Question for AlFrancis and Chinxkid (and nayone else whos Dad was a pro boxer)

Lovely listening to Chinxkid's memories of his dad, I can relate to everything he said.
Where do you start, I could probably write a book on the subject myself. I knew from from day 1 that my dad had a different profession than other dads and that he was "famous". British champions back in the sixties were a lot better known than the fighters of today due to television. There was only 2 tv channels back then so if your fights were televised there was a huge audience. The likes of dad, Cooper, Charnley, Winstone and McGowan were household names. Everywhere we went people would say hello and ask for autographs, It was a great feeling. I've even been asked by schoolteachers for a signed photo.
I don't know about being treated differently but there was always that "Alan Rudkin's son" element throughout my life.
As for other kid's. I never really got bullied at school even though I was always one of the smallest kids in the class. Partly because I was always a good sportsman myself and even though I never took it up, I was taught the rudiments of boxing from an early age. Same as Chinx it was drummed into me "snap that left jab out", hooking off the jab and body punching, even now I can still throw a lovely left hook to the body haha. My old fella never encouraged us to fight but that we should always stick up for ourself and never let anyone take any liberties. Other kids were always a bit wary of taking me on, "his dads a boxer".
It's no wonder I'm a boxing nut the stories and fighters I've met over the years.
I was 7 when my dad had his last fight and I begged him to let me go but he wouldn't have it. It was a rematch against Johnny Clark for the British and Commonwealth titles. The first fight had been a war till my old fella stopped him in the 12th and he was expecting an even harder fight. He was right cos the rematch was even tougher and he won a close 15 round decision. The first time I saw any of this fight, only the 15th I was 24 and it actually brought a tear to my eye to see him fighting that desperately. I'm glad he hadn't taken me. My mum never saw him fight live, and my grandma would spend the whole time on her knees praying. my grandad was different he was a bit of a wannabe, he loved boxing but never took it any further and pushed my dad into it and I suppose fulfilled his ambitions through his son.
When dad was 4 or 5 he was struck down with a bone disease in his hip and his leg and he spent 18 months in hospital 12 months strapped down to a bed. it was thought he might never walk again. He eventually left hospital and spent about a year in calipers. Even with all the physio he was a frail little boy after this ordeal so my grandad started teaching him to box to build him up and eventually took him to the gym at about 10 years old. In my dads own words "As soon as I got in that ring I was at home, I was a winner all the way, this has got to be my thing". That's how it started for him and my grandad.
I spent my childhood boxing almost every day in tha house with my brother and anyone else who fancied it and then started going the gym myself. There were people who wanted me to go on particularly Paul King who is now one of the top men at the ABA but dad never wanted us to box, he used to say you don't know what a tough life it is I don't want that for you. Dad suffered terribly doing the weight and even now says it was the most traumatic experience of his life. i think that and the "you'll never be as good as your father" thing put paid to my boxing career. Something i still regret I suppose. I was talking to him last week about it and he said again " I couldn't of watched you fight". As a father of 2 sons myself I now understand because I couldn't watch them fight. Hypocritical as it may be considering I like watching other peoples sons fighting.
As you can see by the avatar boxing has always been there. I'm the one on the right.

 

Great story AlFrancis. I've really enjoyed this thread.

 

:good

 

:rofl

 

I don't know how it's even possible that Chinx, or anyone else for that matter, have not once mentioned his dad's name in this thread. I have no clue who he even is. Is this some sort of big joke? Honestly, how in the **** has his name not even been mentioned one time?

 

Charlie Afif?

i might have spelt it wrong, been a while since he posted it

 

Alright Al, boss post that.

 

Al, I really enjoyed reading your post. Funny how many things we had in common as kids, but I guess maybe not. The things that jumped out at me, your dad getting sick as a kid which gave him an obstacle to get over, made him try all that much harder, like my dad who had a plate in his right arm and so had to really develop his left. Also how his mother spent every one of his fight nights in prayer, as did my dad's mom. And of course how he never wanted you to fight, and my dad dissuaded me as much as he could too. I never became a boxer as I gather you didn't either. I did spend some time in the ring as a kickboxer, but that was after my father had already passed. I wonder, Al, if you have a feel for how your dad would have felt if you had fought as a pro. Do you think that despite his better judgment he would have helped you anyway? I think my dad would have, though it was the last thing he wanted for me. I have a son who's training right now, and I have mixed emotions about it. I'd honestly prefer that he didn't fight. I've seen the physical fallout of years in the ring and though I don't think that's what he has in mind, I think he just wants to get it out of his system, I just rather he didn't.

 

Ok Pea, I'm sorry already... Damn...

Charley Zivic up until about 1947, then Charley Affif


Boxrec's pretty accurate. His actual record, 43, 12, and 3.

http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=24422&cat=boxer

 

I was dying to ask...but I thought maybe there was a reason it hadn't been brought up, and I didn't want to be rude or anything.

 

I think, for what my opinion is worth, that the only thing to do is support him, but let him know the risks involved. Take it from there...

My parents never supported my brief amateur career at all, and it hurt. I knew why they didn't, but it still gnawed at me.

 

He had a dark side, but who doesn't. I'll say this, as nice a guy as he was he did have the ability to go from affable to ugly in a heartbeat. He could cut you quick, often when you least expected it. You can't spend all those years in the ring and not be able to tap into your killer instinct on a dime. One thing that should be said though is he never laid a hand on me or my brother. While every other kid on the block was coming out with bruises and teary eyes as a result of what their pops' discipline, my brother and I never took a beating. Truthfully, my dad never wanted to go their with us. I think he had a good sense of the violence that was part of him, and the prospect of what he might do to us scared the hell out of him.

It's an interesting question. Like all fathers, my dad wanted better for me than he had for himself. His father died when my dad was ten and left a houseful of females, a mother that spoke very broken English. They were poor, on Public Assistance, and while I grew up far from advantaged, I did have some options. One big one was my dad's contacts, and though those things usually don't count for much the one time they made a big difference in my life is when I wanted to go to college. I was in trouble a lot in HS and really didn't have the grades, but I got a shot because of my dad and was on the dean's list three of four years. The Admissions Officer, our contact, pulled me into his office alone and said, "Listen, I'm gonna give you a shot, a shot you know you haven't earned. But I am watching you!"

Do I sometimes wish I would have pursued a boxing career? I will say that it has crossed my mind. I probably had some talent. How much, or how far I could have gone, of course I just don't know. Gotta say I'm not too keen on a lot of the prices these guys pay over the course of their civilian lives.

Yeah, how perfect it was, I can't honestly say. But it did connect!

I did, and Young Charley. Flattered, that's all.

This I do really have to think about. I mentioned a few up front. He loved Willie Pep, I just wanted to add that since I failed to do so before. Thought he was THE greatest boxer he'd ever seen. The guys he talked about most were the ones he'd faced. I don't know that many wouldn't think much of them, but many just wouldn't think of them, much...

Agreed. :good

I understood, for the most part. I grew up in a pretty interesting place. It was the neighborhood where most families migrated when they tore down the Lower Hill where my dad grew up, basically right across the bridge. So the guys whose dads grew up with mine didn't treat me that way. They were more like family. Some of their dads were pretty tough themselves, a lot of street guys who were bookmakers or other kinds of creative things. But there were others who made a thing out of it one way or the other. As I say, either fake tough guys or sheltered. I didn't mind either way unless they took it to an extreme, either way. I don't know, I always admired the dad that was a lawyer or a college professor. One of my best friends from back there, his father was a psychologist and just the day we were talking about how funny it was that we grew up a mile away from each other but in a totally different way. You gotta understand, we're all coming from our own perspective, we all have the dad's and the upbringing that we have. Not one of us chooses it, so not one of us should be blamed for it. There is a difference though in how we handle it, how we handle our upbringing and how we account for and make allowances for other's upbringing. A little bit of awkwardness is to be expected, and even looked upon endearingly. It's the ones that take it to either extreme that are off, but that might be just a question of personality.

 

I've never seen films of his fights. I think he was just out of the spotlight. One more win, one more round! and he would have fought LaMotta for the championship. I used to think he would have had a lot of trouble with Jake, but when i watch Jake with Dauthuille, I think my dad would have a shot. Dauthuille was a sharp, short inside fighter as was my dad, and as we know Jake threw a bit of a roundhouse. Might have given the Bull a real go.

Pretty wise one you are GP, for a young man. In fact, as we speak my son is a little pissed off at me because I haven't helped him much. He thinks it's because I don't want him to fight, but the truth of it is I don't feel qualified to do it, and though I could probably help him to an extent, my "expertise", I use the term very loosely, would only take him so far.