One scary moment in Stillman's gym I can never forget. In the mid 1940s I was watching an undefeated NJ lightweight named Freddie Russo who was boxing with another fighter in Ring 1. All of a sudden Russo dropped to the floor clutching his throat and squirming on the canvas...He was turning blue and his mouthpiece was stuck in his throat...We in the audience were startled at this sight, and a couple of trainers, jumped into the ring and luckily dislodged the mouthpiece from his throat, thus preventing Russo from choking to death...I a youngster was much relieved when color came back to his face...Scary moment I can never forget though....
Amazing all the years I was boxing and this never once came into my mind as a risk or danger. It's something young fighter should be made aware of from their first spar
I think that in the 1940s the mouthpieces were not customed made, and were much smaller than today....For example i have a rubber mouthpiece that I used back then that just covers the teeth and today it is now hard as a rock...Petrified...Whatever mouthpiece Freddie Russo used became lodged in his throat that long ago afternoon at the "mecca" of boxing gym's old Stillman's gym on 8th Ave, NYC.
I can only imagine being there, with all the fighters and fight people that came through there on a daily basis.
Yes D. I recall vividly that Russo was on his back thrashing around and a few trainers, jumped in the ring and opened his mouth and stuck their fingers in his mouth grabbing the mouthoiece in their fingers and luckily pulling it out before Freddie Russo ran out of oxygen...D, by the way what weight class did Heimlich fight at .? P.S. Alls well that ends well !. Cheers.
Not the scariest most funniest/most surreal, I once saw a fighter, after a nobbins fight with blood and snot everywhere,coming out of the ring to much backslapping only to be handed a summons from an plainclothes cop
yeah, it was funny alright. It was in the ulster hall, think it was one of McGuigans pre-british title fights. Cant remember if it was gary muir or rocky mcgranaghan or p j davitt
