HOW GOOD WAS JOHN DAVISON??

[Wrists]

As a geordie and a fight fan Davison just came a little before my time.

Reading his autobiography and setting aside the obvious 'bigging up' of how good he was etc etc it would seem that he was a better fighter than I thought.

Those Thai fighters he beat - were they any good?

I would be interested in just how good he was and how highly he was rated by those in the know??

If he gave Hoko fits as an amateur and smashed Mike Devaney he must have been half decent??

Thoughts??

Kevin

[Hagler2002]

I seen him walk into a bar in Newcastle and spark out a bloke twice his size if this helps.

[dondada]

Well, British champ who boxed for the Euro title twice - he wasn't bad.

Thing is he fizzled out incredible quickly. Hometown crowd, fighting Steve Robinson who'd lost almost as many as he won, he came up short - very disappointing.

Then he was smashed up by Duke McKenzie and gave a very embarrassing (though heartfelt and sincere I'm sure) incomprehensible goodbye speech.

Good, British level boxer.

[bennie]

Davison was an excellent fighter who stormed on to the scene in the amateurs in 1985, breaking Hoko's jaw and stopping him in the first round and making it all the way to the ABA featherweight final at Wembley, where the gifted Floyd Havard outscored him in a close one. Nobody but Havard would have beaten Davison that year, such was the hard-hitting form John showed, but Hodkinson outscored him a year later to gain his revenge and Davison dropped down to bantamweight, where he never looked comfortable and lost power, although he twice halted Richie Wenton in two rounds.
Southpaw Davison turned pro in 1988 after failing to make the Seoul Olympics. He was already seriously knocking on, having taken up boxing late, but hammered a couple of Thais to secure a WBC ranking and was once mighty close to a shot at WBC champ Marcos Villasana in this country. The fight was actually announced, I seem to recall, prematurely. Tough Frenchman Fabrice Benichou then turned him back a couple of times in European title thrillers and the Robinson war, for the vacant WBO title, essentially ruined him, finished him.
Duke proved it.

[Autobarn]

Superb southpaw, was coming along very well until the Argie Castro shocked him. never was quite the same after. D

Could have been one of the great middleweights, a fast, talented Yank.

[bennie]

Superb southpaw, was coming along very well until the Argie Castro shocked him. never was quite the same after. D

What Argie?

[salvador]

I was still at school when John Davison was at his prime, but I remember staying up for ITV's Tuesday Fight Night series which was went out at 11.40pm (not great scheduling for giving fighters exposure was it?) and that is when I first became a fan of Davison. The first Thai he beat was unbeaten and the win made he become one of the first ever British WBC international champions (I believe Robert Dickie was the actual first). I think Davison might of even been a slight underdog going into that fight, but beating Narachawat in the manner that he did and the thinking at the time that a successful WBC international champion could earn a crack at the proper WBC title gave Davison some kudos. A couple of more successful defences followed against a Thai and a South Korean which both ended in the fifth round. Around this time there was serious effort from ITV to make reigning WBC champion Liverpool's Paul Hodkinson face Davison as both fighters were being broadcast by ITV. It would have been a massive domestic fight if it came off, but sadly it didn't, and Davison needing fights had to travel to France to take on Fabrice Benichou. He fought the two tough, draining twelve rounders against the Frenchman and lost both twelve rounders on debatable points decisions. Davison came back towards the end of his career by winning the British title in seven rounds against Tim Driscoll and there was talk of a great North-East match between him and Sunderland's Billy Hardy, but again this was another fight that simply didn't happen for Davison. Around this time Davison was in his mid-thirties with a lot of wear and tear on him, ITV managed to get him some good fights, but they had come too late for him and Steve Robinson and Duke McKenzie beat the shell of what was left of Davison. My last memory of John Davison was him bursting into tears after being stopped by McKenzie and him repeatingly telling his Geordie fans he had let them all down. Davison couldn't stop crying and it's one the most saddest things I've seen in a boxing ring.

Was he any good? Yes, but I think it will be always a case of what might have been if the big fights had happened whilst he was still in his prime.

[Hagler2002]

After he packed it in he was selling boxing equipment and used to come in the gym I trained at, he was severely punch drunk, you could hardly understand a word he was saying

[Deserter]

he started boxing at something mad like 24 so what he achieved given that is incredible. Such a shame he didn't discover boxing while in his teenage years.
Having said that, he doesn't come across well in his autobiography.

[Old bones Ian]

Wasn't it Ruben Palacio that Davison was due to box for the WBO title, but he failed the blood test, so in stepped Robinson.
Think that Davison would of beat Palacio if that fight had of happened.

Davison was good entertainment, but his style was never going to help him have a long boxing career.

[scrap iron]

Wasn't it Ruben Palacio that Davison was due to box for the WBO title, but he failed the blood test, so in stepped Robinson.
Think that Davison would of beat Palacio if that fight had of happened.

Davison was good entertainment, but his style was never going to help him have a long boxing career.

Yes, HIV wasn't it. I remember Colin McMillan having to rush out and get himself tested as they both suffered cuts when he met Palacio a few months before.

[Old bones Ian]

How come Newcastle and other cities from the North East don't produce more boxers?

[bennie]

Wasn't it Ruben Palacio that Davison was due to box for the WBO title, but he failed the blood test, so in stepped Robinson.
Think that Davison would of beat Palacio if that fight had of happened.

Davison was good entertainment, but his style was never going to help him have a long boxing career.

Palacios would have beaten Davison. The Colombian was a nightmare.

[Old bones Ian]

I don't know about that Bennie, in the fights before McMillan he had been stopped early in 3 fights, and Davison was very dangerous early on.

[TheGoods]

How come Newcastle and other cities from the North East don't produce more boxers?

Really good question. McCrory, Billy Hardy and Davison aside the "big three" (Newcastle, Sunderland and Boro) have not produced much boxing wise over the past 25 years. Little old Hartlepool has kept the NE flag flying though producing a number of champions in that time (George and John Feeney, Stewie Lithgow, Kevin Bennett and Michael Hunter). We've had a number of top, top amateurs but in my view the drinking culture up here has meant a lot of these lads end up lost to the pro ranks.

[scrap iron]

How come Newcastle and other cities from the North East don't produce more boxers?

Really good question. McCrory, Billy Hardy and Davison aside the "big three" (Newcastle, Sunderland and Boro) have not produced much boxing wise over the past 25 years. Little old Hartlepool has kept the NE flag flying though producing a number of champions in that time (George and John Feeney, Stewie Lithgow, Kevin Bennett and Michael Hunter). We've had a number of top, top amateurs but in my view the drinking culture up here has meant a lot of these lads end up lost to the pro ranks.

Bradley Saunders is from County Durham and won a bronze medal in the World championships last year, maybe he may turn pro? I've liked Saunders ever since I saw wipe the floor with Joey Selkirk in the ABA finals in 2006, but I think he flopped in the Olympics and if he really did say thoses things in that infamous interview afterwards then that's a digusting attitude to have to sport and representing your country.

[bennie]

I don't know about that Bennie, in the fights before McMillan he had been stopped early in 3 fights, and Davison was very dangerous early on.

Believe me, Ian, Palacios was too tough for Davison, too 'rounded', too experienced, too cute. Yes, he had been beaten but he was at a stage in in his career when - ala Holyfield against Tyson - all his defeats, his wars and his victories had combined to give him masses of experience and he still had the spring in his step, a golden period in any fighter's career. Palacios had broken up a peak McMillan to win the title in London, when the shoulder actually 'saved' Col.

[bennie]

Glenn McCrory is the only world champion from the North East, by the way.

[dondada]

How come Newcastle and other cities from the North East don't produce more boxers?

Booze, drugs, low aspirations, a tendency never to want to move anywhere.

You could say this about a lot of places but the drinking culture in the north east is absolutely endemic. Hard to explain if you haven't experienced it. Unfortunately, I've lived it.

[Wrists]

Shame on you Mr McNeilly - same like you are getting a touch of the Matthew Syed's or Mick Dennis's or any other misinformed journo who routinely slags off the north east.

Ian - I know your not a twat like them so benefit of the doubt

I think people will find that rather than staying in Newcastle for some parochial, unwillingness to move away its because actually the cost of living is relatively cheap, the nightlife is good, we have things like the Millenium Bridge, Baltic etc etc so why move??

Getting back to the boxing angle - there must be a grain of truth in the whole 'cos we like a drink' argument as to why we have not produced any decent boxers recently but I would tend to agree with the person who said that boxing is not a priority for sports minded people and that the football rightly or wrongly takes over.

Watch out for the Dickinson brothers though - could change thinsgs!!

Shame on you Ian - Sheffield is hardly the capital of culture is it :)

Kevin

[stujones]

People often forget how close the Davidson vs Robinson fight was. I can't remember the official score card but my card had Robinson winning by 7-5 - The last round giving it to Robinson.

[bennie]

People often forget how close the Davidson vs Robinson fight was. I can't remember the official score card but my card had Robinson winning by 7-5 - The last round giving it to Robinson.

People also forget how hard it was, Stu - a toe-to-toe war. Davison gave it everything and took everything out of himself.
Great win for Steve Robinson.

[DavidPayne]

How come Newcastle and other cities from the North East don't produce more boxers?

Booze, drugs, low aspirations, a tendency never to want to move anywhere.

You could say this about a lot of places but the drinking culture in the north east is absolutely endemic. Hard to explain if you haven't experienced it. Unfortunately, I've lived it.

Well it is the nearest city to Glasgow this side of the wall.

[TheGoods]

Hunter's drinking was the stuff of legend but thankfully he has seen the light and I GUARENTEE you he will shock a few in 2009. Finally got a nutritionist on board and is looking as ripped as Manny Pacquiao right now.

By the way I am good mates with Bradley Saunders and his comments after the Olympics were totally taken out of context. All he meant was he was looking forward to seeing his family and his son as he'd sacrificed so much for Beijing. Believe me the loss in China has hit him hard as he knew a medal was there for the taking. Convinced he'll make it as a pro mind. Classy as a sandboy that one.

[johnty1888]

How come Newcastle and other cities from the North East don't produce more boxers?

Booze, drugs, low aspirations, a tendency never to want to move anywhere.

You could say this about a lot of places but the drinking culture in the north east is absolutely endemic. Hard to explain if you haven't experienced it. Unfortunately, I've lived it.

Well it is the nearest city to Glasgow this side of the wall.

I thought it was Carlisle...........................