A rare visit to the Afghan village hit by the ‘mother of all bombs’ reveals lasting damage and unanswered questions.
In 2017, the US dropped the “mother of all bombs” in a remote village in Afghanistan’s Achin district. Al Jazeera made the journey to see what’s left: homes destroyed, health problems mounting, and no accountability in sight.
The second international trip Mike and I took together was to Belize for our PADI open-water diver certification. In many ways, the vacation was a test to see, not only if we loved scuba, but also traveling together. After days of exploring the tropical waters, swimming alongside eagle rays, nurse sharks, countless reef fish, and my adorable boyfriend, the answer was a resounding yes and yes! We quickly realized diving was an incredible and integral way to explore this blue planet, and we’ve since done 200+ dives across the continents! Looking back on our 18 years as scuba divers, we’re excited to share our top 10 dive destinations in the world.
When we told people we were housesitting for two months in Honduras, most thought we were nuts, but our diver friends completely understood. In a prime stretch of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (the second largest in the world), Roatán is among the best Caribbean diving destinations, with 500+ species of fish, dozens of shipwrecks, sea walls, underwater caves, and boundless coral gardens. The section between West End and West Bay is the island’s scuba diving hub, with many of the sites accessible right from shore or a few-minute boat ride for super easy access.
We went on three incredible dive trips, starting in West Bay’s Tabyana. First and foremost, this site is an incredible rock formation with crags letting in light for vibrant corals, nooks for a wide range of habitats, and passageways to delight the explorer in all of us. We dove a dramatic coral swim-through and were surrounded by thousands of silverside fish. Ascending from the chasm, we were in gardens of purple fan coral and parrot fish cleaning the reef, for a dive that made us want to become Cavern-Diver Certified.
Cayos Cochinos is within the UNESCO heritage section of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, but savvy scuba outfitters know the best diving is just before Cayos in the deep seamount of the Roatán Banks. We dropped down 40 feet and there seemed to be every type of coral and reef fish imaginable. Peering into azure barrel sponges, eyeing up green morays, and channel-clinging crabs in the crevices, examining the peculiar nudibranch, and having a reef shark whiz by us was a delight!
Any scuba driver will tell you that our oceans are warming and coral bleaching is happening worldwide, but when you come to a place like The Banks it gives you hope it’s not too late. For more on protecting this reef, check out the great work by the non-profit and ocean watchdog, Roatán Marine Park.
Dive Cayos Cochinos, Mary’s Place, Hole in the Wall, West End Wall, and El Aguila Shipwreck. For more Roatán adventures, don’t miss the story of our wild bungalow-housesit.
The Coral Triangle is the most biodiverse marine region in the world with over 6,000 species of fish and 76% of the planet’s coral species. It’s lined with epic scuba diving destinations, but one that consistently tops the lists? Sipadan, Malaysia. The varied terrain in Malaysia’s Celebes Sea offered us every kind of dive, from high-speed drift to shipwreck to otherworldly macro. Bumphead parrotfish, whitetip reef sharks, spotted rays, green sea turtles, countless reef fish, and nudibranchs galore graced our 11 dives.
And to make this trip even more memorable, we stayed on a liveaboard like no other, Seaventures Dive Rig…a 1970s oil rig turned eco-friendly dive resort hovering over the reef. The old cargo deck has been turned into a PADI dive center and restaurant, employee housing into suites, the helipad into a sweeping rooftop patio, and the freight elevator into a fun way to reach the sea. Our days were filled with three scuba sessions (plus as many as we’d like at the house reef directly below the rig), with breaks for bountiful meals, roof deck lounging, high dives off the plank, and boat trips to the fascinating Bajau Laut (aka “sea gypsy”) village on Mabul Island.
Rising 2,000 feet above the sea floor and covered in 100 species of coral, this is the oceanic island that draws people to the region. Due to its popularity, you’ll need a park permit and Advanced Open-Water Certification, with a max of two dives per day at Sipadan’s 13 sites. Barracuda Point is the channel where these toothy beasts love to congregate, and West Ridge is where the bumphead parrotfish like to bask in the dawn light.
While the beige sandy bottom and artificial reef of north Mabul Island might not seem like much at first, here lies some of the Coral Triangle’s finest macro and muck diving. Scouring the sea floor we found a plethora of colorful nudibranchs, cuttlefish, frogfish (Mike’s new favorite creature), and more weird and wonderful marine life. Plus, we saw a school of ~800 jackfish!
The west side of Mabul has a stunning wall with enough current for a thrilling drift dive. Starting at Lobster Wall, it turned into a turbo drift to Panglima Reef, where we were greeted by an abundance of tropical fish and multiple green sea turtles.
Dive Mataking, Mandarin Valley, Hanging Reef, and The Dropoff. Discover more adventures around Borneo, Malaysia in our new guide.
Exploring the Galapagos Islands is like a safari at sea. But unlike an elusive cheetah or lioness in the tall grasses of the savanna, the Galapagos wildlife doesn’t shy away…they are equally curious about you. Playful sea lions swim up to snorkelers, penguins do laps around kayakers, and iguanas sunbathe alongside you. Isolated 1,000 kilometers off the coast of Ecuador, these volcanic islands’ endemic species served as the groundwork for Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and remain one of the world’s premier wildlife-viewing destinations.
To explore this National Park and UNESCO Heritage Site, we went with Active Adventures and made sure scuba diving was a part of our package. Not only is this area of the East Pacific teeming with awe-inspiring sharks, rays, sea lions, and turtles, but over 2,900 other marine organisms discovered in the Galapagos.
Shaped like a boot split in two, this underwater volcano off San Cristóbal Island is nothing short of incredible. The canyon through the middle is a veritable fish highway and we took a ride in the fast lane. Marine life of countless varieties — hammerhead sharks, scorpion fish, Pacific green sea turtles, whitetip sharks, and sea lions all gave us close encounters. Words cannot fully describe the volume and beauty of marine life we saw on our two dives at Kicker Rock. Watch for yourselves (above).
These neighboring islands on the northwest side of the archipelago always top the list of the Galapagos best dive sites. Due to their remote location, these isles and their dozen sites are most commonly accessed by liveaboard ships, but once you’re there, you’ll have diving for days. We’ll certainly be adding it to our next trip!
Dive El Arco, Gordon Rocks, North Seymour Ocean Side, and Cape Marshall. For more things to do in the Galapagos, check out our two-part island-hopping guide.
Mark our words, Timor-Leste is the new frontier in scuba diving. Hidden away as a Portuguese colony for over 400 years, followed by Indonesian military occupation for the next two decades, and propped up by UN Peacekeeping operations until 2012, Timor-Leste never really had the chance to develop and its reef is pristine as a result. Along the Ombai Strait and Indonesian Throughflow, where upwelling from the deep basins of the Banda Sea brings nutrient-rich water, the area is a paradise for marine mammals and reef fish alike.
It’s a major migratory route for whales, including blue, beaked, humpback, sperm, killer, melonhead, plus super pods of dolphins. October-December is the best time to whale watch and, better yet, swim with the blue whales–one of the few places on Earth where this is even possible! Then there is Ataúro Island, where Conservation International found the highest average reef fish diversity in the world (a whopping 642 species), and according to us, the prettiest coral gardens we’ve ever seen!
We set out for Ataúro with the seasoned Aquatica Dive Resort, one of the island’s longest-running operators, and were quickly surrounded by a dozen pilot whales and over 100 dolphins. As Ataúro’s sheer cliffs drew closer, we hugged the west side of their stunning shoreline and dropped in at Iliana. The Two-Mile Reef combines the villages of Iliana and Arlo, with incredible walls of soft coral colonies and huge sponges.
The color, textures, and density of life on the wall were like nothing we’ve seen in our 18 years of diving. We saw snappers, surgeonfish, fusiliers, trevally, and so many schools of blue tangs it could have been a university. While you can often see eagle rays, dogtooth tuna, and barracudas, it wasn’t about the big fish, it was the sheer abundance of life in all its forms and a new standard for healthy reefs on this planet!
Swimming with the largest mammal on earth is not usually on the dive menu, but Desmond Lee, owner of Aquatica Dive Resort was convinced he could offer it up (in a safe and respectful manner) during the blue whale migration each fall. Studying their patterns as they move through the Ombai Strait, he’s found a way for freedivers to join the whales at the right moment for eye-to-eye observation. We will certainly be back for this!
Dive Arlo Amphitheater, Bubble Beach, Clownfish City, and Jaco Island. See more of our Timor-Leste adventures in this Instagram Reel.
French Polynesia is a country made up of over 100 islands and atolls, with Fakarava bringing out the best of its biodiversity. A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Tuamotu Archipelago, Fakarava boasts the second-biggest lagoon in French Polynesia. With two passes on the opposite sides of the atoll, plankton, and schools of fish are funneled between the natural gates, attracting droves of pelagics.
Famous for its “wall of sharks” and excellent visibility (up to 100 feet!), it’s a bucket-list diving destination made better with dreamy turquoise water and white sand spits. This part of the Pacific also holds an extra big spot in our hearts because it’s also where we learned to sail. Over eight days, we had the chance to explore the atoll by yacht and dive it from end to end.
Starting in the north of the atoll, we dove Garuae, French Polynesia’s widest pass (more than a mile!). The varied topography allows for shallow dives among the hard corals and a fun drift into the heart of the channel. The high density of fish includes jacks, perches, goatfish, groupers, and wrasses, along with plenty of predators from sleeper sharks to moray eels.
After days of sailing, anchoring at secluded coves, SUPing to shore for coconuts and hearts of palm, and living our best pirate life, we reached Tetamanu Pass in the far south. It brings a strong incoming current and so many resting sharks it’s been dubbed ‘the wall of sharks.” While our timing wasn’t right for the true “wall,” we had so much fun riding the current with the fishies and ending our drift dive with a dramatic finale of gray reef sharks on a tag-team, high-speed chase to catch and thrash their dinner.
Dive Tumakohua Pass, North Pass, and neighboring atoll Rangiroa’s Passe de Tiputa. Check out more of our sailing and scuba adventures around French Polynesia.
Unroll your map of the Philippines’ 7,107 tropical islands, hone in on the archipelagos splitting the Sulu and South China Seas…and you’ll find the Calamianes. This island grouping around northern Palawan is absolutely stunning with its black limestone mountains, turquoise lakes, and beaches. When it comes to wreck diving, Coron Island is arguably the best place in the world to give it a try.
Most wreck dives require a special PADI certification, due to deeper depths and dangers of entering enclosed and unstable structures, but Coron’s unique history brings them within reach. Toward the end of World War II, the US Navy pinpointed Coron Bay as a safe haven for Japanese supply boats and battleships. At 9am on September 24th, 1944 a surprise air strike sunk 24 ships in one hour, leaving behind a wide variety of structures for divers at every level to explore.
We went to Sangat Island which has Coron Bay’s largest concentration of sunken ships, with 11 being within recreational dive depths of 9 to 140 feet. Wreck diving can be a little scary, so East Tangat, a gunboat/anti-submarine craft that lies on a shallow slope, lets you evaluate the relic in the bright sunlight and work your way down. Both soft and hard corals have made it their home and schools of angelfish and butterflyfish move through the storied spaces.
A 425-foot-long mobile aircraft repair facility and supply depot for the Japanese Army now lies at the base of Busuanga Island. The main deck sits at 59-79 feet deep and with a wide-open cargo area, it’s easier to explore and examine this piece of history. Moving through the wheelhouse and propeller shaft, we felt like we were in a Discovery Channel special! The structure and context of World War II combat were fascinating in and of itself, then add in the marine life, including adorable puffers and a school of jackfish, and our minds were blown.
Dive Irako, Akitsushima Warship, and Dimakya Island, and explore more of the Philippines.
The Caribbean’s Cayman Islands may not be known for their mountains above the sea, but below, the walls rise 6,000 feet for some epic diving. And if that kind of drop makes you weak in the knees, Grand Cayman also has some of the best shore dives around with amazing rock formations and shipwrecks that even beginners can enjoy. With 365 dive sites, this three-island nation takes diving and ocean conservation seriously, offering some of the best Caribbean diving for every day of the year.
Five minutes from shore, across the teal shallows of the westside, the sea floor seemed to drop out from under us. It was a shade of blue reserved for deep-sea fishing trips and trans-Atlantic voyages. Kitted out like Jacques Cousteau, we descended a hundred feet to the Trinity Caves. Passing dragon whips and sea fans, we entered the craggy rock tunnel with beams of light peeking through. The Trinity reference is for the three caves, but also the look of a rough-hewn cathedral. We met a spotted eagle ray, parrot fish, clinging crabs, a Nassau grouper with a belly full of eggs, and more beguiling creatures.
This old telecommunications cable boat has been lying on the sea floor since the 1980s and found a second life as a coral garden. We swam into the hull, moving through mangled iron with schools of fish, emerged through the floorboards, and took the helm in the wheelhouse feeling like proper underwater explorers.
Dive Ironshore Gardens, Lighthouse Point Reef, USS Kittiwake, Bloody Bay Marine Park, and Captain Keith Tibbetts. Read our Cayman Islands getaway guide for more Caribbean fun.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Beach made everyone want to check out Koh Phi Phi Island’s azure water and white sand utopia…especially if you were already in the Andaman Sea neighborhood. We too joined the ranks of meatheads and misfits attracted to Southern Thailand, with visions of Leo dancing through our heads, and experienced it for ourselves. We got there and, although Koh Phi Phi was indeed party madness, its limestone islands and coral gardens were even better than the movies.
This island across the way slopes down to an incredibly vibrant reef, teeming with marine life. The underwater topography ranges from sandy bottoms, steep walls, small caves, large crevices, and rolling reefs. It’s covered in a wide range of soft and hard corals, for some of the best colors left in the sea. Big schools of tuna, trevallies, two-spot snappers, anemone fish, butterflyfish, and even the rare Ghost Pipe can be seen here, plus, we spotted over a dozen Hawksbill turtles! Come May-August, you may even see whale sharks passing through, and blacktip reef sharks and leopard sharks can be spotted most of the year.
This is home of the actual Beach beach. The north side of the bay has a sloping reef, some dramatic rock formations, including an awesome swim-through, a steep wall, and one of the largest caverns in the area. The best part was, by the time we were done with our dives, the tour boats had gone home and we had the cove to ourselves for sunset and a swim to our own mini Beach tucked in the cliffs.
Dive Hin Dot, Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, and Anemone Reef. Having spent five weeks in Thailand, we have lots more travel tips to share.
This list wouldn’t be complete without the Great Barrier Reef….the largest living structure on this planet! Teeming with 600 types of corals, 1,625 species of fish, 3,000 varieties of mollusks, and a number of sharks I don’t even want to comprehend, it is truly a world wonder. But don’t think you can just book a two-tank dive from the gateway city of Cairns and get the gist. We joined the Spirit of Freedom’s three-day Cod Hole and Ribbons Reef Dive Adventure in the remote northern sector of the protected park, and got Advanced Open Water Certified along the way to go even deeper…so worth it!
Diving three times a day, plus occasional night dives, we encountered hundreds of types of fish, including spotted stingray, hawksbill turtles, whitetip reef sharks, sea snakes, giant clams, diagonal banded sweetlips, puffer fish, giant trevally, Maori Wrasse, and barracuda from Dynamite Pass to Pixie Pinnacle.
The liveaboard gave us access to so many incredible lesser-known dive sites…but when in the GBR, you have to see the world-famous Cod Hole. A family of potato cod likes to hang out at Ribbon Reef #10 and swim up to scuba divers, especially when park-sanctioned fish food is on hand. This area is highly regulated but a small number of divers are allowed to feed the cod each day. At the bottom of the sea floor, we sat in a circle while 200-pound fish (that can reach 6 feet in length) swam in front of our faces, pursing their voluptuous lips.
The gorgeous Lizard Island was the perfect Great Barrier Reef finale and better yet, we came away with friends that we are still in touch with 10 years later!
Eddy Reef, Lighthouse Bommies, Museum of Underwater Art, and the Whitsundays (a whole world we’re dying to dive into!)
The cool currents of the Indian Ocean collide with the warm waters of the Pacific, creating the perfect storm for a profusion of marine life in the waters of Indonesia’s Komodo National Park & UNESCO World Heritage Site. This marine area was originally created to protect the only habitat of the world’s largest lizard, but they found the ecosystem below the islands to be just as important. In the heart of the Coral Triangle, Komodo’s 29 islands and countless reefs are at the pinnacle of its biodiversity.
The nutrient-rich currents bring over 1,000 species of fish and 250 species of coral…and that’s just below the surface. Jagged mountains, pink sand beaches, and the only habitat for the Komodo dragon are waiting in the islands above. Our four-day liveaboard here was absolutely incredible, so much so that we featured it in our National Geographic Book, Ultimate Journeys for Two. This places is hands down one of the top 10 dive destinations in the world!
We descended into Makassar Reef, where the biiiiig rays come to play and snack on plankton. Hanging out for fifteen minutes along the rocky bottom, we started to doubt its reputation as “Manta Point,” then seemingly on queue this beauty, with a 10-foot wingspan, and a few friends gracefully flew past us. Aside from the mantas, the shallow reef is in good shape with giant trevallies, huge clams, various sponges, and cuttlefish, along with the occasional eagle rays, sharks, and turtles.
Three days of thrills culminated at The Cauldron, a place with such a strong current that you can literally see it bubbling from the surface. It began with an unassuming drift dive over a coral garden, complete with gorgonian fans and coral bommies, then the current began to pick up as the floor went from 75 to 45 feet and the walls closed in. Soon we were speeding through a narrow canyon along a fish superhighway.
Looking through the swirling water and past the tuna traffic, we spotted our guide signaling to huddle up and hang on! We secured ourselves with a reef hook (the only way to stay in one place) and let the marine life—schools of midnight snapper, giant trevally, even a few sharks—whiz by. After 10 minutes, we pulled our hook and rode “The Shotgun” until the currents dissipated and our hearts stopped racing. Slightly terrifying, utterly amazing.
Dive Batu Bolong, The Passage, and Crystal Rock, and learn about our full Komodo Liveaboard experience, here.
On a planet comprising 70% ocean, our travels would just be skimming the surface without scuba. Our open-water training has allowed us to swim alongside schools of blue tangs, go eye to eye with Nemos, watch a Mandarin fish mating dance, and explore inside shipwrecks. With a regulator in our mouths, we not only have the superpower to breathe underwater but also a reason to stop the chatter and listen to the rhythms of nature and our innermost thoughts. In the deep blue, there is nowhere to be but present.
Do YOU have the power of scuba? Getting dive-certified was truly one of the best things we’ve ever done for our travels and understanding of our blue planet. Start your PADI journey or up your certification (wreck-diving, coral conservation, dive master, etc.) by heading to PADI.com (use PADI discount code HONEYTREK15 to get 15% off any online course)…the world awaits!
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Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has called on the government to “minimise the negative effects” of Brexit by seeking closer alignment with the EU.
Bailey made the case on Thursday for non-tariff barriers to be reduced, particularly in the financial services industry, saying that less red tape would boost trade and economic growth.
His comments come after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer unveiled the UK’s “reset” deal with the EU this month. It includes plans to cut barriers to trade in areas including foodstuffs and electricity.
In a speech, Bailey welcomed the government’s efforts to increase trade with Europe but cautioned that Brexit had “weighed” on productivity and growth and suggested the UK and the EU should seek to further deepen their ties.
Bailey joined forces in November with chancellor Rachel Reeves in calling for the UK to rebuild relations with the EU, at a time when fears were growing about a transatlantic trade war after Donald Trump won the US presidential election.
The BoE governor, speaking in Ireland, suggested that more could be done to increase UK-EU trade in financial services, saying that a “two-way street” would deepen markets and benefit both sides.
“There is merit in seeking to increase the openness of our financial markets by reducing non-tariff barriers,” he told a financial services dinner in Dublin.
Reeves has argued that Britain should seek a closer trading relationship with the EU partly by agreeing to align rules between the two sides in “mature industries” such as the chemicals sector.
Starmer’s allies have said the UK-EU reset deal was a starting point for negotiations about closer relations and that the confidence built by new arrangements could lead to more ambitious moves to boost trade in the future.
Bailey said that, while he was not saying Brexit was “wrong”, it had created non-tariff barriers. “We should do all we can to minimise negative effects on trade,” he said.
He was clear on the benefits to both the UK and EU economies of increasing the openness of financial markets by reducing non-tariff barriers, as he disputed the idea that trade was a “one-way street” from Britain to the bloc.
“As with goods trade, open financial markets support economic growth as well as increasing investment and reducing the cost of capital,” Bailey said.
He added that close co-operation between the UK and EU was increasingly relevant in the context of the “increased market volatility” observed following Trump’s tariff announcements.
In a world where innovation has often been equated with bursts of creativity or risky leaps of faith, organizations are starting to rethink their approach. The question on the table isn’t just how to innovate, but how to sustain it—how to make innovation as predictable and enduring as financial planning or supply chain management.
Title: New Black Cyclones – Racism, Representation and Revolutions of Power in Cycling
Author: Marlon Lee Moncrieffe
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Year: 2024
Pages: 212
Order: Bloomsbury
What it is: Marlon Moncrieffe’s follow-up to Desire Discrimination Determination in which he again addresses the issue of racism in cycling and raises some challenging questions about the ways in which we might rid cycling of its colour bar
Strengths: Moncrieffe acknowledges that none of the solutions available to us are simple
Weaknesses: If all you think is needed to solve cycling’s racism problem is assimilating some Black riders into the sport, you probably won’t like some of the issues raised here by Moncrieffe
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Cycling is a white sport. Think of a cyclist and chances are you’re thinking of a white cyclist.
A few years ago, asked to think of a cyclist, chances are you would have been thinking of a white, male cyclist. Today, there’s a good chance you’ll be thinking of a white, female cyclist.
What changed?
On one level, we did. Society changed and we changed with it. On another level, the sport changed. Women are more and more prominent in the sport. Conscious decisions were made to make that happen.
What will have to change in order for cycling to stop being seen as a white sport? What will have to change in order for more people to think of a Black cyclist – male or female – when asked to think of a cyclist?
Early in New Black Cyclones – Marlon Moncrieffe’s follow-up to his wildly successful Desire Discrimination Determination: Black Champions in Cycling this time with a more forward-looking perspective – the author discusses a social media poll he came across in 2022 which asked the question “Who is the greatest cyclist?”. After taking suggestions, the choices were narrowed down to four: Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Marianne Vos, and Other. As you might expect, Merckx won.
“Still, what this cycling poll and some of the public responses to it gave to me was the Eurocentric view on ‘greatness’ in cycling and cycle racing. The dysconscious racism in this was the tacit acceptance of dominant white cultural norms that have been passed on and learned as unsurpassable ways of knowing cycling; this culturally imbedded narcissism sees nothing else other than itself when describing the sport. The way of seeing and knowing ‘greatness’ in the sport of cycling has been colonised by an obsessive hegemonic Eurocentric focus on those racing cyclists who achieve their victories on the European stage in the Grand Tours, the Monuments and Classics. I am talking about the inculcation of the populace through perpetual reproduction of a Eurocentric narrative hyped by cycling commentators and the cycling media. These are the processes by which a Eurocentric view of cycling maintains its authority and dominant position.”
That poll, it could have offered Major Taylor as a choice. It could have offered Koichi Nakano as a choice. And let’s be fair here, Taylor’s successes on and off the bike, Nakano’s 10 World Championship victories, they earn both of those men a shot at the title. But because of the Eurocentric bias of the sport – personally I would argue the situation is worse than that and cycling is Tour-centric – they can’t be considered to be part of cycling’s pantheon.
There, then, is just one area in which the sport could change. Dear Peter Cossins, will you please, please, please stop writing the same Tour-centric books about the sport. Thanks in advance, Cycling. The very existence of New Black Cyclones could itself be an opportunity to embrace that change. Bloomsbury, the House that Harry Potter built, has been a strong supporter of cycling throughout the sport’s boom years in the UK, putting out books by the likes of Cossins, Brendan Gallagher, Alasdair Fotheringham and co. Not all Tour-centric, but all Eurocentric in their take on the sport. Now, they’re finally asking if there’s more to cycling than they’ve been showing you.
Or there is the smaller change: more Black cyclists in the peloton. This has been an ongoing project in the sport over the last 10 or 15 years. Pat McQuaid – who may have been making up for his own past, or may just cynically have been buying votes, or may even have been genuine in the initiatives he pursed here – made considerable efforts to bring more Black African cyclists into the peloton. Brian Cookson largely dropped the ball on that one during his brief time at the top of the sport. David Lappartient today, well he made sure that an African country would host the 2025 World Championships. That’s a small step in terms of representation, but an important one, nonetheless.
But cycling alone cannot fix this problem. Black African cyclists face a problem with visas, as the Ugandan rider Charles Kagimu explained to Moncrieffe:
“When I am preparing for a race and I am thinking about the visa situation, it affects my mental capacity. It increases my stress levels. Most countries in my part of Africa do not have embassies. If I can’t travel from Nairobi where I am based, I have gone elsewhere to travel. Having to apply for a visa doesn’t put you in [a] great situation, depending on the relationship between the country you are from and the country you are applying for. East African countries were colonised by Britain. You expect to have embassies that have decision-making, but the visa application must go to South Africa instead. The issues I have had with visas are to do with cycling. The process is hard for all African cyclists. I know white cyclists from Africa have had some problems but not as huge as the Black cyclists. It’s more about colour.”
One way around that is to focus on Black cyclists from Europe or America. More could be done to address the ethnicity gap in the sport, especially by British Cycling which, in a quarter of a century or so since John Major opened the Lottery’s purse strings, has been notably poor in identifying and developing Black talent. Or we could embrace more grassroots initiatives, such as Tao Geoghegan Hart’s decision to sponsor a Black under-23 rider at the Hagens Berman Axeon team. But while a lot of responses to that initiative were glowing, you do also have to consider the wider way in which it could have been seen:
“Many of these responses did not contemplate critically this intervention which to me epitomised the exclusive power of white sanction – the power of determining and enabling Black people to access white systems and structures. What I was seeing was like Roald Dahl’s privileged and wealthy ‘Willy Wonka’ character offering a ‘golden ticket’ to a poor ‘Black’ Charlie to enter the World Tour cycling factory for a brief moment only.”
Moncrieffe does praise Geoghegan Hart – “In taking the knee and raising his voice I think [he] was generous and brave to use his public profile and power as a Grand Tour winner to call for a transformation in the white-dominated sport” – but that fear that he was just another Willie Wonka dolling out golden tickets to Black Charlies, that shouldn’t be dismissed. Any solution that encourages the view that to be Black is to be a charity case is only adding to the problem it seeks to solve.
That shouldn’t be news: Bod Geldof has faced the same criticisms for many years now. But cycling, in its desire to do good, doesn’t consider the negatives. Take, for instance, the way some have turned Africa into a dumping ground for used kit:
“I met and spoke with one African cycling charity leader who had experienced this. She wanted to remain anonymous for this book but she showed me that she had been given around 25 pairs of cycling shoes, but they didn’t have the necessary cleats and pedals for immediate use. She had no way to obtain these items, as her charity was based in a rural part of the country, a four-hour drive from the capital city, with no specialist bike shop or the funding to obtain cleats and pedals for the shoes. The cycling shoes remained unused, gathering dust in the boxes that they came in from the UK.”
These criticisms of current or recent initiatives, they are not to suggest that New Black Cyclones is a book brimming with negativity, a book that just criticises the ways in which some people seek to address the issue of racism in cycling. It isn’t. For the most part Moncrieffe – as he did in Desire Discrimination Determination – celebrates the people he talked to during the course of writing and researching this book. In America, where he was promoting Desire Discrimination Determination, he met members of various Major Taylor cycling clubs and came to see Taylor as the Jesus Christ of the Black cycling community in the USA:
“in his human form as an outstandingly skilful and powerful Black cyclist that would attract huge public followings to watch him perform miracles on the bike before their eyes; in the afterlife, Taylor is the spiritual force conjured by the Black cycling community as their icon and their idol to follow – the Black Cyclone. Taylor as a force of self-empowerment, resilience and self-belief is the inspiration for millions of people who have come to know his story.”
Or there are the Black cyclists Moncrieffe met on visits to South Africa, Rwanda and Sierra Leone and the Afrocentric cycling utopias they are actively building today. After listening to them, one radical solution Moncrieffe offers is for Black cycling to emulate the West Indies cricket teams of the 1970s and 1980s:
“The Windies brought together as one phenomenal force the best cricketers from Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, and Guyana. They created their own way of playing a sport that in white circles is the epitome of British colonialism, breaking the traditional mould and blowing all their opponents away. […] It could be useful for some of the national cycling bodies of the Caribbean islands and across the African continent to apply the Windies’ approach to future team formations in future Commonwealth Games, World Cycling Championships and Olympic Games. This would be a challenge to the status quo in cycling.”
Such utopian thinking, it isn’t always about producing the end envisaged and Moncrieffe acknowledges this, admits that individual national federations are hardly likely to embrace change like this. But it is thinking like this that is needed if we are to avoid double-edged solutions that treat Black cyclists as charity cases.
New Black Cyclones offers no easy answers. But it does raise some challenging questions as to how far cycling is willing to go in order to embrace a more diverse peloton. Is assimilating Black African talent into the European peloton as far as we are willing to go, or are we willing to embrace what Black African cycling might offer the sport?
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A South African woman convicted of kidnapping and trafficking her six-year-old daughter has been sentenced to life in prison, along with her two accomplices.
The jail terms for Racquel “Kelly” Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn’s come more than a year after Joshlin Smith mysteriously disappeared outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town.
Despite a highly publicised search for the girl, who vanished in February 2024, she is yet to be found.
The sentencing follows a six-week trial that captivated South Africa, with witnesses and prosecutors making a number of shocking allegations.
Judge Nathan Erasmus said he “drew no distinction” between the trio in handing down the sentences.
“On the human trafficking charge, you are sentenced to life imprisonment. On the kidnapping charge, you are sentenced to 10 years imprisonment,” he said to loud applause in the courtroom.
Judge Erasmus took over an hour to deliver the sentence and was measured as he gave a brief summary of the case and highlighted points that stood out during the trial.
He rebuked the trio, especially Mr van Rhyn and Ms Smith, saying they showed no remorse for their actions.
“There is nothing that I can find that is redeeming or deserving of a lesser sentence,” he said.
He also spoke of the impact their conduct had on the community of Middelpos, where the girl lived, saying it had left residents “fractured”.
Smith, 35, and her accomplices showed no emotion as their sentences were read out in the community centre in Saldanha where the trial was held to allow residents to attend proceedings.
Police said the search for the little girl would continue, even beyond South Africa’s borders.
“We will not rest until we find [out] what happened to Joshlin. We are continuing day and night looking for her,” Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile told local media.
Emotions were high ahead of the sentencing, with angry community members saying the trio should get a “harsh sentence because they deserve it”.
Ahead of sentencing, Joshlin’s grandmother, Amanda Smith-Daniels, once again pleaded with her daughter to “bring my [grand]child back or tell me where she is”.
“I don’t feel that any sentence they get will bring my grandchild back,” she told local broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.
Ms Smith-Daniels said that Joshlin’s disappearance had left her family “broken”.
She urged her daughter to stop blaming others for her misfortune as she “was the person that did the deed”.
During the trial, the court heard testimonies from more than 30 witnesses, who painted a picture of the young girl’s troubled life and subsequent disappearance.
Kelly Smith and her accomplices refused to testify or call any witnesses for their defence.
The most explosive came from Lourentia Lombaard, a friend and neighbour of Smith who turned state witness.
Ms Lombaard alleged that Smith told her she had done “something silly” and sold Joshlin to a traditional healer, known in South Africa as a “sangoma”.
The “person who [allegedly took] Joshlin wanted her for her eyes and skin”, Ms Lombaard told the court.
A local pastor testified that in 2023, he had heard Smith – a mother of three – talk of selling her children for 20,000 rand ($1,100; £850) each, though she had said she was willing to accept a lower figure of $275.
Joshlin’s teacher then alleged in court that Smith had told her during the search that her daughter was already “on a ship, inside a container, and they were on the way to West Africa”.
It was the testimonies of Ms Lombard and the clergyman that were key to securing a conviction.
During sentencing hearings, Smith was described as manipulative and someone who told “bald-faced lies”. A social worker appointed to compile a report on Smith and her accomplices, went so far as to say it would not be a “stretch to conclude that [Kelly] Smith is the mastermind behind the trafficking of her own daughter”.
The court also heard powerful statements from those who knew Joshlin about the devastating effect of her disappearance on the community.
When I was growing up, I wanted to be an archeologist. I loved history (and still do), and the thought of uncovering temples and tombs in jungles excited me. I used to read books on Greek and Roman history and have discussions with my history teacher, even as young as 13. In short, I was a huge geek from the get-go.
Being such a huge history geek, visiting Pompeii, the city destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, has always been high on my list of things to do.
When the volcano erupted, the falling ash came so quickly that it preserved the city just as it was, burying Pompeii in 4–6 meters (13–20 feet) of ash. It’s a city frozen in time.
The earliest settlements in the area date to the 8th century BCE, though most people know Pompeii as the Roman city that it was at the time of its demise. The rich agricultural land combined with its location on important trading routes meant that, over time, Pompeii became a wealthy provincial city. It had a population of over 20,000 people.
The city was also a regional cultural center, with a large amphitheater, forum, public baths, various temples, and an extensive aqueduct system providing clean water. Many of these buildings, including expansive private villas in the surrounding countryside, were buried during Vesuvius’s eruption.
The eruption itself lasted over two days, with the first phase of falling ash and pumice lasting over 18 hours. While the 1,150 bodies discovered is significant, it was only a fraction of the overall population. Most inhabitants likely had a chance to escape during this initial eruptive phase, though the final casualty count remains unknown.
While the eruption was the biggest tragedy of its time, the falling ash also kept the buildings, frescoes, streets, pots, and bodies incredibly well preserved. And while there was some looting after the eruption, eventually Pompeii’s location was lost with the passage of time.
It wasn’t until the rediscovery of the nearby town of Herculaneum (buried in the same Vesuvius eruption) that interest was renewed in the area. The first excavations at Pompeii occurred in 1748, with archaeological work continuing to this day. There is still a significant portion of the site that remains unexcavated so who knows what they will discover here in the future!
I’ve traveled the world for a while and have seen plenty of marvelous ruins over the years. But this is one of the best. Even though a lack of upkeep has taken its toll on the site, I still found it a fascinating place to spend the day. My only hope is that the Italian government will get its act together to keep this site from falling into further disrepair.
Located near Naples in Italy, Pompeii takes a full day to see. If you truly want to indulge your inner Indiana Jones and visit every building here, schedule an extra half day. At over 160 acres, it’s a huge site and you could easily spend even more time than that.
I saw a lot on my full day, but there was a lot that I missed. To help you make the most of your visit, here is everything you need to know to visit Pompeii:
The ancient lupanar (brothel) is a tiny house with stone beds and scenes of the acts customers might pay for. It’s essentially ancient porn, though whether the frescoes served a practical purpose or were merely decoration is unclear.
Unsurprisingly, this is one of the most visited houses in all of Pompeii (it was probably just as popular before the eruption — no pun intended — too). It’s the largest of the pleasure houses uncovered in Pompeii (so far) and so historians think it was the city’s main brothel. After all, the Romans did enjoy their…rest and relaxation.
Located near the forum (the main public space), these baths are incredibly well preserved. You can peek inside the wall to see how they heated the baths back when they were still in use. Their innovation is incredibly impressive, and it’s not hard to picture the baths as they were.
While the forum baths are the smallest of the various bath ruins in Pompeii, they are arguably the most elegant. There were separate areas for men and women, including separate entrances. The bath not only had hot baths but cold and tepid baths as well.
Located outside the main area, the frescoes here are amazingly well preserved in their full vibrant color. In fact, they’re some of the best examples of 1st-century Roman painting. The frescoes seem to depict a woman entering into the initiations for a Greco-Roman mystery cult, hence the name the villa is known by today.
The villa, which is on the outskirts of Pompeii proper, was excavated long after the rest of the city (excavation of the villa began in 1909). Since it’s a bit of a walk, not many people come here either, giving you the place virtually to yourself.
The most crowded place in Pompeii, the forum is located right near the main gate. It was the main center of life in Pompeii, the cultural and civic nerve of the city. Any significant religious or commercial events would occur here; it was essentially the main square and heart of the city. When you wander around here, you can really get a sense for what life in Pompeii was like.
Another well-preserved bath, this one is the oldest in Pompeii. It also has a slightly bigger chamber and sees a whole lot fewer crowds. You can also see some preserved bodies here, which is unsettling (though you’ll get used to it the more you wander the ruins).
The bath area also had a gym and workout area (for wrestling, as well) and a large, almost Olympic-sized, swimming pool.
A beautiful house with a large back room, wonderful frescoes, and a beautiful mosaic fountain. Almost all of the rooms lead to the central atrium and you can see that the house was owned by someone who was wealthy.
The sloped roof was used to collect rainwater and doubled as a fountain, a great example of innovation at the time.
This is the biggest house in Pompeii and gets its name from the statue in the front courtyard. Built in the 2nd century BCE, there’s a large courtyard in the back where you can also find a very detailed mosaic of a battle scene.
It’s one of the most complete surviving examples of a wealthy and luxurious private residence from the time — even better preserved than many sites in Rome itself!
Located in the back of Pompeii, this old vineyard has preserved casts of people who didn’t make it out of the city alive. There are 13 bodies in the garden, frozen in a grotesque and agonizing tableau that reflects the horrible final moments of the city. It’s both incredibly interesting and unsettling at the same time.
Another place located far away from the crowds, this house has a colorful fresco to the goddess Venus. There are also a few gardens here and a detailed statue of Mars.
The house was actually under renovation when Vesuvius erupted and was also damaged during the bombing in World War II (though it was restored in the 1950s).
This huge amphitheater is where the citizens of Pompeii held the ancient games that entertained them. It’s a quiet place to walk around and given its position at the far end of Pompeii, you’ll see very few people there, especially during the early morning or late afternoon hours.
Built in 70 BCE, it was one of the first amphitheaters to be built of stone. Today, it is the oldest surviving Roman amphitheater in existence.
Right next to the amphitheater, the “great palace” was an exercise park and place for youth groups. It was used for sports and games, and there was also a swimming pool here as well.
It’s another great place to escape the crowds as not so many tourists make it here.
This is one of the oldest houses in Pompeii, with sections dating to the 4th century BCE. It was most likely an elite residence, owing to its location and size. The upper floors may have even been used as an inn at some point in its history.
There’s a small garden and covered porch in the back, a fresco of the goddess Diana, a bakery, and even a little food shop in the front. During World War II, a bomb partially destroyed the back walls, though these were restored in the 1970s.
Here are 10 super important things to remember when visiting Pompeii:
1. Watch out for closings – Not all the attractions are open, even if they say they are. I found a number of places you were supposed to be able to get into closed. They even started closing one while I was looking around. Check the hours when you arrive, since information online might not be accurate.
2. Start in the back – To avoid the crowds, move from the farthest temples toward the front. The majority of people stick to the center of Pompeii, and you can visit the main area when the crowds have gone by late afternoon.
3. Don’t do the audio guide – I bought the audio tour and found it to be a waste of time. The free book they give you includes enough information. The audio guide doesn’t explain much more.
4. Limited time? Do a guided tour – I listened to a number of guided tours while I was walking around and I was impressed with their knowledge. Plus, I like being able to ask questions that can further explain things. The guided tours simply take you to the highlights, unless you do a personal tour.
5. Bring lots of water – During the summer, it gets scorchingly hot. Bring lots of water and some sunscreen to avoid getting burnt. A hat is a good idea too.
6. Pack snacks – There are a few cafes and snack bars here, but if you wander far into the ruins, you might not be near them for a while. It’s best to bring some food with you for the day’s explorations.
7. Take the train – This is the easiest way to visit. Just make sure you go to Pompei Scavi – Villa Dei Misteri station as the main Pompeii station only takes you to the modern city.
8. Watch out for scams and pickpockets – As Pompeii is such a popular attraction (over 2.5 million people visit each year), there are many people who try to take advantage of visitors. Common scams include trying to sell fake (or overpriced) train and bus tickets or saying that the entrance is closed (but they can get you in). Also watch out for pickpockets around the entrances and train station.
9. Don’t bring a large backpack – Security likely won’t let you bring in a large rucksack, so only come with a smaller purse or day bag.
10. Choose your tour carefully – If you’re going to do a tour, do an official tour from inside the gate. There are plenty of tours offered outside of the gate, but they are much larger and not as good (though they are cheaper). I suggest going with Take Walks. I always learn a ton on their tours.
11. Wear sturdy footwear – The ruins are actually quite spread out and you’ll be on your feet all day. Wear comfortable, sturdy shoes (no flip flops).
12. Buy tickets in advance – To beat the line, buy your tickets online in advance. Pompeii can get super busy, meaning long lines when they open. Avoid the hassle and get your tickets ahead of time.
The train is the best way to get to Pompeii if you’re coming from Naples. To get here, catch the Sorrento Circumvesuviana train from Naples and get off at Pompeii. The journey takes about 40 minutes and costs around 3.50 EUR. The site is just 5 minutes from the train station.
If you’re coming by car, it’s about a 30-minute drive. Note that there is no free parking lot for the site, though there are many paid municipal and private parking lots nearby.
Starting in 2025, the site has put restrictions on daily visitors to help preserve the site:
From 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, a maximum of 15,000 admissions (subdivided into 12,000 for Pompeii express and 3,000 for Pompei +)
From 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm, a maximum of 5,000 admissions?(subdivided into 3,000 for Pompeii express and 2,000 for Pompei +)
From April 1st to October 31st, the entire site is open from 9am-7pm (last entrance at 5:30pm). From November 1-March 31, the site is open from 9am-5pm (last entry at 3:30pm). However, each individual attraction has its own opening and closing times, with last entrances starting 1-1.5 hours before closing time of the entire site. For updated hours, check pompeiisites.org.
How long do you need in Pompeii?
You’ll want to spend a full day here if you want to see everything. If you just want to see the main sites, 3–4 hours will suffice.
Do you have to pay to visit Pompeii?
Yes! Tickets are 18 EUR per person for the basic ticket (this gets you the main sites) and 22 EUR for the comprehensive, all access ticket.
Should I book a guided tour?
If you don’t have a guidebook or if you want a deeper, more insightful visit then getting a guide is a good idea. There is minimal signage here so you’ll get much more from your visit if you have a guide.
You can either book a guide on arrival (you’ll see a bunch hanging around the entrance) or go with a reputable company like Take Walks. They have a comprehensive and informative 3-hour tour of the site as well as a full-day tour that includes Pompeii and a drive along the Amalfi Coast. Tickets are 59 EUR for the three-hour tour and 189 EUR for the full-day tour (including tickets that let you skip the line).
Do you need to book tickets in advance for Pompeii?
Tickets can be bought online in advance, which includes access to Pompeii, Oplontis, and Boscoreale. If you’re visiting on a Saturday or public holiday, you must book online in advance.
How many tourists visit Pompeii each year?
Pompeii is one of the most popular attractions in Italy, bringing in over 2.5 million tourists each year. It gets busy!
When should I visit Pompeii?
The summer offers the best weather, but it is also incredibly hot and busy. Consider visiting in the shoulder season (May or October) in order to beat the crowds and also have cooler weather. But if you are going to visit in the summer, bring sunscreen as the site is very exposed to the sun.
Pompeii is located near Naples, which is the best place to base yourself for your visit. There are plenty of accommodation options in the city, from hostels to hotels, so you’ll be able to find something that fits your budget. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started:
Hostel of the Sun – This laid-back, social hostel is conveniently located in the city center, making it the best choice for budget travelers. It has a cozy and colorful common area, and the staff are incredibly welcoming. The homey atmosphere makes it feel like you’re staying at a friend’s place.
Villa Margherita – While the rooms in this three-star hotel are a bit small, they are very comfortable. The location is great too, but the real highlight is the delicious fresh pastries on offer each morning (served with amazing coffee). If you want great service at an affordable price, this is the hotel for you.
Palazzo Alabardieri – If you want to splash out, this four-star hotel boasts a massive, ornate lobby and spacious rooms decorated with relaxing pastel colors. Located in a former cloister, the rooms have AC (a must in the summer), free Wi-Fi, flatscreen TVs, and there’s a bar on-site should you want to relax with a drink after a day of exploring. It’s in a great neighborhood too.
In the time I was there, I barely scratched the surface of Pompeii — and I filled a whole day! One day, I’d love to go back and visit all the buildings I missed. But then again, I’m a history geek and could spend days upon days among ruins. If you don’t live and breathe history as I do, one day would be enough to see the highlights.
Make sure you move away from the city center to see some of the lesser-known and less crowded sites. Walking among the ruins is an eerie but beautiful feeling.
Get all my best Europe travel tips as well as free planning guides sent straight to you and see more of the country for less!
Book Your Flight
Use Skyscanner to find a cheap flight. They are my favorite search engine because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned!
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the biggest inventory and best deals. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.
If you’re looking for a place to stay, check out Agorà Hostel Deluxe.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
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Need a guide?
Take Walks runs my favorite paid tour. Their Complete Pompeii Experience: Skip the Line Tour & Archaeologist Guide will give you an incredible behind-the-scenes and historical Pompeii experience. If you want a tour, take that one!
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Not just Nvidia: These lesser-known names are also up 5%+ on AI optimism
Nature has long served as a blueprint for scientific and technological progress—a field known as biomimetics or biomimicry. A recent breakthrough from Finland exemplifies this approach: a team of researchers has devised a method to replicate the intricate microarchitecture of tree leaves and apply it to the fabrication of flexible electronic components. This technique not only enhances device functionality but also points toward more energy-efficient and sustainable production methods.
In this article you will learn about:
Tree leaves are characterised by fractal geometries—repeating patterns across scales that maximise efficiency in processes such as nutrient transport and light capture. Drawing on this natural optimisation, the researchers used dried Ficus religiosa leaves as biotemplates. By coating them with various materials and lifting the imprint like a decal, they achieved microstructural replication with over 90% fidelity.
This approach enables the direct transfer of complex biological architectures onto flexible substrates, marking a significant step forward in the field of soft electronics and biomimetic design.
The replicated leaf-inspired surfaces offer multiple advantages for the next generation of flexible electronics:
One of the most immediate applications lies in the development of ultra-thin pressure sensors. In a proof-of-concept experiment, researchers integrated one such sensor into a robotic fingertip, allowing it to detect physical contact and respond to stimuli in a way that mimics tactile sensing.
This technology could be adapted for use in smart prosthetics to improve environmental interaction, or in wearables capable of real-time motion tracking and physiological monitoring.
Unlike artificial methods such as origami or kirigami that engineer fractal structures manually, this biomimetic strategy leverages pre-optimised natural patterns. The process also eliminates the need for sterile cleanroom environments and resource-intensive fabrication, cutting down on energy use and environmental impact.
Because the leaf skeletons are inherently fragile and non-elastic, the replicated patterns are transferred onto more robust materials such as nylon. This step preserves the functional structure while enhancing durability and flexibility—crucial for scaling up production and ensuring long-term mechanical integrity.
Moreover, by incorporating bio-based polymers and alternative conductive materials in place of rare or non-renewable metals, the process further reduces its environmental footprint.
The research was carried out by the “Materials for Flexible Devices” group at the University of Turku, which focuses on nanomaterials, bio-inspired system design, and microfabrication techniques tailored to soft electronics.
Their work aims to bridge the adaptive intelligence of nature with the material versatility of modern engineering. This biomimetic fabrication method not only opens up new possibilities for device performance but also invites a fundamental rethinking of manufacturing—less like an assembly line, and more like an evolving ecosystem.
To stay up to date with advances in technologies like flexible electronics, subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of this page.
Source:
| Full Name | Katie Taylor |
|---|---|
| Nickname | The Bray Bomber |
| Date of Birth | 2 July, 1986 (38) |
| Gender | female |
| Nationality | 
Irish |
| Place of Birth |
Bray, Ireland |
| Residence | 
Connecticut, USA |
| Stance | orthodox |
| Height | 5′5″ ft in (165 cm) |
| Reach | 66 in (168 cm) |
| Years Active | 2016- |
| Pro Debut | 26 November, 2016 |
|
||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Wins | 24 |
|---|---|
| Losses | 1 |
| Draws | 0 |
| no contests | 0 |
| Knockouts | |
| Knockouts | |
| Knockouts | |
| Knockouts | |
| Knockouts | |
| Knockouts | |
| Knockouts | |
| Knockouts | |
| Knockouts | |
| Knockouts | |
| Total Fights | 25 |
| Wins By ko | 6 |
| wins by decision | 18 |
| Pro Rounds | 214 |
| KO Percentage | 25 |
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