OZ boxers of the past - Discussion

[Brute]

I remember Rocky fighting a friend of mine, Red "Toffee Apple" Durange. Toffee had an awkward style and for three rounds was making a fight of it.

In the fourth Rocky hit him with a right cross that spread his nose a couple of inches. The referee stopped it because Toffee could not see after that. Gees Mattioli could punch.

[myrontheinvincable]

Yep, you are right Brute, Rocky could hit so hard; his technique was to bring his right foot up behind his left foot continually, a comfortable 12 inches from right toe, to left heel, never leaving himself wide footed (feet too far apart) and he delivered incredible big punches off that back foot leverage constantly.

[myrontheinvincable]

I often wonder why a TV Ringside,as a Monday night, regular National fight-night-show could not exist on Television these days.

All these new channels that we have ! continually spittin out the millionth replay of Mash, Maxwell Smart, Green Acres, Mickey Rooney movies etc. etc. Why not a channel that provides opportunity for the fight game to prosper.

I recollect a fight night show that came on Channel 10 last year, that seemed to rapidly bring on its own demise, with some referee mistakes, and some decent boxers not showing control, and their disqualifications - this all seemed to be too stark for the television world to digest and deal with :-[ We are spoilt little pussy cats I think.

I do think that these boxing forums (like this one, and others) play their critical part in what goes on in the boxing world.......too much criticism, too much criticism that is listened to....too much negativity. The vibrations of dissent in the boxing world are remarkabley heard on anyone's Rickta scales. Boxing has become a promotional company's worst enemy. One thing for certain that I can say about boxing and its promotion by a sponsor, is that its public has gotten far to delicate about itself.....interesting that the society we live in in 2010 is far more nasty and more violent than 1970...anyone blame boxing for this??

[AntonS]

Lucky Gattellari http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_ ... &cat=boxer
Is one of the men arrested over Michael McGurk's murder
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/mcgurk-shooti ... 16ikr.html

[Beltane]

I had the ill fortune to see Lucky Gattelari's last fight at the Horden Pavilion, which was part of the "Rocky Arvo" promotion featuring brother Rocky and put together by shock jock: John Laws and shock advertiser (then): John Singleton.

In an afternoon of mis-matches Lucky finally entered the ring, after being out of action for 6 years to take on a very fit Barry Micheal. Barry gave Lucky a real canning as the ring rust showed very early and Lucky gave up after 3 rounds. He showed a bit more ticker than his brother: Rocky who pulled a heart muscle very quickly in 2 rounds once Paul Ferrari started to hit him around the body. Legend has it that Rocky and Paul wanted to have a stink back in the dressing rooms over the use of the hot water in the sparse facilities as Rocky claimed that Paul had used the last of the hot water. Rocky didn't need a shower as he didn't raise a sweat in his pitiful performance.

Boxing's name was mud in Sydney for some years after this fiasco thanks to the Gattelari brothers.

[myrontheinvincable]

Anton, the boxrec record shows a date of birth as 60/0/0; the newspapers state the Gattelari that they arrested as being 50; that makes him fighting pro at nine years of age............ummm.....at the chance of being wrong, are the press and you talking about the same fella?

[AntonS]

Anton, the boxrec record shows a date of birth as 60/0/0; the newspapers state the Gattelari that they arrested as being 50; that makes him fighting pro at nine years of age............ummm.....at the chance of being wrong, are the press and you talking about the same fella?

Oops!
I inserted 1960, but it seems my brain didn't register it doesn't add-up. I'll get rid of it.
It is same Gattelari.
Those arrested were former boxer Lucky Gattellari, former Bosnian soldier Senad Kaminic and Haissam Safetli, who are all believed to be business partners.

[myrontheinvincable]

The press are calling him a 50yrs old.
If he is the same fella recorded here, then he must have been fighting six rounders at nine years of age.
I would say that if it is "Notso" Lucky Gattellari, that he would be aged about sixty years of age now.
Maybe born in about 1950...

[AntonS]

The press are calling him a 50yrs old.
If he is the same fella recorded here, then he was fighting six rounders at nine years of age, easy to work this out.
I would say that if it is the right "Notso-Lucky" Gattellari, that he would be aged about sixty years of age.
Not rocket science.

I guess media is wrong.

[myrontheinvincable]

Yep, you are probably right mate.
Just watching the news down here and I see that his face has been smudged out by media, but what stands out is the rich black hair he sports, dyed no doubt, and surely a way of fooling the pundit-age-crunchers.

[AntonS]

Yep, you are probably right mate.
Just watching the news down here and I see that his face has been smudged out by media, but what stands out is the rich black hair he sports, dyed no doubt, and surely a way of fooling the pundit-age-crunchers.

You beat me to it

[Brute]

I had the ill fortune to see Lucky Gattelari's last fight at the Horden Pavilion, which was part of the "Rocky Arvo" promotion featuring brother Rocky and put together by shock jock: John Laws and shock advertiser (then): John Singleton.

In an afternoon of mis-matches Lucky finally entered the ring, after being out of action for 6 years to take on a very fit Barry Micheal. Barry gave Lucky a real canning as the ring rust showed very early and Lucky gave up after 3 rounds. He showed a bit more ticker than his brother: Rocky who pulled a heart muscle very quickly in 2 rounds once Paul Ferrari started to hit him around the body. Legend has it that Rocky and Paul wanted to have a stink back in the dressing rooms over the use of the hot water in the sparse facilities as Rocky claimed that Paul had used the last of the hot water. Rocky didn't need a shower as he didn't raise a sweat in his pitiful performance.

Boxing's name was mud in Sydney for some years after this fiasco thanks to the Gattelari brothers.

Rocky and Lucky should never have taken those fights. They were both good boxers in their day, Rocky was KOed by Sal Burruni in the 13th round of Burruni's flyweight title defence in 1965. Rocky was ahead on points after 12 rounds. That business ruined their reputations.

Lucky must have lost all his marbles to get involved with the business he has been done for.

[Beltane]

The promoter: John Singleton and the fighter: Rocky Gattelari wrote widely differing reports in the events around the Gattelari VS Ferreri match-up. Singo's book claims it was Gattelari's hand that was the cause of the stoppage on a day that was an absolute shambles that people paid good money to watch. A result was sad blemish on Gattelari's record and name.

From the book "SINGO. The John Singleton Story"
By Gerald Stone - HarperCollins 2002.

John Singleton and John Laws tried their luck in the boxing ring, promoting a Sunday afternoon of fights at Sydney's Hordern pavilion. Singleton dreamed up a great slogan, Rocky Arvo, and Laws ran radio commercials featuring the theme music from the Rocky movie, until Warner Bros threatened to sue. A newspaper ad proclaimed : John Laws and John Singleton present the greatest ever afternoon of boxing.

Five thousand fans jammed the showground auditorium paying to $200 ringside to watch a comeback by the fondly remembered Rocky Gattellari. He was a 1965 contender for the world flyweight championship, whose restaurant folded. Singleton hit on the bright idea of helping him raise some money by organising a match against the then reigning flyweight, Paul Ferrari.

I asked Paul not to go too hard on him, Singleton can confided. Ferrari needn't have worried about having to pull his punches. After the third round Gattellari's corner threw in the towel, claiming the comeback kid had injured his hand.

From ringside, Laws recalls:
I could lip-read what Gattellari said. Paul hits him, bang, bang, bang and he goes backwards and sits of the rope and says, 'I've had enough.' Expecting a riot I went under the ring with wife Caroline. Later in the dressing rooms the two boxers came to grips, wrestled and punched each other semi-naked in the showers.

Singleton's solicitor John Tesoriero who paid $200 for a f--- joke was not amused when Gattellari asked if he could get worker's compensation for hurting his hand. Later Singleton was auctioneer at a charity function. Singo announces:

Here's an interesting item. Rocky Gattellari's boxing gloves. They've never been used.

But Rocky differs greatly. You be the judge to which version is closer to the truth:

From the book "The Rocky Road"
By Rocky Gattellari - William Heinemann 1989.

I was going to fight Paul Ferreri. He was a world-rated boxer, while I had been away from the ring for eleven years. And was aged thirty-seven. I was accepting this fight for one reason only, I needed the money. My night club, Rocky's Restaurant in Edgecliffe was in difficulties.

John Singleton picked up the cues. He told me, 'I've got an idea. You would make some honest money quickly and be able to save the restaurant. Boxing is dying in Australia, Mundine can't draw breath. But I'm sure the public would love to see the Gattellari brothers fight again.'

The promoters, Singleton and Laws, put together the cream of Australian boxing, Tony Mundine, Barry Michael, Wally Carr, Brian Roberts. The dreaded afternoon, Sunday, 18 February 1979 came quickly. The bloodthirsty mob found the prospect of seeing the cocky dago smashed up once more a lure and the fight was telecast live on national television.

I speared him with a straight left, and another. I can beat this bum, I said to myself. His southpaw stance suited me. 'Com'on, old man, com'on,' he taunted. 'I'll knock you right out, you bum,' I answered disdainfully.
My needling worked too well. He grabbed me by the neck and threw me against the middle rope. Off balance I fell to the canvas. His punches had not hurt me but his twisting of my neck certainly had. I felt as if a bullet had penetrated the back of my head. A sharp pain shot down my spine.

During the second and third rounds the injury to my neck became my sole preoccupation. Not being able to move my neck I copped a right swing to the head midway through the third round. Fererri then hit me with a left rip to the stomach which momentarily took my breath away.

The punches were nothing compared to the pain from jerking my neck. Damn you bastards, my insides cried. If I get slaughtered you'll feel you got your money's worth. 'My neck, my neck, do something quick,' I hollered at the end of the third round. 'What we do, Rocky? What we do?' The words of my daughter rang in my head. 'Don't get hurt, Daddy. Please don't get hurt.' My thoughts went back to Lionel Rose [1967]. My perseverance in the Rose fight could have cost me my life. I surely was not going to let something similar happen again. 'Stop the fight,' I cried. 'Stop the fight. Call the ref and stop the fight.'

. . . I was again leaving the ring to callous booing but this time my reaction was different. I felt a strange sense of achievement: whether they liked it or not, I was doing what was right for me; for once I was my own man. And in a way I was gaining a measure of revenge against that howling mob.

Yes, your right, always sad when a fighter has to come back to try and earn money the best way he can. Seldom ends up in success.

[Brute]

Rocky ran for the Liberals in Cabramatta in 1994 after John Newman's murder. He got himself on TV saying he would "kick the shit" out of his female opponent then wondered why a woman would take a comment like that from a former world title contender seriously.

Needless to say he did not get elected.

[warnambool]

G`day all
Does anyone remember Paul Sylvester from the late 60`s on TV Ringside?
Read recently he was killed but can`t find any info on what happened to him?
Cheers.

[Brute]

Was Paul Silvester his real name or just an alias?

Many boxers did not use their real names. Death notices are hard to find for people who are known by a different name to their legal name.

[myrontheinvincable]

It would be a good book to read; even if it was just a reference guide split into two columns; first column, an encyclopedia of names used as boxers over many years, the second column alongside as their actual birth name.

[warnambool]

Was Paul Silvester his real name or just an alias?

Many boxers did not use their real names. Death notices are hard to find for people who are known by a different name to their legal name.

That was his real name, you`re spelling is correct, mine`s not.
Qld. welterweight, last bout Sept. 73.

[Brute]

Was Paul Silvester his real name or just an alias?

Many boxers did not use their real names. Death notices are hard to find for people who are known by a different name to their legal name.

That was his real name, you`re spelling is correct, mine`s not.
Qld. welterweight, last bout Sept. 73.

Can't find any trace of him.

[bollox]

Rocky ran for the Liberals in Cabramatta in 1994 after John Newman's murder. He got himself on TV saying he would "kick the shit" out of his female opponent then wondered why a woman would take a comment like that from a former world title contender seriously.

Needless to say he did not get elected.

what a knob

[Brute]

About two months after taking the WBC Featherweight title against Jose Legra Johnny beat Mexican featherweight Jose Jimenez in a ten rounder at Festival Hall.

I think some people may have been disappointed when American comedian Bill Dana did not enter the ring. Most of Dana's comedy centred around a Mexican bellhop named Jose Jimenez.

[myrontheinvincable]

Peter Lund (RIP), a welterweight, fought anyone and everyone (and gave kilos in weight to many) he was one of the toughest and hardest blokes I remember on TV Ringside; he retired in 1971, and made successful comebacks in 73, and then from 79-81.

He fought some of the tougher boxers around, in Darryl Carrick, Paul Lovi, Paul Moore (I remember Lund and Moore's picture was on front of a Fighter Magazine), Graham Dicker, Wayne Bannnister, Brendan Jackson, Tony Previtt, Johnny Infante, Joe Vella and Hillary Connolly.

Lund never gave up, and was relentless in his desire to win when sparring and fighting. He was one of those blokes who could rise above the occasion. He was a wirey welterweight.....a bricklayer; would come to the gym nackered but be the hardest in his sparring and workouts.
He was a pure gem as a bloke.

I went to his funeral several years ago; he died too early; many people at that funeral rose to their feet and spoke solidly of his toughness and determination.

[ref]

Was Paul Silvester his real name or just an alias?

Many boxers did not use their real names. Death notices are hard to find for people who are known by a different name to their legal name.

Paul Silvester passed away quite a few years ago, not aware of the cause, the last time I saw him he was not taking good care of himself. I saw him beat Alan Moore at Brisbane's festival hall. They both had a win and a loss against each other. Silvester was a tall welterweight with a great left jab. He was a top Amateur in his day prior to turning pro and was trained by Snowy Hill at his South Brisbane gym.

[warnambool]

Cheers mate, thanks for that.
I knew his brother Darcy, def. not someone you would get on the wrong side of....but you have to be carefull of what you say, of course

[Grant]

Reading about Dave Sands in theain ro gote thinking. Who was the best Aussie fighter NOT to win a world title?
Hector Thompson for me I think. Interested in other opinions though.