Brian Hughes

A legend of the Manchester boxing scene. RIP Brian.

 

Fellow Colly lad and a legend in our neck of the woods. I'll be sure to raise my glass to him tonight.

 

So sad to hear this news he was a great bloke.

Rip Brian.

 

I really thought there would be more tributes to Brian than this.

 

I could listen to Brian talk all night. His knowledge of boxing was vast. Above all else he came across as a real nice fella who would help anyone. There’s some cracking docs on YouTube with Brian telling the story of Collyhurst and Moston boys club. It’s well worth a watch.

 

Absolute Legend.

 

There are mate, and young kids coming in to the game will do well to watch them.

 

Absolute legend, nice tribute here in the local paper

https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...ughes-legendary-godfather-manchester-22875510

 

There was quite a nice tribute on the Boxing News podcast yesterday and I’d expect something in the magazine next week.

 

RIP Brian Hughes

 

He was first a Man of GOD, pointing to the reality & necessity of JESUS CHRIST.

a man, husband. father, grandad, friend and Boxing Man AFTER that Truth!

GOD Receive his Soul, in CHRIST Jesus, His/Our Saviour GOD!

 

Hopefully the 10 bells will sound on all the next shows in the UK

 

Oh my how terrible.

I’m an American. I made my one trip to the UK back in the early 1990s. Stayed in Manchester visiting a girl I was dating who was doing a year in college there on an exchange program.

As a boxing fan, I wanted to find a gym. I set out walking and I heard there was one above a coop. It was called, IIRC, Collyhurst and Moston Boys Club (or something like that). I kept asking around and got on a bus and got off and walked and walked and finally got directed to it. Went up a flight of stairs and there it was.

The man who greeted me was Brian Hughes.

Pat Barrett was training there and I got to meet and work out with (not spar) him and a few others. There was a talented bantam or featherweight who was coming up but I guess never quite made it — Brian was excited about his future.

Someone on this thread mentioned Brian being a man of God and that was true. One of my first lessons when I came through the door was him welcoming but telling me to watch my language: there was no cursing allowed in his gym and he’d be obliged to show me the door if I used off-color language.

Watching him train, he was firm with his lads but he never raised his voice. He got his point across but was never cross with any of them, even when he had a stern talk with someone for missing training (an amateur with a fight coming up skipped a day, as I recall). You could see the respect his fighters had for him in how they listened to his teachings.

I came back another two or three times. He couldn’t have been kinder, talking boxing and trading training tips. I was training some amateurs and a few club-fighter pros in the U.S.

We stayed in touch and the next summer he sent an amateur heavyweight over to train with us, Mark Levy. Brian wanted to see if we could put a few pounds on him, get him some American gym experience and maybe an amateur bout or two (I think he had about 15 at the time). So Mark stayed with me and worked out like a madman. He also ate like a horse and put on about 10 pounds of muscle.

We got him some quality sparring and he came along well. We had an amateur fight lined up and in training he threw out his knee. We got him surgery as he had some sort of international travel insurance that fortunately was honored. He spent most of the rest of his time with us in a cast, but he helped out in corners and still came to the gym every day to absorb what he could.

I fell out of touch with Brian sometime after but I still remember him fondly. A truly likable and knowledgeable boxing man.

Rest In Peace my friend.