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

What's up my man? Hey I'm wondering if you're thinking about how your son might look at you, or what it might be like for him after your boxing career. If you are that's ok, it's just interesting. By the way I think that was my fault that we went off topic, not Teeto's. But to answer your question, he was a referee for a few years, mostly for the Golden Gloves, an amateur organization. You know, in some ways the boxing enthusiasts your age are at this time the luckiest of all. I didn't even get cable till I was in my 20's, whereas you've grown up with the internet. We were lucky to get a fight a week on Wide World of Sports. My dad watched whatever was on, and he went to a lot of fights. He had been on TV a few times, but he retired due to kidney disease before TV got big.

 

Hello Greg. I'm a bit luckier than Chinx because most of my dad's fights were televised. The only problem being that video recorders hadn't been invented.
I've got a few fights of his that Micky Duff gave him back in the 60's which are on 16mm.
My dad never really used to sit there watching them but he did show them occasionly when requested mainly charity nights for boxing clubs etc. Then there would be a question and answer sort of thing. I then took up the quest for his fights until one night about 12 years ago I was talking to a fella at the "Boxing writers best young boxer of the year" award who told me he'd managed to acquire quite a few that we hadn't seen.
Couldn't believe my luck. it was great to see these fights of my dad's that I'd only ever read about. Even though we've got them now I don't think he sits there watching them but If I'm there we'll get them out and he'll reminisce. It's a great insight for me cos he even remembers particular punches and how he was feeling at certain points in the fight.
I was back home in Liverpool with him last week and we watched The Rose, Caldwell, Johnny Clark 2 and a couple of the early finishes. We always take the **** out of him when he's getting interviewed haha.
I mentioned earlier that he stayed in the game and built up a bit of a stable and he wrote for a couple of boxing mags so I'd say through the 70's he kept up with the latest happenings and went to the fights. Since then he's drifted away from it but still go's to the odd show. He was a big boxing fan as a kid and throughout his career so he wouldn't really be out of place on here when it comes to talking boxing, specially the old timers. He knew the likes of Ted kid Lewis, Jack Berg, Len Harvey and met Dempsey, Carpentier, Marciano, Ali, Robinson etc. For a boxing fan he was in his element.

 

I'm sure he does.

 

Sounds great, Al. Sounds like you have a great thing with your dad. I came on this forum to try to find fights of my dad's but no luck. Since then I like the people and the topics that come up. Some real knowledgeable guys on here. Take care of Pops.

 

Like watching himself on film. The prime of his life and the best years of his life. I don't think life has ever been the same for him after those years.

 

Tough act to follow for these guys, isn't it Al? Could be the jock syndrome. I'd never heard the old man complain about it, or wonder what is life would have been without boxing, but it must be tough to be on top of the world and then have to come down. I'd say I definitely noticed that it was hard for my father to be a working stiff after his boxing career.

 

My dad's told me before that though he has no regrets he does feel sometimes as if he's lived his life back to front.

 

Wow, that's a great way to put it. I'd bet all athletes not just boxers feel that way to an extent. But sounds as if your dad was able to trade of his career in civilian life too. So even his second life so to speak would have been different had he not gone into the ring. My father from the time he was about forty to about 55 was a liquor salesman in the bars and clubs of downtown Pittsburgh. He had an outgoing personality but his "name" helped him there too.

 

Yes, your right it has all been all about who he was/is.

 

Must be tough on them, to reach such heights at such young ages and then be resigned to the ranks of the common man. It sounds like your dad may have had a little more to trade on than mine did after his career. Was your dad a champ? Mine came literally a round and a half away from fighting LaMotta for the championship. He often wondered and so have I how much different his life would have been had he at least fought for the belt. It would have been a more solid national celebrity he'd have to launch him into his post boxing career.

 

Al, has your dad ever suggested that other claim to know more about his life than he does???

It must be incredible, even being the son of a legend such as Al Rudkin, that many people will make statements, claims or accusations about the person in question... without being anything more than a spectator.

I guess its easy to make assertion, as I always pig-headedly do about fighters, without knowing them personally. Almost like the "tall poppy syndrome'..