I came across some of his stuff on Ebay this week which i bought. I was wondering how good he really was? Wikipedia seems to skim through his boxing and doesn't give me a lot of information. Can anyone tell me anything about his style? how good he really was etc?
I dont think he was great by any stretch but he was a solid, tough, lower tier contender. He was a very interesting guy. Really funny and intelligent. There are some books and documentaries out there about him which I highly recommend.
My dad was sitting with him at a boxing dinner back in the sixties. When the dessert arrived it was a peach and banana dish that looked like a **** and a pair of bolllocks. Me dad said Mills took a look at and said "if the rumours about me are true I should enjoy this". Makes you wonder!
Pure fighter, Big Heart, BIGGER Balls and a worthy champion/contender. he took some punishment from Baksi, Woodcock x2, Olek, Ralph and other Heavyweights. I think he mixes it respectfully with any of the L-HWs of his day! a British icon and a well liked & loved personality! and I think murdered too.
Like the anecdote about the dinner,it definitely proves he was a witty guy.A bit before my time but my uncle was stationed in London after the war and used to go to the fights.Used to talk about Freddie giving weight away to people like London,Woodcock,Baksi.He went to the Marshall fight and said probably the only time he outweighed an opponent,and what a devastating KO.I remember him on TV doing Six Five special,a good personality.
Marshall caught Mills early with a bute of a hook that distorted Mills' vision and stunned him badly. Mills never got on track after that punch, took a boxing lesson from Lloyd the boy and kind of gave up. It wasn't Mills best performance, however Lloyd Marshall fought and beat everybody and is my favourite fighter, just a class boxer. No shame in losing to him or any top men! A great fight to watch the skills of Marshall and you can see Freddie both stunned & confused in that early round and likewise fight kind of half hearted, he seemed a bit discouraged after it!
Freddie is pretty underrated and obsecure. Not talked enough in the hardest punching light heavyweights conversation
WHY? 15 years in, a "Culmination of Punches" from a Top Excellent Boxer, a long time Contender & Champion, Why? Perfectly normal and common place scenario for thousands of Fighters. Plus Mills had seen some Wars - Baksi, Woodcock X2, London and Lloyd Marshall, plus a few other top dawgs. No Shame in Mills' Career, he was a worthy Champion and fit for any True Sized L-HW.
Very game ,courageous guy who was thrown into mismatches against heavyweights by his Father in law and manager Ted Broadribb, lucky to win a world title and catch Lesnevich at the right time.
with over 20 Stoppages to his credit... 15 years in, at the End of His Career, in this case the Literal End - His Last Fight. it subtracts nothing from Mills.
That's a thing that stands out in my mind, poor Freddie getting hammered by heavyweight s. Who knows what damage that caused.