fighters who peaked at late ages

[Cask]

James Rooney

thank you Coco. Bloody hell mate you're humble. You fought a lot of good people - Scott Dixon (CW champ), Carl Greaves (Area and WBF, one of my heroes as he was local and trained a friend of mine Spelman), Gary Thornhill (British champ), Esham Pickering (best person I ever saw live as a kid), Colin Lynes, Graham Earl, Steve Murray. And you beat Arv Mittoo!

Fought Dixon twice, Jason Cook twice, Roy Rutherford twice, Steve Conway was IBO champ as was Charles Shepherd, PJ Gallagher, Emilio Casal
And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

Marc Smith?? Do you think Jason Cook underachieved ? sometimes he looked sublime, but bad punch resistance

[Coco]

thank you Coco. Bloody hell mate you're humble. You fought a lot of good people - Scott Dixon (CW champ), Carl Greaves (Area and WBF, one of my heroes as he was local and trained a friend of mine Spelman), Gary Thornhill (British champ), Esham Pickering (best person I ever saw live as a kid), Colin Lynes, Graham Earl, Steve Murray. And you beat Arv Mittoo!

Fought Dixon twice, Jason Cook twice, Roy Rutherford twice, Steve Conway was IBO champ as was Charles Shepherd, PJ Gallagher, Emilio Casal
And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

Marc Smith?? Do you think Jason Cook underachieved ? sometimes he looked sublime, but bad punch resistance

Yeah I do, huge for a lightweight, it's the weight that affected his punch resistance. Could really punch too, and had lovely skills, I tried to go after him a bit as he always seemed to be standing in front of you, but he was always just out of range.

[jwfg]

James Rooney

thank you Coco. Bloody hell mate you're humble. You fought a lot of good people - Scott Dixon (CW champ), Carl Greaves (Area and WBF, one of my heroes as he was local and trained a friend of mine Spelman), Gary Thornhill (British champ), Esham Pickering (best person I ever saw live as a kid), Colin Lynes, Graham Earl, Steve Murray. And you beat Arv Mittoo!

Fought Dixon twice, Jason Cook twice, Roy Rutherford twice, Steve Conway was IBO champ as was Charles Shepherd, PJ Gallagher, Emilio Casal
And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

Hey Coco. Feel free not to answer, but..... Were you ever asked to lose? I don't expect you to tell me that you did lose.

[Coco]

thank you Coco. Bloody hell mate you're humble. You fought a lot of good people - Scott Dixon (CW champ), Carl Greaves (Area and WBF, one of my heroes as he was local and trained a friend of mine Spelman), Gary Thornhill (British champ), Esham Pickering (best person I ever saw live as a kid), Colin Lynes, Graham Earl, Steve Murray. And you beat Arv Mittoo!

Fought Dixon twice, Jason Cook twice, Roy Rutherford twice, Steve Conway was IBO champ as was Charles Shepherd, PJ Gallagher, Emilio Casal
And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

Hey Coco. Feel free not to answer, but..... Were you ever asked to lose? I don't expect you to tell me that you did lose.

No, and I tried to win, if the matching is right you don't need to do that.
Maybe nowadays there are a lot of public shows without TV who are reliant on the local hero winning to sell the show.
When I was fighting it was normally on TV shows, 75% of my opponents were a minimum of being amateur champs or at least area champs.
Then they would stick a couple of journeymen on a dinner show for small money, fighting our hearts out to get a win to keep the boards off our backs!
Selling tickets wasn't really an issue in those days as the bill was paid for by TV or posh diners.

[Counter-puncher]

And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

[jwfg]

Fought Dixon twice, Jason Cook twice, Roy Rutherford twice, Steve Conway was IBO champ as was Charles Shepherd, PJ Gallagher, Emilio Casal
And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

Hey Coco. Feel free not to answer, but..... Were you ever asked to lose? I don't expect you to tell me that you did lose.

No, and I tried to win, if the matching is right you don't need to do that.
Maybe nowadays there are a lot of public shows without TV who are reliant on the local hero winning to sell the show.
When I was fighting it was normally on TV shows, 75% of my opponents were a minimum of being amateur champs or at least area champs.
Then they would stick a couple of journeymen on a dinner show for small money, fighting our hearts out to get a win to keep the boards off our backs!
Selling tickets wasn't really an issue in those days as the bill was paid for by TV or posh diners.

A most excellent post Coco. I've seen two journeyman against each other twice. The first one was as you describe, the second was awful. The latter were cruisers, so I do wonder if it was because of their size.

[SeanBrennan]

James Rooney

thank you Coco. Bloody hell mate you're humble. You fought a lot of good people - Scott Dixon (CW champ), Carl Greaves (Area and WBF, one of my heroes as he was local and trained a friend of mine Spelman), Gary Thornhill (British champ), Esham Pickering (best person I ever saw live as a kid), Colin Lynes, Graham Earl, Steve Murray. And you beat Arv Mittoo!

Fought Dixon twice, Jason Cook twice, Roy Rutherford twice, Steve Conway was IBO champ as was Charles Shepherd, PJ Gallagher, Emilio Casal
And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

Admirably humble Coco. And everyone deserves a decision in a long career, I'm sure there were gifts the other way.

[Coco]

thank you Coco. Bloody hell mate you're humble. You fought a lot of good people - Scott Dixon (CW champ), Carl Greaves (Area and WBF, one of my heroes as he was local and trained a friend of mine Spelman), Gary Thornhill (British champ), Esham Pickering (best person I ever saw live as a kid), Colin Lynes, Graham Earl, Steve Murray. And you beat Arv Mittoo!

Fought Dixon twice, Jason Cook twice, Roy Rutherford twice, Steve Conway was IBO champ as was Charles Shepherd, PJ Gallagher, Emilio Casal
And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

Admirably humble Coco. And everyone deserves a decision in a long career, I'm sure there were gifts the other way.

I'm not complaining, boxing was good to me, the people I met, the things I saw, the life I lived.
Also did the typical boxers property thing, I'm pretty economically secure, live in a decent house, drive a decent car, can keep the missus in house, and only work 16 hours a week, the only bloke with more money and doing less work is Carlos

[SeanBrennan]

Fought Dixon twice, Jason Cook twice, Roy Rutherford twice, Steve Conway was IBO champ as was Charles Shepherd, PJ Gallagher, Emilio Casal
And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

Admirably humble Coco. And everyone deserves a decision in a long career, I'm sure there were gifts the other way.

I'm not complaining, boxing was good to me, the people I met, the things I saw, the life I lived.
Also did the typical boxers property thing, I'm pretty economically secure, live in a decent house, drive a decent car, can keep the missus in house, and only work 16 hours a week, the only bloke with more money and doing less work is Carlos

hahaha well good on you and it is really nice to read. Any benefits you enjoy from your career, you literally fought for. Good on you.

[KiwiRider]

Linares had a fairytale late career run.

[wrighty]

James Rooney

thank you Coco. Bloody hell mate you're humble. You fought a lot of good people - Scott Dixon (CW champ), Carl Greaves (Area and WBF, one of my heroes as he was local and trained a friend of mine Spelman), Gary Thornhill (British champ), Esham Pickering (best person I ever saw live as a kid), Colin Lynes, Graham Earl, Steve Murray. And you beat Arv Mittoo!

Fought Dixon twice, Jason Cook twice, Roy Rutherford twice, Steve Conway was IBO champ as was Charles Shepherd, PJ Gallagher, Emilio Casal
And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

What did you think of Charles Shepherd? I thought he was good. Always in good nick

[Coco]

thank you Coco. Bloody hell mate you're humble. You fought a lot of good people - Scott Dixon (CW champ), Carl Greaves (Area and WBF, one of my heroes as he was local and trained a friend of mine Spelman), Gary Thornhill (British champ), Esham Pickering (best person I ever saw live as a kid), Colin Lynes, Graham Earl, Steve Murray. And you beat Arv Mittoo!

Fought Dixon twice, Jason Cook twice, Roy Rutherford twice, Steve Conway was IBO champ as was Charles Shepherd, PJ Gallagher, Emilio Casal
And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

What did you think of Charles Shepherd? I thought he was good. Always in good nick

Very strong and fit, relentless, telegraphed his punches and wasn't a puncher either.
Was cut badly against me, should have been stopped, being inexperienced I was covering up waiting for the stoppage, and then they stopped me!! After taking shots on the gloves! He had already signed for the British title fight against PJ Gallagher

[skanksta]

I'm thinking Lewis vs Tyson.

One of the best ever U21s vs a guy who peaked around 36.
Tyson was enucleated when they fought but the result woulda surely been reversed @ around 20 years old.

[rd350lc]

Fought Dixon twice, Jason Cook twice, Roy Rutherford twice, Steve Conway was IBO champ as was Charles Shepherd, PJ Gallagher, Emilio Casal
And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

What did you think of Charles Shepherd? I thought he was good. Always in good nick

Very strong and fit, relentless, telegraphed his punches and wasn't a puncher either.
Was cut badly against me, should have been stopped, being inexperienced I was covering up waiting for the stoppage, and then they stopped me!! After taking shots on the gloves! He had already signed for the British title fight against PJ Gallagher

It's always an odd one when someone as physically ripped as Shepherd doesn't carry the power .
Obviously technique is everything, having said that a lad I knew with the matchsticks for legs could kick a ball harder than anyone I've seen.

[wrighty]

Fought Dixon twice, Jason Cook twice, Roy Rutherford twice, Steve Conway was IBO champ as was Charles Shepherd, PJ Gallagher, Emilio Casal
And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

What did you think of Charles Shepherd? I thought he was good. Always in good nick

Very strong and fit, relentless, telegraphed his punches and wasn't a puncher either.
Was cut badly against me, should have been stopped, being inexperienced I was covering up waiting for the stoppage, and then they stopped me!! After taking shots on the gloves! He had already signed for the British title fight against PJ Gallagher

I saw you thought Graham Earl and Lynes too. You mixed with some fornicating good company. Earl was cracking early on and looked like he could hit. That Katsidis war probably ended him to be fair. Was there anyone you fought who you believe was just a different class?
Fair play to you. That couldn't have been easy money at all!

[Coco]

What did you think of Charles Shepherd? I thought he was good. Always in good nick

Very strong and fit, relentless, telegraphed his punches and wasn't a puncher either.
Was cut badly against me, should have been stopped, being inexperienced I was covering up waiting for the stoppage, and then they stopped me!! After taking shots on the gloves! He had already signed for the British title fight against PJ Gallagher

I saw you thought Graham Earl and Lynes too. You mixed with some fornicating good company. Earl was cracking early on and looked like he could hit. That Katsidis war probably ended him to be fair. Was there anyone you fought who you believe was just a different class?
Fair play to you. That couldn't have been easy money at all!

PJ Gallagher was a class act, Lynes was lightning fast, great timing and hit hard(before his hands went), Rutherford and Pickering were real quality, smaller than me too, glad they weren't the same weight. Conway was the fastest and most difficult to hit, light puncher though. Cook was real quality too.
The Earl one was odd, right at the start of the fight a slipped on water in the corner and the ref gave me a count, I was still arguing with the ref, when he finished the 8 count, Earl wasn't in his corner but standing behind the ref. When he got to 8, Earl immediately hit me again, I took it fine but the ref waved it off immediately, I was then still arguing with the ref.
Steve Murray hit like a horse, as did Adrian Chase, the only 2 times I was genuinely stopped.

[SeanBrennan]

thank you Coco. Bloody hell mate you're humble. You fought a lot of good people - Scott Dixon (CW champ), Carl Greaves (Area and WBF, one of my heroes as he was local and trained a friend of mine Spelman), Gary Thornhill (British champ), Esham Pickering (best person I ever saw live as a kid), Colin Lynes, Graham Earl, Steve Murray. And you beat Arv Mittoo!

Fought Dixon twice, Jason Cook twice, Roy Rutherford twice, Steve Conway was IBO champ as was Charles Shepherd, PJ Gallagher, Emilio Casal
And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

What did you think of Charles Shepherd? I thought he was good. Always in good nick

I remember watching Shepherd. Very engaging fella on FB too

[SeanBrennan]

Very strong and fit, relentless, telegraphed his punches and wasn't a puncher either.
Was cut badly against me, should have been stopped, being inexperienced I was covering up waiting for the stoppage, and then they stopped me!! After taking shots on the gloves! He had already signed for the British title fight against PJ Gallagher

I saw you thought Graham Earl and Lynes too. You mixed with some fornicating good company. Earl was cracking early on and looked like he could hit. That Katsidis war probably ended him to be fair. Was there anyone you fought who you believe was just a different class?
Fair play to you. That couldn't have been easy money at all!

PJ Gallagher was a class act, Lynes was lightning fast, great timing and hit hard(before his hands went), Rutherford and Pickering were real quality, smaller than me too, glad they weren't the same weight. Conway was the fastest and most difficult to hit, light puncher though. Cook was real quality too.
The Earl one was odd, right at the start of the fight a slipped on water in the corner and the ref gave me a count, I was still arguing with the ref, when he finished the 8 count, Earl wasn't in his corner but standing behind the ref. When he got to 8, Earl immediately hit me again, I took it fine but the ref waved it off immediately, I was then still arguing with the ref.
Steve Murray hit like a horse, as did Adrian Chase, the only 2 times I was genuinely stopped.

thanks for posting Coco, who did you fight as again mate? Sorry for stupid wording, I mean what's your name. thanks

[margaret thatcher]

https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/9133

not gonna lie coco a bit of a sexy beast too

[giacomino]

https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/9133

not gonna lie coco a bit of a sexy beast too

And he drives a really nice car

[Monzon83]

Beterbiev.

[margaret thatcher]

[SeanBrennan]

Carl Thompson - well he didn't really age....

[margaret thatcher]

i watch thompson-sellers every few months. amazingly sellers fight with alex stewart is almost as wild. sellers huge power and no chin, great combo.

[Fray Bentos]

Fought Dixon twice, Jason Cook twice, Roy Rutherford twice, Steve Conway was IBO champ as was Charles Shepherd, PJ Gallagher, Emilio Casal
And I was gifted the decision against Arv Mittoo

Admirably humble Coco. And everyone deserves a decision in a long career, I'm sure there were gifts the other way.

I'm not complaining, boxing was good to me, the people I met, the things I saw, the life I lived.
Also did the typical boxers property thing, I'm pretty economically secure, live in a decent house, drive a decent car, can keep the missus in house, and only work 16 hours a week, the only bloke with more money and doing less work is Carlos

True! (I don't know about the more money part though - you have a fitter wife... than most people! )

I have been ruined if I ever return to the world of 'real work' and a 40 hour working week would kill me these days, fornicate that!