Greatest Australian boxing families!

Never forget the war between FRANK & Barry Michael. No disrespect, but Frank's gotta have a head like a brick!.....and Fammo was the ref in that one.

MATT actually posted the RMS tent fight story in this forum. I'm sure he won't mind me pasting into this thread. So just in case you missed it:


I remember when I was 19 and a jockey I went to the Royal Melbourne Show along with two other jockeys and by chance we came across the boxing tent and I took a glove with this little Koori boy who beat the bass drum and looked a pushover.


To say he played with me would be an understatement,but because I filled the tent up, me being a jockey and tried very hard, and it was awarded a draw.


The next year (1971) I went to the boxing gym for a few weeks before the show, and this time I prepared.


I waited till the last day and decended on the boxing tent like a very dark cloud and proceeded to punch **** out of everyone. I won with 3 first round KOs and 1 second round KO.


I nearly pissed my pants laughing when Sharman asked me to come back and fight on the last card later on. It wasn't this that made me laugh, but he wanted me to fight this cherubic little aboriginal who would be more fitted to a church choir than boxing tent.


So we fought the last fight of the night on the last day of the show which would be the last fight ever held at the RMS.

That little arsehole punched **** out of me! I was awarded a draw, if for nothing else, but for trying.


Everyone enjoyed the fight and went home happy and that little cherub went on to win 2 Commonwealth titles and 3 Australian titles in 3 different divisions..........and the boy's name.........Lawrence Baby Cassius Austin!

 

Good question. Seem to remember some connection, but not certain. Someone else may know more??

Just a side story: In Lester Ellis' book he says that he was mates with Brooke. But they had a fall out after Lester stopped going out with Porky's sister. Pity, because at the time Lester was looking for some good sparring for a big upcoming bout and Porky said thanks, but no thanks!

Lester's book is well worth a read!

 

The MULLHOLLAND brothers both won Australian titles:

BILLY Mulholland fought from 1973 until 1987 for 42 wins, 20 losses and 4 draws. Won Australian lightweight title and multiple NSW state titles. Billy fought a long list of Aussie greats including Barry Michael, Flash Malcolm, Graeme Brooke, Billy Moeller, Jim West, Frank Ropis etc.

WAYNE Mulholland fought from 1978 until 1987 for 22 wins & 10 losses. Won Australian flyweight title & NSW bantamweight title. Also challenged for the IBF super flyweight & Commonwealth flyweight titles. Wayne fought many Aussie greats including Jeff Fenech, Steve Bell, Junior Thompson, Brian Roberts, Bobby Williams etc.

 

TWINS! - The only set of Aussie boxing twins that come to mind are the Nissens.

The NISSEN brothers Henry and twin Leon arrived in Australia when they were one year old. Years later they trained with former middleweight champ Peter Read, and first came to boxing prominence on the TV show Golden Gloves, in the late 60’s.

LEON NISSEN won the 1970 Australian amateur flyweight title.

Henry NISSEN turned pro and in his 3rd fight won the Australian flyweight title from Harry Hayes. Six fights later he was matched against Scott John McClusky for the Commonwealth flyweight title. Henry was able to stop McClusky inside 8 rounds.

Henry’s greatest wins came when he defeated the European flyweight champ Fernando Atzori (Italy), and back home when he got off the canvas to defeat Bat Socrates (Philippines). Henry achieved a number 3 world ranking and held the Commonwealth title from 1971 until defeated by Big Jim West in 1973. He finished his career with 16 wins from 18 fights.

Henry now works with young disadvantaged people, and the Henry Nissen Cup is presented to the winner of the cricket series played between the Emerald Hill & Sacred Heart Missions.

 

JARROD FLETCHER, due for his first pro fight against William Hadlow in mid November, had an extensive amateur career, including Olympics & Commonwealth Games representation. His brothers ROB & GLEN were also Australian junior champions.

Jarrod began boxing at the age of 10. The middle of the 3 boys, JARROD and his brothers started training under their father Dave Fletcher at their home gym.

Jarrod has 9 Australian titles (4 junior & 5 senior) and the record book shows 174 contests (lost only 26 - as of April 2008)

In 2003 Jarrod won a Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Championships and in 2004 narrowly missed out on selection for the Athens Olympics. In 2005 he won the 75kg division at the Commonwealth Cup and in 2006 was the Commonwealth Games champion and boxing team captain.

He won the Australia B Team trials to compete at the Oceania trials where he won the 75kg Oceania final 17-3 to secure his spot for the Beijing Olympics.

 

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

 

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

 

The MITREVSKI's both won a list of titles:

PETER (Snr) fought from 1984 to 1990 winning the Australian fly, super fly and bantamweight titles.

PETER (Jnr) started out in 1997, has challenged for the Australian middle and light middleweight titles, as well as held various other WBO, Oceanic titles etc.

Both father and son were trained by Johnny Lewis.

 

Mitchell Dittmar follows late father into boxing game
Courier Mail (By Bernie Pramberg)
October 23, 2008 11:00pm

MITCHELL Dittmar always wanted to be a chip off the old block.
The Gympie high school teacher is the youngest son of former Australian welterweight champion Len Dittmar, who died in March, 2007.
Mitchell was into his 30s when his father died, but for years he'd yearned to somehow emulate his "old man". To somehow capture "the spirit" he'd felt in the family home as a boy.

"I never got to see dad fight, but I listened avidly to all the stories. I memorised every newspaper cutting and watched the old films over and over," he said.

"As a boy dad was my absolute hero and, like most sons, I wanted nothing more than to emulate his achievements."

Mitchell's father never encouraged him to box, and he never entered a gym until he was 23. It was a brief flirtation with the fight game . . . three bouts as an amateur.

But his father's death rekindled a flame within, and Mitchell walked into a boxing gym in Gympie. He was enjoying his job, was happily married with two young daughters – but was searching for something.

"I guess I went there to do some training and perhaps connect in some way with the old man's spirit," said Mitchell. "I really had no interest in fighting.

"But I trained very hard, felt good and decided to give amateur boxing a go. I contested six bouts around the bush and won four.

"It's in my blood . . . I love the game. But I don't like getting hurt, nor do I like seeing others get hurt unnecessarily.

"My dad beat Tommy Burns for the welterweight title in 1952. They were boom years for boxing in the 1940s and '50s. Dad was never a big puncher, but prided himself on his conditioning and his ring smarts.

"His first trainer instilled in him 'he who hits and runs away, lives to fight another day'."

Six weeks ago, Mitchell excelled himself by winning a state title at the Amateur Boxing League championships. In the cruiserweight division he stopped his opponent midway through the second round.
"I suppose it wasn't a bad achievement for a bloke well on the wrong side of 30," he said.

Mitchell started his working life as an apprentice carpenter, and worked as a "chippy" before going back and completing Year 12.

He then went to university and trained as an english and history teacher. But a combination of circumstances meant a return to the "tools" when he switched to teaching manual arts.

"My other passion is writing. I've written a book about dad's life which I'm trying to get published," he said.

Len Dittmar's story is an absorbing tale of the eldest of nine boys from a poor Port Adelaide family who became one of the most stylish boxers during the sport's golden age in Australia.

His greatest triumph was the victory over matinee idol Burns in front of 15,000 fans at the Sydney Stadium in 1952. Dittmar's record was 43 fights for 33 wins, eight losses and a draw with 22 victories coming by knockout.
His opponents included the outstanding Americans Freddie Dawson, O'Neill Bell and Wallace "Bud" Smith in addition to the top Aussies, including Dave Sands.

Mitchell now believes he has satisfied a goal in capturing "the spirit" of his father.

"I've worked hard to achieve a modest, but much sought after personal goal," he said.

"In some way, I feel I've achieved a humble position in the ranks of a high-achieving sporting family."

And Mitchell has no ambitions of a lofty career in the ring.

"My wife refused to entertain any dialogue about a switch to the professional ranks, which is undoubtedly wise on her behalf."

 

Impressive pedegree!

 

Great to see the next generation coming through.

Yeah, Doug Sam was Aussie super middleweight champ and challenged Chong-Pal Park for his IBF super middleweight title. Park made many successful defences of that title - so no shame in losing to him.

Doug featured in most people's best Aboriginal fighters list on another thread in this forum.