Boxing

[johnh]

I have always been interested in boxing. As a spectator, not a participant I must make clear. When I was doing my National Service I got 'ordered' to make up the numbers but I quickly found out that a punch on the nose is quite painful and makes your eyes water, so I got out fast. I was reading something the other day about a heavy weight who was 6ft 8inches tall and weighed 19 stone which seems to be par for the course these days. It reminded me of a time when I was fortunate to spend and hour and a half with Henry Cooper. Just the two of us and we spent the whole time discussing boxing. Fabulous experience. He said that he never went into a fight weighing as much as 14 stone. He said his average weight was 13stone 10pounds. I asked him who the best boxer her ever fought was (excluding Ali). He said that if Joe Erskine had had a punch he would have been world champion for years. America ruled the roost for a very long time, particularly in the heavyweight division but that has all changed. I can't remember when Britain had so many world class fighters as now.

[Davycc]

I remember as a youngster having our own Olympic games, bike races long jump etc and boxing, but we only had one pair of gloves. I thought that was fair as i was left handed and my first fight was against a right handed guy so a glove each, until my next fight against the street monster who turned out to also be left handed... I hit him once with a left gloved hand , he hit me many many times with an un-gloved left hand.... there ended my interest in boxing.

Working at the airport i meet a few "semi famous" people but I got to talking to Barry McGuigan a real down to earth guy . Like you John it just confirmed boxing was not my sport, hard training, dedication to the point of exclusion of all other things in life and as you say it bloody hurt !!

PS Ian Wright is also a true gent, John Motson couldn't get further up his own ar*e

[Malcolm Stark]

I used to love boxing. Back in the early 70s, it was a real treat for me to be allowed to watch Ali v Frazier, and Ali v Foreman.

However, after I'd been engrossed and excited by the Benn v McClelland fight in the mid-90s, I was deeply saddened by the resulting injuries suffered by McClelland. I really was cheering Benn on, after he'd been slaughtered in the early rounds. It was probably the best fight I'd ever seen.

Since then, I've not been so into the sport and have watched only about three or four fights in the past decade or so.

As John said, about that six foot eight giant, weighing nineteen stone, it is a freak in sport. The grace has gone, and its become a cynical, classless sport in many ways, seeing the antics of Chisora, Harrison and others in recent years.

[NottinghamWhite]

One of my biggest regrets was never seeing Ali fight live. Watched all of his fights including The Rumble in the Jungle, if memory serves me correctly it was on at some unearthly hour. Breaks my heart when I see him on TV these days.

[Selby White]

One of my biggest regrets was never seeing Ali fight live. Watched all of his fights including The Rumble in the Jungle, if memory serves me correctly it was on at some unearthly hour. Breaks my heart when I see him on TV these days.

You're correct about the "Rumble in the Jungle" bit at a silly hour despite Zaire only been a hour different to us. The official line was it was to suit the American audience but the other story was that humidity was at its worst in the middle of the night and Ali's camp had planned on Foreman tiring (which happend). Still an amazing win for Ali, Foreman was a monster who destroyed Frazier & Norton.

Have you seen the documentry filmbout that fight "When we were kings", got it on video somewhere.

My 5 favorite heaveyweights of all time (not necessary the best cos Louis, Johnson and a few others would be there) :-
1. Marciano
2. Foreman
3. Ali
4. Dempsey
5. Tunney

[Malcolm Stark]

Frazier? What no Frazier?

[Malcolm Stark]

I LOVE boxing arguments!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NottinghamWhite]

Must admit to always having a soft spot for Cooper and Bruno. No time at all for Bugner though.

[johnh]

I remember when I was about 7 years old, I had an uncle who had done some boxing in the Navy. He used to tell us stories about all the boxers of the day. My favourite was Joe Louis. I never saw him fight (no television) but my uncle told us about all his fights. During the war, there appeared on the front page of the paper, a photo of Joe Louis in US Army uniform, he had joined up. This would be in about 1943.
From that moment I knew we would win the war. I mean, with Joe Louis on our side we had to win. Well, I was right wasn't I.

[Deleted User 130]

The boxing authorities and TV companies have absolutely ruined pro boxing for me. how many versions of the titles / belts do we need? Watching big fights was like a game of Cluedo, trying to find out which bloody channel had/has them on, and having to pay to watch a world title fight is and always was wrong.

I loved the 70s and Henry C of course (more the 60s man in my eyes) and am with NW about Bugner too, I detested him. U don't mind him these days, he's got a good attitude to life. Richard Dunn, what a good guy he seems too. Ali was always my favourite and one of my proudest moments was when he came to Leeds to do some book signing at Austicks book shop on the Headrow in the 90s. I couldn't get out of work so I rang my Mum, God bless her, and she dashed from home, in to town, joined the queue, bought the book and had her photo taken with the man, all for me!

As an aside, there are precious few BAD boxing films. And anyone wanting to READ some good boxing fiction, try the writing of FX Toole (I think he's called), he wrote Million Dollar Baby for instance.

Great post/thread John H, thanks