Connect with us

UK Boxing

Kellie Maloney talks about her gender transition and the difficulties of transitioning to womanhood

Published

on

Kellie Maloney has said that transgender people “just want to fix something that was wrong from birth.” Kellie may be remembered by many boxing enthusiasts by her previous name, Frank Maloney, who led Lennox Lewis to heavyweight glory as his manager in November 1999.

Born and raised in Peckham, south London, she dreamed of becoming a professional boxer before moving to the promotion under Frank Warren in the 1980s. In 1989, she became Lewis’s manager and spent the next decade guiding the Lion to victories – securing the European heavyweight title with a fight against Jean-Maurice Chanet in 1990, the British title with a win over Gary Mason in 1991, the Commonwealth title with a win over Derek Williams in 1992 and the IBC title with a win over Tommy Morrison in 1995.

However, Lewis and Maloney’s most memorable achievement came in November 1999. After twelve rounds, Lennox defeated Evander Holyfield to become the undisputed heavyweight king, the first Briton to achieve such a feat in a century, following Bob Fitzsimmons’ reign in 1899.

In 2002, Maloney split from Lewis, attributing the decision to a conflict with the boxer’s team following a loss to Hashim Rahman in South Africa, before hanging up her gloves as a boxing promoter in October 2013. The following year, she decided to fully embrace her identity and introduced herself as Kellie.

A modern film titled Knockout Blonde: The Kellie Maloney Story is set to be released in selected UK cinemas next month, delving into her gender transition journey in 2014 and the challenges she faced during her transition. Speaking to Mirror FightKellie revealed: “I was asked by a few different production companies to make a documentary.

“I finally settled on the Americans because they agreed to do it the way I wanted. I wanted them to do, let’s say, every part of life. The nuts and bolts. I wanted them to see the depressed side and the stress that it causes – and I wanted them to see the end product, the joy and happiness that it can bring.

“For people to understand that human beings like me are not a threat to the world. We just want to get on with our lives. We just want to fix something that was wrong from birth.”

Kellie also understands that changing society’s perception of transgender people won’t happen overnight and advocates for gradual progress. She continued, “I think there are too many fighters and activists out there. They’re trying to change the world. You can’t change the world overnight – you have to do it slowly.

“I am fundamentally different from a transgender person because I am actually a transsexual because I had a sex change operation and completely changed my sex. The public does not understand this and that is a problem.

“Because of these activists, these militants, if someone says something bad, they’re transphobic. People have a right to their opinion. My opinion differs from a lot of people in my community because, like I said, I come from a community that still believes that the word trans should be used because we’re fundamentally very different from trans people.

“It’s a world that a lot of people don’t understand. That’s the problem. I don’t mind someone wanting to be whatever gender they want, but please, let’s explain it so people understand what’s going on. Even the government doesn’t understand what a woman is. And if the government doesn’t understand, what’s the chance that the average Joe will?”

It will be available to stream exclusively on IFC from 5th August, in selected UK cinemas from 9th September and then on Home Entertainment from 7th October

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

UK Boxing

Logan Paul begs his boss to let him fight UFC star Conor McGregor

Published

on

Logan Paul directly approached Ari Emanuel, the head of Endeavor, owner of the UFC and WWE, for a chance to face Conor McGregor in the ring.

Last month, it was reported that McGregor was negotiating to fight Jake Paul’s older sibling. On X – the platform formerly known as Twitter – the Irish fighter denied rumors of a fight with UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, stating: “The rumors about the fight with Topuria are false. I have preliminary arrangements with the Ambani family to face Logan Paul at a boxing exhibition in India. I then agreed to return to the octagon.

This potential megafight could net both fighters a staggering $250 million. Even though “The Maverick” recently confirmed his commitment to WWE, the tempting offer of a fight with the former two-time UFC champion might just lure him back to the boxing ring.

In a novel clip on his YouTube channel, Paul was seen attending the premiere of WWE Raw on Netflix. He did not compete but appeared in a pre-recorded interview before taking his ringside seat. The 29-year-old influencer was spotted hanging out with wrestling stars like Kevin Owens and LA Knight, but his most captivating moment was his clash with Emanuel – the huge boss of Endeavor and TKO Group, the entities behind WWE and UFC.

Paul was captured in a candid moment as Emanuel gave a candid hug and handshake before saying, “Ari, I need one favor from you,” to which the Endeavor boss replied, “Yes.” Give me the green featherlight to fight Conor.” There was a shared laugh and they both said “seriously” almost in unison.

The same footage also showed Paul’s openness to facing McGregor, despite his WWE commitments. Referencing the previous interaction, the clip then cut to a sequence suggesting a phone conversation about a potential fight, allegedly with McGregor on speakerphone and announcing: “This could really happen,” Paul holding up his cellphone. “It can and will happen,” the Irishman confidently assured.

In the following scenes, Paul brainstorms promotional ideas with WWE writer Rob Fee, considering announcing the end of his boxing career for shock value. “Saying no more boxing will attract attention,” he noted, quickly correcting himself. “Because it’s not true. If Conor McGregor wants to fight, we do it. I mean, bro, that’s an epic match… That would be something I’d like to do, step away from WWE for a while [that fight]. $250 million, bro. I have to take it. If Nick Khan can achieve this, I will stay in WWE.”

Paul noted that the Irishman appeared to be nudging UFC chief Dana White to approve the fight, saying, “I think he’s trying to put pressure on Dana to make it happen because he’s owned by the UFC,” and noted, “He can’t f**k *******, let alone fighting without them knowing.

However, White recently issued a challenge on the Pardon My Take podcast, pointing to a different path for “The Notorious”: “Ultimately,” he said in regards to a potential fight with McGregor in 2025, adding emphatically: “No, no (he won’t fight KSI or Logan Paul]I hope Conor McGregor returns in the fall.

Continue Reading

UK Boxing

Conor Benn vows to sully Eubank’s name with a brutal knockout

Published

on

Eubank Jr and Benn will finally settle their grudge Photo Credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Conor Benn has vowed to knock out Chris Eubank Jr in April. Photo: Walton Matchroom Boxing
Conor Benn has vowed to knock out Chris Eubank Jr in April. Photo: Walton Matchroom Boxing

Conor Benn predicted such a devastating victory over Chris Eubank Jr. that his entire name would be tarnished.

Eubank Jr and Benn have signed a contract to fight in the rescheduled middleweight grudge match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April.

The pair were scheduled to fight in October 2022, with the clash based almost entirely on the legacy of their fathers, who fought twice in the 1990s but were postponed a week before the fights after Benn tested positive for a banned substance clomiphene.

Since then, a brutal war of words has ensued between them and Benn, who insists he will claim a decisive knockout victory.

“I don’t want to knock him out for legacy reasons,” the 28-year-old said Boxing in the match room.

Eubank Jr and Benn will finally deal with their grudge. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Eubank Jr and Benn will finally deal with their grudge. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

I want to knock him out because it’s personal and I think he’s an idiot.

“Thank you to the British audience for supporting me and being behind me, so I owe it to them.

“There is no other fight that the British public deserves.

“I think I knocked him out so bad that that’s all he’ll be remembered for.

“The whole Eubank name will be remembered for this knockout.

“I go in there and take his head off his shoulders, that’s all.”

“The Destroyer” fought his last two fights in the USA, but received a fleeting suspension abolished by the National Anti-Doping Panel in October, meaning he will be able to resume his career in the UK.

The fighter from Essex, who will advance two weight classes in the fight against the 35-year-old, held talks with WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios before sealing the fight with Eubank Jr.

“I know a lot of people would like to see me win the WBC world title,” he added.

“Due to the lack of belief among experts, boxing connoisseurs and the media that I will never reach the level at which I could fight for the WBC world title.

“The possibility of winning this match would close the eyes of many people.”

The pair went head-to-head in the ring after Eubank Jr knocked out Kamil Szeremeta in Saudi Arabia in October, and the fight will headline a card prepared by Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh, who announced the fight signing on Wednesday morning.

“Eubank Jr vs. Benn played in April in London called (Fatal Fury City of the Wolves),” he wrote on Twitter X.

“I will announce the day and location soon. This will be The Ring’s first card in collaboration with the video game and SNK, and I will be pushing for a fan PPV price of £19.99, with a challenging undercard.

“Let’s make boxing great again and wait for the huge announcement soon.”

Continue Reading

UK Boxing

Tyson Fury has entered retirement talks to save his fight with Anthony Joshua

Published

on

Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh plans to speak to Tyson Fury about his decision to retire in the hope of persuading him to return to boxing.

The two-time heavyweight champion recently announced on social media that he was retiring from the ring, stating: “Hi everyone, I’ll keep this brief and sweet,” he said. “I would like to announce that I am leaving boxing. It was great fun. I enjoyed every minute of it. And I’ll end with this… Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everyone, see you on the other side, get up!”

The announcement follows a second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, dashing hopes of a long-awaited All-British clash with Anthony Joshua. Speaking on talkSPORT with Jim White and Simon Jordan, Alalshikh expressed his disappointment but showed understanding for Fury’s choice: “First and foremost, this kind of decision has to be made by the players,” he said. “It has to be whatever they think about, whether they have something to offer or not. As a boxing fan, I don’t like this. We want to see Tyson in more gigantic fights, but I understand his decision. However, over time this decision may change.”

The Saudi boxing boss spoke about potential discussions with Fury over his decision to retire, expressing his willingness to commit but cautioning against believing in exaggerated numbers: “Yes, of course. But many rumors do not aid us. Nobody will offer £500 million for a fight, those numbers are wrong.”

Meanwhile, just 48 hours after announcing he was quitting the sport, the in-form ‘Gypsy King’ was seen at a Lancashire petrol station, grabbing a can of Monster and heading to his vehicle. Frank Warren, Fury’s long-time promoter, responded to the news by encouraging the heavyweight champion to enjoy a break from boxing, telling the BBC: “God bless him, that’s what he wants to do. That’s great. I mean he did everything he could. He’s probably the best British heavyweight of his generation. Two-time world champion and two fierce fights with Usyk. He’s got a lot of money and a lot of smarts about him, he’s got a wonderful family, so bless him, let him enjoy it.”

However, Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, cast doubt on Fury’s retirement announcement, speculating that it could be a ploy to strike a better deal for the long-awaited fight with “A.J.” “I’m not going to accuse him of not being sincere, but I think he’ll get a better deal when he retires, or maybe he just doesn’t have the courage to do it anymore,” Hearn commented.

“He was beaten twice and he had had enough. I doubt it, but who knows. I don’t know him well enough to know, but maybe he’s had enough.” He then said, “I have a feeling we will see AJ against Fury this summer. But maybe it’s true. I can’t believe he would have worked without this fight. But if he really doesn’t enjoy it anymore, then he should retire.”

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending