Just a thread out of curiosity more than anything else; Jim McDonnell. By all accounts has a great relationship with James Degale and seems to be a decent coach. But what was he like as a boxer? Boxrec shows me his record was very respectable on paper including a KO victory over Barry McGuigan, but looking at it a lot of his fights seem to be against fighters maybe a bit below average, especially strangely enough after he won the European title.
Very very fit, tall rangy boxer, jab 'n move, - but a total non-puncher... in many respects he was very Like Jamie McDonnell today.(or perhaps a bit like Pat Cowdell back then) Win over McGuigan was not accurate reflection of their levels. Jims chin wasnt great.
He was a fighter with an extremely high work rate and reflects the way he trains his fighters.He lacked the power that would of made him able to really compete at world level and win.Hence his two failed world title shots. He had of course finished Barry McGuigan's career and was to me a very good boxer and imo a European level fighter that was just short of world class.He put up a very brave show against Azumah Nelson a true world class operator but took a lot out of him.His conditioning got him through to the last round. A friend of mine went to the fight against Kenny Vice and remember him telling me after he got brutally ko'd and if memory serves me right got told he was stretchered out of the ring.Nasty ko by all accounts only fought once afterwards a third straight defeat.
It was a brutal ko. As I recall Jim performed a very slick duck under a big right cross, which passed harmlessly over his shoulder, - - then inexplicably bobbed his head immediately straight back up - straight into the path of the swivel left hook which brutally ko'd him.....
Never actually saw the fight myself Len but remember being told about it and reading it in the Boxing News with I believe a picture of him being stretchered out if I am right? Two world title tilts against a great in Azumah Nelson and the road warrior Brian Mitchell another top operator.Came up short against two fantastic champions. On a side note it's a shame they don't still have boxing at the Royal Albert Hall great venue for boxing back in the day:good
Try to find it - if youve a strong stomach its worth a look for the text book perfect ko by that yank ??? Ken Lane??? - from a training point of view I mean - not sadism!! Rudimentary error: split second mistake and - bam! :yikes :yikes (it was a long time ago.... :thumbsup
Before my time, but I'm a big James DeGale fan. DeGale is always very complimentary of Jim, I think he sees him as a father figure - also Jim runs with DeGale and his boxers, which at his age is testament to his fitness. Seems like a good guy.
Much of McDonnell's early career went under the radar; but he got credit from the hardcore, fighting on the undercard of big fights and eventually got some mainstream appeal when challenging the excellent Brian Mitchell. He was expected to win, so when he lost he once again faded into the background. His next break came when McGuigan wanted to fire up his comeback and this time McDonnell was the underdog, but he wiped the floor with McGuigan and got another title shot. The title shot was against Azumah Nelson and once again McDonnell was a big, big underdog, what with the excellent Ghanaian being almost in his pomp. But McDonnell perhaps put his finest performance in and was the African's equal for much of the fight, a fight screened prime time on terrestrial TV. McDonnell met journeyman Vice in his comeback from the Nelson fight. He was expected to win easily, but the brutal nature of the defeat finished his career (sadly, just in the UK, as he came back in Europe).
The Mcguigan fight was only stopped due to a bad cut which he sustained in the second round. Taking nothing away from McDonnell but that win flatters him and I believe had MIckey Vann not stopped it, Mcguigan would have stopped him in the later rounds. Back then British refs stopped fights on cuts far too early, had Hatton boxed around that time he would have had lots of cuts defeats, much like Alan MInter. I
No, McGuigan was busting up all over the place in that comeback, he was lucky that the fight with the Argentine in the fight prior to McDonnell was in the UK, because there was a good case for that to be stopped as well. I was a big McGuigan fan and thought he would beat Jim, but he never was in the fight, the cuts were down to punches and the ref did Barry a favour.