BoxRec

Wasn't it nice to have Ian Darke back behind the mike for the Pavlik-Taylor fight. Since the retirement of Reg and Harry he is streets ahead of the rest, and I thought he was spot on with the criticism of the ref during the Berto fight.

I sincerely hope he's there for Hatton - Mayweather.

Darke is number one by a long shot for me. Just a pity it wasn't Jim Watt with him. No offence to Glenn but in my opinion he rarely adds anything insightful except to agree with what Darke seems to be almost prompting him to say.

Darke has forgotten more about calling a fight than the rest.

He is absolutely fantastic.

There's no better than Darke and Watt. John Rawling and Richie Woodhall are doing an excellent job on Setanta and I hope they become a permanent pairing. I don't whether Duke will re-appear with John on Setants (he did Hatton-Castillo with him) or whether he'll just be on ITV from now on. I like McCrory, but Adam Smith's starting to irritate me, even though he's clearly a genuine fan.

Alex Arthur was pretty good on the Simpson v Morris III fight on Setanta, gave some good insights and read the fight well.

Flump wrote:I thought he was spot on with the criticism of the ref during the Berto fight.

I thought he was way over the top in his criticism of the referee, he just kept on going on and on, when the stoppage wasn't even that bad.

Darkie's the best, but why is he calling so few fights? Will he only take the big jobs or something?

Looking at all the UK guys, Darke, McCrory, Watt, Smith, Rawling, Woodhall, they're a lot more appealing than the slicked up Americans you see at ringside for fights.

Old bones Ian wrote:Alex Arthur was pretty good on the Simpson v Morris III fight on Setanta, gave some good insights and read the fight well.

I wouldnt like to be fighting a scot with him being a judge tho....

As for Jim watt he is useless. i rather watch a fight with no Vol then listen to him!!

MBP wrote:

Old bones Ian wrote:Alex Arthur was pretty good on the Simpson v Morris III fight on Setanta, gave some good insights and read the fight well.

I wouldnt like to be fighting a scot with him being a judge tho....

As for Jim watt he is useless. i rather watch a fight with no Vol then listen to him!!

wash your mouth out - re Watt

Autobarn wrote:Darkie's the best, but why is he calling so few fights? Will he only take the big jobs or something?

When Sky cut their boxing back a bit he started to do more football commentating which is most definitely our loss.

Darke has been doing a lot of the football now but i agree there's nobody in Britain to touch him, especially when youl isten to crap like Jim Neilly and Duje McKenzie....

Then again I was listening to Barry McGuigan and Dave Macauley the other day on video the other day from the early 90s and all they said is: "Bingo, 360 right to the top" whenever a punch was landed

:)

....was watching a few Georgie Smith fights, does anyone remember him?

Captain Hook wrote:
....was watching a few Georgie Smith fights, does anyone remember him?

He had a sad demise if I remember rightly didnt he? Something about a vicious altercation in a pub - he was way, way over his fighting weight as well by that stage if my memeory serves me.

Still, he was an exciting pro whilst his career lasted.

I didn't know that, what a shame....

Yes some good KOs, he was quite a character but always had bloody awful haircuts....

Weren't that the cocky young fella with that bastard pineapple haircut?

i notice spencer oliver is never a pundit anymore.

great to see the original dream team of darke and mccrory back.

timeless. :)

Georgie Smith, there's a name from the past. Pineapple hairdo and england shorts. Another name from the past cropped up in BN this week too, Prince Rodney!

fatton wrote:No offence to Glenn but in my opinion he rarely adds anything insightful except to agree with what Darke seems to be almost prompting him to say.

McCrory: "That's right, Ian. Would you agree Duke?"

McKenzie: "Absolutely. Is that how you're seeing it Lennox?"

Lewis: "Definitely. Marvin?"

Hagler: "Man, I ain't seen nuttin like it. Boy's shufflin' like he chasin' chickens! Wadda you think Nigel?"

Benn: "I think he's in a very dark place right now. Thank the Lord I don't fight no more, cause this is tough to watch y'know."

Rosenthal: "Fair to say it was a poor performance, Barry?"

McGuigan: "Really quite an atrocious display Jim, but you know, the kid's still young."

Flump wrote:Wasn't it nice to have Ian Darke back behind the mike for the Pavlik-Taylor fight. Since the retirement of Reg and Harry he is streets ahead of the rest, and I thought he was spot on with the criticism of the ref during the Berto fight.

I sincerely hope he's there for Hatton - Mayweather.

Got to say I do like Darke's commentary but Rawling is now getting back into the frame.

TerribleTerry wrote:

Captain Hook wrote:
....was watching a few Georgie Smith fights, does anyone remember him?

He had a sad demise if I remember rightly didnt he? Something about a vicious altercation in a pub - he was way, way over his fighting weight as well by that stage if my memeory serves me.

Still, he was an exciting pro whilst his career lasted.

he was over 15 stone and beat up an old guy outside a pub.
If memory serves me right, he also admited to being at one time addicted to E's, doing 15 a day.

Captain Hook wrote:Darke has been doing a lot of the football now but i agree there's nobody in Britain to touch him, especially when youl isten to crap like Jim Neilly and Duje McKenzie....

Then again I was listening to Barry McGuigan and Dave Macauley the other day on video the other day from the early 90s and all they said is: "Bingo, 360 right to the top" whenever a punch was landed

:)

....was watching a few Georgie Smith fights, does anyone remember him?

I remember Georgie well, good fighter, prob a bit over hyped by Hearn but was prob good enough to win a British title, bit of a waste of talent really.

The Basildon man was an exciting puncher, knocked Paul Ryan cold for about 5 mins in the amateurs.

Was a supposed to be a nutcase tho, drugs(e's) did hamper his career, was retired by the time he assaulted the fella he ended up doing time for, think he had a 5 but that was a few years back, must be out now

Found the report of his trial, it doesn't make for pretty reading.
The guy actually never recovered from his injuries and died 8 months later. Police did look into bringing a murder charge, but it never happened to my knowledge
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Vange: Former boxer gets six years for beating
From the archive, first published Tuesday 27th Nov 2001.

Former boxing champion Georgie Smith was today starting a six-year prison sentence for a savage attack on a 72-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease.

Smith, 30, struck eccentric John Wilmott with such ferocity that he became blinded in the right eye.

He set upon Mr Wilmott after throwing him out of The Barge pub in High Road, Vange.

Smith was said to have punched the old man, knocking him into the High Road. He then beat him with his metal walking stick.

Witnesses said that after the assault Smith appeared to be jumping around in celebration as though he had just won a boxing contest.

In sentencing the blond pugilist, Judge Frank Lockhart described the beating he gave Mr Wilmott as "a horrifying attack".

The judge said the frail pensioner - known as John the Pipe because he once worked as a pipe-fitter - already had his life in ruins as a result of Alzheimer's.

He added: "I accept Mr Wilmott had a certain amount of notoriety and became something of a nuisance, but from the messages I have received no-one spoke of being in fear of him."

The judge said that Smith, who has previous convictions for violence, was under the influence of drink and behaving to some degree out of character.

However, the judge dismissed Smith's claim that he was acting in self defence because he thought Mr Wilmott had a sword concealed in his walking stick.

Mr Wilmott was known in the Vange and Pitsea area as an eccentric who often waved his walking stick at passing motorists or knocked on doors asking residents for a lift.

He boasted to drinking pals in Vange Working Men's Club that he carried the stick-sword around. It was also alleged that the pensioner had been insulting to Smith's mother, which th boxer took great exception to.

Smith, of Goldings Crescent, Vange, was unanimously found guilty by a jury at Southend Crown Court of causing Mr Wilmott grievous bodily harm with intent.

In mitigation for the boxer, barrister John Cooper said Smith was now remorseful and ashamed by his actions towards Mr Wilmott at the pub last April.

He said Smith, a father of four, had a distinguished career as a welterweight boxer who quit the ring after losing a British championship bout in July 1999.

Mr Cooper added that Smith was used to being in the limelight and found it difficult coming to terms without the public persona.

The barrister said Smith had turned to drinking heavily and this was the key to his offending

Autobarn wrote:

MBP wrote:

Old bones Ian wrote:Alex Arthur was pretty good on the Simpson v Morris III fight on Setanta, gave some good insights and read the fight well.

I wouldnt like to be fighting a scot with him being a judge tho....

As for Jim watt he is useless. i rather watch a fight with no Vol then listen to him!!

wash your mouth out - re Watt

He is useless he's say iv got eg Jones winning by 8 rounds, the fight goes the other way he says, well i wont argue with that some of them rounds was close... Always favour the favourites in fights!!

Horse wrote:

Flump wrote:I thought he was spot on with the criticism of the ref during the Berto fight.

I thought he was way over the top in his criticism of the referee, he just kept on going on and on, when the stoppage wasn't even that bad.

I have just made exactly the same point on another thread....the ref got absolutely ripped to pieces and you know what....I never even thought it was a bad call. Guy goes down, guy gets up....(bear in mind u didn't really see his face on tele....but then i doubt the commentator did either unless he was right in front of him......legs looked absolutely fine, hands were up etc....the guy was obviously tough as old boots and had been giving a good account of himself.....then Berto lands a corker of a combination ....anything less and the guy would have taken it and carried on.........next news Ian Darke is totally lambasting the guy...wasn't his fault at all he don't have a crystal ball you know.

If anything I thought Smoger (he obviously has a following if the forum is anything to go by....I don't know why a ref from America would have quite such an enthusiastic following on a British forum) anyway I though he could have saved Taylor abit sooner than he did....all tho' on the slow-mo it didn't look so bad. Got to give them a chance at that level I suppose, and it's not as though Taylor had been taking a sustained beating throughout the night.