Tony Booth is a legend.

Nearly a decade ago, the yeomanlike journeyman Yorkshireman took a short notice bid one lazy Sunday afternoon in Southampton. The plan was to feed the 16-year veteran's generous corpulence to Cruiser novice Mervyn Langdale, who then was technically unbeaten (having fought to a draw in his debut).

The spectators at the Guildhall were in their cups early that day, and vocalized their impatient displeasure en masse at seeing what they all took for a mismatch, and likely at the amorphous Booth coming in clearly poor nick and putting in little effort to do more than apparently survive in the early going. That was enough to stoke the coals and light a fire under his broad derriere, as the 5′ 11½″ butterball immediately unveiled his inner showman and busted a few surprisingly agile dance moves and moments later had the younger, fitter, well-over-six-foot Langdale stretched out, KTFO ice cold.

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Glorious.

Probably among the banner moments for a man that finished up his professional career with more than double as many defeats as successes. He was also ignominiously stopped 38 times, which sounds rough until you place in context that he went the distance thrice as many (including, most notably, with young versions of Enzo Maccarinelli, Ovill McKenzie, Michael Sprott, Ralf Rocchiggiani, and Dereck Chisora) and he was the man to pop the cherry of then 14-0 eventual longtime contender Omar Sheika!

Perhaps his most famous assignment was his selection as David Haye's pro debut opponent. Booth actually gave it a real go and didn't cower from the job despite Haye unloading ferociously on him for six minutes, scoring a body shot knockdown in the 1st and busting the Hull man's nose soon thereafter. Even so, Booth kept shaking off brutal head shot combinations (when not effectively slipping or parrying them, enough for the young Hayemaker to give him a fist bump of respect after the bell for giving him more difficulty in landing than anticipated) and swinging hard with a genuine eye toward upsetting the Olympian. Alas, you have to be able to breathe to box and there's no shame in pulling out when you no longer can (see Rafael Márquez vs. Israel Vázquez I)

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Good, honest pro - the sort that forms the sport's bedrock. :good

 

I just love that he showed up fat on short notice for short pay, got heckled to add insult to injury, then just shrugged it off and nonchalantly clowned and scored that highlight reel beaut outta nowhere as the icing on the cake.

 

Bloke was 36 on the night and had more of a beer gut than probably anybody in the audience. Still managed to pretty much decide when and how to end the fight on his terms with a single blow.

Sorry, that's just marvelously badass.

 

That shot-put overhand right is the same one that a smaller and more well-known (and successful) journeyman named Orlando Salido has employed liberally to achieve most of his best moments in the ring. No matter your record or pedigree - or your opponent's, if you catch your man sleeping on the job with his guard down you've got a chance with that roll-tide hail-Mary. :bbb

 

Cheers, great find!

 

Just read the old boy was pinched and locked up for drugs a few years after retirement. :verysad


...and that he allegedly took a dive versus Bash Ali. :think

 

They should fight for it. :toney