amateurs v pro

[Coco]

It was someone from matchroom talking about Evatt and Gallagher.

With Freddie I was talking about Al Styles

[SticknMove]

It was someone from matchroom talking about Evatt and Gallagher.

With Freddie I was talking about Al Styles

Apologies mate. Never heard of Al Styles and should have made the connection if he trained out of Kingston. Some decent ams came out of that club.

[mickey1975]

I still like the old am style if it’s done properly. I know a couple of brothers who had it off to a tee. Trained at Dale Youth. F ucking good lads from there.

[Coco]

It was someone from matchroom talking about Evatt and Gallagher.

With Freddie I was talking about Al Styles

Apologies mate. Never heard of Al Styles and should have made the connection if he trained out of Kingston. Some decent ams came out of that club.

I spent a bit of time at Kingston, Freddie competed in Mr Universe against Sean Connery! While I have lost contact, I was friendly with his sons

[THEBUTCH]

Matthew Barr was a real hell for leather pro. Saw him a couple of times on small hall shows (including his pro debut).

His attitude was very much do or die and very exciting to watch.

[Coco]

Matthew Barr was a real hell for leather pro. Saw him a couple of times on small hall shows (including his pro debut).

His attitude was very much do or die and very exciting to watch.

Won the NABC's , a real good puncher too, bust my nose sparring once.

[THEBUTCH]

Seems like he didn't hold back in sparring either !

He just seemed to put everything into every punch he threw. The fights I saw of his in the pros, he either got stopped or he won by stoppage. I never thought he'd rack up as many fights as he did in the pro ranks and he boxed some bloody good fighters.

[brilo33]

well i guess saul is holding it up for the pros , i guess amateurs are paid now in a way, not like before

[smiling assassin]

A few of our amateurs could walk into the pro game and win the British title tomorrow. We have got some real talent in our GB squad

[SticknMove]

It was someone from matchroom talking about Evatt and Gallagher.

With Freddie I was talking about Al Styles

Apologies mate. Never heard of Al Styles and should have made the connection if he trained out of Kingston. Some decent ams came out of that club.

I spent a bit of time at Kingston, Freddie competed in Mr Universe against Sean Connery! While I have lost contact, I was friendly with his sons

Freddie should have been a pro trainer. Was in few Young England squads at Crystal Palace back then and Freddie was a coach....can only imagine what he thought when Kevin Hickey passed down the torch to Ian Irwin who was a soundalike.

Think he stuck his two fingers up at them all and went his own way and championed anyone who wanted to fight for money or for the sake of it.

Remember Matthew as a disinterested kid when I was training there.

[bennie]

Years back as well you look at the Olympic medalists etc and most did well, Holyfield, Bowe, Lewis, Foreman, Ali.

Looking at the Brits too, Pat Cowdell and Colin Jones went to the Olympics

You can add many, many more to the list.

I remember watching Pat Cowdell in the Games. He dropped a 4:1 decision to a North Korean in the semi-finals, after flooring him in the first round. The Korean came back hard and the verdict looked about right, although Pat was obviously gutted, particularly as the Korean went on to win the gold medal by trouncing American Charles Mooney. Jones was only 17 when he made the trip to Montreal but he won his opening bout before going out on a 5:0 to a Romanian. It was great experience for Jones because he didn't get hurt. Charlie Magri, Sylvester Mittee, Robbie Davies, Dave Odwell and Clinton McKenzie were the other British participants.
Magri proved a big disappointment when he was floored and stopped by slippery Canadian Ian Clyde in the third round in the preliminaries. Charlie had to wait a week for the bout (after the African nations withdrew at the last minute) but the same was true of southpaw Clyde. I think the occasion got to Magri and when he climbed up from the knockdown, he looked up at the clock over the ring and stumbled backwards in doing so and the referee waved it off. McKenzie had a better excuse: he ran into Sugar Ray Leonard. Teenager Mittee, who got the Olympic nod over George Gilbody, also copped an unlucky draw against crack Romanian Simion Cutov and was stopped in the third round. Cutov went all the way to the lightweight final where he was outscored by American Howard Davis, the star of the Games, along with Cuban heavyweight Teofilo Stevenson. Davis won the Val Barker Trophy as the best boxer of the event.
The big-hitting Robbie Davies flattened an unfortunate Aussie in his opening bout but was then eliminated by a decent Venezuelan on a 4:1. Dave Odwell, the team captain, went out early at the hands of a Yugoslav, finishing busted up.

[THEBUTCH]

Clinton McKenzie put up a good fight against Leonard. Might not have a medal to show for his Olympic experience, but what a claim to be able to say you boxed Sugar Ray before he went on to win gold

In the pros, Cowdell's magnificent effort against the great Salvador Sanchez seems to have been swept under the carpet

[Coco]

Apologies mate. Never heard of Al Styles and should have made the connection if he trained out of Kingston. Some decent ams came out of that club.

I spent a bit of time at Kingston, Freddie competed in Mr Universe against Sean Connery! While I have lost contact, I was friendly with his sons

Freddie should have been a pro trainer. Was in few Young England squads at Crystal Palace back then and Freddie was a coach....can only imagine what he thought when Kevin Hickey passed down the torch to Ian Irwin who was a soundalike.

Think he stuck his two fingers up at them all and went his own way and championed anyone who wanted to fight for money or for the sake of it.

Remember Matthew as a disinterested kid when I was training there.

Are you from Kingston way?
He did stick his fingers up at them but in his heart he was still a big believer in the amateur system

[SticknMove]

No lived down there whilst at the Poly (now Uni) on Penrhyn Road back in late 80s and trained at the club for a couple of years.

Always liked Freddie a great character.

[SticknMove]

Years back as well you look at the Olympic medalists etc and most did well, Holyfield, Bowe, Lewis, Foreman, Ali.

Looking at the Brits too, Pat Cowdell and Colin Jones went to the Olympics

You can add many, many more to the list.

I remember watching Pat Cowdell in the Games. He dropped a 4:1 decision to a North Korean in the semi-finals, after flooring him in the first round. The Korean came back hard and the verdict looked about right, although Pat was obviously gutted, particularly as the Korean went on to win the gold medal by trouncing American Charles Mooney. Jones was only 17 when he made the trip to Montreal but he won his opening bout before going out on a 5:0 to a Romanian. It was great experience for Jones because he didn't get hurt. Charlie Magri, Sylvester Mittee, Robbie Davies, Dave Odwell and Clinton McKenzie were the other British participants.
Magri proved a big disappointment when he was floored and stopped by slippery Canadian Ian Clyde in the third round in the preliminaries. Charlie had to wait a week for the bout (after the African nations withdrew at the last minute) but the same was true of southpaw Clyde. I think the occasion got to Magri and when he climbed up from the knockdown, he looked up at the clock over the ring and stumbled backwards in doing so and the referee waved it off. McKenzie had a better excuse: he ran into Sugar Ray Leonard. Teenager Mittee, who got the Olympic nod over George Gilbody, also copped an unlucky draw against crack Romanian Simion Cutov and was stopped in the third round. Cutov went all the way to the lightweight final where he was outscored by American Howard Davis, the star of the Games, along with Cuban heavyweight Teofilo Stevenson. Davis won the Val Barker Trophy as the best boxer of the event.
The big-hitting Robbie Davies flattened an unfortunate Aussie in his opening bout but was then eliminated by a decent Venezuelan on a 4:1. Dave Odwell, the team captain, went out early at the hands of a Yugoslav, finishing busted up.

Fantastic stuff bennie.

[SticknMove]

Clinton McKenzie put up a good fight against Leonard. Might not have a medal to show for his Olympic experience, but what a claim to be able to say you boxed Sugar Ray before he went on to win gold

In the pros, Cowdell's magnificent effort against the great Salvador Sanchez seems to have been swept under the carpet

Remember Leonard, when asked, giving Clinton respect saying how smart, quick and tricky he was but felt that his strength and bit of extra power saw him through. Classy guy.

Great effort from Cowdell in that Sanchez fight against a Mexican legend that departed this world far too soon.

[coghaugen11]

Brian Schumacher was England international captain. Journeyman pro.

US gatekeepers Randy Smith, Sanderline Williams and Ronnie Essett were US national am champs ahead of the likes of (future lb4lbers) McCallum and Nunn.