Our writers’ favorite interviews conducted in 2024

So far in the latest BoxingScene roundtable series we’ve looked at the best fights, most memorable fighters and now we focus on a crucial part of the job.

What was your favorite interview?

Kieran Mulvaney: Lisa McClellan. I hadn’t spoken with her before but came away so impressed with her stoic determination to do the right thing not only for her brother but every other boxer in need of assistance.

Lucas Ketelle: Jordan Fuentes. I talked to him before he signed with Golden Boy Promotions. He has a sad story.

Owen Lewis: Jonathan “La Roca” Lopez. Professional athletes often struggle to break down their trade in a way that we laypeople can understand, and boxing felt more visceral to me than ever when I chatted to “La Roca.” He described sparring in a sauna suit, comparing it to running underwater or in a “hot-ass” oven. I watched footage of him sparring as a six-year-old and was initially impressed, then a bit despondent that anybody should have to take punches to the head and body at such a young age. It’s easy to hold the sport at arm’s length as a fan, but have a conversation with a boxer and the painful realities of boxing envelop you fast.

Matt Christie: I engaged in countless off record conversations that were educational for different reasons. Getting facts lined up has always been one of my favourite parts of the job. However, after hearing about what propels Firat Arslan to still box at the age of 54, I was yet again left in awe about what these incredible people actually do.

Declan Warrington: Tyson Fury. It was six days before he was due to contest the undisputed heavyweight title with Oleksandr Usyk, his dad John had just idiotically head-butted one of Oleksandr Usyk’s friends, and he sat down and spoke honestly, charismatically and entertainingly for in the region of 30 minutes in a way that very few others can when he’s in that type of mood. Kathy Duva and Kostya Tszyu, on the eve of Bakhram Murtazaliev-Tim Tszyu, were also very good, but when he wants to be, Fury’s one of the best interviewees of all.

Jason Langendorf: Any words from the mouth of Tim Tszyu. No fighter is more thoughtful while remaining plain-spoken, nor more analytical while refusing to make excuses. It was a tough year for Tszyu, but he never pointed fingers, never backed away an inch when owning up to his own shortcomings and never stole so much as a pinch of glory from Sebastian Fundora or Bakhram Murtazaliev.

Lance Pugmire: Vergil Ortiz Jr. The junior-middleweight’s zest for competition and enthusiasm for the sport is so refreshing, and now that he’s back to full health, his interest in cleaning out the sport’s deepest division is everything fight fans should want from their favorite warrior. Ortiz stepped up to meet gritty Serhii Bohachuk, shrugged off two knockdowns to win a fight-of-the-year candidate and now moves on to former champion Israil Madrimov still without a full-fledged belt.

Tris Dixon: This is a tough one, but Jesse Hart and I bonded over what was supposed to be a 10-minute Zoom interview that drew me in way deeper and will always stay with me.

Eric Raskin: George Foreman. I interviewed him for the 50th anniversary of his fight with Ken Norton, and he is an absolute marvel — a needed counterweight to the feeling we often have that it ends badly for all of our pugilistic heroes. George is 75, a veteran of 81 pro fights, used his head to block god-knows-how-many punches from 200-plus pound warriors, and he was as sharp as ever during our conversation, rattling off details of the Norton fight as if he’d just gotten home from Caracas the day before our call. And he makes you feel as if it was as much his honor to talk to you as it was yours to talk to him.

Elliot Worsell: Harry Simon was good if only because interviewing him shook me out of my comfort zone and had me question my own motives – again. I was also happy to turn a PR-arranged, six-minute interview with Joshua Buatsi into something a little more worthwhile and interesting by shaking him out of his comfort zone. My favourite of all, though, was Willie Limond’s son, Jake. Nobody impressed me more than him, either in the ring or outside it.