BoxRec

Murphy was one of my favourites when I was growing up, only bad fight I remember was with McMillan who out-slicked him. Anyone that came at him was given hell!

palooka wrote:I loved Hodkinson's style of boxing, he was so compact and did everything with his bodyweight behind it - a very crisp hitter.

x2. Feel he often gets unfairly overlooked when we're talking about class British fighters of modern times

palooka wrote:It must have been very frustrating for him, he really was talented and had worked at boxing as if learning a craft, imagine having everything necessary to prosper and one Achilles heel.

know you like this era palooka, saw mccarrick get robbed vs peter in old northern counties final at wynthenshaw forum, Darren had him spewing into bowl berween rounds, gave him a count with bodyshots

I sparred against Richardson once, it was a light spar, at Crystal Palace at one of the Commonwealth Games training camps. He had a huge reputation, and I was underwhelmed by him, my mate who was 17 then cut him in the next round!

Deserter wrote:

palooka wrote:I loved Hodkinson's style of boxing, he was so compact and did everything with his bodyweight behind it - a very crisp hitter.

x2. Feel he often gets unfairly overlooked when we're talking about class British fighters of modern times

Yeah, same here - just because he wasn't much of a "talker" with jokes and quips for TV he is often forgotten (he also did his early boxing under Barney Eastwood in Belfast, so that probably doesn't help either as he would not have been seen as much).

He also did it the old-fashioned way - British title, European (against a non-British opponent) and then a "proper" World title - non of this modern day, go to 10-0 against the usual suspects before going for an inter-continental and then a Silver belt with the WBO or whoever in the hope of getting a "title" shot.

manno wrote:

palooka wrote:It must have been very frustrating for him, he really was talented and had worked at boxing as if learning a craft, imagine having everything necessary to prosper and one Achilles heel.

know you like this era palooka, saw mccarrick get robbed vs peter in old northern counties final at wynthenshaw forum, Darren had him spewing into bowl berween rounds, gave him a count with bodyshots

I do enjoy that time - it's probably my favourite period as I was trying to improve myself through boxing, I'd walk miles to get my Boxing News. I'm remember reading about the McCarrick v Richardson bout and it was contentious, Darren was a fierce boxpuncher with a really heavy left hook. I think Richardson could blow hot and cold, he lost to Jimmy Phelan and was blown away by Adrian Stone - when he was on form though he was a clever boxer and developed some real power in his last season as an amateur (i think he moved to London and boxed for Repton). Other good ones from that time Eric Noi, Marlon Ward, John Williams, Shaun Cogan and Wally Swift (I named my son after Swift, I really admired his understated mastery of boxing and counterpunching - it's a pity he's not better remembered).

palooka wrote:

manno wrote:

palooka wrote:It must have been very frustrating for him, he really was talented and had worked at boxing as if learning a craft, imagine having everything necessary to prosper and one Achilles heel.

know you like this era palooka, saw mccarrick get robbed vs peter in old northern counties final at wynthenshaw forum, Darren had him spewing into bowl berween rounds, gave him a count with bodyshots

I do enjoy that time - it's probably my favourite period as I was trying to improve myself through boxing, I'd walk miles to get my Boxing News. I'm remember reading about the McCarrick v Richardson bout and it was contentious, Darren was a fierce boxpuncher with a really heavy left hook. I think Richardson could blow hot and cold, he lost to Jimmy Phelan and was blown away by Adrian Stone - when he was on form though he was a clever boxer and developed some real power in his last season as an amateur (i think he moved to London and boxed for Repton). Other good ones from that time Eric Noi, Marlon Ward, John Williams, Shaun Cogan and Wally Swift (I named my son after Swift, I really admired his understated mastery of boxing and counterpunching - it's a pity he's not better remembered). Yeh Darren was a pal of mine as we boxed on the same team in America along with Paul ingle and Franny Hogg etc. Darren fought Ray Oliviera who went on to become a world rated pro long b4 Hatton got the shop worn version. I totally agree about Swift, his fights with Bingham n Collins were crackers

Yeh Darren was a pal of mine as we boxed on the same team in America along with Paul ingle and Franny Hogg etc. Darren fought Ray Oliviera who went on to become a world rated pro long b4 Hatton got the shop worn version. I totally agree about Swift, his fights with Bingham n Collins were crackers [/quote]

You must have been a very capable boxer yourself manno; that's really good company to keep and the powers that be don't like to waste money sending people to the USA. I remember reading about McCarrick and he was in a tournament, he stopped 3 people in 2 days with body punches - these were decent calibre opponents as well, he must have had some jarring power. Is he still in the states or did he return? I do wonder about some of the very promising boxers who for one reason or another never made the big time; they put a lot of time and effort in to the sport and then have to start all over again at something else when it doesn't come off.

How come McCarrick and Noi eneded their pro careers so early?

I think McCarrick failed his brain scan.

palooka wrote:Yeh Darren was a pal of mine as we boxed on the same team in America along with Paul ingle and Franny Hogg etc. Darren fought Ray Oliviera who went on to become a world rated pro long b4 Hatton got the shop worn version. I totally agree about Swift, his fights with Bingham n Collins were crackers

You must have been a very capable boxer yourself manno; that's really good company to keep and the powers that be don't like to waste money sending people to the USA. I remember reading about McCarrick and he was in a tournament, he stopped 3 people in 2 days with body punches - these were decent calibre opponents as well, he must have had some jarring power. Is he still in the states or did he return? I do wonder about some of the very promising boxers who for one reason or another never made the big time; they put a lot of time and effort in to the sport and then have to start all over again at something else when it doesn't come off.[/quote] To be fair palooka those boys were a class above me but had some great times, funny seeing Paul ingle thru the years, got two wins on that trip, sat in his changing room after Naz loss, and now see him still battlin on in life, Great kid.Darren was due to go with Duff for a few quid but failed scan. Have a look at his record, turned with Beau williford in the states, but couldnt settlewas gonna go to Denmark but it never materialised.saw him at nabcs with Mark Heffron, he was raving
About him and was training him at his old amateur gym Boarshaw, Was working on the roads last time we spoke. Eric Noi runs an am gym in manchester I think?

Hoko was a real favourite of mine back in the day. I always remember the night he fought Goyo Vargas ... The Mexican looked so confident and assured as he limbered up in the ring. The warning bells were really ringing.
Shame Vargas had little discipline there after.
How Kevin Kelley then beat Vargas and years and years later almost beat a young Naz ... Always reminds me how Kelley would have easily beaten Naz in his prime.

tonyevs wrote:Always reminds me how Kelley would have easily beaten Naz in his prime.

Have to disagree. If you're talking prime Kelley it has to be against prime Naz, rather than the careless 'bomber' who was already neglecting his defence when he faced Kelley. The Naz that beat Robinson would always have beaten Kelley IMO.

Thats the main point for me - when ever a prime Naz is talked about, it is almost always against Robinson.

I don`t believe the stories that Robinson didn`t have sufficient time to train etc. But I 100% agree that he was severely past his best against Naz ... just watch his last two fights before the Naz fight and it is clear to see Robinson was there for the taking. So saying that was the best of Naz is kind of a hollow example.

Kelley was on his last legs against Naz, and still ran him dangerously close. To have beaten a fighter as good as Vargas so many years before just kinda confirms that prime against prime, that Kelley would have dominated.

tonyevs wrote:Thats the main point for me - when ever a prime Naz is talked about, it is almost always against Robinson.

I don`t believe the stories that Robinson didn`t have sufficient time to train etc. But I 100% agree that he was severely past his best against Naz ... just watch his last two fights before the Naz fight and it is clear to see Robinson was there for the taking. So saying that was the best of Naz is kind of a hollow example.

Kelley was on his last legs against Naz, and still ran him dangerously close. To have beaten a fighter as good as Vargas so many years before just kinda confirms that prime against prime, that Kelley would have dominated.

We'll have to agree to disagree about Robinson and I can't recall a single commentator at the time, either in print or on TV, suggesting Robinson had deteriorated and was there for the taking.
As for Naz, the point remains that the time around the Robinson fight (but not just exclusively that one fight) was where he had the right blend of offence and defence. Against Kelley he was overconfident and sloppy, but still won. People make way too much of the knockdowns - rewatch the fight and you'll see it was where he was off balance and lunging rather than genuinely hurt.
To say that Kelley beating Vargas proves he would have dominated is unfortunately the kind of false logic that I'd associate more with a casual - we all know that styles make fights and that Fighter A beating Fighter B does not automatically man he beats Fighter C. Countless examples prove that point.
Prime Kelley versus Prime Naz would have been a closer fight, but I would still have expected Naz to come through by late stoppage.

Deserter wrote:

tonyevs wrote:Thats the main point for me - when ever a prime Naz is talked about, it is almost always against Robinson.

I don`t believe the stories that Robinson didn`t have sufficient time to train etc. But I 100% agree that he was severely past his best against Naz ... just watch his last two fights before the Naz fight and it is clear to see Robinson was there for the taking. So saying that was the best of Naz is kind of a hollow example.

Kelley was on his last legs against Naz, and still ran him dangerously close. To have beaten a fighter as good as Vargas so many years before just kinda confirms that prime against prime, that Kelley would have dominated.

We'll have to agree to disagree about Robinson and I can't recall a single commentator at the time, either in print or on TV, suggesting Robinson had deteriorated and was there for the taking.
As for Naz, the point remains that the time around the Robinson fight (but not just exclusively that one fight) was where he had the right blend of offence and defence. Against Kelley he was overconfident and sloppy, but still won. People make way too much of the knockdowns - rewatch the fight and you'll see it was where he was off balance and lunging rather than genuinely hurt.
To say that Kelley beating Vargas proves he would have dominated is unfortunately the kind of false logic that I'd associate more with a casual - we all know that styles make fights and that Fighter A beating Fighter B does not automatically man he beats Fighter C. Countless examples prove that point.
Prime Kelley versus Prime Naz would have been a closer fight, but I would still have expected Naz to come through by late stoppage.

I agree with that assessment, I thought Robinson was going to be too big, too strong and was going to wear him down.

And picking a vantage point of a career and stating when a fighter was at their absolute peak is not confined to Hamed, many commentators pick Ali's fight with Cleveland Williams where he was at his absolute peak of his powers.

And styles do indeed make fights - Ali-Foreman-Frazier/Norton.

Good post, as usual!

Ray Minus who beat Murphy early in his career was a classy boxer, he came over to the UK 4 times and left with 4 KO wins . Kieth Wallace, Sean Murphy, Donnie Hood and Ronnie Carroll all tried to beat him, Minus challenged for the world title 3 times but on each occasion he was beat, had the misfortune to meat Lora and Canizales in their primes.

Old bones Ian wrote:Ray Minus who beat Murphy early in his career was a classy boxer, he came over to the UK 4 times and left with 4 KO wins . Kieth Wallace, Sean Murphy, Donnie Hood and Ronnie Carroll all tried to beat him, Minus challenged for the world title 3 times but on each occasion he was beat, had the misfortune to meat Lora and Canizales in their primes.

Fight Night on ITV - Minus vs Ray Hood - live from Glasgow and a packed arena, you could see Minus was a class act despite Hood's best efforts, and the fighters he fought for the world title were bantamweight all of famers like Miguel 'Happy' Lora, he would be a world champion these days.

A quality Commonwealth champion - a pity we don't have a few more of that quality.

Donnie Hood was a good boxer as well, his win over Samuel Duran stands out, as he went on to challenge Canizales. Hood went on a good run after the Duran win , until he ran into Johnny Bredahl, who put on a boxing masterclass in defusing an aggressive boxer. But Bredahl could of be DQ'd if the rules were followed to the letter, the Danish boxer knocked down Hood in the 7th and a towel came into the ring, but the ref took up the count, before he began counting someone got into the ring and began celebrating with Bredahl, the ref could of DQ'd him for this.

Deserter wrote:

tonyevs wrote:Thats the main point for me - when ever a prime Naz is talked about, it is almost always against Robinson.

I don`t believe the stories that Robinson didn`t have sufficient time to train etc. But I 100% agree that he was severely past his best against Naz ... just watch his last two fights before the Naz fight and it is clear to see Robinson was there for the taking. So saying that was the best of Naz is kind of a hollow example.

Kelley was on his last legs against Naz, and still ran him dangerously close. To have beaten a fighter as good as Vargas so many years before just kinda confirms that prime against prime, that Kelley would have dominated.

We'll have to agree to disagree about Robinson and I can't recall a single commentator at the time, either in print or on TV, suggesting Robinson had deteriorated and was there for the taking.
As for Naz, the point remains that the time around the Robinson fight (but not just exclusively that one fight) was where he had the right blend of offence and defence. Against Kelley he was overconfident and sloppy, but still won. People make way too much of the knockdowns - rewatch the fight and you'll see it was where he was off balance and lunging rather than genuinely hurt.
To say that Kelley beating Vargas proves he would have dominated is unfortunately the kind of false logic that I'd associate more with a casual - we all know that styles make fights and that Fighter A beating Fighter B does not automatically man he beats Fighter C. Countless examples prove that point.
Prime Kelley versus Prime Naz would have been a closer fight, but I would still have expected Naz to come through by late stoppage.

It's all opinions mate.
Robinson, however, was nearly always the under dog in his biggest fights. The commentators then, as now, were always best listened to with the volume muted.
His fights are all there on YouTube to see how plodding he had become prior to the Naz fight.

Old bones Ian wrote:Anyone know what he's up to nowadays?

He won The Masters on Sunday.

ILikeBeer wrote:

Old bones Ian wrote:Anyone know what he's up to nowadays?

He won The Masters on Sunday.

yes i saw that, he's well over his fighting weight now as well