What made you lace up the gloves?

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 24 Jul 2004, 09:26

We have alot of pro's (both ex and current), amateurs (both ex and current) and guys who have just trained at gyms or just done sparring. What I would like to know is why you decided to join the gym, any special stories?

I was a big fan of boxing but never really contemplated stepping through the ropes untill I was much older than the norm (16). Having said that, I did own a pair a gloves and enjoyed sparring with my older brother (who never fought, but could have made a decent pro if he wanted to) and my cousins. My father did go to a club in his youth, but only sparred never fought amateur - he also did Karate in his early thirties (which I remember), so the interest was always a bit in the family.

I was fairly good a sports as a kid with my main success coming at athletics and expecially tennis, where I represented my county. I also played county Rugby. However, when I was about 13 I had a few ilnesses that basically finished me in these sports, firstly I had a long appendicitice illness that lasted six months before the operation (cause the doctors thought it was that). Then I had Osgood Slatters on my knees in which the doctors told me if I continued with these sports I could end up being too painful to walk untill I stopped growing.

So, for 3 years I basically missed all my PE lessons and I went from a popular kid into being a slightly overweight one who got a bit bullied. The guys from school thought I was scared and didn't believe my "excuses" for not playing. So as my confidence was low, I went to a boxing club because basically I could still hit the bag without pain and tried to gain a bit of confidence (my uncle was murdered around this time, so that also motivated me).

So I went for a long time just hitting the bag and doing sparring at the club, then the club guy told me I must do some running to get fit enough to fight - I did and didn't have a reaction with the knees and basically I was hooked then. Found out later that I could have continued playing Tennis and the others sports and it wouldn't have affected me, so I was pissed off for a while at that. But if it wasn't for that I wouldn't have stepped into the club.

So I've explained my reasons, what is yours.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 24 Jul 2004, 09:37

Mine's more simple....

they kept falling off otherwise....

God I'm funny.

tonyevs · Post by **tonyevs** » 24 Jul 2004, 10:28

I didn`t take it up till I was 18. My friends brother was boxing pro at the time (Denys Cronin) and I just went along to see what it was like.
Hit the bag for a while and was offered the chance to spar, the fella looked nothing special, a little bigger than me but smaller than I`d been fighting on the weekends, so thought I`d look good…just got knocked from pillar to post for two or three rounds and didn`t so much as ruffle the other fellas hair.
Could not stop going till I got the better of this fella, and then just fell in love with the whole thing.

TerribleTerry · Post by **TerribleTerry** » 24 Jul 2004, 11:12

tonyevs wrote:I didn`t take it up till I was 18. My friends brother was boxing pro at the time (Denys Cronin) and I just went along to see what it was like.
Hit the bag for a while and was offered the chance to spar, the fella looked nothing special, a little bigger than me but smaller than I`d been fighting on the weekends, so thought I`d look good…just got knocked from pillar to post for two or three rounds and didn`t so much as ruffle the other fellas hair.
Could not stop going till I got the better of this fella, and then just fell in love with the whole thing.

Wasn´t Denis Cronin a stocky, heavy built middleweight? I kind of remember him boxing an old Lloyd Hunnigan on the BBC.
I bet Cronin was a handful in the gym?

McGuigan and Tyson first inspired me to go to a boxing gym.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 24 Jul 2004, 11:28

TerribleTerry wrote:
tonyevs wrote:I didn`t take it up till I was 18. My friends brother was boxing pro at the time (Denys Cronin) and I just went along to see what it was like.
Hit the bag for a while and was offered the chance to spar, the fella looked nothing special, a little bigger than me but smaller than I`d been fighting on the weekends, so thought I`d look good…just got knocked from pillar to post for two or three rounds and didn`t so much as ruffle the other fellas hair.
Could not stop going till I got the better of this fella, and then just fell in love with the whole thing.
Wasn´t Denis Cronin a stocky, heavy built middleweight? I kind of remember him boxing an old Lloyd Hunnigan on the BBC.
I bet Cronin was a handful in the gym?

McGuigan and Tyson first inspired me to go to a boxing gym.

Cronin was a tough guy. I think he fought Eubank (I believe you're thinking of Carlo Colarusso as the man who fought Honeyghan, Terry) and later became a long-time sparring partner to the Brighton star. Sadly, I read he eventually suffered severe eye troubles and ultimately lost the sight in one eye.

tonyevs · Post by **tonyevs** » 24 Jul 2004, 15:58

Denys did look a lot like Carlo Colarusso shape wise, stocky and immensely strong, though Denys was middle he fought up to light heavy whereas Colarusso was light middle if I remember right.
Denys had very bad luck throughout his pro days with various things, and was very, very much better than his final record reads.
He lost the sight more or less in the one eye but the other is fine, his one eye wasn’t right before his last fight with Michael Gale, and was a lot worse after.(incidentally he got robbed, Gale was rated something like 5in Britain at the time and Denys fought him after a long layoff)
Eubank announced to the crowd after their fight he wanted Denys to come up to him for quality sparring, I think this was Eubank showing his nice side. Denys never took him up on his offer.
Denys was ABA champion the year before Nigel Benn, and got robbed the year before that in the final against Brian Schumacher despite knocking him down (it was Olympic year).
Denys was and is a real gent and never took advantage in the sparring, though in a fight he was a handful…I asked a question in a previous post who was the first person to put Garry Stretch on the canvas, it was Denys.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 24 Jul 2004, 16:20

If Cronin had got the nod over Schumacher in their 1984 ABA middleweight final, he would have gone to the Olympics. The ABA had mandated that every ABA champion that year would get the Olympic spot. It was a great move by the ABA but led to several "dodgy majority" verdicts in favour of established England internationals. Schumacher, for example, was floored on the bell to end the second round and staggered on to his stool. The final three minutes turned into a frantic affair as Schumacher, still badly hurt, stumbled around the ring in a desperate attempt to survive. He made it and got the verdict, but Brian Pigden, legendary Boxing News amateur correspondent, slammed the refereeing. He said it should have been stopped.
Schumacher, the England man, went on to captain the Olympic boxing team.

tonyevs · Post by **tonyevs** » 24 Jul 2004, 16:33

Incidentally, how many of the 1984 ABA champions were English?
And those that were not, how did they win?

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 24 Jul 2004, 16:52

tonyevs wrote:Incidentally, how many of the 1984 ABA champions were English?
And those that were not, how did they win?

Good questions. Pat Clinton, Alex Dickson and Doug Young made it for the Scots; Dave Griffiths (light-welter) for the Welsh.
Clinton clearly outpointed Londoner John McBride in a sparkler (Clinton made the front cover of BN for his performance), Dickson clearly outpointed Chorley's Carl Crook in another sparkler, while Young also romped to a points win over Cardiff docker John Farrugia.
Welshman Dave Griffiths outhustled Scot Billy Buchanan and got home on a majority.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 24 Jul 2004, 16:55

So eight of the 12 ABA champs were English...

tonyevs · Post by **tonyevs** » 24 Jul 2004, 17:10

Had the names of the winners, but didn`t have their country`s or how they won.
A+ for the quick research though.

E · Post by E » 24 Jul 2004, 20:03

bennie wrote:If Cronin had got the nod over Schumacher in their 1984 ABA middleweight final, he would have gone to the Olympics. The ABA had mandated that every ABA champion that year would get the Olympic spot. It was a great move by the ABA but led to several "dodgy majority" verdicts in favour of established England internationals. Schumacher, for example, was floored on the bell to end the second round and staggered on to his stool. The final three minutes turned into a frantic affair as Schumacher, still badly hurt, stumbled around the ring in a desperate attempt to survive. He made it and got the verdict, but Brian Pigden, legendary Boxing News amateur correspondent, slammed the refereeing. He said it should have been stopped.
Schumacher, the England man, went on to captain the Olympic boxing team.

.

Cronyn was a puncher

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 25 Jul 2004, 08:18

16 isn't that old. How old was Matt Skelton when he turned pro? Granted Skelton is never going to set the division on fire. But if you can train for a few years, you could be pro by the time you are 18-20 something like that.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 25 Jul 2004, 08:47

Guest wrote:16 isn't that old. How old was Matt Skelton when he turned pro? Granted Skelton is never going to set the division on fire. But if you can train for a few years, you could be pro by the time you are 18-20 something like that.

Granted, Guest. Just older than the norm - by the way that was 8 years ago. Currently doing a "Dean Phillips" and coming back following getting qualifications - still in Uni but back in the gym aswell. Not many "Fighting Doctors" around, I would like to join that list.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 25 Jul 2004, 08:56

So have you ever boxed?

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 25 Jul 2004, 09:00

Yes (6-2 - amateur). Although different person and fighter to 4 years ago, when I last fought. Different weight aswell (unfortunately) - although I can't blame Osgood Slatters this time.

BTW, is guest your sign up name?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 25 Jul 2004, 09:06

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 25 Jul 2004, 09:16

Fair enough Guest, hope you become more than your name sake because you've been making a good contribution to the various boxrec forums thus far- quite an ironic name though.

I don't like discussing my boxing much because its been such a long time since I last fought competitively. So far I've been loving sparring again and I feel okay - but I don't even know how I'll react in competition again (even though I'm a sport psychologist by trade). My last fight was a defeat and it was quite a humilating/embarrising one which took me a while to get over. I don't want to build myself up for it to come crashing down, especially to you knowledgable guys.

tonyevs · Post by **tonyevs** » 25 Jul 2004, 09:28

on the age thing.
I am quite sure John Davison didn`t go to the gym till he was 25yrs old, and that was amateur. And look what a terror he was in the pro ranks for a few years, I remember Colin Jones saying Davison came down to spar with the pro`s when Davison was an amateur and he gave them fits.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 25 Jul 2004, 09:30

tonyevs wrote:on the age thing.
I am quite sure John Davison didn`t go to the gym till he was 25yrs old, and that was amateur. And look what a terror he was in the pro ranks for a few years, I remember Colin Jones saying Davison came down to spar with the pro`s when Davison was an amateur and he gave them fits.

Davison was an excellent amateur. He knocked out Paul Hodkinson in a round in 1985, busting his jaw with the knockout punch, a right hook.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 25 Jul 2004, 09:35

Fair enough Guest, hope you become more than your name sake because you've been making a good contribution to the various boxrec forums thus far

Have I really? Thanks.

Sorr to hear about your loss mate.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 25 Jul 2004, 11:17

No worries, long time ago now - learned more from that than all of my other fights/sparring sessions combined. Thats why you'll never here me criticising a fighter for pulling out due to health reasons.

tonyevs · Post by **tonyevs** » 25 Jul 2004, 14:19

bennie wrote:
tonyevs wrote:on the age thing.
I am quite sure John Davison didn`t go to the gym till he was 25yrs old, and that was amateur. And look what a terror he was in the pro ranks for a few years, I remember Colin Jones saying Davison came down to spar with the pro`s when Davison was an amateur and he gave them fits.
Davison was an excellent amateur. He knocked out Paul Hodkinson in a round in 1985, busting his jaw with the knockout punch, a right hook.

I remember reading about the rivalry between the two, and Hoko did his best not to fight Davison even though everyone wanted to see it.