BoxRec

I think I got lucky and the three times I saw him live he was genuinely entertaining.

Orb,
You weren't lucky mate.
It's just that some people feast on saying Nelson boring blah blah blah.
I actually got involved in a detailed discussion on this subject with a person well known in boxing circles and he was silenced when put on the spot with the question
How many times have you seen Nelson fight ?
I know he lied and even then the answer was "about three or four".

Yeah I know, I was being facetious.

It's like the Sven Ottke matra - Only won because of crooked judges but I'll wager most people have seen maybe 1 fight of his, if lucky (Reid). I remember watching him fight live on German Satellite before SKY went digital and I understood little of the commentary so tended to make my own mind up, the body language of the boxers was often odd to me - Glen Johnson in particular was indignant that he lost but he got clearly outboxed in my eyes. Anyway, it's one of these things that gets glibbly perpetuated.

Nelson did look relatively poor against both Warring & DeLeon but he was a young man and not fully matured mentally. A lot of people thought that he should and could have won had he not been so hesitant, but fail to criticise either Warring or DeLeon (I'm sure Carlos doesn't count it as his finest moment by any stretch). As Nelson himself said after the fight - "why the long faces? I didn't get knocked out, I didn't even lose, why's everyone looking so glum". I think himself he knew he could have taken that fight by the scruff of its neck but therein lies the problem - he was primarily a counterpuncher who looked great against guys that came forward on rails, backing off and leaning away and countering sharply and mounting his own quick-fisted attacks.

The Akinwande "fight" is another where he is usually lambasted yet Akinwande gets a free card.

Nelson was no slouch himself, and could hit. The problem was that he often waited. So against CAT and guys like Wallyn, Andries, Watt, Sellers, Oboh and Scott et all, he looks good and usually manages a stoppage because the other guy is coming forward in fairly simple terms or they present a static target.

good post mate

JimJim2009 wrote:I believe its true.

I attended a few of those events, including one at Doncaster prison, where the entire Ingle stable (including temporary addition Herbie Hide) took on lifers (gloved up) in a boxing ring for a round of boxing. Naz was there too but didn't get in the ring as he had a major fight coming up and couldn't risk injury. The rest did; Jonny Nelson, Ryan Rhodes, Pele Reid, Dean Pithie, Mark Winters, and Jason Matthews. It was convicts, cheering on by fellow convicts, trying to lay one on the pro boxers. None managed it. As entertaining as it was for onlookers, I think it was something the Ingle fighters could do in their sleep

Yeah, I was there that night. It wasn't pithie, winters and mathews though. Kevin admamson, jon thaxton, and paul griffin were there along with rhodes, naz, nelson, reid, and hide.
Good night! I think I only paid about £5-10!

Quixall wrote:

danfoster wrote:

mugabi wrote:Can someone verify this story.....

Apparently around the time Nelson as a 19 year old took the tough experienced Carlos DeLeon to a draw in 1989/90 for the WBC title.....obviously Nelson got huge and imo unfair stick for his so called "non performance" in the press and media.....but I heard a story some local yorkshire hardman was going around in the pubs Nelson drank in....calling Nelson a "poof" and other such words and turned up at Nelsons gym to do the same.....Nelson said he would tie his hands behind his back and the hardman could try and land a punch on him......and the guy did it and failed and left with his tail between is arse?......is this story true or not?

Quite possibly - Brendan used to take Johnny, Bomber, Naz and others to pubs, clubs, youth clubs, schools etc doing demonstrations of the variety you mention .... those guys were impossible to hit for non-boxers and any local hardman from the pub would be made to look a complete fool ...

I think the rumour has come about due to the fact that Brendan did take his fighters to functions to show there skills. Must have been a pretty stupid guy to go around Calling Johnny names and such like. You only have to look at Johnny's face to see the skills that he had. Very very under-rated was Johnny and a lot of that was down to the De Leon fight IMO.

I think the hard man took exception to johhny being one of the ifrst british fighters to wear a sarong in the ring rather than regular trunks, plus johhnys face was rather manicuredand not the cauliflower ears, flat nose type some of these guys demanded in a prizefighter...also i think Johhny used to go to the ring to Imaginations "body talk"....and that whole arabian harem type look he had with the robe and trunks it probably didnt go down too well with the regular working stiff in Yorkshire who were used to a less esoteric fighting style.....i think in retrospect Johhny was a fantastic talent to fight a draw with a tough deleon who was like the second best cruiser in history at that time.......nelson had a great career and its only a shame he didnt get a big money fight at the end..

Where's Eric when you need someone to laugh at the notion he came into Bodytalk?

I am here

physio wrote:

JimJim2009 wrote:I believe its true.

I attended a few of those events, including one at Doncaster prison, where the entire Ingle stable (including temporary addition Herbie Hide) took on lifers (gloved up) in a boxing ring for a round of boxing. Naz was there too but didn't get in the ring as he had a major fight coming up and couldn't risk injury. The rest did; Jonny Nelson, Ryan Rhodes, Pele Reid, Dean Pithie, Mark Winters, and Jason Matthews. It was convicts, cheering on by fellow convicts, trying to lay one on the pro boxers. None managed it. As entertaining as it was for onlookers, I think it was something the Ingle fighters could do in their sleep

Yeah, I was there that night. It wasn't pithie, winters and mathews though. Kevin admamson, jon thaxton, and paul griffin were there along with rhodes, naz, nelson, reid, and hide.
Good night! I think I only paid about £5-10!

I stand corrected - I mixed some of them up with the Ingle fighters who fought on the Sheffield Arena "Full Monty" show. Your list sounds more accurate than mine. I absolutely loved the prison event, was gutted when they said Naz wouldn't be getting gloved up due to his upcoming title fight, as we thought he'd be "in action". Possibly the best part of the night was being able to go home afterwards, unlike many in attendance