Boxing News magazine 20.1.2011 Download pdf

Boxing News magazine  Download pdf

WHAT a very very sad time for British
boxing with the passing of Gary Mason.
Big Gary was British heavyweight
champion when I was at school. Although
maybe not what you would call the most
scientific of fighters, and possibly crude
at times, he actually had an outstanding
career with only one loss (to Lennox
Lewis). He fought and beat all the old
trialhorses at the time such as Ricky
Parkey, Alfonzo Ratliff and later on Tyrell
Biggs, who, to be honest, I thought would
have beaten Gary on points!

THE London Ex-Boxers' Association celebrated
the New Year in style, with groups from the
Midlands and Brighton Associations gracing our
January meeting.
Invited to say a few words, Midlands EBA
Chairman Martin Florey stressed, once again,
the importance of keeping EBAs up and running
- and for all EBAs to recruit new members,
especially younger ones. He said that their last
function went well, and they had got 14 new
members as a result. He drew the meeting's
attention to their Annual Golf Day, set for July
11, and said it was already 75 per cent sold-out.
Brighton Vice-Chairman Malcolm Cordier
said things were going well with all South Coast
Associations. Their recent dinner-dance had
been a success, and more were planned for
February and October.

THE best night of my boxing life was when 1
beat Michael Jones on April 19, 2003. It was
absolutely unforgettable.
I'd lost to Scott Dixon a couple of years
beforehand and I'd had four fights back.
The first three I'd boxed okay but the fourth
one was on the same card as Michael Jones
just after he'd won the Commonwealth title.
I underperformed and fought ridiculously
badly and it was all down to not making
weight properly. At that point, I wasn't that
clued-up on that aspect of things so I sought
some advice on it all

ONE of the best ideas the ABA ever had was the Novice
Championships, which provide a competitive outlet for
less experienced boxers.
This season's edition culminates with the National finals
on Sunday (January 23) at Elmbridge The Venue, Forest
Road, Hainault, Ilford, Essex IG6 3SL. Weigh-m is from
10am to 12 noon with first bell at 12.30pm. For tickets ring
the London ABA office on 020 7252 7008.
Strictly speaking, the event is not a creation of the ABAE.
For many years novice competitions (at a particular
weight) were regular features of club shows. Then in May
1970 the PLA revived their championships, which were
open to "all competitors from the Port of London Authority
and Merchant Navy".

THE latest class of Cuban fighters, which
includes Guillermo Rigondeaux, Odlanier
Solis, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Yan Barthelemy,
and Erislandy Lara among others, is
quickly proving as formidable as that
nation's exports from past generations.
Men like Luis Rodriguez, Florentino
Fernandez, Benny Paret, Jose Napoles,
Nino Valdes and others made a deep and
heavy mark on boxing in their respective
eras. Rodriguez, Paret and Napoles were
all welterweight champions, Valdes a
top-ranked heavyweight in the 1950s, and
Fernandez came close to beating rugged
Gene Fullmer for the middleweight
throne.