Patron, if I can call on your memory

[Brute]

I can remember when I was in high school there was a promising Australian welterweight named Sid Prior active. After representing Australia at the Rome Olympics he turned pro in 1961. He was undefeated until facing American Willie "Pineapple" Stevenson in 1962 in his 14th fight, losing on points in a 12 rounder. Prior won a rematch and went on to beat Gary Cowburn for the Australian Welterweight belt.

In the meantime Stevenson alleged that he had been offered a bribe to throw the second fight. Prior did not fight again after the Cowburn fight and retired at 19. Stevenson died after a fight in 1965. Do you have any knowledge of this matter? It seems to have disappeared from media memory.

[Beltane]

There is nothing out there in "Googleland" about a stew fight between Sid Prior and Willie Stevenson, in fact Sid Prior is barely mentioned. There is a little bit about the death of Willie Stevenson and there is perhaps a tiny hint of some mischief (underlined) in Stevenson's down-under visit to fight Prior based from an extract from this blog:

I was barely 15 years old when I went to the first funeral of a professional boxer that I knew. The year was 1965 and there wasn't a person in Boston who knew and did not like happy go lucky journeyman welterweight Willie "Pineapple" Stevenson.

I was there on Sept. 11, 1965, part of a small crowd of maybe 300 at the Boston Arena, when a hot prospect from Brooklyn named Roscoe "Go Go" Gregory pummeled Stevenson. Stevenson left the dumpy arena complaining of a persistent headache but refused to go to nearby Boston City Hospital. At home, he lapsed into a coma and died seven days later, only aged 29..........

Whenever a fighter gets killed or suffers a traumatic injury, I always think of Pineapple, a well liked fellow who had a funeral before his 30th birthday. He missed that landmark by a few months, dying on on Sept. 1.

Pineapple's family had nothing to celebrate on Jan. 1, 1966, when he would've turned 30. All they had were fond memories of the quintessential journeyman who went to Italy and Australia, only as a handpicked opponent, and usually fought on the Sam Silverman New England circuit, in small halls in Worcester, Providence and Holyoke and a roller skating rink in Revere.

They remembered he fought hard but got trounced over a full 10 rounds against a freakishly strong and heavyhitting, 11-0 prospect at St. Nick's in Manhattan on May 25, 1959. Name is Emile Griffith, you may have heard of him...........

......and tonight I remembered Pineapple Stevenson. I can still see him laid out in that casket. He rated a few paragraphs and a small photo in Jet, the popular black weekly magazine when he died. No one questioned whether Pineapple was really hurt.

[Brute]

I remember reading the story of Stevenson's claim in one of the afternoon papers in Sydney at that time. I am not saying Prior was in on whatever was supposed to happen, I don't know if Willie was telling the truth or not. I just thought Patron may remember something about it. It is not often that a fighter wins a national title then disappears without defending it.

[patron]

I can remember when I was in high school there was a promising Australian welterweight named Sid Prior active. After representing Australia at the Rome Olympics he turned pro in 1961. He was undefeated until facing American Willie "Pineapple" Stevenson in 1962 in his 14th fight, losing on points in a 12 rounder. Prior won a rematch and went on to beat Gary Cowburn for the Australian Welterweight belt.

In the meantime Stevenson alleged that he had been offered a bribe to throw the second fight. Prior did not fight again after the Cowburn fight and retired at 19. Stevenson died after a fight in 1965. Do you have any knowledge of this matter? It seems to have disappeared from media memory.

hello brute, i do remember prior and stevenson, i know it was a reversal of form in thesecond fight, give me a little time and i will see what i can dig up, prior was a good prospect, i wouldn,t be surprised if you heard right. all the best.

[Brute]

Thanks mate.

[Brute]

There is nothing out there in "Googleland" about a stew fight between Sid Prior and Willie Stevenson, in fact Sid Prior is barely mentioned. There is a little bit about the death of Willie Stevenson and there is perhaps a tiny hint of some mischief (underlined) in Stevenson's down-under visit to fight Prior based from an extract from this blog:

I was barely 15 years old when I went to the first funeral of a professional boxer that I knew. The year was 1965 and there wasn't a person in Boston who knew and did not like happy go lucky journeyman welterweight Willie "Pineapple" Stevenson.

I was there on Sept. 11, 1965, part of a small crowd of maybe 300 at the Boston Arena, when a hot prospect from Brooklyn named Roscoe "Go Go" Gregory pummeled Stevenson. Stevenson left the dumpy arena complaining of a persistent headache but refused to go to nearby Boston City Hospital. At home, he lapsed into a coma and died seven days later, only aged 29..........

Whenever a fighter gets killed or suffers a traumatic injury, I always think of Pineapple, a well liked fellow who had a funeral before his 30th birthday. He missed that landmark by a few months, dying on on Sept. 1.

Pineapple's family had nothing to celebrate on Jan. 1, 1966, when he would've turned 30. All they had were fond memories of the quintessential journeyman who went to Italy and Australia, only as a handpicked opponent, and usually fought on the Sam Silverman New England circuit, in small halls in Worcester, Providence and Holyoke and a roller skating rink in Revere.

They remembered he fought hard but got trounced over a full 10 rounds against a freakishly strong and heavyhitting, 11-0 prospect at St. Nick's in Manhattan on May 25, 1959. Name is Emile Griffith, you may have heard of him...........

......and tonight I remembered Pineapple Stevenson. I can still see him laid out in that casket. He rated a few paragraphs and a small photo in Jet, the popular black weekly magazine when he died. No one questioned whether Pineapple was really hurt.

"Handpicked" fights do not always turn out as planned. Harry Miller thought Jose Torres was finished after Dick Tiger beat him twice. He brought him out here to fight Empire Light Heavyweight champion Bob Dunlop. It finished in the sixth round with Torres turning from a shattered Dunlop to Vic Patrick with a look on his face as if to say "How much more do you want him to take?"

Vic did the right thing and stopped it.

Some time before that Miller brought out washed up light middleweight Tony Montana to fight Tony Barber ( no, not the quiz compere) only to see Montana stop Barber in the tenth. On the basis that Montana was middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight champion of Arizona (something like being the best fighter in Guildford) Miller threw Montana in with Dunlop. Dunlop stopped him in six. Big deal.

[popeye]

There is nothing out there in "Googleland" about a stew fight between Sid Prior and Willie Stevenson, in fact Sid Prior is barely mentioned. There is a little bit about the death of Willie Stevenson and there is perhaps a tiny hint of some mischief (underlined) in Stevenson's down-under visit to fight Prior based from an extract from this blog:

I was barely 15 years old when I went to the first funeral of a professional boxer that I knew. The year was 1965 and there wasn't a person in Boston who knew and did not like happy go lucky journeyman welterweight Willie "Pineapple" Stevenson.

I was there on Sept. 11, 1965, part of a small crowd of maybe 300 at the Boston Arena, when a hot prospect from Brooklyn named Roscoe "Go Go" Gregory pummeled Stevenson. Stevenson left the dumpy arena complaining of a persistent headache but refused to go to nearby Boston City Hospital. At home, he lapsed into a coma and died seven days later, only aged 29..........

Whenever a fighter gets killed or suffers a traumatic injury, I always think of Pineapple, a well liked fellow who had a funeral before his 30th birthday. He missed that landmark by a few months, dying on on Sept. 1.

Pineapple's family had nothing to celebrate on Jan. 1, 1966, when he would've turned 30. All they had were fond memories of the quintessential journeyman who went to Italy and Australia, only as a handpicked opponent, and usually fought on the Sam Silverman New England circuit, in small halls in Worcester, Providence and Holyoke and a roller skating rink in Revere.

They remembered he fought hard but got trounced over a full 10 rounds against a freakishly strong and heavyhitting, 11-0 prospect at St. Nick's in Manhattan on May 25, 1959. Name is Emile Griffith, you may have heard of him...........

......and tonight I remembered Pineapple Stevenson. I can still see him laid out in that casket. He rated a few paragraphs and a small photo in Jet, the popular black weekly magazine when he died. No one questioned whether Pineapple was really hurt.

"Handpicked" fights do not always turn out as planned. Harry Miller thought Jose Torres was finished after Dick Tiger beat him twice. He brought him out here to fight Empire Light Heavyweight champion Bob Dunlop. It finished in the sixth round with Torres turning from a shattered Dunlop to Vic Patrick with a look on his face as if to say "How much more do you want him to take?"

Vic did the right thing and stopped it.

Some time before that Miller brought out washed up light middleweight Tony Montana to fight Tony Barber ( no, not the quiz compere) only to see Montana stop Barber in the tenth. On the basis that Montana was middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight champion of Arizona (something like being the best fighter in Guildford) Miller threw Montana in with Dunlop. Dunlop stopped him in six. Big deal.

I was working that night (Seaman) so couldn't get to it.
A shipmate returned from the stadium after & told me "Barber got beat,,,by a bloke a stone & a half heavier. Was a shocker. Too big"
It was Barbers last fight.
It's not hard to understand why they put him in with Dunlop.

[Brute]

There was less than 4 pounds difference between Montano and Barber. Montano was on the slide after losing a challenge to Sandro Massinghi for the World Light Middleweight title in 1964. Most of his career was at 11 stone.

Barber just was not as good as some people thought.

[popeye]

There was less than 4 pounds difference between Montano and Barber. Montano was on the slide after losing a challenge to Sandro Massinghi for the World Light Middleweight title in 1964. Most of his career was at 11 stone.

Barber just was not as good as some people thought.

I know what was on paper Brute, I'm not playing favorites, I'm just repeating what I was told.

Bob (Shipmate) never said anything about the fight other than the visual difference.

[Brute]

Barber was only 5'5" tall, very short for a middleweight. This may have made him look lighter than he was,