By Steve Bunce
LAST week I used to be speaking about the nice Johnny Owen for a brand new movie about the boxer’s quick life and terrible dying.
Most individuals in boxing are accustomed to the brutality and tragedy of his final combat with the Mexican, Lupe Pintor. It passed off one night time in Los Angeles, in an element of that metropolis known as Little Mexico, and when you have watched the finish, you’ll always remember the finish. There have been 10,000 screaming for blood and a sacrifice that night time inside the Olympic.
However, it was Owen’s combat for the British title behind closed doors at one of the personal golf equipment in London’s West End that sparked a dialog. “Why was it there?” I used to be requested. It’s query and the reply will not be easy.
In 1977, at the National Sporting Club in the Cafe Royal, simply off Piccadilly, Owen stopped Paddy Maguire to win the British bantamweight title. It was Maguire’s first defence since beating Dave Needham to win the title at the World Sporting Club inside the Grosvenor House on Park Lane. It’s mad as a result of Needham and Maguire have been concerned in huge, fashionable fights in correct arenas earlier than the retreat to secrecy and silence.
Obviously, Owen by no means had a following at that time in his profession and, I suppose, an unknown child from Merthyr Tydfil combating at a non-public membership made sound monetary sense. Johnny Owen by no means received paid what he was price. Owen would have two extra non-title fights at the NSC earlier than combating abroad and dropping for the European title. In each these fights, Owen met highly regarded London fighters. I simply can’t make sense of Owen assembly Wally Anglis and Dave Smith in personal; they each packed followers in and the few safety on the door at the NSC will need to have had a busy night time maintaining out Wally’s males.
When Owen beat Smith in June of 1978, the major occasion at the Cafe Royal for the few hundred bow-tied punters fortunate sufficient to have tickets, featured Jim Watt in his fortieth combat; ten months later, Watt gained the WBC light-weight title. How does that make sense? It’s archaic, absurd and it by no means led to the Seventies.
In 1993, I needed to rent a kilt after which I used to be solely allowed to observe Paul Weir in a world title combat from behind a digicam place at Tommy Gilmour’s St. Andrews Sporting Club in Glasgow. It was a flashback. Weir got here out surrounded by his sword-swirling Braveheart gang and so they have been a distinction to the gentleman at the membership. There have been no girls in the membership; I suppose Weir’s warriors did have kilts on.
There is an extended, lengthy record of nice fighters and fashionable males in fights behind closed doors in the late Sixties and Seventies. It’s countless when you begin wanting.
In 1968, only a few months after successful a gold medal at the Mexico Olympics, Chris Finnegan turned skilled at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane, dwelling of the Anglo-American Sporting Club. It will get higher or weirder, relying on the place you stand. In 1971, about 200 metres north of the AASC on Park Lane, Finnegan fought Eddie Avoth for the British light-heavyweight title at the World Sporting Club inside the Grosvenor House. The combat completed in the fifteenth and ultimate spherical and Finnegan was the champion. That combat now can be at the O2 and it could be completely sold-out. I ponder generally how boxing survived the darkest of days in the Seventies. There was additionally a ban by the British Boxing Board of Control on fights being proven reside on tv. It’s onerous to invent this mayhem. British boxers have been stitched up repeatedly in Europe, bought to the highest bidder as soon as they gained a world title, there was no reside tv and the greatest names vanished behind locked doors. There have been, nevertheless, a dozen nationwide newspaper boxing correspondents. They saved the sport going. It’s simply insanity.
Finnegan and Avoth passed off the night time earlier than Jose Legra defended his European featherweight title in opposition to Jimmy Revie again down Park Lane at the AASC in the Hilton. Legra is one of the biggest misplaced fighters in our historical past; the combat in opposition to Revie was his a hundred and thirtieth, however he would win the WBC featherweight title in his 141st combat. He is the Cuban king.
Revie misplaced on factors to Legra and some months later would lose his British featherweight title to Evan Armstrong at the WSC, that’s the personal male-only membership in Park Lane’s Grosvenor House. My velvet penguin go well with would have gotten a proper pounding in the Seventies.
The very best British fighters from the Seventies fought behind closed doors. John Conteh had his first and second fights at the NSC and WSC, respectively. However, Charlie Magri and John H. Stracey have been just too fashionable for the cartel – as the authorized enterprise relationship between Mickey Duff, Terry Lawless, Jarvis Astaire and Mike Barrett was known as – to let combat in secret. Stracey and Magri bought tickets for a mixed 65 fights at the Royal Albert Hall and Wembley. Make no mistake, the two Eastenders weren’t combating for the doubtful pleasure of a number of males in tuxedos holding cigars and watching in silence; they have been gold at the field workplace. The others, effectively, they have been simply half of an old school enterprise.
This Friday, at a sold-out York Hall, Chris Bourke and Ashley Lane will combat for the British bantamweight title that Owen, Maguire and Needham held. The trio can be comfortable the combat for his or her previous title will not be behind closed doors; it’s reside on tv and was obtainable to anyone for 40 quid. That is change, I suppose.
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