RIP Alan Minter

[MightyWarrior]

No mention on the BBC news apparently ?

Useless bums - if it was an Olympic rower or rugby player It’d be news

Yeah I really thought he beat Hampsho, but Al lost a tight decision & never got another world title shot, I was gutted. Then Sibbo shockingly blasted him out,
And I remember being at school and gutted again because the frigging BBC never showed the fight due to advertising on his shorts.

Jim Watt was right, he was a helluva fighter

[banjo]

Honestly don't know a huge amount about the guy but anyone who was able to hold the undisputed crown must have been something special even if it was only a short reign, I get the impression his tendency to bleed cost him a few fights he would have won as well.

My dad went to one of his after dinner shows and I remember him saying he didn't leave the greatest of impressions so it seems he had his demons outside the ring.

RIP.

[margaret thatcher]

Nice career peak with a win over Vito Antufermo, quite the bleeder wasnt our Alan

[AntonioMartin]

Then Sibbo shockingly blasted him out,
And I remember being at school and gutted again because the frigging BBC never showed the fight due to advertising on his shorts.

I think that by the time Sibbo-one of my favorite non-champions actually-beat him, Minter was already used up. Im not saying Tony could not beat a prime Minter, its possible..but both Sibbo and Marvelous Marvin Hagler had the same result against Minter. And Sibbo was not in MMH's class. Almost no one in boxing history is.

One thing: Minter had lots of class in the ring and even more courage. In the courage category, he, Vito Antuofermo, Sibson , Roberto Duran and Hagler all rank very high

[ILikeBeer]

Just saw about this. Sad times.

I remember being in the K2 Leisure Centre in Crawley last year. He was born in Crawley, weren't he? They have photos up of all the sports stars from the era. I think they had him.

[MightyWarrior]

Yeah true, he did work as a BBC pundit for awhile, but his face never fit.

And I don’t think anyone realised just how hard Sibbo hit with the ol’ left hook ~ certainly Alan didn’t - pretty sure he’d never been knocked out before, he had a granite chin.

And boy there can’t be many undisputed world champions who got their tactics so spectacularly wrong as Al did against Hagler, tearing into him and trying to flatten the iron man himself - little did he know he was facing an all-time great at the time.

At the time I thought there was an outside chance if he ever got a rematch against Marv, and got his tactics right and boxed on the outside, he might have avoided getting his face shredded...Clearly he was never going to beat Hagler, but at the time no one knew just how good the Boston blockbuster was.
I mean we knew he was good, just not THAT good.

[IRONFIST]

RIP one of my earliest favourite UK boxers. I remember his bout with Hagler and the scenes afterwards... Also his canoeing on Superstars where he was so off course that it looked like he was heading out to sea.

[evrenb]

Does anyone remember the Minter - Hagler weigh in story?

[MightyWarrior]

Don’t recall the weigh in but just seen Bob Mee in boxing news astoundingly picked Minter to win, possibly by late stoppage

[evrenb]

Don’t recall the weigh in but just seen Bob Mee in boxing news astoundingly picked Minter to win, possibly by late stoppage

Hagler weighed in with his pants on but came in over the weight...by a couple of ounces...he stepped off the scales, removed his pants and stood there proud as he made the weight. As he stood there exposed one of the journalists looked down at the naked Hagler and remarked ' now we know why he was a few ounces over' ....

I heard this story many years ago, I don't remember where or when ..but I remember it...

[Old bones Ian]

Nice 'best I faced' from Minter
https://www.ringtv.com/545860-best-i-faced-alan-minter/

[Twinkle Toes]

RIP one of my earliest favourite UK boxers. I remember his bout with Hagler and the scenes afterwards... Also his canoeing on Superstars where he was so off course that it looked like he was heading out to sea.

Bloody hell I vaguely remember that. Good old Youtube has it, its around the 3.10 mark




Minter did a lot with the amateur shows.

[My Name Is Earl]

RIP Boom Boom.

As a teenager i remember watching Minter, and the judo lads (Brian Jacks etc) at the '72 Munich Olympics where he won the bronze. At school we all agreed he was home towned out of the silver/gold by the German.
His triology with Kevin Finnegan was another treat for the Brits, and amazing how all three went the full 15. He did say in one interview that Finnegan was the best he faced in his career, but that's the London thing i'm guessing.

Getting the split decision nod over Antofumo was surreal at the time. The first Brit for 50 odd years to do it started a bit of a
renaissance for our boxers. Still remember the mc giving both Minter scores straight off the bat, instead of building the tension to send our household into hysterics. Then Gutteridge was lifted off his feet by Minter with a massive bearhug. Great times.

Hagler was the wrong man at the wrong time, but it's worth noting that Minter was the slight fav' going in. The Hagler legend was born that night in dear old blighty.

[My Name Is Earl]

RIP one of my earliest favourite UK boxers. I remember his bout with Hagler and the scenes afterwards... Also his canoeing on Superstars where he was so off course that it looked like he was heading out to sea.

I rmember him winning the shooting event.

All this was only a year after Hagler. He was a big star was Minter because of his terrestial coverage. Did adverts the lot.

[mickey1975]

Nothing will beat the Brian Jacks, Mickey Pearce, Gary Stretch story.

[Coco]

To win a world title in those days you needed to be the best in the world.

As has been said his face didn't fit media wise, tbh he didn't mind upsetting people esp with a drink inside him.

[Onamastus]

The 'short reign' doesn't diminish Minter's standing in any way. It's all about context. Exactly like Sonny Liston, Minter had to make his second defence against someone who, at that point, would probably end anyone's reign in history. Other people, like Bernard Hopkins, go 10 years without ever meeting an actual middleweight Great.

[blanca]

Pity we dont have those superstars shows now. I reckon most sportspeople would do it as they are usually all uber competetive but many, esp footballers, are owned and not allowed to do anything which might tarnish the 'brand' or lead to an injury. Wish i was around back in the 70s, well I was but born in 73.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Nothing will beat the Brian Jacks, Mickey Pearce, Gary Stretch story.

Do tell....

[mickey1975]

Pity we dont have those superstars shows now. I reckon most sportspeople would do it as they are usually all uber competetive but many, esp footballers, are owned and not allowed to do anything which might tarnish the 'brand' or lead to an injury. Wish i was around back in the 70s, well I was but born in 73.

It did make a comeback. Ricky Hatton thought he was holiday and came last.

[Old bones Ian]

Pity we dont have those superstars shows now. I reckon most sportspeople would do it as they are usually all uber competetive but many, esp footballers, are owned and not allowed to do anything which might tarnish the 'brand' or lead to an injury. Wish i was around back in the 70s, well I was but born in 73.

I seem to remember Kevin Keegan wiping out on a racing bike

[My Name Is Earl]

Pity we dont have those superstars shows now. I reckon most sportspeople would do it as they are usually all uber competetive but many, esp footballers, are owned and not allowed to do anything which might tarnish the 'brand' or lead to an injury. Wish i was around back in the 70s, well I was but born in 73.

I seem to remember Kevin Keegan wiping out on a racing bike

He did. It was a grim landing, but to be fair to Mighty Mouse, covered in blood, he got back on his back
and did the race again.

I remember John Conteh winning it just after becoming world champion . Other boxers that ring a bell were big Joe
Bugner, John H Stracey, Minter and maybe Colin Jones?

The Yank series had the likes of Joe Frazier and Rod Laver.

[margaret thatcher]

boxers rarely impress on those things it seems

[Old bones Ian]

boxers rarely impress on those things it seems

I seem to remember Amir Khan being a bit crap

[banjo]

Pity we dont have those superstars shows now. I reckon most sportspeople would do it as they are usually all uber competetive but many, esp footballers, are owned and not allowed to do anything which might tarnish the 'brand' or lead to an injury. Wish i was around back in the 70s, well I was but born in 73.

I seem to remember Kevin Keegan wiping out on a racing bike

He did. It was a grim landing, but to be fair to Mighty Mouse, covered in blood, he got back on his back
and did the race again.

I remember John Conteh winning it just after becoming world champion . Other boxers that ring a bell were big Joe
Bugner, John H Stracey, Minter and maybe Colin Jones?

The Yank series had the likes of Joe Frazier and Rod Laver.

Didn't Frazier almost drown on it because he couldn't swim or is that a myth?