Darren Dyer, how good was he & where is he now?

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 30 May 2004, 15:21

I remember there was quite abit of hype about Dyer at one time. I seem to recall he was seen for a short while to be a promising Welterweight but it just never happened for him. Getting KO'd by Ojay Abrahams doesn't help your career does it.

http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=026866

I can't recall ever seeing him fight did anyone here? What was his style etc?

I think he was known as 'The Phantom' and somtimes sparred with Chris Pyatt.

Anyone know what he is up to now?

Any info fight fans? 8)

jonny · Post by **jonny** » 30 May 2004, 15:37

His second fight with Del Bryan was a classic. Did'nt he have some altercation with Lloyd Honeyghan, not sure but seem to remember an incident with a hammer..

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 30 May 2004, 15:43

Hyped as a big puncher when he turned pro.
He'd just scored a sensational ABA win, over Ray Gilbody I think, or someone like that. A first round knockout that made the cover of Boxing news I seem to remember.
But he got off to a bad start as a pro, then his chin turned out to be not too great. Was in some wars and was an exciting fighter to watch for a few years.
Knocked out one Ian John Lewis I see. Looking at his record I didn't realise he carried on so long.

No idea what he's up to these days, be interesting to know.

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 30 May 2004, 15:48

MightyWarrior wrote:Hyped as a big puncher when he turned pro.
He'd just scored a sensational ABA win, over Ray Gilbody I think, or someone like that. A first round knockout that made the cover of Boxing news I seem to remember.
But he got off to a bad start as a pro, then his chin turned out to be not too great. Was in some wars and was an exciting fighter to watch for a few years.
Knocked out one Ian John Lewis I see. Looking at his record I didn't realise he carried on so long.

No idea what he's up to these days, be interesting to know.

Your right about Ian John Lewis, I missed that when looking at his record, well spotted MW.

http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=076854

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 30 May 2004, 16:03

Ian John Lewis was a decent fighter, very tough.
Lewis, Mickey Hughes and Trevor Smith all fought each other in some real wars.
Ian's fight against one of them was a thriller, might have been UK fight of the year. Think it was against Smith.

jonny · Post by **jonny** » 30 May 2004, 16:09

I am your referee??

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 30 May 2004, 16:14

jonny wrote:I am your referee??

I believe it's "I am your wefewee."

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 30 May 2004, 17:15

Dyer was a huge puncher with a weak chin. He got chucked in with world class Puerto Rican Jorge Maysonet too early in his career and was chinned, but returned a couple of years later and showed what he was made of belatedly. He licked two men who had also beaten him in his first stint as a pro (Del Bryan and Kelvin Mortimer), and also stopped Robert Wright. Then a cute Argie stood up to him and stopped him late on. It was a shame. He deserved to cap his run of form with a big title.
Today, he'd be like Patrick Mullings. He could pick his title shot and be brought back even if he lost. But in the early 90's, a loss was more disastrous.
Remember him winning the 1986 ABA welterweight title by flattening Mark Elliott with a smashing right uppercut in the third and final round. Elliott was streets ahead on points at the time. He then won gold in the Commonwealth Games that year. The first signs that he wasn't going to be as good as his amateur form suggested (he flattened everyone en route to his ABA title) came when Belfast's Damien Denny had him borderline dogging it in those games. Denny stood up to his early onslaughts, fought back, and Dyer was hanging on for dear life in the third and final round. But he got the veredict.
He used to be mates with Honeyghan (he helped Lloyd prepare for the Don Curry shocker), but they had a serious falling out over a woman I believe.
Same old story.

Goz · Post by **Goz** » 30 May 2004, 20:13

I remember the Maysonet fight well. I know I've mentioned previously that as a 16 year old I did a 3 week work-experience stint at Boxing News.

On my 3rd day at Boxing News I was ringside for the Gary Mason - 'Big foot' Martin fight with Claude Abrams and that Dyer-Maysonet fight was on the undercard. Dyer was thrashed, I remember the ref stopping the fight and a few members of Dyers family were close by, I think it was Dyer's missus going nuts at the stoppage but Dyer was getting caned.

Dyer was from Islington, quite nearby me so I took quite an interest in him, he was a massive puncher but extremely chinny, he had been exposed prior to the Maysonet fight so it wasn't a massive surprise anyway. There was an interest because he had done well at the Commonwealth games before turning pro.

I guess he was kind of a Wayne Alexander type fighter, probably would have made more money in this day and age.

knockout artist · Post by **knockout artist** » 31 May 2004, 05:59

Goz wrote:I remember the Maysonet fight well. I know I've mentioned previously that as a 16 year old I did a 3 week work-experience stint at Boxing News.

On my 3rd day at Boxing News I was ringside for the Gary Mason - 'Big foot' Martin fight with Claude Abrams and that Dyer-Maysonet fight was on the undercard. Dyer was thrashed, I remember the ref stopping the fight and a few members of Dyers family were close by, I think it was Dyer's missus going nuts at the stoppage but Dyer was getting caned.

Dyer was from Islington, quite nearby me so I took quite an interest in him, he was a massive puncher but extremely chinny, he had been exposed prior to the Maysonet fight so it wasn't a massive surprise anyway. There was an interest because he had done well at the Commonwealth games before turning pro.

I guess he was kind of a Wayne Alexander type fighter, probably would have made more money in this day and age.

Dyer was a huge puncher, good all round pro, leaky defence and glass jaw. I recall wathing the Maysonet fight on BBC, a rare matchmaking mistake by Mickey Duff.

Saw Dyer spar a few times at the Carnaby Street gym. Saw him hold his own with Michael Watson, although Watson may have been taking it easy.

Also saw him spar John Mugabi, early in Dyers career. I think Dyer tried to make a name from himself and jump on Mugabi. Mugabi knocked him unconcious, and an ambulance had to be called.

Mickey Duff told me at the time that Mugabi treated sparring as a real fight.
He used to batter his sparring partners.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 31 May 2004, 08:04

Mugabi flattened more world class American middleweights in the gym in the 80's than Marvin Hagler did in the ring. Mickey Duff said he could never get Mugabi to work 15 rounds in the gym, however. "I finish now," he would say after eight or nine rounds. "I will knock him out before that time." It cost him when he fought Hagler for the title in 1986, as he ran out of steam after a great start. He also injured his hand in the fight.
Incidentally, Duff says Hagler would have beaten Ray Robinson as a middleweight, and Carlos Monzon.

knockout artist · Post by **knockout artist** » 01 Jun 2004, 05:45

I would favour the Marvelous one over both, but only just.

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 01 Jun 2004, 16:22

knockout artist wrote:I would favour the Marvelous one over both, but only just.

Me to.

Goz · Post by **Goz** » 02 Jun 2004, 03:53

KOJOE90 wrote:
knockout artist wrote:I would favour the Marvelous one over both, but only just.
Me to.

Surely Robinson was everything Leonard was, only better? Without having seen extensive footage of Robinson I'd put my mortgage on him to whup Hagler.

I hate these debates though....

I can just picture Hagler in black and white photos from the 50's going to war with Robinson and co, he was throwback....

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 02 Jun 2004, 12:55

Goz wrote:
KOJOE90 wrote:
knockout artist wrote:I would favour the Marvelous one over both, but only just.
Me to.
Surely Robinson was everything Leonard was, only better? Without having seen extensive footage of Robinson I'd put my mortgage on him to whup Hagler.

I hate these debates though....

I can just picture Hagler in black and white photos from the 50's going to war with Robinson and co, he was throwback....

I take you point Goz, it's a toughy to call but I just think Ray Robinson was a better fighter at Welter and that Hagler would just, and I mean just be too much for the Middleweight version of the real Sugar Ray.

But these debates are of course all down to personal opinions anyway, but can still be interseting at times IMO.

Kilburn · Post by **Kilburn** » 05 Jun 2004, 12:54

Dyer used to post on Secondsout as Darren_Uk for those that remember the username.

I fell out with him quite often I must say, but obviously he knew his stuff.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 05 Jun 2004, 12:55

Kilburn wrote:Dyer used to post on Secondsout as Darren_Uk for those that remember the username.

I fell out with him quite often I must say, but obviously he knew his stuff.

You'd have stood a puncher's chance with him, Kilburn. How was Ireland?

Kilburn · Post by **Kilburn** » 05 Jun 2004, 13:05

It was a fantastic stress-free week as it always is over there!

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 05 Jun 2004, 13:08

Kilburn wrote:stress-free

MMMMMM what a lovely pair of words they are.

8)

THEBUTCH · Post by **THEBUTCH** » 10 Jun 2004, 13:19

I met Lloyd Honeyghan last year at the David Walker V Roman Karmazin fight.

Lloyd said the problem with Dyer erupted when Lloyd got good press from the papers when there was some sort of trouble at Earls Court and Honeyghan put some girls into a taxi and whisked them off to safety.

He believed Dyer was simply jealous of the positive attention Honeyghan received and, if I remember correctly, Dyer later tried to attack Lloyd at a the Thomas A Beckett with an iron bar.

If the two had met in the ring I reckon Dyer would have been knocked out by Lloyd. When Honeyghan had his focus clear, he was formidable.

knockout artist · Post by **knockout artist** » 10 Jun 2004, 13:28

Oh yeah, Lloyd would have sparked him.

I mean, when Mugabi hit Dyer in sparring, he went down like he had been shot with a rifle.

He was OUT, completely asleep.