Family affairs

Ed Robinson drops in on the Smith brothers and gives his verdict on Chris Eubank Jnr...

Family friends and a fine trubite to an inspiriational fighter

Ed Robinson is Sky boxing's roving and ringside reporter, one of the most respected faces in the domestic game. Every week Ed heads out and about to talk to the men making the news in and out of the ring and now he will be bringing us behind-the-scenes blog here on skysports.com. From world champions to amateur wannabes looking at London 2012, he will bringing you regular updates from the world of boxing...

Friday, September 9th

I've just had a good day in Liverpool with the fighting Smith family - and where else to film Liverpool's new Fab Four than the 'Beatles Story' down on the Albert Dock. Stephen tops the bill defending his British and Commonwealth featherweight titles against Lee Selby on September 17th on Merseyside. Paul and Liam are also on the bill while Callum is still an elite level amateur hoping to qualify for the London Olympics. They've got different styles and personalities but can all fight. I'm really looking forward to seeing Chris Eubank Junior in the pro ranks. I was in Las Vegas for Thanksgiving last year at Barry's Downtown Boxing Gym - we were there to film Marcos Maidana ahead of his fight with Amir Khan. Maidana was there because he had to be. The only other boxer training was Chris Jnr. He's got a certain shy disposition that his father certainly never had but he does seem to have inherited the inherent hardness and mental strength that stood Chris Senior out from the pack. Junior's certainly impressed sparring with some top pros in London. It's hard to believe that it's 20 years since that fateful second clash between Chris Eubank and Michael Watson. Fair play to Matchroom for organising a gala night to commemorate that historic night; it's scheduled for September 20th and it sounds like it'll be a star-studded affair. Watson of course, suffered horrific injuries in his heroically brave performance but it's the bravery he's shown since the fight that marks him out as such an inspirational figure. I once went down to Cornwall to film him training for the London Marathon. His neurosurgeon Peter Hamlyn told me that the character and determination Michael showed in finishing that 26.2 mile course was almost incomprehensible. I still think Tony Jeffries can unlock his potential - if he doesn't let the criticism he's having to endure define him. The Olympic bronze medalist has struggled a bit recently but is better than he's looked in his last few fights. It's difficult to relax and show what you can do when you want it as much as Tony does. Having said that, I don't buy the excuse that Paul Morby was difficult to deal with because he was a negative southpaw. If Tony thought Morby was awkward - original opponent Tony Quigley would have given him kittens.

Thursday, September 8th

I first filmed Darren Barker when he was still an amateur about to box against the American team at the Hilton hotel on Park Lane back in November 2002. Barker had just won Commonwealth Games gold but was still filling out physically and lost out to future world champion Timothy Bradley on points. The best part of a decade and 23 pro fights later, he's being pitched in against the best middleweight on the planet, Sergio Martinez, in Atlantic City on October 1st. Despite being unbeaten and having won the European title twice he is being written off by many. Having just seen him train, I give him a genuine chance. With his baby daughter Scarlett Rose watching on, he completed 12 hard rounds - each timed at five long minutes instead of the usual three. Trainer Tony Sims took him on the pads, working to imitate the left-handed stance of the Argentinian and Darren did look really sharp, injury free, on-weight and fully-focused. Darren's always boxed well against southpaws - his ABA champion Dad Terry was one. He's been sparring James DeGale and some of the London Olympic prodium squad - lefties Anthony Ogogo and Fred Evans. He talked a good fight too and it's easy to read too much into things when you're looking for them but what won me over was a little moment just before I left the Gator Gym. I went to take a picture of Darren - who would do anything for anyone - but when I asked him to cross his fingers in hope for his mission improbable, he wouldn't. In his mind he isn't hoping it goes his way... he's absolutely convinced it will.

Wednesday, September 7th

Boxing can sometimes be a difficult sport to defend - the professional game can be harsh, unforgiving and fighters often fall on hard times. This week I was reminded of why it can also be such a powerful force for good. The headlines come from Las Vegas, Madison Square Garden or Wembley but the real story of the noble art is played out in youth clubs, amateur gyms and increasingly schools. This week I spent a day in London meeting some of the unsung heroes of the game and the kids they inspire. It's all for this week's Ringside: after the summer riots the debate is on how boxing can help in society and, to be honest, it was a humbling few hours. I started at the Fitzroy Lodge gym that unearthed David Haye to meet Jovan Young and his trainer Mark Reigate. Young is travelling to the World amateur championships in Azerbaijan this month hoping to qualify for the Olympics representing Jamaica. The southpaw could have the world at his feet - but is luck y to even be able to walk after being stabbed in his spine in a previous life before he dedicated himself to the sport. Reigate has been at the club since he was 21, boxed more than a hundred times in the vest and head guard and now works for a charity so that he can teach kids the sport full-time. Only, his job is now in jeopardy - because of the economic climate - a major reason that his work now is more vital than ever. Then I moved onto to Enfield and a Pentecostal archbishop and his sons who run a boxing club working with kids, young offenders and just about everyone else. I finished up at the Pedro ABC in Hackney, to meet old friend James Cook MBE. Chatting to him outside, there wasn't a single person who walked past without saying hello. As a boxer he was once good enough to snap the unbeaten record of Michael Watson but it's as a mentor that he's really made his mark. For every boxer good enough to turn professional there are a hundred who train in a gym, maybe have a spar or an amateur bout. They are the real success stories for boxing - what they learn can't be taught anywhere else. Catch Ed's special feature including James Cook and Frank Bruno, plus what promises to be a lively studio debeate featuring boxer Mark Prince, whose son Kiyan who was fatally stabbed in London at the age of 15 in May 2006; heavyweight prospect and former prisoner Richard Towers and Charlotte Leslie MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Boxing, designed to take the sport back into schools. It will be in Ringside, this Thursday at 6pm, on Sky Sports HD2.