BoxRec

Hasn't this become a bit old hat now?

On the unlicensed issue. Most, if not all, of the shows are now licensed, just not by BBBOC. So licensed by likes of BBU (British boxing union) etc....
And isn't it just like the semi pro football scene. Not everyone can be a premier league footballer. But in football it's accepted there are lower leagues for lads who aren't skilled ....?

Learn the trade in the amateurs then turn over if you fancy having a go as a pro. I still call it unlicensed but that's cos I can't bring meself to call 2 bout novices boxing for a title that makes them a champion of their living room semi pro. Granted there are some good fighters now boxing on some of these shows and the standard of a lot of the shows has risen considerably over the last few years but to call it semi pro gives it more credit than it deserves in my opinion

It's in a better state than it was years ago. Still some divs on them, still some that can certainly have a bit of a scrap but would get picked apart by a skilled amateur/pro but there is also a lot more talented and technical fighters than there was a few year back

Oiky wrote:It's in a better state than it was years ago. Still some divs on them, still some that can certainly have a bit of a scrap but would get picked apart by a skilled amateur/pro but there is also a lot more talented and technical fighters than there was a few year back

Some amateurs are doing it on the side for easy money.

mickey1975 wrote:

Oiky wrote:It's in a better state than it was years ago. Still some divs on them, still some that can certainly have a bit of a scrap but would get picked apart by a skilled amateur/pro but there is also a lot more talented and technical fighters than there was a few year back

Some amateurs are doing it on the side for easy money.

Decent earner for some isn't it

I've said loads of times on different threads, I just don't like the dishonesty of some of it. Seriously good kids are having their trainers tell promoters "they've had a few as a kid"....
Unlicensed covers all sorts. I must have seen everything, from potential stars to men who look like they've been dragged in from the street.

Wales wrote:Hasn't this become a bit old hat now?

On the unlicensed issue. Most, if not all, of the shows are now licensed, just not by BBBOC. So licensed by likes of BBU (British boxing union) etc....
And isn't it just like the semi pro football scene. Not everyone can be a premier league footballer. But in football it's accepted there are lower leagues for lads who aren't skilled ....?

To me when you reach the level of boxing for your country on the amateur scene your at a semi pro level because you have learned your trade you have put the miles in froma kid or at least a few years of fighting in school boys ,novices and national aba's, beneath them are amateurs anything else is either white collar or unlicensed

mickey1975 wrote:I've said loads of times on different threads, I just don't like the dishonesty of some of it. .

exactly, its one thing a semi-pro footballer ringing for a sunday league team for £20 or whatever, nobody is really getting hurt. totally different blagging your way into a boxing match where the other fella literally can't hold your spitbucket.

Know a few amateurs boxing unlicensed for a few quid , most are easier bouts instead of getting a little trophy they pick up £200 quid but managers take £50 so clear £150 , the bit i don't like is when you here of amateurs boxing under different names !

did a bit of unlicensed myself a couple of years back, and ive seen some quality lads who have gone on to turn pro and ive seen some absolute dougnuts who think that having 100 supporters buy tickets off them means they are great when in reality the promoter is matching them soft to protect his income. And as mentioned above ive also seem amateur lads using fake names, ive seen pros do it too.

I only worked with promoters who were fair and decent though. Mike White in Worksop, Colin Manterfield in Barnsley, Damian Hucker in Nottingham, Roger Brotherhood in Mansfield and Stef Hanks in Stoke. I always felt i could trust all of those when i was selling tickets to match me fairly without seeming undermatched too.

I stopped boxing on away shows eventually because i got sick of always finding out my opponents true records after the fights from the fighters themselves.

conversations would be like " hey you did well considering ive had 50 amateurs and boxed for England" this after being told hes had 2 or 3 beforehand.

Worst ones for that were John Ashton in Nottingham, Ryan Rowlinson in Rotherham and Fran Harding in Liverpool.

One Fran Harding show i heard people from the crowd threatening to stab my trainer if my team mate won his fight when he boxed a lad up there, and with no security around at all, so when the ref said "look i would give you the win but i dont trust the crowd not to kick off" we just all shrugged and accepted it.

I dont do it now, got too difficult for me to keep the weight off, i wish it had been around more when i was younger when i stopped doing amateurs because i needed to work, it was more for the fun really and to back into some sort of reasonable shape in my 30s, but getting paid for it was a nice bonus. Never earned less than £150, most i earned was £500, from 24 bouts over around a 2 and half year period.

I still see some prats when i go to watch mates box on shows who i think i might come back to put them in their place a bit, but then it soon disapears when i remember i cant be arsed to train and get a stone off nowdays.

Had 8 amateurs in my teens, boxed Ricky Hatton, Curtis Valentine, Damian Hucker and a guy called Robert Bennett who was absolute mustard, probably would have gone on to be a solid british title level fighter but died of testicular cancer when he was only about 20. Seemed to me the best opponent i faced. so didnt do too badly in terms of names although i only won 2 and didnt beat any of those mentioned, In unlicensed 15 years + later and out of training for most of those years yet i won all but 3 of the unlicensed.

My friend used to be a judge at the events and score the fights fairly as did the other judges.

However if their scorecards went against the ticket seller they would be simply ignored and the announcer would award the victory to the ticket seller.

Not been to any of these shows in over 10 years, so maybe the standard has improved from popular doorman against someone looking for a place to fall or ex England Rep decapitating an unsuspecting novice.

mickey1975 wrote:I've said loads of times on different threads, I just don't like the dishonesty of some of it. Seriously good kids are having their trainers tell promoters "they've had a few as a kid"....
Unlicensed covers all sorts. I must have seen everything, from potential stars to men who look like they've been dragged in from the street.

I know what you're saying, makes you an embarrassment if you have to blag and lie about your record, shameful

Oiky wrote:

mickey1975 wrote:I've said loads of times on different threads, I just don't like the dishonesty of some of it. Seriously good kids are having their trainers tell promoters "they've had a few as a kid"....
Unlicensed covers all sorts. I must have seen everything, from potential stars to men who look like they've been dragged in from the street.

I know what you're saying, makes you an embarrassment if you have to blag and lie about your record, shameful

To be fair, we didn't know what his trainer was saying or anything, he's a 19 year old kid and has no idea of the politics, I don't get too involved, he just runs it past me. I told him not to worry about anyone in unlicensed. The other kids trainer was lying as well, he'd had loads, just had no idea how good my guy is. And most of my lads fights were at junior, it's just when you're matching you should be straight and tell them their capabilities.

mickey1975 wrote:

Oiky wrote:

mickey1975 wrote:I've said loads of times on different threads, I just don't like the dishonesty of some of it. Seriously good kids are having their trainers tell promoters "they've had a few as a kid"....
Unlicensed covers all sorts. I must have seen everything, from potential stars to men who look like they've been dragged in from the street.

I know what you're saying, makes you an embarrassment if you have to blag and lie about your record, shameful

To be fair, we didn't know what his trainer was saying or anything, he's a 19 year old kid and has no idea of the politics, I don't get too involved, he just runs it past me. I told him not to worry about anyone in unlicensed. The other kids trainer was lying as well, he'd had loads, just had no idea how good my guy is. And most of my lads fights were at junior, it's just when you're matching you should be straight and tell them their capabilities.

fair play

Kit wrote:My friend used to be a judge at the events and score the fights fairly as did the other judges.

However if their scorecards went against the ticket seller they would be simply ignored and the announcer would award the victory to the ticket seller.

Not been to any of these shows in over 10 years, so maybe the standard has improved from popular doorman against someone looking for a place to fall or ex England Rep decapitating an unsuspecting novice.

The standard has dropped when compared to that! Certainly at the local shows in my area. 'Popular doorman' would be a force and an ex England rep would be unheard of. The standard is utterly shite and full of blokes who can't fight for toffee for the main part.

If I could name names, I would, they're not that bad round here. Billy Bessey, from here, never asks for journeymen. It depends on the promoter.