Jim Moran - RIP

[bennie]

Birmingham's Jim Moran died suddenly on Sunday at the age of 57. Moran won the ABA light-heavyweight title in 1986, stopping John Beckles en route, and went on to take gold at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 1986, outscoring Canada's Brent Kosolofski in the semis and the Scot Harry Lawson in a thrilling final. A year later, he moved up to heavyweight and won another ABA title with a unanimous decision over Henry Akinwande, who froze when Moran got stuck into him and resorted to holding. Jim never had any inclination to turn pro.

[wrighty]

Hi I know this is a bit late to reply, but do you have any idea why he didn't go pro? He could have made some good money and he could have done a lot of damage in the cruiserweight division. He was tough and had pedigree.

[bennie]

Hi I know this is a bit late to reply, but do you have any idea why he didn't go pro? He could have made some good money and he could have done a lot of damage in the cruiserweight division. He was tough and had pedigree.

I don't know, mate. I saw him at a pro show in Wolverhampton not long after he won light-heavyweight gold at the Commonwealth Games in 1986. Promoter Ron Gray clearly wanted him but Jim stuck it out in the unpaid ranks, moving up to heavyweight and outscoring a pathetic Henry Akinwande to win his second ABA title. As you say, Jim had good pedigree, defeating the likes of Tony Wilson (his big Midlands rival) and John Beckles and boxing for England. Maybe he had a good job to fall back on.

[dookus]

Belated RIP. Some achievements at amateur! Easy to forget the pro game is not for everyone, and that's often unrelated to ability.

[bennie]

Belated RIP. Some achievements at amateur! Easy to forget the pro game is not for everyone, and that's often unrelated to ability.

Jim was a right hard man. But for Tony Wilson, he would have won more ABA titles.

[Tarquin Tarpaulin IV]

I remember following Jim's results in Boxing News. A proper handful with a fair number of stoppages I seem to recall.

RIP Jim

[THEBUTCH]

RIP. A real quality amateur.

Moran boxed in the days when BBC covered a decent amount of amateur boxing/championships and his name must have been fairly well known by the wider boxing public. Different times.

[Controversial]

Maybe he had a good job to fall back on.

He was a bricklayer

[bennie]

Maybe he had a good job to fall back on.

He was a bricklayer

Yes he was. Moran boxed for the same amateur boxing club (Austin Motors) that produced Bunny Johnson.

[THEBUTCH]

That just answered my next question

The boxing anorak in me always loves to know the club they represented.

[bennie]

That just answered my next question

The boxing anorak in me always loves to know the club they represented.

I think Austin Motors folded once they closed the car factory in Birmingham because Mark Santini, another Austin fighter, was boxing for Birmingham City when he won the ABA welterweight title in 1992. Santini had been around a long, long time before he made it to the the Albert Hall and his performance is brilliantly thorough. You can see him from the 31:36 mark.

[THEBUTCH]

Great performance too from Hove ABC's Scott Welch in the 1992 Heavyweight final Talk about taking the scoring out of the judge's hands !

[bennie]

Great performance too from Hove ABC's Scott Welch in the 1992 Heavyweight final Talk about taking the scoring out of the judge's hands !

...and Darren McCarrick bombing out Adrian Stone.

[THEBUTCH]

I'll have to watch that too, but yes, that win has aged extremely well when you think Stone packed his bags for America and learnt the professional side of his game over there and became a decent world title contender.

[Coco]

Lots of good fighters on that, Calzaghe, Catley, Stone, Mullings, Alldis, Knox, Welch, Dean Francis, Fifield

[Coco]

Kelly Oliver too

[THEBUTCH]

Yep, two great wins for Calzaghe in the Semis & Final over the late Dean Francis then Glenn Catley. Hasty stoppages by the refs but "Joseph" looked far too good for them.

[Coco]

Yep, two great wins for Calzaghe in the Semis & Final over the late Dean Francis then Glenn Catley. Hasty stoppages by the refs but "Joseph" looked far too good for them.

3 consecutive titles at 3 different weights too, just a kid as well, beat good guys, Darren Dorrington was the only one to take him the 3 round distance, in the middle final, in those years.
Always was a special fighter.

[wrighty]

Genuinely quite sad about Dean Francis. If it wasn't for his shoulder I think he would have been really special. His power was unreal!

[SeanBrennan]

really enjoyed watching that, vaguely remember ABA's being on telly when I was a kid (I was 8 in 92), what a stoppage by Welch.

[JamesPhilips]

Great performance too from Hove ABC's Scott Welch in the 1992 Heavyweight final Talk about taking the scoring out of the judge's hands !

...and Darren McCarrick bombing out Adrian Stone.

Anyone know why Darren only had 3 pro fights? He stopped formerly world class Jackie Beard in his 2nd fight too….

https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/48626

[SeanBrennan]

Great performance too from Hove ABC's Scott Welch in the 1992 Heavyweight final Talk about taking the scoring out of the judge's hands !

...and Darren McCarrick bombing out Adrian Stone.

Anyone know why Darren only had 3 pro fights? He stopped formerly world class Jackie Beard in his 2nd fight too….

https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/48626

not too recent (2014) but might interest you

[SeanBrennan]

Great performance too from Hove ABC's Scott Welch in the 1992 Heavyweight final Talk about taking the scoring out of the judge's hands !

...and Darren McCarrick bombing out Adrian Stone.

Anyone know why Darren only had 3 pro fights? He stopped formerly world class Jackie Beard in his 2nd fight too….

https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/48626

in the interview he alludes to having failed a brain scan, so went to US had 4 fights, went to Denmark but it didn't work out, then he became a parent etc.

[JamesPhilips]

...and Darren McCarrick bombing out Adrian Stone.

Anyone know why Darren only had 3 pro fights? He stopped formerly world class Jackie Beard in his 2nd fight too….

https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/48626

in the interview he alludes to having failed a brain scan, so went to US had 4 fights, went to Denmark but it didn't work out, then he became a parent etc.

Fair enough. He seemed like a serious prospect

[SeanBrennan]

Anyone know why Darren only had 3 pro fights? He stopped formerly world class Jackie Beard in his 2nd fight too….

https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/48626

in the interview he alludes to having failed a brain scan, so went to US had 4 fights, went to Denmark but it didn't work out, then he became a parent etc.

Fair enough. He seemed like a serious prospect

Indeed. Seemed very philosophical about his health issues and has done 2 decades of training others now with success. A good outcome.