his fighting heart.