Hugh McIlvanney has died

lbc2019

Great sports reporter. His boxing writing was brilliant https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/mar/05/hugh-mcilvanney-muhammad-ali-rumble-in-the-jungle

Joe_ Public

Boxing is lucky it had so many literary heavyweights as chroniclers and McIlvanney was definitely one of the champions. Always remember his “Last Fight of Johnny Owens” piece but there are so many classics. Rip.

ebbsy

Oh ****.

He was bloody good.

megadodge

I've read a lot of his stuff over the years and he was my favourite boxing scribe.

His writing was so good, I'd even read pieces he wrote in papers about soccer - and that takes some doing.

RIP

SHOVELLER

One of the greats of boxing. RIP Hugh

Just read the Johnny Owen piece and it is devastatingly beautiful and harrowing at the same time.

The obit in the guardian is top class like the man himself:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jan/25/hugh-mcilvanney-obituary

Joe_ Public

What’s also worth remembering is that a lot of McIlvanney pieces, including his very best, were rattled off to deadline, often by phone to a copy taker in London, after fights had ended. Other scribes could only look on and weep at such uncommon brilliance under pressure. Loved him on racing too.