Who was the greates import to come and fight on our shores?

[Beltane]

I remember Mick Kane as a somewhat pudgy fighter with plenty of boxing skills, a granite jaw, the ability to take piles of punishment and then dish it back out.

Mick was a crowd-pleaser in the old TV Ringside days. Deliver me back to the days of old!

[dberry]

that was a very exciting, active and competitive era for Australian boxing, myrontheinvincable, and middle weight was a very active division with a lot of good fighters never even getting to fight for a title, such was the talent and the numbers then.

[AntonS]

AntonS said: "How could I forget Rocky Berg aka Rocky/Danny Vires who fought Lester Ellis in '93 for WBF title.
I was present @ the fight in Adelaide & whoever it was it wasn't Berg."

Gee Anton I think I was comatose in 1993 (and maybe a few years after that as well), I would like to know a bit more about your comments; I see on Lester's boxrec that they have the word "unknown" as the contestant for Lester on that night. What was the real goss? Was there any investigation to fortify fraud ? You were at the scene of the crime, who was the mystery fighter, or were there hints to who it might really have been? Who was in on the joke? Did Lester mention this in his book? I can't remember if he did... Is there somewhere I can read about the facts or suspicions? Who were the promotors and boxing officials?

Cheers Myron.(the invincable)

pS: Best "active" fighter to fight in Auz, me thinks, was Harada...Sterling (mainly because he was pretty slick and classy)...Arnold Taylor

I inserted 'unknown' when I seen this photo of Rocky Berg



The bloke in Adelaide looked like an over-sized white dwarf (protruding chest), decked out like a frigging yank circus boy - flag trunks, boots etc.
Had him punching the bag off & on for ten minutes for Chanel 7. At the end of it he was farked

[bollox]

Rocky Berg aka Kirkland Laing?

[AntonS]

Rocky Berg aka Kirkland Laing?

Please explain?

['Frilla]

Rocky Berg aka Kirkland Laing?

Please explain?

:??

[AntonS]

I see what you mean. Laing fought Berg in 1990.
I googled Berg's image & that's what came up.

['Frilla]

I see what you mean. Laing fought Berg in 1990.
I googled Berg's image & that's what came up.

i thought Laing and Berg was one person?

[bollox]

Not quite the same person. Laing had sublime skills when in form and Berg errrmmm welllll.............maybe not

That was a horrible time in Oz boxing, with the explosion of the WBF in this part of the world. Berg was a million miles from Lester's class and Lester was past his best in '93

[myrontheinvincable]

dberry said: "that was a very exciting, active and competitive era for Australian boxing, myrontheinvincable, and middle weight was a very active division with a lot of good fighters never even getting to fight for a title, such was the talent and the numbers then."
..........................
TV Ringside tended to reward its fighters with annual awards, best fight of the year, best fighter, best first year fighter, and most consistent fighter of the year...prestigious awards (with a wad of cash).

Mick Canavan and Bobby Murdock fought a 10 round battle which was deserving of any Australian title - for both of them ! Mick got a belt for TV Best Fighter of the year that year...which was a real holy grail of its time. (So grailish that, in fact, I cannot even remember the Australian Champ of that time (1968), and TV Ringside seemed to dominate or replace the national ratings.

(hey, dberry - I do hear you bro ! and thanks.(winky avatar wont work on here)

cheers,
Myron(the invincable)

[Grant]

Just remembered Nino Benvenuti when he fought Tom 'the bomb' Bethea. The story was that Nino took the fight a bit easy. (If you know what I mean)

[AntonS]

I see what you mean. Laing fought Berg in 1990.
I googled Berg's image & that's what came up.

i thought Laing and Berg was one person?

Fellow editor described Berg, which fits the bill

[bollox]

Hey Anton, I was up your way these past few days...Elanora. Is this anywhere near you?

p.s. QLD, perfect one day...pissing it down the next :x

[AntonS]

Hey Anton, I was up your way these past few days...Elanora. Is this anywhere near you?

p.s. QLD, perfect one day...pissing it down the next :x

I'm in Nerang, which fair bit away.
At this time of the day, Southport is all of 10 min drive

[bollox]

Rightio. We have a branch in Nerang (L & H Group - Electrical wholesalers). Until last October we also had a branch in Southport

I'll be going up that way again in a couple of weeks' time then regularly from there on. By this time next year I'll be living up there.."aye"

[bollox]

p.s. Archie Moore, no doubt. Probably followed by Joe Frazier

[dberry]

Hall of famer, Rocky Mattioli probably doesn't meet the criteria due to his residency, for a period, here. Although he one the world middle weight title whilst living in his mother country.

[Sweet P]

Hall of famer, Rocky Mattioli probably doesn't meet the criteria due to his residency, for a period, here. Although he one the world middle weight title whilst living in his mother country.

Mattioli was a good fighter,
My old man sparred him in the early days of Rockys career. They used to travel up from Gippsland to sparr the boys from Melbourne.

[dberry]

One of my old trainers, Bruce Hore, fighting under Harry Martin, fought him. Bruce got stopped and reckons he was outclassed from the get go, but was grateful for the experience.

[myrontheinvincable]

I'll tell you one great, that we might have (sadly) forgotten about, that fought Carruthers, Rose, Famechon. Legra, Winstone, OBrien, and numerous other world title holders, and contenders. Gentleman Don Johnson, who set up residency for a while in Richmond, Melbourne, Victoria, and eventually returned to the states. (I heard that he had passed on - rather tragically, unfortunately.)

[bollox]

I remember reading a bit about Don Johnson in one of the old 'fighter' mags in the 80's. Cowboy Don Johnson

[myrontheinvincable]

Bollox, I don't think that "Gentleman" Don Johnson was the same person as Cowboy Johnson; in the Fighter Magazine series Gentleman Don is seen on the front of one of the editions, a black American, wearing an Essendon AFL football jumper, prior to him fighting Fammo - I think. (I would have checked, but I'm away from where my Fighter Magz are stored, and for quite a while.)

Gentleman Don, had a sleek style, and incredible long reach, and a counter punch for nearly any punch thrown at him. He had some sweet evasive moves. He sometimes would sort of layback on his back foot, left arm lying on his left knee; just as you would try to attack him, he would bring the left jab to life and spear it home.

He aquired that nickname Gentleman, because outside of the ring, he was such a gentle, softly spoken, wise person, who gave relevant and decent advise to many young members of Leo Berry's gym whilst he was there; he was a pure-golden treasure Don. He had a voice like Nat King Cole, and was a night club singer and entertainer at one stage.

(At some risk of being wrong, or misinformed) I had heard that he returned to the states, and was shot dead by some standover, gangster. If this is true, it is such a tragic, and undeserving end, to such a charistmatic, talented and fantastic bloke.

cheers.

[Brute]

Gentleman Don Johnson fought out here , winning more fights than he lost. He was an African American from Los Angeles.

Don "Bronco" Johnson was an Australian middleweight in the fifties and early 60s, and another Don Johnson was an Australian lightweight in the 40s and 50s. I have no memory of Don "Cowboy"Johnson, Bronco wore long sideburns and a mo and showered with his socks on, one of those eccentric boxers from the outback of Queensland. Entertaining fighter.

[Beltane]

Don "Bronco" Johnson was one of the great characters from the 1950s and was wild punching "Dad and Dave" type from North Queensland. Bronco for publicity would wear a 10 gallon hat and walk down the city streets with a baby croc under his arm.

If he landed one of his haymakers, his opposition would tumble for the count. Bronco numbered Alfie Sands, Carlo Manchini and Pran Mikus among his victims.

One night at the Old Barn, he came bouncing down the aisle throwing uppercuts. "How will you go, Bronc?" called a wag "will you beat him?". Bronco shot back "I dont give a stuff if I win or lose." Bronc knew that boxing was an easier game to earn a quid than going timber cutting.

[Ross]

way before my time but my 87 year old dad says Freddie Dawson was the best import ever to fight here

I remember seeing old footage of him when I was a kid, he was fast hit hard and fought - if i remember correctly a lot of Australia s best fights and dont think he lost to any of them ??

does anyone know for sure - with out checking through boxrec records

cheers