Boxing Articles Thread

chatty · May 11, 2012

After speaking to the mods I have had the green light to put my articles back up:good

If any of the mods are reading this or don't like anything in the thread just let me know and Ill edit it or take it down etc and thanks for letting me put it back up.

Also its probably better this way as anyone else can put their articles up as well. Just make sure you quote it instead of putting full links up as some sites are banned to my knowledge.

A few of you's wanted to read the Seaman Tommy Watson on so I have made it my first order to put that one up:

Born in 1908 and brought up in the Byker area of Newcastle, little Tommy Watson would become the first boxer from the North-East area of England to be crowned a British champion. Tommy would achieve much through his career including fighting some of the biggest stars in the biggest arena's in the world; however he would be plagued with bad luck which would earn him the nickname of Hard-Luck Tommy.

Tommy started boxing at the age of fifteen at Jimmy Britt’s Gym, trained by local boxing hero Jim Falcus. He would not make his professional debut until the age of seventeen by which time he had begun a career in the Royal Navy and was fighting under the name of Seaman Tommy Watson. His first fight would be at St. James Hall on the 28th September 1925 against Tom Pinkney in a six-rounder he would win on points.

Tommy spent his first couple of years as an professional pugilist inactive due to his career in the Navy but would pick it up greatly in 1927 when he teamed up with respected managed and former British title competitor Alex Lambert (A man who had been associated with great fighters such as Nel Tarleton, Benny Lynch and Alf Mancini).

Watson would record twenty-eight straight victories before tasting defeat on points over fifteen rounds against George Rose from Bristol. Although beaten, a disappointed Watson would leave the ring to a standing ovation. Tommy would go another twenty-four fights unbeaten (23 wins amd 1 draw – a controversial draw which most people had Tommy winning with ease) before coming up against Rose again at the Rochester Casino.

Tommy had improved a great deal since there last meeting but so had Rose whom had won thirty-four of his following thirty-six contests including a victory over British lightweight champion Fred Webster. The fight was very close but Rose would again triumph, this time over twelve rounds.

Watson’s next opponent was the wonder kid of British boxing Nipper Pat Daly. Daly had started boxing professionally at the age of ten and held impressive wins over Bert Kerby, Kid Socks and Dick Corbett, all before the age of seventeen. The fight would be a classic, keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats. Watson put Daly down twice in the second round and again in the third only for Daly to rally back in the mid-rounds. With the score cards fairly close Watson’s relentlessness would catch up with Daly in the tenth round forcing the referee to send Daly back to his corner at the beginning of the eleventh and call the fight in Watson’s favour.

This classic encounter persuaded manager Alex Lambert that Watson could be a star in the boxing world and shortly after the Daly fight Watson bought out his discharge from the Navy.

In defeating Daly, Watson had pushed his claims of a shot at the British championship but he would have to go to battle with some of Britain’s top boxers at the time to earn the bout. One of these would be another local hero Benny Sharkey, they would fight each other three times in what was hailed as the Battle of Byker and also advertised as for the Featherweight Championship of the North. Sharkey had mixed it with and beaten some very good boxers such as Emile Pladner, Phineas John and former world bantamweight champion Teddy Baldock.
The first fight between the two Geordies would be fought in heavy downpour at Brough Park forcing the referee to order sawdust be thrown across the ring in the fifth so that the boxers could stay on their feet. Watson would be a comfortable winner on points in all three fights.

Watson would also be involved in a trilogy of wars with Sunderland based Scot Dougie Parker. Parker was known for his big punching and would certainly trouble Watson over the course of their fights. Watson was a worthy points winner in the first two fights leading to an excellent third encounter when both men were on the brink of a British Championship match. Parker would put Watson on the canvas three times only for the Seaman to determinately pursue Parker dropping him twice in the eleventh round forcing his corner to throw in the towel.

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Vano-Irons · May 11, 2012

:happy Tom Watson :happy

Flat footed apparently

Will read this later

:good

chatty · May 11, 2012

Part 2

In this period of his career Tommy would also claim victory over Belgian champion Francois Machtens, Irish champion Jack Garland, Scottish champion Peter Cuthbertson, Welsh champion Ginger Jones and highly rated Frenchman Julian Verbist. His only defeat from March 1930 until May 1933 would be at the hands of Dom Volante. Watson, diagnosed with tonsillitis, flu and an abscess of the ear refused to call of the fight with Volante who was a very good boxer and had beaten sixteen champions in his career. Watson would pay heavily seeing the canvas six times before his corner retired him.

Watson’s impressive run would finally earn him a shot at the British featherweight championship. His opponent would be Nel Tarleton, a Liverpudlian who had earned a reputation by beating a line of top competitors and had drawn with ring legend Panama Al Brown just months before this fight (Remarkably Tarleton did this with a ruptured spine muscle, revealed after the fight).

They would fight over fifteen rounds at The Stadium in Liverpool, Watson would show tremendous work rate in a very close fight which went the full distance (Watson cutting Tarleton’s eye in the fifteenth). Watson’s hand would be raised at the end and the Geordie fans would raise the roof as Lord Lonsdale presented Tommy with the Lonsdale Belt making him the first boxer from the North-East of England to win a British championship.

Tommy would set his sights on world glory and hoped to fight Kid Chocolate in America for his world featherweight championships. Watson set sail for America only to be told that all foreigners must first prove themselves in the states before being granted a shot at the champion. Watson had to go through the rigmarole of having to impress a judging committee behind closed doors in two-round sparring sessions with several fighters.

Although upset that a fighter of his calibre would have to go through such ridiculous measures he agreed and was granted the title fight only for Chocolate to be deported from the US as he did not have a permit for visiting from the Department of Labour (Chocolate had fought their twenty-five times previously without being asked for this permit). The fight was again on the back burner.

Undeterred in his pursuit for world glory Tommy agrees to fight former world flyweight champion and Olympic gold medallist Fidel La Barba in an eliminator for the world featherweight championship. La Barba was a class act and had beaten world champions such as Frankie Genaro, Jimmy McLarnin and even Kid Chocolate in a non-title match.

The fight would take place at Madison Square Garden in front of over 11,000 spectators in what would be the first appearance of a British featherweight champion in an American ring for over twenty years. La Barba started fast putting Tommy on the mat in the first round but Watson clawed his way back punching La Barba into the ropes in round four. Although close in the early rounds Watson vicious work rate won him many of the latter rounds and he cut Fidel’s left eye in the eleventh.

When the bell ended after the twelfth Tommy’s hand was raise and the New York fans all cheered their new hero. Watson would arrive back in Newcastle to a thunderous reception as if he had won a world title.

Eligio Sardinas Montalvo (Kid Chocolate) was a Cuban sensation and is still classed as one of the greatest ever fighters too this day. Watson would have his work cut out if he was to beat the Cuban who had only been beaten by a handful of boxers all of whom were considered top world level boxers (Jack ‘Kid’ Berg, Fidel la Barba, Toni Canzoneri and Battling Battalino).

There was 14,000 fans awaiting Tommy Watson to see if he could beat Chocolate at Madison Square garden on the 19th May 1935 and none would leave disappointed after a brilliant fight. Chocolate would use his boxing skills wisely whilst looking to land his big left whereas Watson used his in-fighting style going to the body trying to break Chocolate down.

Watson saw the canvas in the tenth round being caught with a left hook but was straight back to his feet. He would catch the Kid in the twelfth with a big right that buckled the Cubans knees and bloodied his lips but stood off and gave him time to recover. It was all square going into the fifteenth and final round and in the end the judges felt Chocolate had done enough to retain his championships.

There were many who disagreed with the verdict including Watson, who never one to complain told close friends and family after he retired that he thought he was robbed. The fight earned Watson a lot of praise including of former world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey who labelled Watson a great fighter. Kid Chocolates manager Luis Gutierrez also stated that his boy had taken more punishment in that fight that in any other to date.

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chatty · May 11, 2012

Part 3

Tommy’s bad-luck continued after the fight when the promised re-match fell through along with other big fights against the likes of Panama Al Brown, Toni Canzoneri, Tommy Rogers and Jimmy Walsh, all for various reasons. Watson would keep him self busy whilst waiting for a another championship bout by winning several big fights against the likes of Dave Crowley, Johnny Cuthbert and Billy Gannon. He would also make a defence of his British title beating Scotland’s Johnny McMillan over fifteen rounds.

A win over the current British bantamweight champion Dick Corbett would lead Watson to his second defence against old rival Nel Tarleton. In another close fight Watson was ahead going into the thirteenth round when an unintentional head butt by Tarleton badly cut Tommy, stunning him and leaving him with blood gushing down his face. Tarleton would take the last two rounds narrowly earning him the fight an dethroning Watson of the belt.

Watson would spend the rest of his career fighting as a lightweight and entering an elimination contest to challenge Jack ‘Kid’ Berg for the British title. Tommy would get to the final by beating Tommy Spiers, Frankie Brown and revenging a controversial loss to Sonny Lee (Watson was disqualified in the first bout for a supposed low-blow).

Before the final Watson would face-off with Freddie Miller, the American who was ranked as the number three pound for pound fighter in the world. The fight would see both men down several times with Miller taking the decision after ten rounds. A re-match was signed and a month later they would go at it again.

The first round saw both men go toe to toe with Watson winning the round, when they came out for the second Watson set the pace high putting Miller on the back foot but Miller had timed Tommy and when he got his chance he caught Tommy with a terrific left hook which put the Seaman on the floor for the full count.

Watson’s next fight was the final eliminator for the British Title against George Daly. Again bad luck would strike and Watson would be cut badly by accidental clash of heads in the opening round forcing him to fight practically blinded for the remainder of the eight rounds, whereby the fight was stopped due to the cuts.

Watson would retire after the fight at the age of twenty seven claiming he had had too much damage done to his eyes over the last few years and did not want to risk his sight. In retirement Watson would become a referee and manage several bars. He served as a Petty Officer Physical Training Instructor during world war 2 and continued to do lots of work for charity, as he had done during his career.

Watson’s final record shows 122 fights in total, 112 of which were victory’s including nine defeats and one draw. He will be remembered as a great British champion who was unlucky not to be given the decision for a world championship. Tommy Watson came up against three fighters from the International Boxing Hall of Fame beating Fidel La Barba and taking Kid Chocolate and Freddie Miller to the wire losing close decisions.

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chatty · May 11, 2012

Tom Smith - first article I wrote a fair few years ago now

Born 26th September 1918 in the East-End of Sunderland Tom Smith would become one of Sunderland’s greatest sporting heroes. Tom was encouraged to box by his father and the priests at St. Patrick’s boys club but his main inspiration to box was his older brother and successful boxer Billy.

Billy started boxing when Tom was six years of age. He accumulated 67 fights only losing six and had victories over the likes of Benny Sharkey, Douglas Parker and Jim Bird. When Billy retired he began coaching at the St. Patrick’s boys club and helped develop his brother Tom.

Tom started his pro career at fourteen years old in a victory over `The Wheatley Hill Wonder Boy` John Curry. By 1935 Tom was boxing ten rounders against quality North Eastern featherweights and was not defeated until his thirty-seventh fight.

1938 was to be a good year for Smith, by this time he had fought 57 times loosing only to four experienced journeymen and after impressive wins over Tommy Miller (Twice) and George Smith a match was set up with experienced local hero Benny Sharkey.

Sharkey had fought some great fighters such as Freddie Miller, Nel Tarleton, Spider Kelly and John Cusick amongst others and had victories over nine champions on his record. When the fight got underway the powerfully built Sharkey built up a good early lead but Smith would rally back and take the latter rounds. Sharkey would get a close decision although many in the crowd felt the fight should have been a draw.

Two convincing victories over George Marsden and Norman Deny set up a eagerly awaited re-match with Sharkey but the outcome would be the same for Smith – a great fight with Sharkey getting a close decision although this time the decision was greeted with hostility, the crowd believing Smith to have won with ease.

Apart from the two losses to Sharkey, Smith had won all nine of his other contests in 1938 and because of this he was granted a non-title fight with British bantamweight champion Johnny King. King was a talented fighter who had lost a 15 round world bantamweight championship match against the legendary Panama Al Brown. Despite his experience the fast and accurate hands of Tom Smith caused King many problems and Smith was awarded the fight in which he had given King a boxing lesson.

Next on the cards for 20 year old Smith was British featherweight champion Spider Kelly in another non-title affair. This time the fight would end in a draw, the 20 year old not experienced enough to deal with Kelly’s spoiling tactics.

Smiths impressive showings against the two champions earned him recognition by the BBBofC who made him no.1 contender for the British and Empire featherweight title but again a title shot did not materialize. Smith would yet again be fighting in a non-title affair against new British featherweight champ John Cusick.

After beating Spider Kelly in his own backyard the boxing press was hailing Cusick as having an exceptional future ahead of him but that did not stop Smith from taking the fight to him, Smith knowing after the third round that Cusick did not have the power to hurt him. The result was another credible point’s victory over another reigning champion for young Tom.

It was around this time Tom enrolled into the Armed Forces and although involved in the war Tom continued his boxing career and would capture the Northern Area featherweight championship from Frank Parkes. After a few more impressive wins Tom was granted his shot at the Empire and British featherweight champion Nel Tarleton.

Now a Sergeant in the Army Tom only had a couple of months to get ready for his title fight having been evacuated from Dunkirk. Unfortunately for Tom, he was unable to reach full fitness but did put up a classy showing in a defeat to an excellent champion. Many believed that if Tom had had more power in his punches he could have prevailed but Tom was still young and hopeful of other chances.

The end of 1939 saw Tom ranked as the no.2 British featherweight although it would take till February 1941 before Smith was given a chance of revenge against Tarleton in a non-title match. Tom took his chance brilliantly, destroying the Champion and winning eight out of the ten rounds (one round was also declared a draw).

After this Smith again defeated Jackie Rankin in an eliminator for the British featherweight crown but a supposed bout with Tarleton never happened, Tarleton unable to make weight for it. Smith would again have to fight in an eliminator to get a chance at the title.

This would come against former British champion Jim Brady. After three closely contested rounds Smith came into his own and out boxed Brady winning all nine remaining rounds and granting himself another chance against Tarleton.

Luck however, would go against Smith a final time in his quest for the championship, the bout with Tarleton was arranged but had to be postponed due to the illness and death of Toms 17 year old brother George to Tuberculosis. Between 1942 and 1945 Tom only had two fights, both of which credited Tom as Army professional Champion at Lightweight.

After the war Tom set out to re-establish himself as a top British featherweight but was very much avoided by the best at the time all knowing that he was a very dangerous fighter. Although Tom would not get another title chance he still had some outstanding matches beating Ronnie Clayton and unofficial world Amateur Champion Paddy Dowdall.

Tom's greatest victory would come against Ray Famechon (Famechon would go on to lose close points decisions against two of the best fighters of all time in Willie Pep and Sandy Saddler). Although some people believed the Frenchman had done enough to steal the bout most ringsiders felt the referee had called it right. Tom himself always claimed this to be his finest victory.

Tom would call an end to his career after moving up to lightweight and losing to Ray’s brother Andre Famechon. Tom would always be remembered as a brilliant fighter and the un-crowned featherweight champion of Britain. Tom was a slick boxer who knew how to work the ring and the only thing he really lacked was a knock out punch which is shown in his records as he only scored 3 ko’s.

In his latter career Tom’s management called out many of the champions and put up big money for them to fight Tom but even brilliant fighters like Nel Tarleton and `Tiger` Al Phillips did their very best to avoid Tom. Tom’s final record showed 112 bouts 99-10-3 which is outstanding considering Tom fought the best around defeating three reigning champs, drawing with another and defeating many former champions.

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chatty · May 11, 2012

Jack Casey

Born 22nd September 1908 in Southwick, Sunderland Jack Casey would go on to a boxing career that saw him fight for the British Middleweight Championship and amass a record of two hundred and twenty four fights.

A regular attendant at the Holmeside Stadium in Sunderland, on the 17th July 1926 a 17 year old Casey was given his chance in a boxing ring as a last minute replacement in a novices’ flyweight competition. Casey knocked out his opponent in the first round and then fought a fourth round draw against Jim Britton in the final.

Casey would only fight one more time as a novice and would record a 22-6-2 record in his first year of boxing. In 1928 Casey fought Al Kenny as the star billing in a fifteen round contest (both would be a first for Casey) in Salford. Casey outfought his opponent but the bout was called a draw by referee (and former British Heavyweight Champion) Bombadier Wells. The crowd jeered the decision which would make the next day’s headlines and be the first time Casey would make the national press.

Also that year Casey acquired the nickname ‘Cast Iron’ after a bout with Dino Guselli when afterwards Guselli’s promoter Joe Tolley asked Casey ‘where he got his cast-iron jaw’. Guselli, the hard hitting former Olympic Champion had threw everything at Casey but couldn’t knock the Sunderland man down in a fight Casey won on points. Coincidently two months prior to this Casey had knocked out the former ‘Cast-Iron Man’ Joe Grewer.

The next two years would be harder on Casey as he fought as a regular bill-topper against tough opponents. It would be in these years in which ‘Cast Iron’ would learn the trade for what would become his best years as a boxer. Casey fought opponents such as Albert Johnson (the only fighter to stop Casey twice), Jack Horbin, Archie Sexton and Sandy McKenzie in a period in which he moved up to Welterweight and Middleweight respectively.

1931 saw a string of impressive victories over men such as Dick Bartlett and George Willis which earned him another nickname in ‘The Sunderland Assassin’ and also a bout against French Middleweight Champion and future World Middleweight Champion Marcel Thil. Thil would win the fight over ten rounds on points but not before having his left eyebrow split in the opening round and getting hurt on numerous occasions. After the fight the Frenchman described Casey as the ‘toughest man on the planet’.

Soon after this Casey was granted a non-title fight with British Middleweight Champion Len Harvey but lost on points after fifteen rounds in a tough match. From here Casey went on a winning streak which culminated in a re-match with Harvey, this time for the Championship. That streak saw him beat other top ranked opponents such as ‘The Rochdale Thunderbolt’ Jock McAvoy for the Northern Area Middleweight Championship and the fourth in the series with Archie Sexton.

The title-fight with Harvey was held at the New St James Hall in Newcastle. The first five rounds were close but in the sixth Casey had Harvey in trouble catching him on the jaw with a big right causing Harvey to fall against the ropes, arms dangling, but he did not follow up believing Harvey was trying to lure him in. Casey had the Champ in trouble again in the twelfth but Harvey held on and racked up enough points to win the bout after fifteen rounds. It was a classic encounter in which Harvey also cracked his right hand on Casey’s jaw claiming it was never the same again.

This was to be the peak of Casey’s career as proposed bouts for a re-match with Harvey, a World Championship shot at Marcel Thil and defending his own Northern Area Middleweight title all fell through. Casey had limited success after this period but beat some good fighters in South African Middleweight Champion Eddie Maguire, Wesh Light Heavyweight Champion Tommy Farr, George Slack, Charlie Berlanger, Reggie Mean and Jack London before eventually retiring in 1942.

After retiring from boxing Casey enlisted in the Army and worked labouring jobs until he could work no longer due to ill health. Casey died on the 24th January 1980, four years after his wife Elizabeth who with their two sons John and George had helped look after Jack for twenty years as his health deteriorated.

Casey will be mainly remembered as the man with the cast-iron jaw who never received the ten-count in two hundred and twenty four fights but Casey was more than just a punching-bag with a steel chin . He had a great punch in both his left and right hands and was rated highly by his fellow professionals. Both Len Harvey and Marcel Thil claimed ‘The Sunderland Assassin’ to be their hardest fights and Dick Bartlett who Casey knocked out in the second round of their second fight stated afterwards ‘give me no more of Casey, I’d sooner fight (world heavyweight Champion) Primo Carnera’. Casey’s final record stands as 224 fights – 148 wins, 61 losses and 15 draws.
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chatty · May 11, 2012

Couple of back to back articles about Birtleys Martin Ward I wrote for each programme:

Martin Ward sees Ian Napa as the breakthrough fight he needs to spearhead him to the top of the British rankings and earn himself a shot at the Lonsdale belt. Ward sent a statement out to Napa and the rest of the division when he stated: “When I bring my A-Game I know I can beat anybody.”

Not taking Napa lightly, Ward has been training hard for the fight and has been hitting the gym everyday whether it be for roadwork or sparring or working with coach Neil Fannan in the gym.

Martin said: “Napa is a good boxer who has won European and British titles but we’ve been working hard, I feel good and I’m looking sharp and come July 3rd I’ll be ready to go.

“We are both really good boxers so I don’t think there will be a knockout but we’ll show the crowd a huge set of skills and it will be a highly entertaining fight. He’s a good name and once I beat him then I can go on to bigger and better things.”

Ward has had a near perfect career as an amateur so far hardly losing a round with the only blip on his record being a knockout loss to a much heavier opponent.

Ward turned professional in 2009 winning his first eight bouts with relative ease but lost his next fight with Micky Coveney when he gave up 16 pounds and was caught with a huge shot in the second round, “In hind-sight I shouldn’t have took the fight but I had sold a lot of tickets and I didn’t want to let my fans down. I believe if I fought him a hundred times again he wouldn’t be able to beat me, even with the weight advantage.

“I’ve got no excuses though, I was leading in with the right and he caught me with an overhand left that I never saw coming, he was the better man on the night but I’ve come back well and I’m looking at bigger fights to come now.”

Ward was an excellent amateur boxer and won a multitude of titles including national schoolboy, boys club and junior ABA championships as well as boxing for England many times. Ward’s younger brother Tommy has followed in his footsteps winning the Junior ABA championships two years running and was crowned European champion last season.

A victory over Napa would be the icing on the cake for the Ward family as Martin would be knocking on the door of the champions in the division and is happy to take any challenge: “we were offered a commonwealth title fight with Jaimee MacDonnell (also European champion) before the Napa fight was made but it could not be made as I haven’t boxed a ten rounder. After this fight I want a shot at the title, Ill fight MacDonnell or Stuart Hall or anyone else out there.”

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Martin Ward is looking at the title picture after scoring a career best victory last time out when he outpointed former British and European champion Ian Napa over ten rounds at the Stadium of Light.

Martin said: “I really enjoyed the fight, I wasn’t expected to win but I didn’t do a lot wrong and had an answer for everything he did.

“My confidence is now sky high and I believe I’m in the best form of my life including my amateur career. I’m now in the best shape I’ve ever been in and I can’t wait to get back in the ring.”

Ward faces South African Michael Ramabalesta today over six rounds. “I don’t know much about him apart from that he’s from South Africa and has won six from his nine bouts. It’s good to get the rounds in though and if I keep impressing then I can look forward to a title shot down the line,” said ward.

Martin was ranked as ninth in the British super-bantamweight rankings published in this month’s Boxing Monthly on the back of the Napa win and could be closing in on a title opportunity in the coming months.

Looking to challenge at bantamweight Martin will have to see how the division pans out with now European, British and Commonwealth champion Jaimee MacDonnell looking to challenge for world honours he may vacate his titles.

Martin was offered a Commonwealth championship with MacDonnell earlier in the year but could not take the opportunity due to not having enough rounds under his belt. With that requirement now met Ward was happy to challenge anyone in the division and is more than confident of defeating them.

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chatty · May 11, 2012

And one about both him and his brother Tommy

Boxing brothers Martin and Tom Ward shared a triumphant end to last season when the pair capped the year of with impressive victories in the amateur and professional side of the sport.

Amateur boxer Tommy went unbeaten this season culminating in him winning the Junior ABA’s 54kg and Tri-Nations to add to the NACYP championship he won earlier in the season. After receiving walk over’s into the pre quarters Tom defeated William Yen (Long Lane), Kieran Jones and Scott Baghurst (Highfields) to reach the final.

Tom’s opponent in the final was All Stars Isaac Dogboe. Tom kept the fight at long range countering Dogboe to work his way to a 19-9 victory to retain the title he won the preceding season. Tom said of his opponent “He was a good kid, very strong but I was too classy for him, made him miss and countered him.”

Ward’s next assignment was the Tri-Nations, another tournament he had won the season prior. Tom had moved up to 56kg for this tournament but the extra weight made no difference to the Birtley boxer who still impressed beating two Scottish boxers to reign as the champion of Great Britian.

K McKeown was his opponent in the semi’s, a naturally bigger opponent McKeown tried to use his physical advantages to work over Tom but Ward’s speed and counter punching turned the bout and he was victorious by 9-5.

Tom would win the tournament after a tough bout with R McKechnie to which he was behind after both the first and second rounds but ward battled back winning the bout in the last round with the final score being 11-10.

Tom now owns an impressive haulage of titles including a schoolboy title, two Junior ABA championships, three Tri-Nations Gold medals, an NACYP gold medal, a European bronze medal and was also a European Gold medallist in the 2009/10 season.

However, Ward has goals to add more titles to his list including aiming to clean up in competitions this season: “I want to defend my ABA and Tri-nations titles and then go on to add another European medal and ultimately win the world championship” stated a confident Ward.

“My ultimate goal is to be the best amateur that I can be, I am aiming for the Brazil Olympics in 2016” commented Ward. If his form as a Junior boxer is anything to go by then we can expect big things in the future from Tom.

Having seen his brother triumph in the amateur side of the sport it was the turn of older brother martin to make his mark in the professional rankings. Having lost his first fight in September of last year Martin had bounced back with two point’s victories over Delroy Spencer and Shaun Doherty.

With his career firmly back on track Martin was paired with former British and European champion Ian Napa in his first big test as a professional. Undeterred by Napa’s achievement’s ward put on a great display, showing flashy skills and using the ring well to outpoint the Hackney boxer by 96-94 over ten rounds.

Ward’s record now stands at 11-1 and he has a title fight firmly in his sights. Ward stated: “I was offered a commonwealth title fight with Jamie MacDonnell before the Napa fight but it couldn’t go ahead because I hadn’t boxed enough rounds. I’ve got the rounds under my belt now and I’ll be happy to fight the winner of MacDonnell and Stuart Hall or anybody else out there.”

Martin proved himself an excellent amateur under the tutelage of the coaches at Birtley ABC winning a multitude of titles including three national schoolboy championships, three boys’ club championships, a junior ABA title and winning a bronze medal in the European championships. Martin also represented England on numerous occasions.

Having turned pro in 2008 martin has worked his way up the rankings under experienced coach Neil Fannan and is now is a position to add professional achievements to his amateur days.

Poised to be successful in both sides of the sport the Ward family can look forward to many more great nights spent round the squared circle. Confident his brother Tommy can follow him into the professional ranks in the future Martin commented: “Tommy is a major talent, I wish the bookies would take bets on him now as I’d put all my money on him becoming a world champion in the future.”

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chatty · May 11, 2012

Heres one I wrote about Callum French, a lad I tip to do very well in the future:

Calum French marked himself out as a prospect to keep an eye on this season as he won national honours and Tri-Nations gold as well as showing good form in the European and world championships. This is made all the more gobsmacking considering Calum has only had 21 fights.

French began the season with home-show victories over Brandon Comby (Spennymoor) and Jordan Ellison (Horden) before entering the Junior ABAS championships where he would eventually be crowned champion defeating Albert Lee (Repton) in the final 20-8.
Commenting on the occasion Calum said: “The final felt like a massive task for me being the underdog as Lee came with a big reputation having been a schoolboy champion and also having twice as many bouts as me.

“I was boxing his backyard with a lot of his fans there but I’d been working hard on certain things with Graeme (Rutherford) who had done his research. We knew he liked to come tearing in so we worked on me spinning to the side and firing off backhands.
“It was an absolutely unbelievable feeling (winning the contest), I was over the moon and it was a great feeling knowing I’d done it alone (as opposed to team sports).”
Calum had progressed to the final by defeating Brandon Comby (Spennymoor) in the first round. Calum, clear ahead on points in the final round saw Comby disqualified after twice being warned for ducking low.

Calum would face Ambrose Burnside(Darlington) in the North East final stopping him in the second before receiving a bye through to the quarters where he defeated Ryan Manifold (Fox) 16-5. Calum would then go on to beat Tion Gibbs (brother of GB boxer Cory) 10-3 in the semis.

French would then go on to compete for international honours boxing in the European championships and winning the Tri-Nations competition.
Commenting on the contests Calum stated: “The European championships were in Hungary, it was a great experience and I really enjoyed it. The first day I was there I boxed Erik Apataljan (Czeck Rep), he was a come forward pressure fighter so I had to outsmart him by boxing on the back-foot on route to a 6-3 win.

“I fought again the next day against the world number one, Daniel Sharafutdinov (Russia) who is a two time European champion. It was a close bout which I was leading 11-10 in the final round but I was deducted two points in the last minute for dropping my head and he won the bout.

“I spent the rest of the week there and watched every fight, it was a good experience and a different type of boxing, it was slower so I had to slow down and control my pace more but it was good to learn as it is what you have to do to get to that level.
“In the Tri-Nations I received a bye into the final where I beat Welsh champion Jaimee viscount 9-4, he was a really good boxer who kept switching so I eased my way in and had to think when he switched stances.”

Next up for French was the world championships in Kazakhstan where he boxed Cengiz Onat (Turkey). Describing his time there Calum commented: “It was really nice weather in Kazakhstan but there wasn’t much there. The venue was brilliant though, it was a big ice rink that held 5500 spectators and was full of local supporters. “

French would be beaten but would take the Turk to the limit in a bout that would see the pair within one point of each other right to the end where Onat was awarded a 9-8 decision. Onat would go on to win a silver medal in the competition.

Having surpassed expectations of him for last season Calum aims to continue his progress for the season ahead: “I’ve set sights on the CYP’s at the beginning of the season as well as retaining the ABA and Tri-Nations gold’s. I’m also hoping to push for a place in the GB squad so I want to keep impressing the England coaches.”

Hugely sports orientated (Calum plays football and cricket for County Durham) he wanted to give the sport a try and after realising he was a talented boxer, kept it up. Originally boxing for High Fell ABC when he was nine years old he later switched to Birtley after six fights feeling he wasn’t getting as many bouts as he’d like.

Calum has since won seventeen of his twenty-one bouts to date and has come on great at Birtley where he gets great sparring from the likes of Tommy Ward and the McCormack brothers (Luke and Pat).

Other than in international bout’ Calum’s only losses to date have come against top lads in Luke McCormack (when he was at High Fell) and Ethan Kelly (Houghton and District) which he believed he did enough to win. “It was a fairly close fight, I lost on majority but I landed more and scored the better shots” said Calum.

Calum’s ultimate goal is to box at the 2016 Olympic games in Rio and he’s set himself on the right track this season if he is to achieve his targets. Calum also wanted to thank Graeme Rutherford and the rest of the coaches at Birtley who he say’s has been instrumental in his rise as a boxer to date.

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chatty · May 11, 2012

Also if you like my work I welcome you to give me an idea for an article and I will set about it.

Obviously I am not able to easily get in contact with Floyd Mayweather Jnr eg although I will try if you want me too:good

I have articles on Benny Sharkey, Jack london, Brain London, Billy Hardy, Maurice Cullen, Mickey Maguire, Isaac MacLeod, Henry Thomas, Brad Saunders, Jhn lewis Dickinson, Roberto Duran, Steve molior and many more in my resume - just request and ill see hat I can do:yep

Kevin Phillips · May 11, 2012

Anymore older North Eastern fighters :good

Except Glenn McCrory :dead

chatty · May 12, 2012

Kevin Phillips said: ↑

Anymore older North Eastern fighters :good

Except Glenn McCrory :dead
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yeah plenty mate, ill rake through my emails today and post them up:good

chatty · May 12, 2012

I have just finished a few articles on 3 of Middlesbroughs ABA finalists:

Joe Maphosa

Middlesbrough ABC’s Joseph Maphosa made an instant impact on the 54kg division in his first year as a senior boxer when he was narrowly beaten in the final of the ABA’s. Maphosa lost a majority decision to South Oxhey’s Reece Bellotti in a brilliant fight that saw Bellotti knocked to the canvas after a lovely check hook by Maphosa in the final round.

Despite the knockdown, Bellotti’s arm was raised at the end of the bout although many fans believed Maphosa had done enough to claim the victory. Maphosa commented: “He was very strong but I thought I won it, especially after re-watching the bout on video”
Maphosa has had four bouts this season, three of which were in the ABA championships. Joseph competed in a warm up to the championships in which he defeated Boldon’s Paul Gidney by unanimous decision. He was then given walk over’s into the quarter finals where he faced last season’s Commonwealth bronze medallist Haroon Khan (brother of former professional world champion and Olympic silver medallist Amir).

Joe commented: “I used to watch him box a few years ago and watched a few clips of his bouts. He is a strong boxer so I worked hard on my speed and movement. Having just moved up from junior level I found the pace a lot slower in the first round but I picked up my rhythm to score a points win by 21-15.

“He is a really nice guy though and I’ve been talking to him on twitter, I have gained a lot more fans from that fight as he is a well known boxer.” Joseph would add another win to his record when he defeated Burmantofts Irksham lane in the semi-finals 20-16 before his meeting with Belotti in the final.

Due to his excellent showings this season Maphosa was called up to train with the England squad for a weekend in Sheffield along with Middlesbroughs three other ABA finalists Josh Leather, Peter Martin and Louis Cunningham. Joseph said: “The camp went well, I got to do a few rounds of sparring and it was a really good experience in a great gym. I learnt a few more things that will help me in future tournaments.”

Commenting on his successful transition into the senior level Maphosa said he has adjusted well due to change in pace: “The pace is a lot slower when you box as a senior compared to the juniors, I feel this helps my style as I can pick my shots better and use my speed to my advantage. I have also moved up a weight so I feel a lot stronger”.

A former Boys Club champion, Tri-Nations silver medallist and junior semi finalist as well as holding victories over top boxers in Haroon Khan, Mark Leech and Levi Lawrence to name a few, Maphosa is certainly one to keep an eye on for the future as he continues to make a name for himself in the sport.

Jospeh’s next outing looks to be against Aston’s highly rated Raza Hamza in what should turn out to be a cracking bout.

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Louis Cunningham

Louis Cunningham was unlucky not to bring an ABA winners medal home after a narrow loss to Kevin Fawaz in the national final. Louis commented: “It was an unbelievable atmosphere, especially when I did the Ali shuffle in the last round and everyone clapped and cheered. It’s just a shame I never got the decision, it was a 3-2 majority verdict but I thought I easily done enough. I was guttered but hopefully I impressed the right people though”.

“If I could change anything I wish I had stayed on the back-foot for the last 30 seconds. I had been controlling the bout but ended up getting into a bit of a scrap.”
Louis had advanced to the final beating some top competitors on the way. He defeated East Middlesbrough’s Robert Douglas 32-18 in the first round before securing victory in the TT&W final over Swalwells Mohammad Razaq (16-11). Louis also defeated Josh Haigh (Macclesfield) 16-8 and Ekow Essuman (Bilbourogh community) 15-9.

Cunningham has really started to make a name for himself this season alongside Wellington ABC counterparts Peter Martin and Josh Leather. “We all spar each other and have a friendly competiveness in the gym, we all have different styles and different strengths and weaknesses so we bring each other on” commented Louis.

Louis took up boxing at the age of 13 influenced by his father Frankie (a coach at Wellington)who also used to box stating “I had watched some of his DVD’s and asked if he could take me down to the gym. Louis has since notched up a plethora of achievements including a national championship in 2006, a GB youth silver medal in 2009, British and English university championships at 69kg as well as being a Tyne Tees and Wear champion at schoolboy, junior and senior level. Louis is currently the TTW 71kg belt holder and has boxed for England.

Louis has won 51 of his 66 fights to date which has saw him fight some of the best boxers in the country including podium boxer Anthony Fowler, ABA champion Liam Cameron, Ryan Aston, John Delaney and Greg O Neil to name a few.

Looking towards the future Louis commented on his goals for next season: “I hope to get on the GB development programme, win a senior ABA championship and box internationally”. Louis recently got to train with the England squad in Sheffield where he was told there are some internationals coming up as well as a GB assessment so hopefully he is on his way to securing some of those goals.

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Peter Martin

Wellingtons Peter Martin, 21, continued to prove why he is one of the area’s most talked about young boxers by reaching the ABA final this season. Martin would lose a tightly contested majority decision to Danny Dignum (Brentwood Youth) in a match that could easily have gone his way.

Peter said: “I thought I won as did my coaches and a lot of other people I have talked to. I wasn’t happy that the computer wasn’t going to be working for the bout as I feel it suits my style and I have no doubt had it been working I would have won as I scored the cleaner and eye catching single punches.

“No disrespect to Dignum though, he made it very awkward for me and the first two rounds were on a knife edge but I thought I won the last round pretty convincingly, which would have won me the fight and judging by the reaction on Dignum’s face I think he thought I did to.

Peter had worked his way to the final by defeating Darren Tindale (Birtley), Troy Williamson (Natural Progression), John Newall (Shannan Ancoats) and Adam Farrell (Salisbury). Peter had made it to the pre-quarters last year where he was beaten by Peter Bebbington (another finalist this year) and believes he has improved a lot over the last season: “I have dedicated myself to the sport, living the right life and have reaped the benefits of that. There is still a lot I can improve on though and I don’t think I’m near my best yet but I’ve always known how good I could be and now I’m starting to show it.”
Peter’s father (Peter Martin Snr) trained professional boxers at the famous Peacock gym for around ten years and has always been involved in the sport. Martin said: “Because he had worked in boxing for a long time he knew how hard the game was and didn’t want me to do it. He had hopes of me becoming a professional footballer but I always wanted to try boxing so when I was fifteen I went to the gym with a friend of mine that was boxing. I went for a few months but stopped going until I was seventeen and haven’t stopped going since.

“My goals are to box for England and to get on the GB developmental squad with a eye on boxing in the Commonwealth Games in 2014. I trained with the England squad recently and really enjoyed it. It gave me an insight into what they expect from us and hopefully ill get selected for the GB championships this month.”

Peter also won the Tyne Tees and Wear belt this year adding that to last year’s NACYP championship. Martin said of the victory: “I feel I have always been the best in the TTW region with or without the belt but it was nice to prove it. I beat Troy Williamson for the belt which has become a bit of a rivalry as I lost out first fight despite feeling I won clearly. No disrespect to the TTW belt but I feel I have the talent to be boxing at a lot higher level.”

Peter boxes for Middlesbrough’s Wellington ABC which has saw a resurgence lately nurturing Peter to the ABA final along with Louis Cunningham and this year’s champion Josh Leather among many other brilliant prospects at the gym.

Peter spoke of the unity in the gym: “ I spar with Josh and Louis and I couldn’t ask for better sparring as we push each other all the time but there are other good kids coming through as well who want to test themselves and it benefits everybody. I owe a lot to Frankie Cunningham and John Dryden for the time and effort they put in and they deserved to walk away with three ABA champions at the finals.”

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