BoxRec

No update since that 2003 feature on BBC with Bunce, that i missed god damn it.

What kind of mental state did The Gifted One come across like in that feature? And anyone know how he is now?

What a horrific waste of mind boggling talents, surely one of the biggest wastes of god given talent there ever was.

Laing attended the recent Midlands Area awards, and was presented with a trophy. Oliver Jarrett is trying to write a biography with Laing.
There was a picture of Kirkland at the awards on another thread.

Kirkland Laing was one of the main sparring partners for Jim Watt when he was training to face Howard Davis, after the sparring Terry Lawless said 'Kirk does a better Howard Davis than Howard Davis does.'

And Jim has said that Kirkland had more talent than himself, think that shows that boxing is also about the right mental attitude, Watt made himself a world champion, niether Laing or Davis could do that, although having more natural talent.
In fact Davis was very dismissive of Watt despite getting beat calling him 'a European robot' .
Both Davis and Laing are mentioned quite often when the talk of 'best boxer never to win a world title' comes up.

Jim Watt has the last laugh though.

Believe it or not I actually work with a guy who boxed Laing. Said he got a phone call a few months back from a guy asking for information to put in his biography.

WHo?????

What does he make of Laing in the ring??

overhand_right wrote:WHo?????

What does he make of Laing in the ring??

Salvo Nucifero. Said he took the fight on a weeks notice and was out the gym about six weeks at the time.

Yeah said he was a good mover in the ring but felt he was stronger and could of beat him.He said the referee (Larry o' connell he mentioned) stopped the fight because he felt Salvo wasn't gonna get to him.

He boxed Colin Jones as well!

I watched Salvo fight at the old Manor Place Baths. He had a war with a Catford boy. Top of the bill was Alan Minter's brother.
Laing is back with family in Nottingham (brother Tony also picked up a British title). He was a talented fighter all right but, as with Joe Bugner (AKA Audley Harrison), his charisma outweighed actual achievement.
Teenager Laing got lucky against Vernon Sollas in the 1972 ABA featherweight final and stuck around the amateur game to pick up a European junior bronze and plenty of muscle. He turned pro at light-middleweight in 1975 and his early years were marked by tantrums in the corner with Terry Lawless but he picked up the British welterweight title from good old Henry Rhiney in 1979 (Rhiney once played with Carlos Palomino in sparring) and shrugged off a couple of thrilling nine-round defeats to Colin Jones to edge out chubby Roberto Duran in Las Vegas in 1982 - the win that defines him.
Duran, of course, was sharpening up for Tony Ayala and had a history of vulnerability in warm-up fights (De Jesus, Muniz, Viruet, Gonzalez...), when he just wasn't in shape. "If this Laing is any good, take him out," said Don King to Mickey Duff. Laing was good - too good for an inactive Duran, who hated chasing opponents and also struggled against Millwall mover Jimmy Batten two months later in Miami.
Meanwhile, Laing was chasing women and missed out on a couple of paydays, but let's not kid ourselves, he wouldn't have beaten either Milton McCrory or Don Curry for versions of the world welterweight title (made vacant by Sugar Ray Leonard) - both of whom bettered Jones. When Laing finally did surface, he was badly knocked out by light-middleweight Fred "Pumper" Hutchings.
But Kirk came back and into his own at British level. He looked brilliant against a feast of good challengers in George Collins, Rocky Kelly and Sylvester Mittee, but losses around his peak to Brian Janssen (Laing claims he was hit on the floor), Buck Smith and Nino La Rocca prevented him joining Lloyd Honeyghan at world level. Make no mistake, great fighters do not get floored by Brian Janssen.
But Honeyghan apart, Laing was the boss in Britain from the moment Jones retired in January 1985 right up to a shock defeat to fellow Nottingham man Del Bryan in January 1991.
Six long years. A lifetime in boxing.

bennie wrote:I watched Salvo fight at the old Manor Place Baths. He had a war with a Catford boy. Top of the bill was Alan Minter's brother.
Laing is back with family in Nottingham (brother Tony also picked up a British title). He was a talented fighter all right but, as with Joe Bugner (AKA Audley Harrison), his charisma outweighed actual achievement.
Teenager Laing got lucky against Vernon Sollas in the 1972 ABA featherweight final and stuck around the amateur game to pick up a European junior bronze and plenty of muscle. He turned pro at light-middleweight in 1975 and his early years were marked by tantrums in the corner with Terry Lawless but he picked up the British welterweight title from good old Henry Rhiney in 1979 (Rhiney once played with Carlos Palomino in sparring) and shrugged off a couple of thrilling nine-round defeats to Colin Jones to edge out chubby Roberto Duran in Las Vegas in 1982 - the win that defines him.
Duran, of course, was sharpening up for Tony Ayala and had a history of vulnerability in warm-up fights (De Jesus, Muniz, Viruet, Gonzalez...), when he just wasn't in shape. "If this Laing is any good, take him out," said Don King to Mickey Duff. Laing was good - too good for an inactive Duran, who hated chasing opponents and also struggled against Millwall mover Jimmy Batten two months later in Miami.
Meanwhile, Laing was chasing women and missed out on a couple of paydays, but let's not kid ourselves, he wouldn't have beaten either Milton McCrory or Don Curry for versions of the world welterweight title (made vacant by Sugar Ray Leonard) - both of whom bettered Jones. When Laing finally did surface, he was badly knocked out by light-middleweight Fred "Pumper" Hutchings.
But Kirk came back and into his own at British level. He looked brilliant against a feast of good challengers in George Collins, Rocky Kelly and Sylvester Mittee, but losses around his peak to Brian Janssen (Laing claims he was hit on the floor), Buck Smith and Nino La Rocca prevented him joining Lloyd Honeyghan at world level. Make no mistake, great fighters do not get floored by Brian Janssen.
But Honeyghan apart, Laing was the boss in Britain from the moment Jones retired in January 1985 right up to a shock defeat to fellow Nottingham man Del Bryan in January 1991.
Six long years. A lifetime in boxing.

What did you think of Salvo then Bennie? He said he was a bit of a brawler and quite exciting to watch I should imagine. I read the report of his fight with Mick Mills and that was one hell of a fight apparently.

Salvo was an animal - all aggression and excitement. Even Colin Jones didn't want to get involved and tamed him with the jab (Jones had a great jab).

bennie wrote:I watched Salvo fight at the old Manor Place Baths. He had a war with a Catford boy. Top of the bill was Alan Minter's brother.
Laing is back with family in Nottingham (brother Tony also picked up a British title). He was a talented fighter all right but, as with Joe Bugner (AKA Audley Harrison), his charisma outweighed actual achievement.
Teenager Laing got lucky against Vernon Sollas in the 1972 ABA featherweight final and stuck around the amateur game to pick up a European junior bronze and plenty of muscle. He turned pro at light-middleweight in 1975 and his early years were marked by tantrums in the corner with Terry Lawless but he picked up the British welterweight title from good old Henry Rhiney in 1979 (Rhiney once played with Carlos Palomino in sparring) and shrugged off a couple of thrilling nine-round defeats to Colin Jones to edge out chubby Roberto Duran in Las Vegas in 1982 - the win that defines him.
Duran, of course, was sharpening up for Tony Ayala and had a history of vulnerability in warm-up fights (De Jesus, Muniz, Viruet, Gonzalez...), when he just wasn't in shape. "If this Laing is any good, take him out," said Don King to Mickey Duff. Laing was good - too good for an inactive Duran, who hated chasing opponents and also struggled against Millwall mover Jimmy Batten two months later in Miami.
Meanwhile, Laing was chasing women and missed out on a couple of paydays, but let's not kid ourselves, he wouldn't have beaten either Milton McCrory or Don Curry for versions of the world welterweight title (made vacant by Sugar Ray Leonard) - both of whom bettered Jones. When Laing finally did surface, he was badly knocked out by light-middleweight Fred "Pumper" Hutchings.
But Kirk came back and into his own at British level. He looked brilliant against a feast of good challengers in George Collins, Rocky Kelly and Sylvester Mittee, but losses around his peak to Brian Janssen (Laing claims he was hit on the floor), Buck Smith and Nino La Rocca prevented him joining Lloyd Honeyghan at world level. Make no mistake, great fighters do not get floored by Brian Janssen.
But Honeyghan apart, Laing was the boss in Britain from the moment Jones retired in January 1985 right up to a shock defeat to fellow Nottingham man Del Bryan in January 1991.
Six long years. A lifetime in boxing.

There was apparently a fight with Hearns in the making for Laing after beating Duran, but he went on the missing list for a year.

great post bennie.
you always had a chance if you stuck around long enough for laing to fall asleep..doink!!

bennie wrote:Salvo was an animal - all aggression and excitement. Even Colin Jones didn't want to get involved and tamed him with the jab (Jones had a great jab).

Yeah he did say that Colin Jones said to him that was the hardest or one of the hardest fights of his career. Salvo was doing well for himself until he got caught with a body shot.

I would of thought perhaps Laing would of end up getting a title shot next because both belts were made vacant after Leonard retired for the first time.

Losing twice against Jones and against a journeyman(reggie ford if i remember correctly)put any title hopes on ice.

Looking back on Laing's career he was style and flash over substance and turned in some truly awful performances.

Still very entertainining despite his shortcomings.

Surprised my post didn't trigger more debate. I was deliberately trouble-shooting. Laing was a great fighter. I would have fancied him against Breland in '88, '89.
He beat DURAN!

breland was overated in the pro ranks. i dont think i would have paid to see him against laing.

harrygreb wrote:breland was overated

Hang on... I thought we weren't allowed to say boxers were over-rated.

bennie wrote:Surprised my post didn't trigger more debate. I was deliberately trouble-shooting. Laing was a great fighter. I would have fancied him against Breland in '88, '89.
He beat DURAN!

He had all the talent in the world, but sadly not the desire and discipline to go with it. On any given night he had a chance against anyone in the world, but conversely, could also lose against anyone too.

It was me.

Point is, he was in line for a really nice payday, but went missing and missed out.

How did his brother Tony compare to him? Did he have the same style?

Kirk's career was undoubtedly one of missed opportunities. He had all the talent in the world but lacked Lloyd Honeyghan's dedication and strength of mind, so it was Lloyd who was moved to successful (stunningly successful) shots at European and world titles against Gianfranco Rosi and Don Curry respectively.
Laing picked up his 'afters'.
He won the British title made vacant by Honeyghan (for example) with an impressive stoppage of the decidedly useful Sylvester Mittee in 1987 - eight years after he first won the title from classy Henry Rhiney - and retained in equally impressive fashion against a succession of good, young challengers (blowing them away).
But what happened in those eight years?
Well, he lost twice to the big-hitting Colin Jones (fights he was winning till he got tagged), licked the great Roberto Duran, basked in the glory of that for a year, got thrown in with the dangerous and heavier Fred Hutchings in Atlantic City (a Mike Dokes-John L. Gardner type of match) and messed around on Mickey Duff undercards, up to the Mittee win. He also lost a fight in Australia to the rugged but limited Brian Janssen.
Not much then (Duran apart).
And Laing's second British title tenure sealed his fate as the ultimate nearly man; the ultimate enigma. In truth, Laing probably enjoyed Lording it around Nottingham and Hackney more than he did training for big fights. He knew he could smash the likes of Rhiney (down about 20 times), Mittee, George Collins, Rocky Kelly and Trevor Smith in British title fights, but bigger fights were outside his comfort zone (Hands of Stone probably scared him to victory in Detroit). Laing really should have beaten Nino LaRocca for the European title in Italy in 1989. He should have beaten Brian Janssen in Oz. He should have capatalised fully on the Duran stunner (who came back to lick Davey Moore and nearly Marvin Hagler). He probably should have beaten Jones and Hutchings, too.
This guy had the tools to beat ANYONE. He beat Duran!
Yes, he did finally pick up a European title in 1990 with a stunning dismissal of a French southpaw (whose name escapes me now) but quickly lost the belt to the lanky and awkward Patrizio Oliva in Italy. Oliva was not dissimilar in style to Gianfranco Rosi - the man Honeyghan smashed in three rounds in Italy in 1985.
Therein lies the difference. Honeyghan took his chances; Laing failed to.

As for Tony, he was short and stocky with aggression and workrate and definite ability, although he lacked Kirk's classy and spiteful-hitting approach. Like Kirkland, his career sort of fizzled out. Injuries cost him the British light-welterweight title he won in the mid-80's, and he later lost a difficult assignment in Oz to Lester Ellis for the Commonwealth title.
And that's about it.