By Mike C Ryan

 

Nat’s mag gets it wrong

The Ring magazine, cover date April 2007, cost $16.20 Aust (wow!) at my newsagent. In the years of Nat Fleischer, Ring was boxing’s world leader. Decades on, it claims to be still the authority. Alphabet champs are nothing; only The Ring Champ is Champ, they say.

Their ratings for April 2007 declare the Featherweight Championship Vacant.

They put Chris John #1 and Juan Manuel Marquez #2 . . but call the Featherweight Championship Vacant. This, even when on the same page, they declare, “Championship vacancies can be filled by winning a box-off between The Ring’s Number One and Number Two contenders.”

As you all know, Chris John already had that box-off.

John comfortably defeated Marquez in Indonesia last year.

So why isn’t the Perth trained ‘Dragon’ on their throne?

It’s that old delusion, “America is the only place that counts”. They’ve never seen Chris John fight so he doesn’t count.