BoxRec

I've just heard from a friend that former British Heavyweight Boxer Cliff 'Iron Man' Fields has been rushed to hospital after suffering a stroke. He has been fighting for many years against a heavy drink problem, As a pro he fought future referee Billy Aird twice and also lost to future World title contender Richard Dunn. After retiring he fought with sucsess on the unlicenced curcuit untill the early 1980's.

http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=016601

That's a great shame. Hope he makes a full recovery. Boxing seems full of sorry tales at the moment. All the best to Cliff.

A Cliff Fields interview from about a year ago-

I was born in St Mary's Hospital, Luton in 1943. My dad was a Royal Navy Heavyweight boxer until he got sunk in the war, he became the heavyweight champion of the home fleet, but war fucked him up, he got torpedoed a couple of times and also got his nose mucked up. He came home, met my mum and then they had me. I got one brother and one sister, my brother Sid has a scrap yard with my cousin, it's a family business.

I can honestly say that I never got into any trouble when I was a kid. I just wanted to be a boxer like my dad, that's all I would think of. My favorite boxers growing up were Joe Erskine, he once fought for the world title. Then there was Jack Richardson, I spared with him once and Jimmy Wilde was a fantastic flyweight.

I was always a good kid, never a bully, and I made sure I behaved myself in school. I wanted to have a good school record, so that when I became 15 I could leave school and join the Royal Navy, once again like my Dad.

Everything was working out as I planned. From school at 15, I walked straight into the Royal Navy.

The navy was a bit like a borstal, very strict with plenty of training. Of course the first thing they do is teach you how to swim. I signed on for 12 years and ended up doing 10 years. I remember when I was 16 I got into an argument with this big marine over boxing, maybe it was my own fault but the marine knocked out a few of my teeth.

One of the first fights I had was with a mate of mine, we both wanted to go to shore and he said, "I'm first" and pushed me out of the way. We started fighting, he came off best and it really toughened me up. I told him, "Listen! You may have won this one now, but next time you see me I'm going to be heavyweight champion of the navy. It must have been about 4 years later on the HMS Sheffield in Portsmouth and he's coming down the stairs towards me. I called him over and told him it had been he who changed me. He made me stand up for my self and if need be, to get stuck in.

We went on to become good friends over the years.

I went onto the physical training instructor Albert Hadstead on the HMS Borg which was the commando carrier and I told him I wanted to be a boxer. That's when I started to train as a boxer. Boxing training has always been hard. The actual boxing is easy but the training is always the hardest bit. I can remember the first time I sparred, they threw me in with this bloke called Hammerthwaite. We knocked the shit out of each other for about a minute or so. I barely got the better of him and thought this can't be right, it didn't seem like a sport at all.

I traveled all over the world with the navy and had a great time seeing all the different countries and all. I even met Harry Carpenter once. It was in 1965 and I was just about to go on the television live, to fight for the Imperial Services Heavyweight Championships. Harry said, "Cliff, the viewers would like to know if you have any nicknames". (Like most boxers did back then) I said, "Yes, my nickname is Chopper Fields". Harry was laughing when he told me they couldn't put that on the television with all the women watching.

I was never a muscular guy, just big and lean. As a boxer I would trust in my big right hand to do the work. I'd jab and then after a while I'd put them away with the right, this worked for me most of the time. I suppose I was a slugger really.

At sea, all the sailors talk about was having their own bit of crumpet; it was the topic of most conversations. We'd get into the harbour have a few pints and hire a woman for the night.

When you get into harbour, you'd go to shore, have a couple of pints and go and hire a woman for the night, making sure you're on time getting back on the ship before they sail. I have to say that I agree with prostitution: you see a ship is a man's fighting place, so when he goes to shore he just wants to fornicate and of course get drunk. They have women on ships now, I don't really know if I agree with that. For instance I remember back in 1961 I was on HMS Adamson at a submarine depot. I got my finger caught in the gun bridge and it took the top right off. An officer says to me, "Right, off you go then down to the sick bay, Fields". Clutching my hand I shout back, "That's where I was going, you fornicating bastard!!" You see a ship is a man's place to fight and no place for the ladies.

As a boxer I had 35 amateur fights winning 30 with 1st round knockouts. I loved the life on the sea: not only was I serving my country, I was also having some great fornicating times. On my 22nd birthday I was in the Philippines with an American fleet. We all got right pissed up and ended up having a good old punch up with some Yank sailors. This Philippino copper got his gun out, cocked it and led us back to the ship. He also had this baseball bat with him and he hit me across the arm with it, the bruise must have stayed there for at least two months. Well, it was better than a bullet in the head I suppose. Every country I went to the coppers carried guns. This is the only place where the coppers don't walk around armed.

I was always one for the women, I loved them all and still miss them to this day. In the Philippines the women were the best, you'd never believe how pretty they are. Hong Kong was also one of my favorite places with cheap food and you'd get a bunk up with a beautiful woman for about 3 dollars.

I went on to win the Royal Navy Imperial Services championships which was army, navy and air force. Today I believe it's known as the Combined Service Championships. I got as far as the ABA championship final and lost on points. I was now 27, and now I decided to turn pro and wanted to leave the navy to follow my dream of being a pro boxer. I tried getting out of the navy the legal way but they were having none of it. I ended up going over the top. Of course in the end I had to give myself up and ended up getting 12 months in Colchester military prison. When they let me out of there I ended up in front of the commanding officer in the navy board. Someone had told me that if you hit him then you're automatically thrown out of the navy. Like a fool I shaped up to him and took a swing and ended up getting another 12 months inside Portsmouth's detention core. It was a fornicating pig of a place, I had to do 12 months in there and still with no discharge. They reckon at that time it was the hardest nick in Europe, I just wanted to get out and turn pro. I did my time and once again went on the run. In the end I went on live television, telling the world that I wanted to become a boxer before giving myself up. There was a big uproar and the navy finally relented and let me go.

I was getting money offers to turn pro all the time. Fighters like Dick Richardson and Bill Walker were getting thousands, but all I got offered at first was about £8 a week, but I thought I'd give it a go anyway.

My first manager was Brian McCarthy from the east end and he got me some real good sparring against Buddy Terrington, an American who was well up in the rankings. Brian was a terrible manager. I was now living in Islington and training with a heavyweight named Des Cox. My first 10 fights I won inside the distance. Then I had my first fight with Brian Hall in Wolverhampton, I fought him on the Monday, previously I'd been sparring with Freddie Mac, an American light heavyweight. He cut my eye and my trainer Ted who used to be Georgie Fowlers trainer wanted to pull me out but I wanted to fight. Someone must have told Brian about my eye has he come rushing at me going for the eye and splitting it open. The referee stopped it and, even though I was disappointed, I still got £40 for that fight. I was also doing the scrap in the days as well. I fought Brian again but once more ended up getting cut. I'd cut easy but I never once had a nose bleed. In those days I'd work collecting scrap to make the boxing money up. I found the work on the scrap hard but the money came in handy.

I got married in 1970 and had one baby boy. This girl had started writing to me while I was in the navy after seeing me on that television program. (My best man was Georgie Burrow, who once fought Ali and was in the top 10 for must have been10 years, he was a quite a creation.) We later separated, as I liked to go out and couldn't settle down to married life. I went back on the scrap for a while and then I ended up getting a job on the dustcarts which I really enjoyed and grafted well for about 6 months.

Also in 1970 I fought Richard Dunn in an eliminator to fight Muhammad Ali, I was on the verge of making big money. Turn's out Dunn's a southpaw and I hate fornicating southpaws. I was hitting him up the guts in the 4th round when he threw a hook which split me open. The ref stepped in and stopped the fight. I still get gutted when I think about it but that's showbiz, I aren't going to cry over it. Anyway Bobby Neil, my them manager who once fought Terry Spinks, sorted it with Mickey Duff for me and Johnny Frankham to fly to Milan and Rome to do 2 exhibitions with Muhammad Ali. We never got to speak with Ali a lot but he did seem a nice man.

After Rome I decided to come out of the ring and give up the progamme. What was the worth of it, the slightest bit of blood and the fight would get stopped, I had no chance.

I'd work the doors and once worked for Eddie Richardson on the door of his pub. I got known as a handy sort of guy so I got into minding the likes of people as Oliver Reed. I started to work for Joey Seagram minding a club in Walford. Outside one night there must have been about 200 colored lads all pissed up wanting to fight us all on the door. Anyway I smash 2 up with a big right hand each when this bloke comes up waving this knife at me. I threw all my weight behind my punch and as it struck him his face disintegrated. He fell to the floor with his face smashed to a pulp. We manage to get back into the club before the situation got worse.

The next day I'm arrested and charged with G.B.H and end up in court. They showed photos of the guys face in court and I was nearly sick, I just couldn't believe what I had done to him. They gave me 18 months in Wormwood Scrubs. My dad came to visit me and told me how lucky I was as the guy nearly died. If he had died that would really have gutted me, wouldn't have wished that on him. It was 1978 and I was banged up in a prison cell day and bloody night. I asked an officer if there was anything I could do to get out of the cell, I felt like I was going mad in there. The only job available was cleaning the shit up that the prisoners dropped from their cell windows. I didn't give a fornicate what I had to do I just wanted out of the cell. The job was the best job there at the time, next to looking after the pigs that is. I came out in 1979 and before I left I had a look around at the prison and thought to myself "I'm never coming back here again".

I was back living in Dunstable when, one night as I was drinking in the 'Eight Bells', the manager of the pub, Johnny Stevens said to me, " They got a bloke in London knocking everybody out, I'll give you £1000 to fight him". This must have been the first time I heard of Lenny Mclean. I got told that he was knocking everyone out and was a right fornicating animal. Well, I was skint and a £1000 was a lot of money back then, I said, "fornicate it, I'll have some of that:" I started training again and concentrated on getting fit. I was 26 stone when I started training and lost over 5 stone in about 6 weeks. I put a bin liner on and sweated it out of me on the bike. I had to come in, in good form as Lenny was a big guy and I couldn't underestimate him.

I was a bit nervous on the night of the fight as it was my first time back in the ring for a while and I didn't want to look a fool. I got into the ring first and they played a song called 'Jungle Rock' as I walked to the ring. Lenny came out to the ring while they played the song 'Daddy Cool' for him. The bell went and he came at me like a bat out of an alleyway. He threw everything at me, really hard like. I let him hit my gloves for a minute, then he started to tire. allegedly was shouting , "Nail him Lenny , Nail him!". Lenny shouts back, "You fornicating come in and nail him". Lenny nutted me so I nutted him back, only harder. It was an unlicensed fight so I knew I could get away with a little of the rough stuff. Lenny was wearing himself out and I was starting to get through with some good jabs. Then I hit him with the big right hand and down he went. He was completely out on the floor, so I kicked him half out of the ring. I lifted him back up and hit him and once again he was on the canvas flat out. There was a large part of the crowd who were Lenny supporters and they started to cheer me. They all thought Lenny was unbeatable but now it was me who they respected.

I get back to the changing room and my brother Shane was there to congratulate me. Lenny comes into the changing room and after shaking my hand he tells me, "Fair fight mate, you fornicating beat me, but I'll get you next time".

I was training for the rematch with Lenny and was taking a run around a park in London. As I'm running around I bump straight into Lenny having a fag. He asks me, "Who you fighting then Cliffy?" "I'm fighting you Lenny" I answer. His face was a picture, he hadn't been told that the fight was on. "You want to stop smoking Len" I tell him. "It don't make a difference Cliffy, I can't breathe after 2 rounds anyway". I myself have to admit I liked a good smoke and a drink after a fight just to calm me down.

So it was just after Christmas 1980 and the fight was on. The second fight was split promotions, Frankie warren says to Johnny Stevens, "Sell all the tickets and we'll have half each". I must have made about £6000 for the rematch.

The fight went more or less something like the first, people still thought Lenny was going to beat me. I think I finished him in the third round, I hit him with a combination and he went down. I thought I'd killed him, honestly, he was on the deck and laid there for more than 20 minutes. He eventually got up and said to someone, "Right who's next then?" He'd thought he won, he didn't know where the hell he was, I was glad when he got back up though.

Lenny came to see me again after the fight and was great to me, he then asked me to come up and see him one night. So one day I went around his flat and met his misses, I took my son who was the same age has Lenny's son who came up to me and asked me why I beat his dad up. My son then said to Lens son, "No! They were just fighting". Lenny then said, " Look we were both earning money son, it was only a fight ,don't worry about it. He knocked me out, if he was having a go at you then there would have been a different story".

I became good friends with Lenny, he even gave me 2 of his suits some years ago. I also refereed Lenny Mclean and Roy Shaw in their second fight at the rainbow theatre. After me beating Lenny for the second time Frankie Warren told me Roy Shaw wanted to fight Lenny again and would I referee it. Roy Shaw didn't have any chance, Lenny destroyed him that time.

Lenny and I used to go around all the clubs and pubs in London, Lenny used to get pissed, rip off his shirt and say, "I'm the most powerful man in London". I just used to look at him and laugh ,he had a name as a bit of a bully but he was a great friend of mine.

I then boxed a colored boxer named 'Toshaker' (Isaac Hussein was his pro name) for £6000. It was a ten rounder, and John Stevens had about £30,000 riding on it. The fight was at the Mayfair ballroom at a dinner do. The night before I was on the piss and woke up in a fireplace, my mate was shaking me and said, " You've fighting Toshaker today". I shouted, "fornicate off!! And leave me alone."

On the night allegedly come in the changing room and said, "Cliffy, I've got some good news for you." I thought he was going to say the fight was off, but he says the fight is now a 12 rounder instead of a 10 rounder and it's for the NBC Championship of great Britain. I got into the ring and the only thing keeping me going was the thought of going on the piss after the fight. I couldn't knock him out though.

He was a very clever fighter, but couldn't punch hard. Everybody thought I'd pissed it, there was fornicating uproar there, when Toshaker got the decision. The crowd was screaming that I had won the fight. I went to the bar and ordered 6 pints of lager ,I asked a bloke "who won?" as I hadn't heard the decision, he tells me, "The colored bloke, mate". I thought bollocks and tells the barman, "I'll have another 6 pints!"

I got told later that Warren told Stevens that he didn't have to pay me for the fight if he didn't want to.

I had 2 fights with Toshaker, lost both on points but never had a mark on me in both fights. I decided to take a trip to Channel Islands for a break, just rest up a while.

On returning home I then fought Ron Redrup for the NBC unlicensed British title which was featured on the award winning doc 'Box On'. He was a very hard man. I put him down a couple of times, I asked the ref to stop the fight as I was splitting him everywhere. The fight was stopped and of course I won.

I ended up fighting my last fight against some gypsy whose name I can't remember right now. It was now 1984 and I was working in a place called Ceasers Palace near Luton. I had an argument with one of the bargirls who was Irish. I was in a right temper with her and I barged past these bunch of gypsies. Telling them to get out of my fornicating way, one stood up and hit me with a beer glass straight in the fornicating eye. I got taken straight to the hospital. When I come around from the operation they then told me I had lost my eye! I was gutted and hit the bottle and ended up on the dole. My boxing career was then finished after loosing my eye, I also went back and worked on the scrap once more, which didn't bring in half the money I was used to. I got offered a book deal a while ago and look forward to getting that done. Would be nice to get something down in print, see my life story wrote out. I don't work these days and I still live alone, there's not much to do each day but maybe getting my photos and press clippings together for the book would give me something to motivate myself for each day.