[Writehooks]

Turning 53 tomorrow, which will mark my 35th year as a "serious" collector. Like most up here in the Great White North, my collection was originally rooted in hockey cards and memorabilia, but about 20 years ago I decided to concentrate almost exclusively on vintage boxing. Photos, posters and other ephemera have become my main focus, with a heavy emphasis on '60s heavyweights. A sportswriter by profession, I've had the privilege of interviewing and getting to know many of the guys I grew up cheering for, which adds a nice dimension to my collecting.

Between working, watching TV and feeding my collecting habit, I've managed to author five books in the past nine years (working on a sixth). Took a hiatus from the daily grind in 2004-05 to spend 14 months in Beijing as a sports columnist for the largest English-language publication in Asia.