Under Two Flags
Some Thoughts on Amir Khan and Cathy Freeman* The lanky teenager bedecked in red stepped into the ring: eyes wide. The Union-Jacked fan club stood cheering in the stands, providing their last minutes of support before the fight that would determine the 2004 Olympics gold-medal in the 57-60kg division. Britain’s youngest ever boxer at the […]
Football Soundscapes
Each stadium has its own architecture. The gently rising terraces of suburban football grounds or the steep stands of the MCG. Stadium architecture is a response to the size of the field upon which the game is played. Australian football developed in borderless paddocks: and the grounds we have now reflect the early expanses. I […]
Doing Boxing
Doing Boxing In the off-season, footy clubs put up videos of their players doing their boxing training: combinations of punches, footwork, sparring. Some footy players have reputations for being adequate boxers, the retired-Shane Tuck of Richmond, being one. Barry Hall thought he was both a boxer and a footy player until the moment arrived for […]
Boxing Gym Aesthetics
Boxing Gym Aesthetics I am reading Loic Wacquant’s book, Body and Soul: notebooks of an apprentice boxer (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), yes I am. I have a postcard of Jeff Wall’s photograph Boxing (2011) on my desk. I have my memories of my own training at boxing (and muay thai) gyms. Wacquant is a […]