part 1: Porky brooke:the best bloke in Australian Boxing

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EASTSIDE TALKS WITH GRAEME “PORKY” BROOKE: THE BEST BLOKE IN AUSTRALIAN BOXING!


BY TONY NOBBS



You can't help but love Graeme “Porky” Brooke. The former Commonwealth
lightweight champion had a short but successful career that saw him log an
impressive record of 21 and 3 with 9 knockouts. Turning professional under
Jack Rennie, who trained his cousin Lionel Rose to the world bantamweight
championship, the young Aboriginal had been groomed as a future champ from
his first day in the gym. In the years of free to air televised live
boxing and daily articles in leading city newspapers, Brooke was a star of
Melbourne sport along with his great mates Barry Michael and Lester
Ellis, drawing crowds of 6000. With Jeff Fenech conquering all in Sydney,
Brian Janssen and Dale Artango packing 'em into Brisbane Festival Hall, the
fight game was firing in the early 80's and for a time, Brooke was as hot as
anyone.

I last saw Graeme in 2006 when he, wife Sharyn and three children, Marcus, Aaron and Daina,visited the Gold Coast in Queensland. Having met “Porky” a few times over the years I'd not seen him since 1999, when he came to the dressing room pre-fight of Johnny Binge- who I trained at the time- the night Johnny triumphed over Tony Pappa to win the Australian Bantamweight title at St Albans, Melbourne. It’s always good to speak to him and we phone every few months.

On Saturday he called to say hi and it got me thinking. I’ve met some wonderful people (and not so wonderful) in my thirty years in boxing, but none are more likable than Porky.

We spoke at length about his career, the highs and lows, the disappointment of being forced to stop fighting in 1986 due to a small irregularity found in an EEG scan. “It shattered me” he recalls.

“For five years I was in a rut. When Sharyn became pregnant that was a wake up call. I went and found a full time job and haven't been without work since”. For the past eight years Graeme has driven a cement truck for Pronto Concrete and lives at Keilor Downs. Prior to hat he was employed by Australia Post.



Born at Carlton on October 6, 1963, he began boxing at age 14. “In our family, boxing is what we did.”

Contesting 36 amateur bouts winning 31, he claimed 5 Victorian State and 3 Australian titles.

At 16 he captured both the national junior and senior featherweight titles!

“The amateurs were great back then. There were a lot of fighters everywhere and only one organization. You knew who the best in the country were. Every time you
fought you had to be ready.”

Entering the paid ranks on November 2, 1981, a few weeks after his 18th birthday,
Porky outpointed tough 54 fight pro Roy Hughes over 6 rounds on debut. Graeme
was moved fast fighting a ten rounder in his fourth start. ”Coming up I was
tested. I fought good fighters. Every fight I learned” he noted, pointing out it is not
often the case these days.

Before claiming the Commonwealth title in fight number 19, Graeme beat the likes of Patrick Young (W6-Young later fought Daniel Zaragoza), Rex Cannon (W 10), Rocky Pirrottina (W10),ex Aussie lightweight boss Billy Mullholland (W10), Fijian Gary Rosen
(KO7), former Australian featherweight champ, the southpaw Gary Williams (KO4) and Filipino Joel Insular (KO9). He was given a variety of styles to fight.

 

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Part 2:

Stepping up the competition against Canadian lightweight champion Johnny Summerhays, (W10- Sumerhays had taken Aaron Pryor, Ray Mancini and Claude Noel the distance and a year before facing Brooke had out scored future three time world title challenger Terrance Alli), former Commonwealth ruler Langton Tinago (W10-Tinago 66-14-3 going in), Mexico's Juan Escobar (KO5- who 3 fights prior lost a split nod to world top 5 Frankie Baltazar and had once knocked down and drawn over ten with Salvador Sanchez) and Korean light welter champ Kyung Hwang Chae (W10).


Zimbabwe's Tinago had lost the C/wealth title over 15 rounds to Barry Michael in 1981.
The following year Michael lost it to the recently dethroned WBA champion Claude Noel
of Trinidad in a fight 'Barry Boy' himself promoted. Prior to that fight Brooke had sparred both fighters at Rennie's Marco Polo St gym.

“One day I did six rounds with Noel, then Barry came to the gym as I was leaving so I stayed and did another four with him”.

I’d like to see one of todays young fancy dans do that!


He was a good student of the game and picked a lot up from the sparring with
Noel and when he was matched with him on November 2, 1984, he knew how
to beat the still capable veteran. Three years to the day of his pro debut, Greame Brooke, a classic 21 year old Victorian style boxer-fighter looked a million dollars in his trade mark green velvet shorts that were given to him at the age of 10 by the Great Rose, becoming Commonwealth lightweight champion by taking a 12 round decision (6,7 & 9 pt margins) over Noel at Melbourne Festival Hall. The win moved him closer to a top 10 WBC rating, putting him no.16.

However, Brooke didn't get to cash in on his championship status. Making his
first defense against 29 year old Michael on February 22 1985, Brooke was
beaten for the first time as a pro. Weighing in three pound under the 9
stone 9 limit, Graeme faded early. Margins on the cards were 6, 8 & 12
points.

Asked if if he could have won had he not been so light, he replied
“I would have done better...but Barry was so strong and kept on you. He
could turn it up if he had to. I don't need to make any excuses because
Barry was a great champion.”



“You remember things people do for you and Barry took me under his wing when
I was a kid. He'd drive over to my place, pick me up at 6 am and take me
running. We'd go over near the airport and do sprints against the wind, and
he'd drop me home again. Then we'd train together in the afternoon. We
sparred a lot over the years. Barry's a top bloke!”


In July of '85, Barry moved down to super featherweight and captured Ellis'
IBF world title via 15 round unanimous decision. Ellis and Brooke were
friends from the amateurs and still are today. “I was always a bit bigger
than Lester so we never fought but we sparred a thousand rounds” said
Brooke. “Our dad's were mates and we traveled the country together, roomed
together and won Australian titles together. I went to the Mundine fight (in 2002)
because he asked me, was in the dressing room and in the corner. I still
keep in touch with Lester and (older brother-trainer) Keith (who suffered a stroke in November 2009).”

After losing to Michael, Graeme defeated Florida state champion, Sam “Candyman” Johnson on points over ten heats. He then squared off with unbeaten Dale Artango-who a few years earlier had fought Meldrick Taylor in the semi’s of the world junior amateur championships- in October '85 with the vacant Australian lightweight belt up for the taking. He lost on points over 12.

“He was a blistering fighter. It was a close fight” he recalls. “It could have been a
draw, with it being in Melbourne, I thought I might have got it”.


After a decision over Filipino Carlos Parcia, Porky and his father
Graeme Snr-now his trainer-traveled to Manchester, England, rematched with
Tinago (by now 79-19-3) for the vacant C/wealth belt on August 23 1986. In an
upset, Brooke was stopped in five. He explains. “I beat him pretty well in
1983, getting a good ten rounds and didn't have much trouble. The rematch, I
was out boxing him and I cut him. Then I got caught with a right hand. These
things happen” he said. Graeme never fought again. His career over at 22.


“I couldn't believe it. A lot of people still ask why my career just
stopped. It’s tough to talk about. I had a brain surgeon say in court
he could go get a hundred blokes of the street that never boxed that had what I had.
Boxing was all I knew and it was over in a flash”.

Graeme describes himself as a “proud Koori who had a go. I won Victorian,
Australian (amateur) and Commonwealth titles. I have a great wife and family. I'm
proud of that” He says he has met many wonderful people through boxing. For
instance, before the Tinago return, he went on a training trip to the US. “I
spent a week in Miami and then went to New York but got home sick. I was going to
come home but ended up going to Canada and stayed with Johnny Summerhays at his
house for three weeks. He took us around everywhere, we went and met the Indians. It was great”. Summerhays' brother Gary knocked out Tony Mundine in eleven rounds
in 1978 in Melbourne to win the C/wealth lt heavyweight crown. “It's funny. I was at that fight and met him. Then I fought his brother and became friends.”


Asked who were his favorite fighters growing up he named “Rose, Cass
(Lawrence Austin), they're my cousins and Tony Mundine. World wide - Ray
Leonard.”

Standing 5'10 Graeme had a brilliant left hand. His defense was tight and he
hooked of the jab to perfection. He says much of his training consisted of
running and sparring. “Then I'd hit the bag and speed ball a few rounds
each. Looking back I didn't work the body as much as I should and I was
probably too flat footed. I sparred a lot of great fighters. I sparred Paul
Ferrari a lot over the years and he really helped me know how to fight
southpaws. I fought a lot of them. Gary Williams was one of best wins.
Another good win coming up was when I knocked out Juan Escobar”.


Porky is a member of the Past & Present Boxers in Victoria and regularly
goes to their functions. “It's great catching up and having a yarn. You
always meet new people”. He doesn't go to the fights “unless I'm asked”.

“That’s the past. I don’t like to go to too many fights. I’d like to get back involved –
perhaps training fighters. A few blokes have asked me if I could go to their gym and
help out but I haven’t got to it. I haven’t got the time to commit.

My kids are doing their sports and with work it’d be just too hard. I would have liked to
help Keith Ellis out. He’s a knowledgable guy. A champion trainer and a champion person and he does a lot for his fighters as well as the sport”.


“I’ve been to the Fitzroy Stars gym since (ex IBF 9 st 4 champion) Robbie Peden has taken over training the fighters. He’s doing a great job”.


Hopefully we'll see Porky part the fight game again. He’s the kind of person boxing needs.

Hopefully, one day we’ll see him inducted into the Australan National Boxing Hall Of Fame, alongside his cousins Lionel Rose and Lawrence Baby Cassius Austin.

Because, simply put, as Robbie Peden also said Graeme “Porky” Brooke is the best bloke in Australian boxing.

 

Back in Lismore i think after being in Sydney. His nephews are very good young footballers, one of them was the kid involved in the Tahu incident at the knockout.

Johnny was a tough kid, capable fighter, unfortunately was thrown in deep from the start, was wrapped the night he won Aust.title. Deserved it. Won it on 7th attempt. Fought some good fighters. He beat Barrratillo up at tweed in a 6 rounder, i thought he deserved nod on the Tszyu-Mayweather card also.