Welcome to Magno’s first bulging mailbag of the new year! In 2024, I promise to return this column to the nasty, mean-spirited, no-deal mailbag with the nonsense it used to be, before I convince myself to back off. This Thursday we start with comments/questions about my predictions for 2024 and advice for an aspiring boxing journalist.
Predictions for 2024
Hello Magno.
I noticed that you didn’t post your annual predictions for next year, like you used to do every year. I used to look forward to them, not only because of the predictions (which were very interesting and often accurate), but also because of the humor. Did Steve Kim and Doug Fischer ever get married in a private beach ceremony, according to your prediction from a couple of years ago? Do you think we could get some predictions for 2024 (funny or not)?
-Gonzo
Hello Gonzo.
Thanks for worrying about those off-the-cuff predictions. I didn’t make them this year for several reasons. He was dealing with some illness and some other work distractions. But to be honest, it was mainly because I lost interest and didn’t really feel like doing it. All the dumb/stupid shit beyond the actual fight had simply drained my energy. But I’m going to muster the energy in this week’s Sack to drop some forecast nuggets:
* Terence Crawford will NOT fight Errol Spence in the long-awaited rematch of their July 2023 one-sided crush. Instead, Crawford will face Keith Thurman in a blockbuster Amazon Prime pay-per-view event in June where he will stop “One Time” in the ninth round. In November, Crawford will return to the ring, moving up to 154 to decide Tim Tszyu for the WBO junior middleweight title in a Fight of the Year battle, also on Amazon Prime PPV.
*Errol Spence will not fight in 2024.
*The heavyweight title unification clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, scheduled for February, will NOT happen. Following the first postponement, the fight will be postponed until April and then later in the year, before being abandoned entirely. Amid the “will they, won’t they” confusion, Usyk will fight and beat Joseph Parker by decision and Fury will beat Efe Ajagba, also by decision, in their only fights of the year, both in Saudi Arabia.
* Tank Davis will stop Frank Martin in PBC’s debut pay-per-view event on Amazon Prime. A few weeks later, it will be announced that Tank vs. Devin Haney for Haney’s WBC junior welterweight title was signed for the fall.
* Tank vs. Haney won’t reach the numbers of Tank vs. Ryan Garcia, but will still be the best-selling event of 2024. In the fight itself, Davis will come from behind to take a 12-round decision weighed down by two late knockdowns from Haney.
* Saúl Álvarez’s two fights this year will be against Chris Eubank Jr. and Vladimir Shishkin, but not necessarily in that order.
* In response, David Benavidez will officially move up to 175, announcing the winner of the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol title unification clash, which will continue to be postponed and delayed.
* I will be hired in the rumored Saudi sweep of boxing journalists and writers, earning in one month what I have earned, in total, over the past two years. Then I’ll do something stupid, like stand up for my principles over some silly editorial detail, and I’ll be fired on the 31st day of my contract. I will not attend the meeting at the Saudi consulate in Turkey to discuss the dismissal at all.
* Victor Conte newsletter editor Steve Kim will announce that he will undergo gender reassignment surgery, pending genetic testing to determine his actual current gender.
Tips for beginner boxing journalists
Hi, Pablo.
I’m a big fan of your writing, even though I’m 15 and you constantly warn us that it’s not always safe for work or age appropriate for younger readers, lol. I really admire your no-nonsense style and how you’re willing to go places other writers don’t. I just hope you were joking about selling out to the Saudis. Anyway, I’m an aspiring sports journalist and a big boxing fan. Do you have any advice for a newbie to the business and someone still writing for a high school job? I am attaching some of my work and I would also appreciate it if you gave me your opinion, if you have time, of course.
Thank you.
— Antonio Borrego
Hey Antonio.
My advice? Run in the opposite direction, away from the boxing! Just kidding (sort of). The only thing you really need to determine is that your love for the sport is unbreakable. If your goal is to tell the truth and serve a purpose as an honest voice in sport, you will be met with endless disappointment and frustration (and also attacks… lots of attacks and/or blackmail). Your love for the sport and your dedication to your role in it has to be so great that it can withstand all the nonsense that will be heaped on you. Almost everyone who begins in the business with lofty aspirations, with the intention of fulfilling a purpose as a true journalist and/or honest expert, eventually burns out and retires from the sport (those who are not ultimately corrupted and/or strategically lobotomized). If you are going to be “real”, you are paving a difficult path for yourself. The love for the sport has to be there and it has to be more than strong.
If your ultimate goal is simply to be a run-of-the-mill word monkey with one eye on gaining access and the other on building your personal portfolio with traded scoops and pre-approved, strategically “leaked” information, life will change you. It will be easier and you will probably make more money too. But your existence would have no purpose. Some people are okay with that and are only in it for the fame and money that comes their way. You’ll have to face that dilemma too, as lesser writers and thinkers leave you behind on the ladder of success.
Again, you will have to be very, very firm in your mission if you want to stay the course and have a career. It’s hard, but it’s also worth it when it’s accomplished and people “get” what you’re trying to accomplish.
In terms of the writing itself? Get informed. Don’t rely on media reports to inform you. Also, find your voice and use it. That’s actually the hardest part of writing. Learning to be yourself and remove the false filters you have adopted over the years is difficult. Be true to who you really are and move away from what you’ve learned is “acceptable.” Say what you want and what you think is right, regardless of how it may upset certain people. All this hassle is only worth it if it means something. None of this makes sense if you’re looking to be exactly like everyone else.
I will look at your writing and comment privately.
Do you have any questions (or hate mail) for Magno’s bulging mailbag? The best of the best is included in the weekly mail segment here on FightHype. Send your stuff here: [email protected].
