Best Australian you never heard of

[Above Deck]

Cliff Samardin could've made it big time.

[Crusher]

Originally Posted by TCboxa

He now runs a gym in Albury.

Mate if I was you that's who I'd be training with. Knows his stuff.

[TCboxa]

Originally Posted by Crusher

Mate if I was you that's who I'd be training with. Knows his stuff.

He does alot of fitness work, little on boxing technique unless you are fighting, i sent a young bloke i used to train to his gym as i dont train fighters anymore and the young bloke wasnt to impressed with boxercise classes, he asked for a bit of one on one and Mark told him he didnt have the time. He was training Troy Mgrath, maby incorrect spelling on his last name, Troy lost two pro fights, went to Mark and got a decent match against a young kid who was a former amateur, he lost the fight. Often its not whos training you but if you have the ability imo, no doubt a good trainer helps but he can only do so much. Im not in the sport anymore so i have no intrest in training, Mike told me when he moved here, not long after Mark opened up his gym.

[old man]

Originally Posted by Bwgcolman

Ray McGrady, turned pro at 15 and retired by 19, beat Hector Thompson over 10 rounds when he was 16 and Hector was 22. Also beat Kahu Mahanga in New Zealand over 10 rounds when he was 17 and Mahanga was 26.
Didn't have the greatest record, but could only imagine what he would have been able to achieve today if he was looked after and with all the regional pathways to title shots.

The boxer in the "Who am I" thread had his first fight over 10 rounds against Ray Mc Grady and beat him convincingly.

[ecto55]

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[Dr Gonzo]

Originally Posted by wide_open_road

Does he think you're a cunt too?

[Bwgcolman]

Originally Posted by ecto55

Old Man- that was an excellant one.

Here's another good one, but I need help filling in the gaps.

There was a fighter from the Torres Straight Islands named Arthur Muldrock or Muldroch?, I know he had a number of pro fights from about the age of 14 or 15 with the old travelling tent shows (this was in the late 40's from memory), but I'll be buggered if I can find him on boxrec (suprise, suprise!). He clubbered various fighters of that era's renown in the ring, on the street and in the nick.....

Unfortunatly, like Old Man's contender this pug left his best inside, in fact this bloke couldn't stay out of jail and spent the best part of his life in segregation from what I've been told. But for sheer, natural fighting ability, he was apperently a dervish, one of those guys who would walk you down, make you miss everything you throw with a sixth sence and had Elly Bennett-type crushing power to boot. It was probably not a coincidence that the bloke was psychologically unhinged, but who knows- in todays modern age he might have had a better upringing and medication and been anything.

My ex's-brother is basically a cane-toad from living up there for so long, and has a lot of stories about the bloke, I'll post back with more because I'm intrigued myself. Give a coupla days. Queenslanders, this bloke was Abroriginal, and I seem to recall him being not that large- mabye a welter or middle weight...

Yeah mate I've heard a heap of stories from old timers in North Queensland about blokes who had all the natural ability and were better than a lot of big name fighters but just didn't crack it for some reason or another,

Palm Island had great fighters that came through Sharman's tent and kicked on as pro's, George Bracken, Jack Hassen, Alfie Clay.
Ron Richards was sent to Palm and spent the 50's and 60's there as punishmnet, he trained boxers such as Colin Gibson, who I've heard old fellas say was one of the best they ever saw.
Doug Sam came along in the 80's and had a lot of sucess, but for every one of these boxers there are stories of blokes who were faster, stronger and better but just didn't care to make their mark.

[ecto55]

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[Bwgcolman]

I know a lot of people who grew up with Arthur and he is still in jail I think he is one of the longest serving prisoners in the country. He has spent about 18 months out of prison since the late 50's.

Arthur was only about a welterweight and from what I heard was unbeatable unless you had a gun. he fought all comers in Sharmans tent all around North Queensland up to heavyweights and never lost.

From what I can piece together he first got in trouble for disobeying orders from white superiors as a young man (remember Palm Island was basically a penal colony for aboriginal people controlled by the state government) and went to prison. It was later he graduated to sexual crimes.
He spent about 10 years in the 70s/80s in a open air cage in the middle of the yard of Townsville jail, it took the UN to get him removed.

He is in his late 70's now and still in jail, so he has done just over 50 years. He was due for release to an old peoples home, but they knocked him back at the last minute.

[old man]

You might be a tad nervous in the old peoples home if you had the adjoining bed.