Tragic news that the super tough Troy Waters lost his battle with leukemia. Waters was one of Australia's top boxers, and survived a terrible upbringing from his father Ces, who was an insane bully.
If Troy had a normal trainer he might of won that world title, to give an example his father made Troy spar 30 rounds the day before his world title challenge to Gianfranco Rosi.
Waters still went on to almost win on points.
Troy Waters R.I.P
Re: Troy Waters R.I.P
Troy Waters is regarded as the greatest Australian fighter never to win a world title. The man dubbed “The Glamour with the Hammer” looked the part and could really whack but was held back by his unfeeling, domineering father (Ces) who trained him and managed him but in the process overtrained him and appeared clueless how to 'move' his son.
After just five outings as a pro, Waters was thrown in with the battle-hardened In-Chul Baek in Korea, a world class puncher coming off a knockout of American Fred “The Pumper” Hutchings. It was lunacy but Troy got stuck in and held Baek to a split decision in a fierce 12-rounder which would have ruined a lesser fighter, particularly as Baek went on to win a major world title. Troy bounced back to win the Australian light-middleweight title and then added the Commonwealth title with a destructive four-round stoppage of Birmingham's Lloyd Hibbert in 1987, and Hibbert was a gifted fighter so it tells you a lot about Waters, who broke into the world rankings by flattening America's Jack “The Kid” Callahan in three rounds in Oz in May 1988.
A year later Waters made his way to Italy to face Gianfranco Rosi for the IBF light-middleweight title but found the local man, who pretty much owned the IBF belt, just too cagey over 12 bruising rounds and conceded a unanimous decision. There were easier shots than trying to beat an Italian in Italy and tensions boiled over in the Aussie corner as Waters fell further and further behind. Ces screamed at him that he had beaten a "Brit" who had beaten Rosi, but it was Lloyd Honeyghan who had beaten Rosi and not (Lloyd) Hibbert. “Why don't you go back to the dressing room,” said Troy in a sarcastic show of paternal defiance. If you wanted shrewd, simple, sensible advice in a boxing corner, Troy was your man, not Ces.
Nevertheless, Ces still pulled the strings and he brought Troy back all too slowly after Rosi, throwing away his peak years on a few nothing fights when he needed bigger and better. Troy was 28 by the time he received a second no-win crack, this time against the formidable Terry Norris, making the 10th defence of his WBC light-middleweight title in his own backyard of San Diego in June 1993. It was Troy's first fight in the States and he climbed off the floor in the opening round to cause a sensation in the second when he dropped the swaggering Norris with a right uppercut. “Would this be the upset of the year?” asked Ferdie Pacheco in commentary. “No, it would be the upset of the decade.”
The fighters tore into each other for the rest of a thrilling round to the roars of a surprisingly neutral crowd, with Waters trading on even terms. Norris got on top again in the third and Waters found himself on the deck from a sharp right hand; the champion's uppercuts also scored well, marking up the brave Aussie, who fought back desperately. At the bell referee Marty Denkin called in the doctor but the Waters corner, compassionately, pulled their man out and it was a corner minus mad Ces, who had finally been ditched. Ces would go into meltdown at the thought of pulling his own son out.
Troy bounced back with another fight in the States: a late stoppage of former Olympic gold medallist Robert Wangila in Los Angeles and was in demand after his gutsy effort against Norris, who suffered a shocking knockout defeat to Simon Brown in Mexico in December 1993 in front of a crowd of 130,000 (Julio Cesar Chavez destroyed Greg "Mutt" Haugen in the main event). Brown opted for a quick first defence on a marquee show in Las Vegas and enter Waters in another mission impossible but he gave it a great go against the smooth, dangerous Jamaican before conceding a majority decision. That was moral victory, at least, and it earned him a later big fight with the unbeaten, huge-punching Felix "Tito" Trinidad, moving up to light-middleweight after a sensational world title spell at welterweight. Waters never had it easy and he got starched in the first round in Madison Square Garden which could happen to anyone against Trinidad. He retired after a stoppage win at home and ironically, his light-heavyweight brother, Guy, also failed in three attempts at a world title, one of them at the hands of Dennis Andries in Adelaide. Another brother, Dean, was stopped by Horace Notice in a scrap for the Commonwealth heavyweight title at Wembley in 1987 on a night marred by violence after Bobby Frankham refused to accept defeat.
The three Waters boys survived boxing and a terrible childhood at the hands of Ces (who died of a heart attack in 1997 before he faced a charge of conspiracy to murder). It says everything for Troy that he leaves behind a wonderfully normal family.
After just five outings as a pro, Waters was thrown in with the battle-hardened In-Chul Baek in Korea, a world class puncher coming off a knockout of American Fred “The Pumper” Hutchings. It was lunacy but Troy got stuck in and held Baek to a split decision in a fierce 12-rounder which would have ruined a lesser fighter, particularly as Baek went on to win a major world title. Troy bounced back to win the Australian light-middleweight title and then added the Commonwealth title with a destructive four-round stoppage of Birmingham's Lloyd Hibbert in 1987, and Hibbert was a gifted fighter so it tells you a lot about Waters, who broke into the world rankings by flattening America's Jack “The Kid” Callahan in three rounds in Oz in May 1988.
A year later Waters made his way to Italy to face Gianfranco Rosi for the IBF light-middleweight title but found the local man, who pretty much owned the IBF belt, just too cagey over 12 bruising rounds and conceded a unanimous decision. There were easier shots than trying to beat an Italian in Italy and tensions boiled over in the Aussie corner as Waters fell further and further behind. Ces screamed at him that he had beaten a "Brit" who had beaten Rosi, but it was Lloyd Honeyghan who had beaten Rosi and not (Lloyd) Hibbert. “Why don't you go back to the dressing room,” said Troy in a sarcastic show of paternal defiance. If you wanted shrewd, simple, sensible advice in a boxing corner, Troy was your man, not Ces.
Nevertheless, Ces still pulled the strings and he brought Troy back all too slowly after Rosi, throwing away his peak years on a few nothing fights when he needed bigger and better. Troy was 28 by the time he received a second no-win crack, this time against the formidable Terry Norris, making the 10th defence of his WBC light-middleweight title in his own backyard of San Diego in June 1993. It was Troy's first fight in the States and he climbed off the floor in the opening round to cause a sensation in the second when he dropped the swaggering Norris with a right uppercut. “Would this be the upset of the year?” asked Ferdie Pacheco in commentary. “No, it would be the upset of the decade.”
The fighters tore into each other for the rest of a thrilling round to the roars of a surprisingly neutral crowd, with Waters trading on even terms. Norris got on top again in the third and Waters found himself on the deck from a sharp right hand; the champion's uppercuts also scored well, marking up the brave Aussie, who fought back desperately. At the bell referee Marty Denkin called in the doctor but the Waters corner, compassionately, pulled their man out and it was a corner minus mad Ces, who had finally been ditched. Ces would go into meltdown at the thought of pulling his own son out.
Troy bounced back with another fight in the States: a late stoppage of former Olympic gold medallist Robert Wangila in Los Angeles and was in demand after his gutsy effort against Norris, who suffered a shocking knockout defeat to Simon Brown in Mexico in December 1993 in front of a crowd of 130,000 (Julio Cesar Chavez destroyed Greg "Mutt" Haugen in the main event). Brown opted for a quick first defence on a marquee show in Las Vegas and enter Waters in another mission impossible but he gave it a great go against the smooth, dangerous Jamaican before conceding a majority decision. That was moral victory, at least, and it earned him a later big fight with the unbeaten, huge-punching Felix "Tito" Trinidad, moving up to light-middleweight after a sensational world title spell at welterweight. Waters never had it easy and he got starched in the first round in Madison Square Garden which could happen to anyone against Trinidad. He retired after a stoppage win at home and ironically, his light-heavyweight brother, Guy, also failed in three attempts at a world title, one of them at the hands of Dennis Andries in Adelaide. Another brother, Dean, was stopped by Horace Notice in a scrap for the Commonwealth heavyweight title at Wembley in 1987 on a night marred by violence after Bobby Frankham refused to accept defeat.
The three Waters boys survived boxing and a terrible childhood at the hands of Ces (who died of a heart attack in 1997 before he faced a charge of conspiracy to murder). It says everything for Troy that he leaves behind a wonderfully normal family.
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Datsue
- Heavyweight
Re: Troy Waters R.I.P
Quality write-up as ever, bennie.
I remember the Norris & Trinidad fights as if they were yesterday.
RIP to a true warrior.
I remember the Norris & Trinidad fights as if they were yesterday.
RIP to a true warrior.
Re: Troy Waters R.I.P
bennie wrote: ↑21 May 2018, 10:10 Troy Waters is regarded as the greatest Australian fighter never to win a world title. The man dubbed “The Glamour with the Hammer” looked the part and could really whack but was held back by his unfeeling, domineering father (Ces) who trained him and managed him but in the process overtrained him and appeared clueless how to 'move' his son.
After just five outings as a pro, Waters was thrown in with the battle-hardened In-Chul Baek in Korea, a world class puncher coming off a knockout of American Fred “The Pumper” Hutchings. It was lunacy but Troy got stuck in and held Baek to a split decision in a fierce 12-rounder which would have ruined a lesser fighter, particularly as Baek went on to win a major world title. Troy bounced back to win the Australian light-middleweight title and then added the Commonwealth title with a destructive four-round stoppage of Birmingham's Lloyd Hibbert in 1987, and Hibbert was a gifted fighter so it tells you a lot about Waters, who broke into the world rankings by flattening America's Jack “The Kid” Callahan in three rounds in Oz in May 1988.
A year later Waters made his way to Italy to face Gianfranco Rosi for the IBF light-middleweight title but found the local man, who pretty much owned the IBF belt, just too cagey over 12 bruising rounds and conceded a unanimous decision. There were easier shots than trying to beat an Italian in Italy and tensions boiled over in the Aussie corner as Waters fell further and further behind. Ces screamed at him that he had beaten a "Brit" who had beaten Rosi, but it was Lloyd Honeyghan who had beaten Rosi and not (Lloyd) Hibbert. “Why don't you go back to the dressing room,” said Troy in a sarcastic show of paternal defiance. If you wanted shrewd, simple, sensible advice in a boxing corner, Troy was your man, not Ces.
Nevertheless, Ces still pulled the strings and he brought Troy back all too slowly after Rosi, throwing away his peak years on a few nothing fights when he needed bigger and better. Troy was 28 by the time he received a second no-win crack, this time against the formidable Terry Norris, making the 10th defence of his WBC light-middleweight title in his own backyard of San Diego in June 1993. It was Troy's first fight in the States and he climbed off the floor in the opening round to cause a sensation in the second when he dropped the swaggering Norris with a right uppercut. “Would this be the upset of the year?” asked Ferdie Pacheco in commentary. “No, it would be the upset of the decade.”
The fighters tore into each other for the rest of a thrilling round to the roars of a surprisingly neutral crowd, with Waters trading on even terms. Norris got on top again in the third and Waters found himself on the deck from a sharp right hand; the champion's uppercuts also scored well, marking up the brave Aussie, who fought back desperately. At the bell referee Marty Denkin called in the doctor but the Waters corner, compassionately, pulled their man out and it was a corner minus mad Ces, who had finally been ditched. Ces would go into meltdown at the thought of pulling his own son out.
Troy bounced back with another fight in the States: a late stoppage of former Olympic gold medallist Robert Wangila in Los Angeles and was in demand after his gutsy effort against Norris, who suffered a shocking knockout defeat to Simon Brown in Mexico in December 1993 in front of a crowd of 130,000 (Julio Cesar Chavez destroyed Greg "Mutt" Haugen in the main event). Brown opted for a quick first defence on a marquee show in Las Vegas and enter Waters in another mission impossible but he gave it a great go against the smooth, dangerous Jamaican before conceding a majority decision. That was moral victory, at least, and it earned him a later big fight with the unbeaten, huge-punching Felix "Tito" Trinidad, moving up to light-middleweight after a sensational world title spell at welterweight. Waters never had it easy and he got starched in the first round in Madison Square Garden which could happen to anyone against Trinidad. He retired after a stoppage win at home and ironically, his light-heavyweight brother, Guy, also failed in three attempts at a world title, one of them at the hands of Dennis Andries in Adelaide. Another brother, Dean, was stopped by Horace Notice in a scrap for the Commonwealth heavyweight title at Wembley in 1987 on a night marred by violence after Bobby Frankham refused to accept defeat.
The three Waters boys survived boxing and a terrible childhood at the hands of Ces (who died of a heart attack in 1997 before he faced a charge of conspiracy to murder). It says everything for Troy that he leaves behind a wonderfully normal family.
cheers Bennie
Re: Troy Waters R.I.P
I remember Troy's brother Guy far better who never quite managed to get a world title at LHW........but then again he challenged Hill and Juan Carlos Gomez (on the road) for two of those fights. Tough asks!
I think he was quite fancied to beat Andries for the WBC - with Dennis making another trip Down Under - but Dennis seemed to like Australia and was 2-0 in title fights Down Under and ultimately Harding was the bigger problem for him.
Their old man sounds like someone who was no great loss to humanity.
I think he was quite fancied to beat Andries for the WBC - with Dennis making another trip Down Under - but Dennis seemed to like Australia and was 2-0 in title fights Down Under and ultimately Harding was the bigger problem for him.
Their old man sounds like someone who was no great loss to humanity.
Re: Troy Waters R.I.P
That great fight vs Terry Norris when Norris was regarded as “pound for pound” #1.
RIP Troy Waters.
RIP Troy Waters.