RINGSIDE By Doug Fischer We’re Just Getting Started
COME OUT WRITING
On Our Cover: The artist who created this month’s cover image of 2024 Fighter of the Year Oleksandr Usyk is Vladislav Lakshe: “I am an artist from Europe who has dreamed of uniting sports and art since childhood. Combining my passion for basketball and painting, I created the concept of ‘Basketball Art,’ described by Nike as ‘inspiring the world.’ “After graduating from the Art Academy, I began designing visuals for tournaments, motivational T-shirts, and major sports events. One of the highlights of my career was collaborating with the NBA to create artwork for the Toronto Raptors during their championship season. I also co- founded a street sports tournament that has run for 17 years and has become an iconic event celebrating basketball, football and other games. I’m a boxing fan as well, drawing inspiration from legends like Muhammad Ali. “I aspire to organize a grand exhibition to showcase my achievements and create a masterpiece I can truly be proud of. For me, sports and art are humanity’s greatest gifts: One heals the body, the other the soul, and together, they inspire greatness.” You can contact Vladislav via vladlakshe@gmail.com or Instagram @lakshepassion. Glad You Like It! Is this going to be the new Ring Magazine? If so, sign me up for a lifetime subscription – as long as the $$$$$$$ are not too much! LOL! Everything about it is great. Much praise to his Excellency Turki Alalshikh for bringing the Bible Of Boxing back where it belongs: in the hands of devoted boxing fans. Kenneth Domonkos Fountain Inn, South Carolina I was so excited to receive the December 2024 issue. I have been a Ring reader since the early 1980s. I can’t wait to see what 2025 brings!
claim at the next IBHOF induction weekend that Fury would beat Ali. But seriously, one sticking point is that your mythical matchup assumes that Ali would bust out the rope-a- dope for a fight against Fury. But it’s unlikely that he would, given
February 2025
Founder Nathaniel Fleischer (1888-1972)
Owner His Excellency Turki Alalshikh
Editor-in-Chief Douglass Fischer
Managing Editor Tom Gray
Fury Vs. The Greatest Thank you so much for publishing the New Ring Magazine. Cover to cover, it was great. I just read a few articles a day so I could savor the magazine. I really liked Anson Wainwright’s article, “Usyk vs. The Greats.” For the most part, it was right on the money. Now, what I am about to write will be very unpopular with many boxing fans. From Floyd Patterson to Oleksandr Usyk, I have watched all these heavyweight champions box (title and non-title bouts). There is no doubt in my mind that the pre-1974 Muhammad Ali (with the exception of Joe Frazier) would defeat those champions. However, I think the post-1974 Ali would be beaten by Tyson Fury. I am not writing that Fury is a better boxer than Ali and most certainly would have been defeated by the pre-1974 Ali, hands down. Ali used the rope-a-dope to tire out and defeat Foreman, but in a fight with Fury, the rope-a-dope would not work. When Ali would lay on the ropes, Fury would not punch; he would just lean on Ali and force the referee to break, which would then get Ali tired. I believe that Fury would win on points. And do not forget that the post-1974 Ali lost to Leon Spinks. Walter Zabicki Holly Ridge, NC Editor’s response: It’s a brave position to take, Walter – and by brave we mean that you’re on your own if you decide to
that Fury and Foreman are so different in style and temperament. And even if he decided to try it and didn’t get the desired effect, one has to assume he’d try something else. And many thought that Usyk’s undoing would be Fury leaning on him, but the Ukrainian master nullified that threat with brains and skills. The post-1974 Ali was still pretty smart and skillful. So while we cannot concur with your pick, what’s certain is that the press conferences preceding an Ali-Fury fight would be among the most entertaining events in boxing history. Something For The Collectors As a lifelong collector and subscriber I have a suggestion: Now that you’re back on the print editions, maybe The Ring should produce a poster containing all the covers that weren’t put into print between 2023-2024. It would be a bit of a collector’s item for those loyal souls. I think it might be a good seller via your shop, or good initiative as an insert in a future print issue. I know similar things have been done in the past. One really good outcome is it would further honor Dmitry Bivol and Naoya Inoue as your Fighters of the Year for 2022 and 2023, respectively. Keep up the good work and keep healthy. Robert Harding Kent, U.K. Write To The Ring! Email comeoutwriting@gmail.com or use this address: P.O. Box 90254, Brooklyn, NY 11209
Senior Editor Brian Harty
Creative Director Lamar Clark
Controller Deborah L. Harrison
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T he Ring ended 2024 with influential new ownership, a triumphant return to print, a star-studded relaunch gala in Saudi Arabia and bold promises of bigger and better things to come. Less than a month after the celebration in Riyadh, one of the new owner’s ideas came to lavish fruition with the inaugural Ring Magazine awards ceremony in London on January 11. The event – held at the Old Royal Naval College, a 300-year-old historical landmark in Greenwich – brought a level of opulence and elegance on par with the Academy Awards to the boxing world. The best fighters, highlights and events of 2024 were honored with grand sophistication, and it came as no surprise that the cover star of this issue took home more awards than any other individual boxer. Reigning Ring Magazine heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk was the clear choice for Fighter of the Year (his second time winning the most prestigious of the annual awards), for his back-to-back victories over Tyson Fury. The veteran southpaw, who
Attendees of the awards ceremony in London included a full spectrum of boxing luminaries.
recently celebrated his 38th birthday, also collected awards for Round of the Year (for his thrilling ninth-round drubbing of Fury in their first tussle) and Event of the Year (headlined by bout No. 1, which briefly crowned Usyk the first undisputed heavyweight king in 25 years). Other notable winners include Gabriela Fundora (the Female Fighter of the Year, who became the first undisputed women’s flyweight champion at age 22), Raymond Ford (who won the Fight of the Year with his dramatic 12th-round stoppage of Otabek Kholmatov), Daniel Dubois (who scored the Knockout of the Year with his brutal fifth-round demolition of Anthony Joshua), Billy Dib (whose final professional bout – staged after his victory over cancer – was deemed the Comeback of the Year), Bruno Surace (who won the Upset of the Year with
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Send Editorial Comments To: comeoutwriting@gmail.com or P.O. Box 90254 Brooklyn, NY 11209
THE RING (ISSN: 0035-5410), Special Issue (February 2025), is published 12 times per year by Sports and Entertainment Publications, LLC, P.O. Box 90254 Brooklyn, NY 11209. Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn, NY 11209 and additional post offices. Postmasters: Send change of address notices to: The Ring Magazine Subscriber Service Dept., PO Box 16027, North Hollywood, CA 91615-6027, Phone: 818-286-3101; rngcs@magserv.com. Single copy price $8.95 in U.S.A. and Canada (£5.99 in the U.K.). Subscription price U.S. and possession $39.99 for 12 issues including Canada. Mexico add $5. All remaining countries add $10 for 12 issues per year. Not responsible for the loss or non-return of unsolicited articles or photographs, which will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed envelope bearing the proper amount of postage. The entire contents of this magazine are copyright ©2025 Sports and Entertainment Publications, LLC. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Publisher is not responsible for the accuracy of the content of advertisements appearing in this magazine, nor the delivery or quality of merchandise or services offered. No endorsement of any such advertisement is intended or implied. Advertisers and agencies assume liability for claims arising from the content of their advertisements. FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES AND RATES: advertising@sepublications.com. U.S. / Canadian and International distribution by Comag Marketing Group LLC, 155 Village Blvd #200, Princeton, NJ 08540. UK distribution by Seymour Distribution Ltd., 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, England, EC1A 9PT. Printed In USA.
Stephen Ripa Stratford, NJ
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