Black & White footage of British Boxers

Great thread , Farr was a great fighter, apparently Louis **** himself after he asked Tommy what was the story behind Tommys ( coal dust scars ) Tommys trainer said they were a result of Tommy fighting tigers in the jungles of Wales and Joe looked shocked lol , Howard Winstone was a real gent , I remember the first time I met him , I was having a quick pre Sunday lunch pint with my future father in law and was introduced to Howard by him ( my future father in law and Howard Winstone on the sane day talk about a young ignorant scruff being on his best behaviour ) lol RIP Tommy & Archie both gentlemen .

 

Thanks Flea but after you sporting The Dragon as your Arvo contributing to this thread was the least i could do :good BTW i was reading the Nations cup thread earlier today and was in f*cki&ng stitches , close to tears infact

 

Winstone probably makes for the best viewing of any potential candidate for this thread imo, his jab was no joke.

 

Get involved bro :good, So far the Welsh side consists of mainly naturalized Welshmen . You can be part of squad and get involved when your on.

 

Ok I'll go for a guy who wasn't ever a world champion. The father of one of our posters, Alan Rudkin was surely one of the best British fighters of all time who never won a world championship, and my home citys finest along with John Conteh. He certainly had the odds stacked against him simply because he came about in the 1960's, which to this day is still likely the outstanding era in the bantamweight divisions rich history. He first challenged for the world championship (when it was exactly just that) in the form of one Masahiko 'Fighting' Harada. Harada had dethroned likely the best bantamweight of all time (challenged only in my opinion by a fighter who Rudkin too would face) in Eder Jofre.

The fight between Rudkin and Harada was a high quality technical affair. Both men hooking off the jab, circling for leverage, all in the centre of the ring no doubt, and investing in body work for the long haul, which they both seemed to know early on was a definite factor in the task ahead of them. On the night Rudkin was vintage Rudkin, a pure boxer working the counter and getting off inside as well. Harada was just slightly better than him and was able to outwork him over the distance where it counted. This is not a Gatti-Ward 1, this is a Rudkin-Harada, this is respectful disregard of the opponents challenge, and Rudkin came so close. It was just his luck that he had to fight one of the best fighters of all time.

Part One of their fine fight below.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTOg0wYe3GE[/ame]


Harada was beaten on points by Lionel Rose, the aboriginal all time great bantamweight who looked like a middleweight. Rudkin would now challenge Rose. With an army of scousers accompanying him, including Ken Dodd, Rudkin set about Australia. This fight is a classic, and it could have went either way. Last time I scored this fight, I had it to Rose by one point but it rested on one round which wa so hard to score (I don't give even rounds), I think it was round eleven but don't quote me. The plot for the drama that night is simple to explain, the intensity is not.

Rose was huge for a man of his weight, he had a great jab and would sting his man with an authority from his preferred range, not theirs. This meant that both men were going to attempt to win the fight on the outside, employing feints and establishing their distance. After a few rounds, it was clear that Rudkin could not fight his own fight, because Rose was too difficult to beat in that area of the game, Rose was the better boxer. Rudkin had to change something. Forced out of his comfort zone, Rudkin waded his way inside the big mans fortress of muscle, and made the fight a brawl, the results were mouth watering. The fight went the distance and Rose took the closest decision of his career.

Here, the last round and the decision

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TSlT149KIo[/ame]



Rudkins attempts would get no easier. Rose was destroyd by potentially the greatest bantamweight of all time in 'Rockabye' Ruben Olivares, and it would be he that locked the door to Rudkins ever elusive prize. Rudkin challenged the legendary Olivares and was duly dispatched and stopped early. Rudkin, denied thrice but never forgotten by his public and boxing fans alike. Alan Rudkin, MBE, LEGEND.

To see Rudkin in better times check out this sweet ko of Chicago's Ronnie Jones

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTWWIaAqgfQ[/ame]

 

Lovely post mate, thanks!:good

 

Thanks for the invite mate :good put me in "Team Taffia" i will post when i'm about ( i work away without internet for weeks at a time ) but will try my best ,

Teeto , Lionel Rose was a fantastic fighter very under rated imo , Al Francis dad Mr Rudkin was no slouch either ,thanks for putting that fight up i haven't seen it for ages ( now i gotta watch it again sometime today )

 

you're welcome, no worries,

 

I'll look forward to that mate. I'll think of someone to do as well.

 

might even be someone you haven't seen on film!