Paul Hoko Hodkinson

I’ve shared this before.

I was in the UK in March/April of 1992 for about 10 days or two weeks, visiting a girl who I was dating who was studying at Manchester University on a student exchange program of some sort.

We would take side trips by train to various places on weekends. One was to Liverpool to do the Beatles tour (when in Rome, haha). So this was I think a Sunday. I’m sure I’m off on the times but we arrived around say 11 and the tour is starting at 1. We decided to get lunch and found a restaurant in a two- or three-story shopping mall.

As we were going to the restaurant we passed in the same mall a men’s clothier that had a sign out saying Hoko would be there at 1:30 with his WBC belt (which he had won late the year before IIRC) for a meet and greet — no charge but of course the idea is to get people in the store and hope they bought something. On our way out we were walking by the same shop, me thinking ‘dang, I’m going to miss seeing him, I’m a big fan, but we have this tour’ and right as we pass the door Hoko himself is walking up to it. I said hello, I’m a big fan, wish we could make it but we’re doing the tour. He says ‘wait here’ and walks in the shop to talk to the owner — who is basically saying, ‘no, I’m not open yet, they’ll have to wait if they want to do it’ but Paul (who is dressed quite smartly in a suit I’m sure the shop had provided btw) persuades him to let us in because we’re American and on a schedule, no harm to give us a few minutes and the owner relents.

So they let us in and Paul was as nice and gracious as he could be, letting us check out and hold the belt and poses for a few pictures with us and thanks us for dropping by.

Which is to say, yes I am a fan of him as a fighter but also personally because that was a really neat, unexpected part of my experience in England.

 

I'm a big fan he's one of the most underrated British world champions we've had on our shores. He was kind of like Barry McGuigan esque very aggressive never stopped coming forward, i was impressed how he dealt with Villasana twice yes i'm aware he lost to him once, but that was on a cut and he was well infront and would of won without the cut.

I felt like his last two losses the one against Vargas he was just too strong for him, Vargas was also a quality operator so no shame in that. And against Robinson i felt he was past his best and shopworn at this point, but again Robinson at the time was on a hot streak, and was an underrated quality operator himself.

Overall he was a very fun fighter to watch in the mold of Barry McGuigan, but like McGuigan with the style both men had they were never going to have a long career.

 

Robert, a year or two ago I gorged on anything I could find on Hoko. I found his style very Barry McGuiganesque. And why not when he was piloted by Barney Eastwood. I watched his fights with Marcos Villasana (both of them), Goyo Vargas, Fabrice Benichou and Steve Robinson. I really recommend the Vargas fight. Such beautiful clean punching from both fighters made it a joy to watch.

 

I loved watching him , great style, but was always going to be a short career with that style and his eye problems,
Met him once and was a great bloke and great boxer

 

He was really good. Everyone was looking forward to an all British world title clash between Paul and Colin McMillan at one time.

 

Loved watching Hoko when I was in my teens....great combinations and a great engine. A worthy world champion.