Fat Dan Rafael - Twitter beef with other Boxer writers

So Boxing writer Michael Woods who used to work with Fat Dan at ESPN but left the company recently went on twitter to criticize the way Dan does his job, they exchanged a lot of tweets that wont fit here so i just post the highlights The reason why im starting this thread is that even though i think Dan does a good job covering the sport, he disrespects fighters and fans way too much. If you go on his twitter page and read the way he responds to fans asking him simple questions is at times very rude and im glad a former coworker has the balls to call him out on that. Michael Woods @Woodsy1069 · 12 Std. Yes, it is true, I don't care for how @danrafaelespn condescends to fans and disses fighters with such flippancy. Fans pay our bills... Michael Woods @Woodsy1069 · 12 Std. ...and a fighter who competes deserves our respect. I'm not afraid to state this most publicly, on this forum. Consider this a gesture... Michael Woods @Woodsy1069 · 12 Std. ...on behalf of the fans who feel dissed and fighters who have been maligned, but fear speaking up. Michael Woods @Woodsy1069 · 12 Std. People fear loss of access, or what have you, and don't speak truth to power. So **** that shouldn't go on does. It's bull****, I'm over it Toe jokes are ****ing stupid. There, I said it. Michael Woods ***8207;@Woodsy1069 1 Tag ...someone to publicly give him some of the medicine he dishes out on a regular basis, let him see how it feels for a change. Dan replied a lil later Dan Rafael ***8207;@danrafaelespn 1 Tag @Woodsy1069 LOL. Dramatic much? And, by the way, I was disappointed plug was pulled on your blog when the sponsor decided it wasnt worth it. Dan Rafael ***8207;@danrafaelespn 1 Tag @Woodsy1069 Seems like ya got some issues. Good luck with the new gig. Michael Woods ***8207;@Woodsy1069 1 Tag @danrafaelespn And if you apply for another HBO job, good luck with that. Dan Rafael ***8207;@danrafaelespn 1 Tag @Woodsy1069 FYI: I never applied for anything. Including my gig at ESPN. They came to me.

Comments (20)

The bottom line is that dan ****s on people non stop. When in reality he is not that great of a journalist

11y ago

jmrf4435

This thread is past due as well. Dan covers boxing on the biggest sporting network in the U.S.A, can't believe he doesn't receive more feedback

11y ago

jmrf4435

He also responds to questions in such a condescending manner. For example: He always claims fight times are transparent and are always on at the same time. DAN, with time changes and longer cards,he should know this isn't the case. He talks about himself like a godfather but is sloppy more often than not. He should also realize not every fan has access to the information he has access too. I think mulvaney, campbell, and nigel colling are much better writers than he is too. He's not a horrible guy, just has some thinks he needs to work on.

11y ago

jmrf4435

I agree with the way dan disrespects fans and fighters. I actually participate in their chats and dan is a bit of a prick. He's always trying to clown on Brian campbell(who does his job much more thorough than fat dan) he also tries to make fans look bad for asking decent questions. I think the guy is overrated when it comes to covering the sport. Nigel collins and Brian campbell are better, dan is sloppy.

11y ago

Rapid_Counter

somebody should have punched him in one of his chins a long time ago and he might have some respect for the great warriors who fight for a living. This cracked me up :lol1:

11y ago

sicko

Fat Dan> 99.9% of these NEW BOXING WRITERS! Dan been covering Boxing for a VERY LONG TIME, he is not NEW like a lot of these New "WRITERS" whom many are just fans with a Website PRETENDING like they know WTF they're talking about and pretending like they have inside sources Dan Rafael and Kevin Iole are Boxing Writers I give them some respect because they been covering Boxing since I can remember

11y ago

pnksntdead

What does Dan's weight have to do with his quality as a boxing writer? TS showed his agenda just by his title. The man has his opinions and you might not always agree with them, nor do I, but I'd take him over the fitzimmons who thinks that poor creative writing and boxing journalism always have to go hand in hand or king ******* nathanielsz. Haye talked a lot of crap before the toe incident only to completely underwhelm during the fight. He toetally deserves the (toe) tag.

11y ago

MBE

I used to really enjoy Kieran mulvanys podcast on espn. I used to read dans stuff before finding boxing scene. I like how he writes, but yes he has huge flaws and I'd prefer the resources he gets be diverted to a guy like woods. The toe 'jokes' were incredibly grating.

11y ago

Eastcoast

Personally I find Rafael on of the most delusional, Disrespectful, and Bias writers in Boxing. I rarely read espn because I know exactly what he will say and what he won't. It baffles me the fact espn hears alot of complaints from fans but they continue to publish his sh** work and wonders why he isn't respected. Writing about boxing, in my view you shouldn't be a bias writer. Dan Rafael is possibly the most Bias writter I've ever read and he is possibly the most unreliable writers in the industry. My question for this is, Should more writers actually have a boxing history? Either Fighter, Trainer, Or even Family Involvement (Father, Brother fighters). Or should sport outlets be more involved with their Writers. I sometimes question if Rafael even gets his articles reviewed... You complain about bias, then advocate for a group of people who would have a natural tendency for bias? There's always been quality writers in the sport with no background in participating. I believe a good writer/journalist is simply a good writer/journalist regardless of their origins. They put in the work to investigate & learn and then convey accurate & digestible information to the readers. As for Dan, he's an ok journalist. He's in a position to walk a fine line between not damaging relationships with the various people he talks to and reporting what's going on. He also gets criticized for sitting in the highest journalist position of the sport, which I'm sure anyone would. I'd love to see Doug Fischer in that position, but oh well.

11y ago

BigAlexSand

11y ago

SoulByThePound

I snuck into the press room at the Mayweather Canelo weigh in. I meat Schaeffer, he was nice and fat Dan was annoyed I asked for a picture with. He said when he was done eating. He ordered 2 large peperoni pizzas to himself no joke. I didnt want a pic anyways. CTHU!! A diet coke too? lol

11y ago

Jsmooth9876

I read his chats but the guy is a slob..he wears coats that are 2 sizes to big and he's a mess. Buy a tailored suit and shave your face once in a while. Have some pride in your appearance if you're gonna be on television.

12y ago

1Assassin

rafael is a cvnt, simple as that. shows no respect for the fighters or the fans and has some odd sense of entitlement for someone who is barely adequate at doing a rather simple job. somebody should have punched him in one of his chins a long time ago and he might have some respect for the great warriors who fight for a living.

12y ago

Weltschmerz

lol @ the tags for this post. "fat dan buffet" "fat dan cheeseburger" describes yourself well, cunt. Eat a dick you slob.

12y ago

cleming

I still remember how he pretended to have seen JMM-John before it was available to any person in North America, he even said the decision was fair before doing a 180 months later (without acknowledging it) and said it was a robbery. That's pathetic and doesn't surprise me that much. I suspect him to not watch half of the fight he talks about in his ****ty onday scorecard. For this week guy wasn't even able to talk about Gavin Rees last fight. What a moron.

12y ago

LoadedWraps

Dan Rafael is the Peter Quillin of of boxing journalism. I still remember how he pretended to have seen JMM-John before it was available to any person in North America, he even said the decision was fair before doing a 180 months later (without acknowledging it) and said it was a robbery. lol @ the tags for this post. "fat dan buffet" "fat dan cheeseburger" :haha: :haha: I'm cramping.

12y ago

Mitchell_Kane

12y ago

NormC

Michael Woods is a great guy..Met him a few years ago when he was writing a story about my uncle who died boxing in MSG back in 1980. He was down to earth and did all he can to maek us feel comfortable..Dan Rafael on the otherhand, is a good writer but is a cornball..How many damn times is he going to refer to the David Haye Toe Joke and the trumpet guy I believe from one of Mayweathers fight..first few times was funny but enough is enough. Michael Woods still run the (thesweetsciencedot.com) website I believe.

12y ago

ISTraGLEr2

Well he is a lot better than the fight hype "writers" that's for sure.

12y ago

ShoulderRoll

lol @ the tags for this post. "fat dan buffet" "fat dan cheeseburger"

12y ago