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Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 09:18
by Coco
Pugilist-specialist wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 08:47
coghaugen11 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 08:00
Pugilist-specialist wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 07:59

He'd already had a stadium fight at Elland Road.
Not quite the same as coming to London for a big fight, with the chimes of Big Ben to face your hero.
I wouldn't have thought that somebody with the life experiences of Henry Wharton would be intimidated by a tall clock.
It's been said that some travelling folk are very superstitious of big clocks.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 09:21
by Coco
It's easy for you keyboard warriors to rubbish the impact of big clocks but until you have stood outside Big Ben you have no idea of the nerves and fear it brings.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 09:21
by Counter-puncher
:OhYes: :yay: :clap:

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 09:30
by coghaugen11
Point being, London is where it’s at. No offence to Northerners.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 09:30
by coghaugen11
THE BIG SMOKE

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 09:39
by Jimmy2020
coghaugen11 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 09:30 Point being, London is where it’s at. No offence to Northerners.
Who is the best Londoner fighter at the moment? Lawrence Okolie?

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 10:38
by coghaugen11
Jimmy2020 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 09:39
coghaugen11 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 09:30 Point being, London is where it’s at. No offence to Northerners.
Who is the best Londoner fighter at the moment? Lawrence Okolie?
Saunders if he beats Canelo I guess.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 10:55
by TheGoods
polecateddy wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 05:31
coghaugen11 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 04:30 Any other era he’d of been world champion. Think what he’d do to Lucian Bute or Chong Pal Park.
Saying that, Benn, Eubank and Reid all managed to outpoint him in relatively comfortable fights - each had to raise their game a bit from their average performance level. I’d see Wharton more of a win and lose European titles type level.
Benn will tell you how tough that fight was. If Wharton had got going a bit sooner (he started very slowly) he wins that fight. It’s wasn’t Henry p**sing bloods for days afterwards either.

Eubank put on one of his last great displays v Wharton. Yeah he won well but he’s on record saying how hard the fight was.

Henry had lost something by the Reid fight. But in terms of his career he was definitely world class, and would have won another title had he not been around in a truly elite era.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 11:12
by Jimmy2020
coghaugen11 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 10:38
Jimmy2020 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 09:39
coghaugen11 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 09:30 Point being, London is where it’s at. No offence to Northerners.
Who is the best Londoner fighter at the moment? Lawrence Okolie?
Saunders if he beats Canelo I guess.
He's not a Londoner.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 11:12
by coghaugen11
He was actually outboxing Reid when he chose to box at times. A very young Ricky Hatton ringside watching Henry Wharton. May of been Rick’s debut on Reid’s undercard?

I don’t think Benn trained like he should’ve v Wharton, partying in Tenerife before the fight and that. Whereas he was superhuman in the Eubank II and McClellan camps DeFreitas says.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 11:12
by coghaugen11
Jimmy2020 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 11:12
coghaugen11 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 10:38
Jimmy2020 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 09:39

Who is the best Londoner fighter at the moment? Lawrence Okolie?
Saunders if he beats Canelo I guess.
He's not a Londoner.
Only has a cockney accent, just puts it on I guess.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 11:15
by Jimmy2020
Your post got me thinking. I genuinely can't think of a better born Londoner than Okolie. Who else is there?

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 11:47
by mickey1975
The Benn fight, the crowd was very pro Wharton.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 11:50
by mickey1975
margaret thatcher wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 01:39 ya, i know you love dropping names mate :lol:
Does it hurt you I actually know these people?

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 11:53
by mickey1975
coghaugen11 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 05:36 He did take out former and future world champions Galvano and Nardiello. Both spoiler specialists.
Both after Eubank, too. And Storey so he was far from shot.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 12:34
by johnty1888
I think during the training camp in Florida for the Benn fight Henry was held up at gunpoint whilst skipping in the gym. The gunman robbed Henry’s trainers and told Henry “keep skipping”

Mickey1975 might remember better than me

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 12:37
by mickey1975
johnty1888 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 12:34 I think during the training camp in Florida for the Benn fight Henry was held up at gunpoint whilst skipping in the gym. The gunman robbed Henry’s trainers and told Henry “keep skipping”

Mickey1975 might remember better than me
Yes, Mickey Duff moved them to Marbella.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 12:48
by cormack
coghaugen11 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 09:30 Point being, London is where it’s at. No offence to Northerners.
Josh Taylor would perhaps contest that :TU:

As would The Smiths from Scouseland ..

Fury ..

Yes I am a Northerner :D

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 13:38
by knockout
Bennie : great post on the 1989 ABA finals ! What a stacked competition that was.

Okolie best London born fighter currently I guess followed by Joe Joyce.

Anthony Joshua and BJ both born in Hertfordshire.

I do always like to remind my Welsh mates where Joe Calzaghe was born hehehe

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 14:29
by mickey1975
coghaugen11 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 07:55
Pugilist-specialist wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 05:48
polecateddy wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 05:31 Saying that, Benn, Eubank and Reid all managed to outpoint him in relatively comfortable fights - each had to raise their game a bit from their average performance level. I’d see Wharton more of a win and lose European titles type level.
And Fidel Smith (Slugger O'Toole) at British level. The fight was shown on BBC and will be remembered for Frank Bruno's "home cooking" comment.
He struggled a bit because he was still a young novice about 22 and shouldn’t of been near 12 rounders that soon. Slugger had been sparring Bomber Graham every day for years and years and been around.
He’d already done a really tough 12 with Rod Carr for the Comonwealth. His hand went through the glove, wraps and Carr’s gumshield! Carr went through the ropes so got twenty seconds. Dennie Mancini was pushing the lads celebrating out of the way because he had to make his way back in to the ring under his own steam.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 14:39
by THEBUTCH
Not sure I agree that Wharton would have been a world champion in any other era.

I rated Henry but when push come to shove he couldn't quite cut it at world level.

Personally, I don't think Benn, Eubank and especially Reid were particularly great champions....as if Wharton came up against unbeatable champions. He was lucky he wasn't around in Hagler's day, unlike Sibbo.

Wharton would of stood a greater chance of beating Benn/Eubank/Reid than Nunn, Toney, Kalambay, McCallum, Tate, Froch, Bute, Kessler, Calzaghe, Beyer, Ward for example.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 14:41
by tonyevs
Wharton was a solid fighter. I cant say I have watched his fights against Eubank or Benn since they originally fought, but memory seems to remember they being predictable and comfortable wins.

Henry Wharton had a very fan friendly fighting style and fan friendly attitude; he always came across as a genuinely nice fella on interviews.

I agree that he may have been able to pick up a world title in other eras; there have certainly been world champions inferior to Wharton, but despite coghaugen11 stating things from back then that make me question if he is discussing a completely different Henry Wharton to the one I used to enjoy watching - my own opinion was that Wharton was solid British title level at that time, and just less than true world class in that era.

I am very happy to hear he still living a good life.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 15:10
by mickey1975
THEBUTCH wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 14:39 Not sure I agree that Wharton would have been a world champion in any other era.

I rated Henry but when push come to shove he couldn't quite cut it at world level.

Personally, I don't think Benn, Eubank and especially Reid were particularly great champions....as if Wharton came up against unbeatable champions. He was lucky he wasn't around in Hagler's day, unlike Sibbo.

Wharton would of stood a greater chance of beating Benn/Eubank/Reid than Nunn, Toney, Kalambay, McCallum, Tate, Froch, Bute, Kessler, Calzaghe, Beyer, Ward for example.
In some eras. He already knocked out Galvano a lot better than anyone.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 15:36
by coghaugen11
THEBUTCH wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 14:39 Not sure I agree that Wharton would have been a world champion in any other era.

I rated Henry but when push come to shove he couldn't quite cut it at world level.

Personally, I don't think Benn, Eubank and especially Reid were particularly great champions....as if Wharton came up against unbeatable champions. He was lucky he wasn't around in Hagler's day, unlike Sibbo.

Wharton would of stood a greater chance of beating Benn/Eubank/Reid than Nunn, Toney, Kalambay, McCallum, Tate, Froch, Bute, Kessler, Calzaghe, Beyer, Ward for example.
Froch, Bute, Kessler and Beyer stick out like sore thumbs in that list. Like leagues below. Blimey.

Re: Remembering what a great prospect Henry Wharton was

Posted: 26 Mar 2021, 15:42
by mickey1975
Bolton wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 15:34
mickey1975 wrote: 26 Mar 2021, 12:37 Yes, Mickey Duff moved them to Marbella.
Bizarrely his chief sparring partner was Marvin O'Brien/David Powell, no disrespect to David who was much better than his record indicates, but I really don't see how he could help Wharton prepare for Benn ?
Marvin was his pal. He used Andy Flute and Lester Jacobs a bit later on.