Steve Bunce
@bigdaddybunce
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BBC 5 Live Boxing Pod; The Big Fat Short History of British Boxing; Independent since 1998, C5, Boxing News, Heavyweight History at Yahoo, TNT Team.
London
Joined March 2011
Amateur boxing gets zero from government but professional horse racing & its millionaire owners get 40 million quid. Wow. Thousands of boxers denied, hundreds of gyms left struggling. Alternative view: gambling revenue from amateur boxing zero. do I need to continue? Horseshit.
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You been in hospital lately? Watched from behind a curtain overnight in A&E? Listened to the exhaustion in their voices? Seen their dedication and brilliance up close at 4am? Back them? Why are you even having to think about it?.@SocialistNHS.
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You talk to real people and it is hell. Friends in ICU with Covid, taxman chasing people like a devil, bailiffs still breaking down doors, disgraceful food parcels, hypocrites galore. Where the fuck is the humanity and sense? We have to be better than this.
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In 2009 when Setanta died I had a massive family holiday to America planned. Skint, I had to scrap it - Then Enzo Calzaghe called: “StevethisisshityoucanhavvamyhouseinSardiniafornothingnotafuckingpenny.Justtellmewhen.” Great man. It will be an honour to be at his funeral.
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When Dillian Whyte’s ban was over he fought on back-to-back Friday nights at the Camden Centre. I was there, I had to be. Deano, his brother, was next to me. A small crowd. He lost money on the fights. He was fat and slow - but he had that belief. He’s a real fighter. A good man.
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This is special.
"It was the best I've ever seen in my life" - @Tyson_Fury and his dad share a touching moment after becoming World Champion 🥊 👑 . Don’t miss the final episode of #TysonFury The Gypsy King, tonight at 9pm on @ITV and @ITVHub
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Just to let you all know that the Costello & Bunce Boxing Podcast from @5liveSport is up for an award at the @SportSJA ceremony in London on Monday. Thanks for all the support over the years and especially this week. Costello is also up for an award on his own. Class.
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Still in hotel lobbies in Saudi Arabia - it turns out I was the only person who thought Fury would win… everybody knew that Big Francis would drop him, bash him and then get jobbed. They all knew Fury had not trained. I feel like a fool!!!.
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Has any former heavyweight world champion ever been accused of lacking so many vital fighting ingredients? It’s a miracle AJ can walk and talk: He’s got no heart, guts, desire, backbone, legs, chin, stamina, punch, boxing brain. The man must be a medical miracle!.
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Let me get this right … on TV they had NO clue what had happened. It was chaos. Hamilton was about 16 seconds in front & then a car crashes, some cars zig zag. Nobody can explain it & then the pair start the last lap tyre-to-tyre! If that was boxing, it would be called crooked!.
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Stop Press: Maxi Hughes robbed in USA in fight of his life. A f@@@@@@ disgrace. Last week there was real/fake outrage when a clown ripped her top off - this is a genuine crime and there will be silence. Everybody in the boxing media needs to look in that mirror this morning.
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Saying you “knew Whyte would get chinned” is the most feeble of Sunday boasts. Sad. Did you also know Whyte would drop Povetkin twice in the fourth? The same people said: “Povetkin is too old.” It’s after-timers fairy land. Give both some respect. Report soon from @independent.
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Wardley v Clarke was sensational. A privilege to watch. One of the greatest British heavyweight fights to ever take place. They deserve every prize. Thank you both.
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Walking to the venue in Las Vegas for a fight. It’s either the 55th or 56th time I have made that walk. Never gets old, always a privilege. Silence now until the fight is over. Enjoy it.
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During the last 30 years I have picked against Bruno, Lewis, Benn, Eubank, Hatton, Harrison, Woods, Witter, Khan, Froch, DeGale, Groves, Haye, Bellew, Brook and in other fights I have picked them to Win. It’s not personal, it’s my job. I want Tony to win, let’s get that clear.
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I had no trouble pushing Paul v KSI when it was a prank/mad/fun fight: I loved that it did great numbers. It’s trickier now that they are in my business - a business of honourable & hardened professional boxers. There should be no shortcuts - not for boxers, promoters or managers.
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Brilliant move. Simple as that.
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Once upon a time Bruno v Lewis was followed a week later by Benn v Eubank II. Not bad. However, Nov 28 to Dec 19, 2020, takes some bloody beating for a run of great fights in British boxing. Untouchable. Dubois-Joyce, Saunders-Murray, Arthur-Yarde, Joshua-Pulev, Smith-Canelo.
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How about everybody working in the boxing business holding back from posting any trivial boxing garbage today. A bit of silent respect.
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It’s big out here. Sun is out, taxi on way and venue ready. Enjoy at home, enjoy it if you are here. Real championship boxing in Los Angeles. A pleasure to be here.
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No Anniversary needed to remember an old friend and a very underrated heavyweight: Gary Mason on a Sunday morning, why not.
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11 boxers. 6 medals. A record haul by British boxers. This is the Team. Congratulations to every member of @gbboxing So proud.
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From July 10 there will be six solid weeks of televised fights in Britain - there will be 20 or more that are very good, competitive, real fights. Support them, back the fighters, back the British boxing business - it will be back.
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Just look at Joe’s footwork. 19 stone overweight, not been in a ring for 27 years and he moves like an angel over a fluffy cloud. Just look, that is genius.
First one back in a while, & feeling very unfit! But no better feeling than getting a few rounds in with your old man 💙🥊
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Fuck me, Channel 4 news in the UK just ran sixty seconds on Marvin. That has made my day. Lovely.
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He won his first world title in Thailand in 1998. He is 40 now. @mannypacquiao is having his 70th fight Saturday. They don’t make boxers like him anymore. He is legend. Take a read, thanks:
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It’s a week for priorities - unbeaten @Tyson_Fury fights unbeaten KO King @BronzeBomber in LA on Saturday. All other boxing chit chat should be suspended until midnight 1/12/18. This is real, not a pantomime. Enjoy it.
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Top spot - Costello won at the SJA Awards last night. Untouchable at the commentary caper. Deserved. The Pod got the silver. Thanks for all your support. We are in training now for gold next year.
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The Great Whispering Guru is gone. Brendan Ingle changed the shape and face of British boxing. The boxing man is dead. Everybody else in the business was in a line behind him / the place will not be the same.
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Canelo and Smith is available in the UK, it is not pay-per-view, it is slipping under the radar. Thankfully, so far on Costello and Bunce from @5liveSport we have spoken to @JoeG & @CallumSmith23 You can watch for 2 quid on @DAZNBoxing Public Service Message over, thanks.
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Shot, stabbed, ignored, hard fight after hard fight and still rejected, but @DillianWhyte has never stopped believing. This Saturday is the most important fight of his life: .
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The sweet old innocent days. A fun interview. Remember . If you steal it, please credit it. Thank you.
2nd September 2010 🗓. 22 year old Tyson Fury, 11 fights into his professional career, travels down to Finchley to spar a promising young amateur 🥊. That amateur's name, Anthony Joshua. Later that day, he spoke to @bigdaddybunce on BBC Radio London to tell him how it went.
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Show this to anybody who wonders how big Benn, Bruno and Hamed were.
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David Price is one of boxing’s true nice guys. He took us on a hard boxing journey and it was a privilege covering it for so many years. He can enjoy life a bit more now.
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Eating solo at the brilliant Scalini in Belfast and geezer leaves with his wife, ducks down, shakes my hand and says: “Thanks for all the kind things you say about our city.” A pleasure, I tell him. I mean it.
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What a 2019 - I reckon 120 live boxing shows on six-eight channels in UK. Numbers like we have never had. Enjoy it and stop moaning! You could put all the televised boxing from 1981 on two 180-minute VHS cassettes!.
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Untouchable. Legend.
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Right now 150 members of the British media should be camped in Texas for a super fight on Saturday. In many ways this fight is the biggest boxing casualty of Covid. @CallumSmith23 v @Canelo is a true beast of a fight. Stick with me on this. More to come.
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This time last week. Miller was clean, Claressa had not challenged Rocky, Tunde had not attacked little Carl and Amir still had a functioning pair. No sport like it!.
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Just one heavyweight championship fight this year - I think that is only the second time in about sixty years. And there was just one champion back then. Ouch.
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What a week in La La Land. It had everything including dignity and that is often a rarity in my business: Here is the last round in words. Unforgettable. Enjoy.
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Professional boxing is the only sport that can survive the Corona chaos: We have no league, we have no tournaments, the best don’t need to fight the best, we invent qualifiers - we do what we like! We can cancel, postpone, rearrange and muddle our way through any crisis!.
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If people knew James DeGale was shot to bits they need to show me the article and/or play me the interview where they stated before 9pm on Saturday that DeGale had nothing left.
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It’s mad. but Sky, Setanta, BoxNation and BT all told me that a live post-fight show would NOT work! Can somebody tell That to the thousands on Twitter right now talking about that fight! Yeah, no interest!!.
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Floyd Mayweather pays a lot of very big men a lot of money to look tough, act tough and he’s been paying them without a skirmish for a decade: today a surfer, novice boxer & YouTube lunatic stole his baseball cap & got away with it! Jake Paul strikes again. Floyd, sack ‘em all!.
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Finally leaving Las Vegas. What a week. A 15 minute drive on the strip with @RAtheRuggedMan in my ears playing. That’s an exit, my son. Thanks for listening and reading and watching.
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Double espresso on the beach in San Remo, Italy. Nino Benvenuti fought here. A giant.
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For all the people screaming that boxing is dead, fights are fixed, nobody cares: There were 8 professional shows in Britain over the weekend with 67 fights. That is more than just about any month in the Seventies. Go support a local promoter this weekend. Jack will get justice.
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@georgie_grier I did a book signing. One person came. The bookshop never had any copies of the book. I gave the punter the one copy I had in my bag. I still see the fella now at fights.
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He is five years younger than Hrgovic & Yoka. He went 12 hard rounds with Parker and Povetkin. He went to Bulgaria and went 12 with Pulev. They are his only defeats - they are nights that make a fighter. In this heavyweight month that is coming please don’t forget @hughiefury.
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Can somebody please post the middleweight tribute I did last night - let people decide on the fuss. A lot of people quick to click the switch on the electric chair on people without hearing a word. Just the tribute, not the handover to me. Thanks.
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First sight of the Olympic boxing ring in Paris. Now it is real.
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There is a chance that he is the most overlooked, ignored, avoided and feared fighter in UK: He is never mentioned for “big” fights. He fights at two weights. Top fighter.
“I just like putting pain on people. there’s no friends in this game and I’m going to keep on smashing everyone in my way.” 🔥 . - @Liamwilliamsko opponent announcement coming soon 👊. #TheFightBeforeChristmas
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When was the last time we talked about a fight as possibly being the Fight of the Decade? That is how we are talking about GGG v Alvarez.
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We held back on condemning Fury, Galahad and dozens of others. Bans were served and titles were won. Let’s hold back on all the “drug cheat” and “life ban” stuff. There are degrees of guilt and degrees of innocence. I know of cases where the boxer is both guilty & innocent!.
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Let's all bend out necks slightly and salute @AmirKingKhan .That is a fight, that is how you shut people up. Congrats to Amir and his people.
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I’d pay to watch @kashFarooq shadow box. Fighters should watch him, study what he does. Quality.
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Remember this - 10 more world title fights since that night: Show some respect.
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Two unbeaten, young heavyweights fighting for the vacant British title. It’s rare and very brave - some might say stupid:
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The Scottish heavies were what they were. What did you expect? Forget the talking. They gave every single thing they had - that’s our business. They don’t deserve a kicking. It was a classic six round novice scrap. Forget the bold talk and titles and claims. Well done, lads.
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It feels like a big fight week here in Las Vegas. Canelo & Plant all over the airport, Mayer fights Friday, just seen Malignaggi in the lift, Joyce in gym, Tommy Fury & Jake Paul conference Saturday, public at the weigh-in Friday, Canelo arrived in new pyjamas! Vegas is back!.
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Just to let the angry know . getting dropped does NOT mean you are “Chinny”. Please try and understand the game a bit more. Fury is NOT chinny. Neither is AJ or Wilder. Thanks.
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So, it’s official, according to the WBC’s ruling this week, @DillianWhyte will fight the winner of tonight’s fight. No need for 28-days of waiting: Usyk v AJ rematch has been triggered. Bingo.
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It happens - don’t search too hard for reasons. It’s boxing and it’s why we love it and hate it. They entertained, they made sacrifices and they ignored the damage. Warrington v Lara went to war.
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Odd how so many of the people knocking @DillianWhyte and my @IndySport column back Trump, tweet with casual racism about immigrants and back the clown Boris. I had a look, scary. Just saying.
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There is four feet of snow, it’s minus 40, sparrows are falling from the sky like frozen stones, Beterbiev is unbeaten in 19, all knockouts and he holds 3 versions of the world title. That’s OK, send @CallumSmith23 he’s got a big coat. Tonight’s fight: .
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Today will be long. Not everyone in the boxing world will be smiling at sunset.
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Ken Buchanan was a great fighter and a great human. It was a privilege to know him. Loved and adored. The King of the Garden. Gone forever.
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And you thought Gypsy John Fury was just an act. Watch this, please. Not for the squeamish.,.
John Fury hails the magnificent work of Alder Hey Hospital with Tyson Fury's baby daughter.
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Look at Big Richie - serving school dinners at noon, Sandy on the pads at 2pm! Warrior.
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There is championship boxing tonight on @BTSportBoxing It is @Liamwilliamsko 7pm. If Liam wins it is time for some justice - he deserves the world title shot. We should back our British fighters, that’s our industry. Show your support.
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Big Jack looking at that trophy. That is a look of love and total awe. That’s a life in a moment.
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This is Ken after he won the world title. He was exhausted from the heat.
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So @galal_yafai & @KidGalahad90 win big today. Olympic gold and the IBF featherweight title - both British Yemenis.
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Here are some uncomfortable truths for boxing fans: Last year at Spoty WE never voted for @anthonyfjoshua and this year in the public vote (transparent & independent) WE got beat by netball! Next year. VOTE. Thanks.
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At 7.10am on September 22, 1991, Peter Hamlyn told Michael Watson’s mother that the next 12 hours would be critical. I stood with Mark & Jimmy Tibbs, Big Jon Robinson at Bart’s & tried to be positive. We needed a miracle & we got one - Michael is still here now, still smiling.
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Getting ready - The Garden is ready, the fighters are in the city and I have booked the Tick Tock for our post-fight pod:
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Here is the version of Wilder v Fury II that most Americans now know: Breland worked for the Kronk, Wilder was poisoned, Fury had Dempsey’s gloves of concrete on, the ref and Nevada officials were in on the scandal, Fury has a phone line direct to Regan in the Oval Office.
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Bond audition. Sheffield, 1996. Idris Elba was still in nappies.
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The sky is real. 6,000 for a weigh-in at 6pm in Trafalgar Square. Fight week, love it.
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Frank Maloney is possibly the bravest person in boxing. How can anybody give him stick? You have to just smile and say: "Go on girl!".
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Call an anonymous, gutless and chinless twat a twat… and he has his friends copy and paste the attack and then send it to BT. Just think about that? What kind of person does that? Keyboard Warrior Day 29/12/21.
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People in Essex/East London will know the men behind the Michael Watson assault. There needs to be some action.
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Is it knickers in a twist night? I could NOT ever disrespect Joe Joyce. Never. I had to ask Dubois the first question - I apologised to Joe before I did it. Goodnight.
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Costello of the Lynn and Bunce of the Fitzroy Lodge: From Manor Place Baths to Monaco.
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Wow! That was some night. Last two punches to connect clean sent both men down in different rounds! That is boxing. when people say: “One punch can change a fight”. they are not joking! Whyte can come again, no sweat.
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I walk out of the O2 with 20,000 people, travel 30 mins on packed trains. nobody says anything rude. five mins on this coward’s retreat & the brave & anonymous have awoken! Alarming.
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Only Del Boy could do this!.
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Warning… if you are going to claim you watched or listened to the Rumble in the Jungle fifty years ago this week… make sure you get your lie straight. Spoiler: It was NOT on Sky. Just saying.
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