BoxRec

This is the thread for all the amateur boxers you used to read about in the back pages of the old boxing news
who never turned pro - some of these guys had hundreds of fights but we never hear about them on here and I
think it is about time we asked for their whereabouts and give them our best wishes. So I will go first...

Paul Rogers of the Penhill RBL - This guy got to the ABA finals 4 times in the 80s and the 90s only to be facing
Kelly Oliver every single time. I remember reading he was a brickie or a plasterer and had a good come forward style
that complemented Olivers more fluid boxing ability (I must admit, the ABAs were the only time I ever saw Rogers fight) I think Paul became a trainer down there at Penhill RBL - So Paul, if you are reading this - hope you are well and I remember
you as an amateur boxing starlwart from the 80s.

I also remember Dave Lund who was the heavyweight champion of the Channel Islands who boxed for Pisces ABC down there in Jersey and was a nurse - he always seemed to come up against Ben Harding in the western divs.

Ned lee and bobby beck were top class boxed for repton both southpaw and beck could bang! Also albert coates from Medway golden gloves he won everything as junior had a right tear up with ricky hatton! Hope there doing well.

what about John Lyon, who i think was a Flyweight/Bantamweight who won multiple ABA titles and represnted England many times including the Olympics....He never turned pro, What's he up to these day's?

Arnie wrote:Ned lee and bobby beck were top class boxed for repton both southpaw and beck could bang! Also albert coates from Medway golden gloves he won everything as junior had a right tear up with ricky hatton! Hope there doing well.

Repton had a good gym in those days Arnie, they also had a super heavyweight who I am sure boxed for repton called Mohammed Khakomer who was Russian and about 7ft tall and was a dentist but lost to Danny Watts in the ABA finals (Danny Watts - whatever happened to him?) but I do remember Bobby Beck and another fighter of around the same weight catergory named Danny Happe won an ABA title if I remember rightly...

boxer70 wrote:what about John Lyon, who i think was a Flyweight/Bantamweight who won multiple ABA titles and represnted England many times including the Olympics....He never turned pro, What's he up to these day's?

He never turned pro from what I gather - the money he was making working in the glass factory was a bit too lucrative to turn pro as a flyweight in those days (they gave Charlie Magri the Lonsdale Belt because there were no challengers for him - I don't know why he couldn't have fought Kelvin Smart or Keith Wallace for the title but hey ho!) the flyweight division in the UK only started to pick up from around 1988 onwards but there was talk of scrapping the flyweight division - a shame as that has been one of UK boxings most succesful division on the world stage but by 1988 John Lyon would have been old for a flyweight to be starting out.

He trains amateur boxers in Wigan last time I heard.

Is craig lyon no relation to john?
Seems a bit of a coincidence that they are both ginger nuts,both from st.helens,both little fellas and both exceptional boxers.

chiggsy wrote:Is craig lyon no relation to john?
Seems a bit of a coincidence that they are both ginger nuts,both from st.helens,both little fellas and both exceptional boxers.

Craig is John's son, and looks to have inherited the skills.

Carlos-Wigan wrote:

Arnie wrote:Ned lee and bobby beck were top class boxed for repton both southpaw and beck could bang! Also albert coates from Medway golden gloves he won everything as junior had a right tear up with ricky hatton! Hope there doing well.

Repton had a good gym in those days Arnie, they also had a super heavyweight who I am sure boxed for repton called Mohammed Khakomer who was Russian and about 7ft tall and was a dentist but lost to Danny Watts in the ABA finals (Danny Watts - whatever happened to him?) but I do remember Bobby Beck and another fighter of around the same weight catergory named Danny Happe won an ABA title if I remember rightly...

Yeah danny happe was quality m8 .Ste bell still intouch with him if I remember rightly he lost by 1 point to fernando Vargas in the world juniors!

Carlos-Wigan wrote:

Arnie wrote:Ned lee and bobby beck were top class boxed for repton both southpaw and beck could bang! Also albert coates from Medway golden gloves he won everything as junior had a right tear up with ricky hatton! Hope there doing well.

Repton had a good gym in those days Arnie, they also had a super heavyweight who I am sure boxed for repton called Mohammed Khakomer who was Russian and about 7ft tall and was a dentist but lost to Danny Watts in the ABA finals (Danny Watts - whatever happened to him?) but I do remember Bobby Beck and another fighter of around the same weight catergory named Danny Happe won an ABA title if I remember rightly...

Yeah danny happe was quality m8 .Ste bell still intouch with him if I remember rightly he lost by 1 point to fernando Vargas in the world juniors!

Anthony Todd from Darlington-multiple ABA champion who i"m sure never turned pro.
Shaun Gray from West Ham in the late 80"s-big-punching junior amateur who faded away.
Mark Santini from Birmingham,double ABA champ as far as I can remember and no pro career.

rpms wrote:Anthony Todd from Darlington-multiple ABA champion who i"m sure never turned pro.
Shaun Gray from West Ham in the late 80"s-big-punching junior amateur who faded away.
Mark Santini from Birmingham,double ABA champ as far as I can remember and no pro career.

Shaun Gray of West Ham Boys Club died suddenly of a heart attack on 25/05/2010 aged 35yrs. Shaun won 4 national schools titles, 2 junior ABA's & 1 NABC title. He won a silver medal at the junior olympics held in USA (chicago). Of 32 wins, 28 were by KO or stoppage. He leaves 1 daughter age 13.
Shaun's brother Patrick died 7 years ago, also won schools and junior ABA titles.

glengray wrote:

rpms wrote:Anthony Todd from Darlington-multiple ABA champion who i"m sure never turned pro.
Shaun Gray from West Ham in the late 80"s-big-punching junior amateur who faded away.
Mark Santini from Birmingham,double ABA champ as far as I can remember and no pro career.

Shaun Gray of West Ham Boys Club died suddenly of a heart attack on 25/05/2010 aged 35yrs. Shaun won 4 national schools titles, 2 junior ABA's & 1 NABC title. He won a silver medal at the junior olympics held in USA (chicago). Of 32 wins, 28 were by KO or stoppage. He leaves 1 daughter age 13.
Shaun's brother Patrick died 7 years ago, also won schools and junior ABA titles.

RIP.What an amazing record

this is my very first posting on here and i am absolutely gutted to read about shaun grays' passing. he was brilliant. i wrote to boxing news a few years ago asking after him, he would've made an excellent professional. RIP shaun.

There is a you tube clip of shauns brother; patsie, who was excellent; he is boxing wayne alaxender who you know had a top career as a pro and could punch for fun.

other very good amateurs that come to mind are warren dorking and danny lear.

i'm sorry; soon as i posted, marlon ward came to mind. he could box!

billy bessey wrote:

Carlos-Wigan wrote:

Arnie wrote:Ned lee and bobby beck were top class boxed for repton both southpaw and beck could bang! Also albert coates from Medway golden gloves he won everything as junior had a right tear up with ricky hatton! Hope there doing well.

Repton had a good gym in those days Arnie, they also had a super heavyweight who I am sure boxed for repton called Mohammed Khakomer who was Russian and about 7ft tall and was a dentist but lost to Danny Watts in the ABA finals (Danny Watts - whatever happened to him?) but I do remember Bobby Beck and another fighter of around the same weight catergory named Danny Happe won an ABA title if I remember rightly...

im pretty sure khamkoer boxed for fitzroy lodge and danny watts is david hayes minder and sparring partner now he also boxes unlicensed

paul rogers one of the nicest blokes i ever met on the amateur circuit a real warrior aswell he is coming to my show in pompey next month

I don't think he was that big! I remember reading abot him in the papers. I think he just wenty back to Russia or whatever former Soviet state he was from and never boxed again.

I'd like to know what happened to Joseph Calzaghe - he boxed out of Wales I think and won 3 consecutive titles at 3 different weights.

i am new to this web site and didn't realise that billy bessey posted! he's not a bad boxer at all (if he is one and the same) and his brother chris was a one man riot; skill, chin and power. how many senior titles? what a fighter!

simon fox wrote:i am new to this web site and didn't realise that billy bessey posted! he's not a bad boxer at all (if he is one and the same) and his brother chris was a one man riot; skill, chin and power. how many senior titles? what a fighter!

There are quite a few boxers around here! Welcome!

Thank you! I learnt of this site through a google search after learning of Shaun Grays' passing. I'll be back!

John Lyon still lives in Greater Mcr area I believe and is quite often seen at local pro shows. Particularly his sons!
Paul Rogers is an old spar mate of mine. He was captain of England squads on a few occasions and lost a multi nations final to Thomas Ulrich who fought for World titles. I realised his class when we both sparred Glenn Catley. I struggled with him whilst Paul was very comfortable in this class. I last spoke to him 12 months ago, after working at Honda for a few years he was going full time with personal training and assisting the pro gym in Swindon which includes Jamie Cox. Paul is a top lad.

simon fox wrote:i am new to this web site and didn't realise that billy bessey posted! he's not a bad boxer at all (if he is one and the same) and his brother chris was a one man riot; skill, chin and power. how many senior titles? what a fighter!

6 Senior ABA titles, Euro Bronze, Commonwealth Gold Top bloke as well.

Anyone remember...

Owen Trainer?
Jimmy Gaskill?
Steven Mathews?
Lee Graves?
Robert Francis?

All quality lads from the north west area- be interested to see what they're doing now.

billy bessey wrote:

Matt W wrote:

simon fox wrote:i am new to this web site and didn't realise that billy bessey posted! he's not a bad boxer at all (if he is one and the same) and his brother chris was a one man riot; skill, chin and power. how many senior titles? what a fighter!

6 Senior ABA titles, Euro Bronze, Commonwealth Gold Top bloke as well.

haha i will tell my bro about that we always used to mock him for not being powerful even though he had hes fair share of stoppages including atopping the world amateur champion andre gogolov but yes he was some textbook fighter plus the titles he won were at welter x1 and l/middle x5 which are 2 of the harder weights he got an m.b.e through services to amateur boxing was the army team coach and has now been offered the south of englands a.b.a job so he has done really well out of boxing just goes to prove the pot of gold isnt always with the pro ranks especially with the funding whats about now.

What happened when he went for his seventh title, Billy, and made it all the way to the later stages of the ABAs and then pulled out?

maninthemiddle wrote:John Lyon still lives in Greater Mcr area I believe and is quite often seen at local pro shows. Particularly his sons!
Paul Rogers is an old spar mate of mine. He was captain of England squads on a few occasions and lost a multi nations final to Thomas Ulrich who fought for World titles. I realised his class when we both sparred Glenn Catley. I struggled with him whilst Paul was very comfortable in this class. I last spoke to him 12 months ago, after working at Honda for a few years he was going full time with personal training and assisting the pro gym in Swindon which includes Jamie Cox. Paul is a top lad.

I once heard that John has a difficult relationship with Craig. Has anyone else heard that?

Tony sinnott was a good amateur from liverpool in the late 70's.
Did ok as a pro then turned doorman,turned gangster and then got murdered.

Billy Wells anybody, the Heavy from the sixtys