An imposing Italian, a gallant Brit, a midnight dip and stolen crisps in Switzerland
THERE is a brief listing of world title fights going down in Switzerland.
In 1991, one recent November night time, a WBO title struggle happened lower than one mile from the Swiss border in the Italian enclave of Campione D’Italia. The venue was the historic Casino di Campione, which is in the city on the shores of Lake Lugano. The city is surrounded by Switzerland. Surrounded in each course.
In that ring that night time was Italy’s 1984 Olympic champion, Maurizio Stecca, defending his WBO featherweight title. Stecca was an amazing little fighter. His challenger was Tim Driscoll, a florist from Bermondsey. It was a struggle that deserves to be recognised for its high quality and quirky location.
The on line casino the place the struggle happened was changed with a large and towering eyesore in 2007; it closed in 2018 and opened once more earlier this 12 months. It has a historical past of thriller and intrigue going again to the spymaster days of World War II.
The struggle was buried at the time and stays that solution to at the present time. I watched it once more with Italian commentary and it’s excellent. It’s bloody and laborious, however with simple class. The struggle is forgotten, however there was a memorable beano to that distant resort, a coach and airplane extravaganza with a wayward gang of boxing followers.
The Driscoll journey (I’m positive) began in Romford, dwelling of Matchroom. I obtained there good and early and there have been about 30 individuals on the coach – they have been Tim’s loyal followers. There was quite a bit of Fila, white trainers and Italian denims. The Bermondsey Boys have been happening a jolly. The struggle was that night time.
The flight went to Milan, which is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Campione D’Italia. There was one other coach ready for the shuttle to the Lakes. We have been all staying in a pleasant motel on Lake Lugano. I had not managed to get any Italian lira. I by no means did it at both airport; I by no means did it, I went the entire journey with out spending a penny. I by no means had it to spend.
The venue was not spectacular. It was about as spectacular as the earlier time a Fisher boxer travelled to a on line casino for a world title struggle the place he was an enormous underdog. That man was Lloyd Honeyghan, and everyone knows what occurred that night time in a ballroom at Caesars Atlantic City in 1986. Denzel Bentley, from the Fisher, has the similar sort of odds towards him on Saturday.
Stecca had misplaced simply as soon as in 43 fights, his gold in Los Angeles in 1984 at bantamweight was spectacular. Driscoll had a superb win over Steve Robinson, who at the time had a document of 4 wins and three defeats. He dropped Robinson. He had additionally had two ten-round wars with Johnny Good for the Southern Area featherweight title. It was a danger, however a danger price taking. The boys on the bus have been assured.
At the venue, Nino Benvenuti was smiling his finest Nino smile at ringside and shaking palms. It is all the time a pleasure to be in his firm. He felt like real boxing royalty, and he was.
I had varied newspaper assignments for the night time. I feel that the Sunday Express had put a telephone in for me. I used to be additionally doing about six different Sunday and each day papers. It was a sensible earner, make no mistake. There was no cell phone motion; each paper had a free-phone quantity from European nations and the USA. I used to be Steve Bunce in a single or two, Steve Early, Mark Hilton, Frank Ward and Steve Royce in others. I grew to love some of my pen names. Not one phrase of copy was despatched by way of any sort of laptop; it was all phoned and dictated, and typically it was the similar individual taking the copy. “So, who are we tonight?” I used to be typically requested. It was a busy night time for me.
There was no different boxing on in Britain on that night time, however the sport was high-profile at the time; Chris Eubank had stopped Michael Watson simply six or so weeks earlier. Watson was simply out of a coma.
At the on line casino, the struggle was stopped by Freddie King in Driscoll’s nook at the finish of the ninth spherical. Tim was, in keeping with the scorecards, trailing closely; he was shedding 89-81 twice and 88-82. It was not that one-sided, nowhere close to that vast. It was compelling, slick and high quality. Driscoll had a broken nostril and cuts close to his proper eye. His face was swollen, however even in the final seconds of spherical eight he was chasing Stecca.
Tim Driscoll was damaged in defeat. He could possibly be proud of the 9 accomplished rounds.
I filed my copy and by the time I had completed the place was empty, only a lady with a brush. There was pasta and it was nice and free; I had two plates with Claude Abrams, the editor as soon as of this journal. And then we walked again underneath the stars, and I needed to dive in the lake. I needed to. It was one of my first abroad fights and it meant quite a bit. I had coated Driscoll as an newbie.
The following morning, I had a small sense of dread once I obtained on the coach. I had been hungry after the swim, and I had taken the crisps from the mini bar. I had no lira, I by no means paid, and I simply obtained on the coach. The Driscoll trustworthy began to float on, their baggage typically clanking with the unmistakable sound of glass on glass. There was a bit of murmuring and then, simply as the doorways have been about to close, a lady from the entrance desk jumped on and, by way of a translator, began to name out completely different individuals from completely different rooms. When she had exhausted her listing and emptied the baggage belonging to the males she had known as, she was standing in the center of about 100 mini-bar particular bottles of vodka, gin, scotch and wine. I escaped with my crisps. It was not precisely the Italian job, however the boys gave it a superb go. I obtained dwelling late that night time and nonetheless had not spent a penny throughout my 20-hours in the Italian Las Vegas.
Driscoll had two extra fights and stop and Stecca misplaced his title to Colin McMillan the following 12 months. Campione D’Italia remains to be in Switzerland.
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