BoxRec vs. Fight Fax is the big record-keeping fight of 2024

HAMBURG – Not all fights in boxing take place in the ring.

One of the most-discussed bouts of 2024 in the trade has taken place behind computer screens. It pits the established online boxing record-keeper BoxRec against a newly revived Fight Fax, which dominated the past but had since faded in the modern world.

Now Fight Fax is being revived, and here in Germany, both John and Marina Sheppard of BoxRec and Han Hoang Mai, the CEO of Fight Fax, gave presentations at this week’s WBC General Meeting. 

BoxRec went first, and John Sheppard was subsequently awarded a WBC gold medal for his efforts over more than two decades. The Sheppards gave a detailed breakdown of what they do and how they do it.

Hoang Mai followed, explaining what Fight Fax hoped to achieve and how they were looking to be an additional resource in the market.

Afterward, BoxingScene spoke to both parties.

“It’s always an interesting year,” said John Sheppard, reflecting on the events of 2024.

Asked whether he felt BoxRec’s status quo was being challenged, he added: “I wouldn’t go that far. We haven’t had any single commission say, ‘We’re unhappy with you,’ or ‘We’re looking to go elsewhere.’ So it’s business as usual, really.”

But he is aware of the marketplace and how this new competitor has formed a recent alliance with the WBA.

It has been alleged, too, that FightFax.com scraped the data off BoxRec, down to the photos of fighters used, and that has upset the Englishman.

“I’m very annoyed that they’ve pirated our data. We’re looking at criminal and civil action against them,” Sheppard said. “But it’s very difficult because are they based in Singapore? Are they based in Vietnam? Who’s behind them? It’s difficult to find out how to proceed. It’s annoying, but that’s the modern world.”

While it was not immediately obvious to everyone what was happening with Fight Fax, the Sheppards watched it all in real time.  

“We could see it in the [system’s] logs that it was being done. We even know the company that they’ve paid to do it,” he explained. “We’ve kept the logs for evidence, but once you’re in criminal action, it’s not easy.”

Sheppard was asked about the latest with the WBA – BoxRec presently does not publicly show the sanctioning body’s titles to non-subscribers, but they still show if you have a paid subscription.

“We had a meeting with them to try and resolve things, and we agreed to meet them again,” he said. “But they didn’t turn up, so at the minute the ball’s in their court.”

At late notice, BoxRec was invited to the WBA convention in Orlando, Florida, later this week. But they could not attend, and Sheppard is keen to move on and work with the WBA again.

“As you were,” he said of the best-case scenario. “If they reappoint us as their record-keeper, we’ll just carry on as previously.”

Sheppard, who appears on the International Boxing Hall of Fame ballot for his work, said he has received plenty of support from within the industry.

“I’ve had a lot of kind words from people, and people have been angry on my behalf, because it’s 25 years of work that they’ve just stolen, bare-faced, but that’s the modern world,” he said.

He also wondered who was behind the re-emergence of the brand.

“I’ve heard so many rumours. I don’t know where the truth is. I don’t know,” he said. 

Hoang Mai, who lives in California, disputed the notion that Fight Fax is working with boxing financier Turki Alalshikh, and he said there is space for two record-keepers in the sport.

“We are a revamped platform, so we just launched FightFax.com and we want to be a record-keeper for the boxing community,” Hoang Mai said. “We work with the WBA, we work with all the sanctioning bodies. We’ve spoken with the WBO as well, and obviously the WBC.

“I don’t think there’s a gap in the market. I just think there’s probably a lot of room to expand on,” he added. “Personally, I’m not within the boxing community, but my business partners, they are, and within their circles all around Asia, there was a big issue getting records, recognitions, exclusions and so forth, with BoxRec. And I think that is something that was much needed, as in there’s somebody else coming along and I wouldn’t say competing, but just being a representative for boxing.” 

Asked about the issue of data scraping, Hoang Mai said: “Obviously we get our data, we started at the end of 2021, and we actually have a book of the previous Fight Fax, just ring records, so we input a lot of information in and yes, obviously, whatever that’s available on the internet, we collect.”

Does he feel like Fight Fax has been welcomed?

“Not really,” he said, pausing for thought, before adding: “Yes and no. The people have reached out to us, mainly a lot of encouragement and a lot of excitement in that we are somebody else, and in that there’s another record-keeper out there, and it’s better for the boxing community.”

He said the plan was not just to have records for boxing shows, but also for Muay Thai, kickboxing, bare-knuckle boxing and other boxing events such as Team Combat League.

“It’s very interesting, and it’s great the WBC has recognized it [by having Fight Fax present on stage], and it’s making the entire boxing community better,” Hoang Mai said.

Sheppard, who has committed a quarter of a century to his site, lamented: “Some days I just think, ‘Why do I bother?’ But you’ve just got to keep going. My motto is ‘Do the best you can, and don’t worry about what other people are doing.’ I’ll just do the best I can, and if it’s good enough, it’s good enough, and if it’s not good enough, it’s not. That’s all I can do.”

Asked what he thought of the support he’s received in recent months, Sheppard said: “It’s nice. Sometimes I think ‘I’m still here.’ This business, it chews people up and spits them out. And I’m still here after 25 years, and just being in the business after all this time is great.”