BoxRec

From what I know - Pearce had a really good round where he put Rodriguez on his arse big time but the Frenchman boxed his way to a close points win, I have never seen the fight but would love to see it.

Bennie might remember this - but wasn't Pearce down to fight Leon Spinks? I remember reading in boxing news that David had the bout with Spinks and it was cancelled on around 24 hours notice. He also went to Brockton when he was laid off from the steelworks to train at Rocky Marcianos old gym. A very interesting character and a tough guy (one of seven brothers all of them boxed but one became a ballet dancer apparently) but was a cruiserweight even in those days - the likes of Rodriguez and Ferris - though small heavyweights today at 14 and a half to 15 stone - they still had a stone or more on Bomber Pearce and were naturally bigger men whereas you could see with Bomber Pearce that he could have easily made 13st 8lbs with some to spare. (Probably because there wasn't a British cruiserweight title until 1984 - he would have walked through Sammy Reeson and Andy Straughn in my opinion)

PS: I remmeber seeing Pearce vs Felipe Rodriguez who was champion of Spain - the last round anyway and you could see how much bigger the Spaniard was in comparison to Pearce who looked like a light heavyweight. Rodriguez wasn't a big heavyweight by stretch of the imagination - it takes guts to fight as a heavyweight when you are only a big light heavyweight/small cruiserweight.

Carlos-Wigan wrote:From what I know - Pearce had a really good round where he put Rodriguez on his arse big time but the Frenchman boxed his way to a close points win, I have never seen the fight but would love to see it.

Bennie might remember this - but wasn't Pearce down to fight Leon Spinks? I remember reading in boxing news that David had the bout with Spinks and it was cancelled on around 24 hours notice. He also went to Brockton when he was laid off from the steelworks to train at Rocky Marcianos old gym. A very interesting character and a tough guy (one of seven brothers all of them boxed but one became a ballet dancer apparently) but was a cruiserweight even in those days - the likes of Rodriguez and Ferris - though small heavyweights today at 14 and a half to 15 stone - they still had a stone or more on Bomber Pearce and were naturally bigger men whereas you could see with Bomber Pearce that he could have easily made 13st 8lbs with some to spare. (Probably because there wasn't a British cruiserweight title until 1984 - he would have walked through Sammy Reeson and Andy Straughn in my opinion)

PS: I remmeber seeing Pearce vs Felipe Rodriguez who was champion of Spain - the last round anyway and you could see how much bigger the Spaniard was in comparison to Pearce who looked like a light heavyweight. Rodriguez wasn't a big heavyweight by stretch of the imagination - it takes guts to fight as a heavyweight when you are only a big light heavyweight/small cruiserweight.

Yes, Pearce was lined up to meet Spinks in somewhere like Vancouver in Canada after he had lost his licence, but even 'the loggers' knew that both men were through and, thankfully, somebody put a stop to it, although Spinks plugged on elsewhere for several years.

Great thread lads.


Surprised no-one has mentioned Swadlingcote (Jack Bodell and John Lowe)

Seriously though would McAlinden been a decent cruiserweight had that weight been around.

STRATHMAN wrote:Great thread lads.


Surprised no-one has mentioned Swadlingcote (Jack Bodell and John Lowe)

Seriously though would McAlinden been a decent cruiserweight had that weight been around.

Bodell apparently never ran a pig farm in his life. It was just a gimmick for the London press. McAlinden would have probably never have excelled at cruiserweight but he would have certainly excited. He was great to watch, and if he caught you right, it was goodnight.

bunny johnson would of been a great cruiser he was smaller then the small heavy's.

hurlock wrote:bunny johnson would of been a great cruiser he was smaller then the small heavy's.

Bunny was world class - at light-heavy. The trouble was he left it too late there, boxing at heavyweight for the money. He once embarrassed unbeaten American Duane Bobick in front of the world's press at the Ali-Dunn world heavyweight title fight in Munich. Johnson played with Bobick before the American's sheer size and strength - as opposed to any skill - finally wore him down.
Check out Bunny against James Scott on youtube. The backdrop at Rahway Prison is amazing. Eat your heart out Johnny Cash.

johnson could no longer boil down though i believe.


didnt richard dunn beat johnson aswell?? he was way over rated.

hurlock wrote:johnson could no longer boil down though i believe.


didnt richard dunn beat johnson aswell?? he was way over rated.

Looking at Johnson's later record, at light-heavyweight, you are bang on about the Jamaican nice guy. Bunny was clearly stuck in the middle of light-heavy and heavyweight and would fade badly if his left hooks failed to get a man out of there early. He took part in two scrambling affairs with Dennis Andries, infamously.
Dunn was famously 'chinny' but put together a good run (McAlinden, Johnson, and an exciting win over a big German for the European title) to earn the Ali shot, where he gave it the good old-fashioned British 'go'. Ali's actions at the stoppage, when he stood and taunted Dunn by swinging his right arm round and round enraged writer Harry Mullan. A month later, Carlos Palomino dropped to his knees in dignified prayer after stopping John H. Stracey at Wembley.

bennie wrote:

130xer wrote:

bennie wrote: This is great news. Gardner was a classic "Where are they now?" - no longer running a pub in Gateshead - but it is so good to know he is back in the game via his son. How may fighters did John L. 'break' with his workrate fitness and stamina? Even Ossie Ocasio, later to win the world cruiserweight title, could not live with his pace.

Hello all this is john l gardners son he is doing fine if any one wants to get in touch please let me know as i can pass on the number on ppl who have somthing they need to chat about many


Thanks Ross L Gardner

Heeey, this is where internet forums (which I spent some of the morning slagging off) come into their own!
Ross, stay with us, the very best of luck with your career and tell your dad we still remember his stunning European title win over Lorenzo Zanon in Italy.
What a triumph!

I will stay with you thanks .

Year the fight where my dad won the European was great was a great right and left hook to put him over and knock him out !!!!! Regards Ross L Gardner

130xer wrote:

bennie wrote:

130xer wrote:

Hello all this is john l gardners son he is doing fine if any one wants to get in touch please let me know as i can pass on the number on ppl who have somthing they need to chat about many


Thanks Ross L Gardner

Heeey, this is where internet forums (which I spent some of the morning slagging off) come into their own!
Ross, stay with us, the very best of luck with your career and tell your dad we still remember his stunning European title win over Lorenzo Zanon in Italy.
What a triumph!

I will stay with you thanks .

Year the fight where my dad won the European was great was a great right and left hook to put him over and knock him out !!!!! Regards Ross L Gardner

Does anyone else feel 'old'?

Thought some of you might like to see a couple of uploads of John L Gardner from my youtube channel.

First one if the Lorenzo Zanon fight , it took place in Italy where as the saying goes 'you have to knock them out to win' . Well John certainly does that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImVATTw9x08

Next one is for the British title against the notorious Paul Sykes, again John does what he's good at and pressures the guy to quit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKQybvDM ... ure=relmfu

A first I thought they were coming back on the Upton Park bill.

keithmoonhangover wrote:A first I thought they were coming back on the Upton Park bill.

There's time yet

I remember reading that Pearce went into the Rodriguez fight with a broken hand and so did no sparring, and then he had nohere to stay the night before the fight and so slept on a station platform... hardly surprising then that his performance deteriorated against Lucien as the fight went on. I think Pearce lot his license to a abnomality which he said was caused by a childhood accident, I remember him doing the rounds of various news shows on tv stating his case to be given his liscense back, it was very sad. I would have loved to see a fight between Pearce and Gardener, they were around about the same size and with very simular styles, at their peaks I think it would have been a domestic classic.

danny mcalindon is livin in south london i believe,he fought my pal carl gizzi. i see dave pierce was mentioned,he was a tough fighter as was all his brothers in newport. another good welsh heavyweight around that time was rudi pika,helluva scrapper and unbeaten as a pro and lost in the a.b.a. final to frank bruno but very controversial decision at the time,he sadly took his own life but he will always be remembered as he was a smashing guy and always had a good chat with rudi when i use to watch him train.

if youre wondering what carl gizzi does these days hes a window cleaner in rhyl !

You have to put into perspective that when David 'Bomber' Pearce fought Lucien Rodriquez it was in the largest ring available, which totally played into the Frenchmans hands; he had broken both his hands which is well documented and Paddy Monaghan, Pearce's second refused to travel with David as he knew he was injured!

He did in fact sleep on a park bench the night before the fight, Boxing news printed this on his Obituary.

It is always hard fighting in a champions back yard, but to make the champion take a knee early in the fight and drop him heavily twice in one round is something else. And with broken hands is amazing considering his size.

Not to mention two counts both longer than 10 seconds.

He was cheered by all the French crowd and he never disclosed his problems after the fight, a true gentleman.

Lucien Rodriquez was later quoted in a French newspaper as saying the bomber was the toughest man he faced.

This was a close fight, he pressed the fight for the full 12 rounds hence why David 'bomber' Pearce, is now getting the recognition he deserves, he has been inducted into the Welsh Warriors and Welsh Boxing Hall of Fame, and was voted in the Top Ten Underrated British Champions of all time.

This was also in an era when if you did not box like Ali,or were not from the establishment you did not receive the breaks, or the credit you deserved from the London sports writers.

This is completely different today, Lee Purdy for instance is gallantly defeated in 11 rounds for the European Title and is revered like a champion for going out on his shield. And is reported as such. David 'Bomber' Pearce did not have that PR even though he deserved it ten-Fold.

He would have campaigned at Cruiserweight or LightHeavyweight today, so you have to put into perspective that he had KO'd Larry McDonald who was 17 1/2 st

As Frank Maloney said: 'They don't make them like him anymore, He would have fought anybody'

Al Syben: called him the 'White Tyson'

David 'Bomber' Pearce is finally getting the recognition he deserves.

There will be a petition soon on social media to get David 'Bomber' Pearce a memorial.

Old bones Ian wrote:Who was Larry Middleton? Came over here and beat Bugner and Danny Mcalinden. and lost by 1/2 a point to Jerry Quarry.

middleton was very good - yea he broke bugners jaw - outclassed him actually. just outside the front rank of 1970's heavyweights - so pretty bloody dangerous.

I saw john L (at the albert hall) beat a bloke called Richie Yant - 1974 - Stracey topped the bill.

Here is a decent article on Pearce. That's my kind of fighter. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/j ... ies.boxing