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Pitch Publishing Ltd - Andrew Fairley

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106 pages

English

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Unsurprisingly for a city that has for centuries sent men to war, Portsmouth has produced numerous great fighters and Pompey's Boxing Past takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the lives of renowned fighting men of the past such as Billy Streets, Kid Connor, Harry Vine, Stoker Reynolds, Johnny Smith and Steve Goldring, right through to the stars of the modern era such as Tony Oakey, Mickey Driscoll and Floyd Moore. Honest first-hand accounts from many of the fighters themselves give the reader an insight into the toughest sport of all; while in-depth research and contributions from surviving family members illuminate the lives and times of the great men of Pompey's proud boxing past.

Sujets

History of sport

Boxing

Xian de Boxing

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Publié par	Pitch Publishing Ltd
Date de parution	01 avril 2016
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781785312212
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	2 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0374€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2016
Pitch Publishing
A2 Yeoman Gate
Yeoman Way
Durrington
BN13 3QZ
www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
Andrew Fairley, 2016
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the Publisher.
A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library
Print ISBN 978-1-78531-134-5 eBook ISBN: 978-1-78531-221-2
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Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Foreword
Introduction
Harry Andrews: The Stamshaw Slam
Arthur Kid Connor: The Punching Publican
Matty George: The Forgotten Pompey Boxer Who Fought Some of the Best
Pat Mills: The Gosport Globetrotter
Len Lemaux: Pompey s Pocket Hercules
Billy Streets: A Pompey Icon
Monty Brown: Pompey s Middleweight Stylist
Steve Goldring: Never Give Up, Never Give In
Harry Vine: Havant s Middleweight Marauder
Stoker Bob Reynolds and The Sound of Music
Johnny Smith: Boxer Who Epitomised the Fighting Spirit of the City
Wayne Evans: Bantamweight Battler and Pompey s Adopted Son
Paul Dyer: Don t Look Back In Anger
Lights Out: Mickey Driscoll, The Fighter s Fighter
Jason Lepre and a Curious Paradox
Tony Oakey: Hold On Tightly, Let Go Lightly
Andy Gatenby and The Hinge of Fate
Floyd Moore: Against All Odds
Dig The New Breed: Pompey s Boxing Future?
Clash of the Ages
Photographs
In memory of my late grandfather Peter Morgan. He loved the fights.
Acknowledgements
M ANY thanks to my friend Johnnie Smith, without whose unwavering enthusiasm and knowledge of boxing in Portsmouth this book would never have been written. Also to Miles Templeton and Richard Ireland of boxinghistory.org for their generous assistance in verifying records, both men work tirelessly to preserve the memory of the old-timers and have compiled an incomparable archive as a result. My gratitude to Bob Hind of the Portsmouth News for his much valued support and also Mark Waldron, the editor of the Portsmouth News who has so kindly given permission for a number of images taken by the paper’s photographer Mick Young to be used in this book. Mr Gerry O’Brien of the Portsmouth Cemetery Service who has been endlessly patient with my constant enquiries while I sought the last resting places of many a boxer. I must also thank those people close to me who have had to put up with hearing little else from me except boxing over the last eleven months: my mother Maureen, and my friends Roger, Nick, Dan, Colin and James all of whom I have undoubtedly bored to tears.
Mention must also be made of the many relatives of those fighters no longer with us who generously gave their time to share their memories. Above all others they I hope will be satisfied with this book. My thanks of course to those boxers active and retired for allowing me to interview them and for being so scrupulously honest with me, I am proud to number some of them as my friends. Gratitude also to Barry Hearn, Ronnie Davies, Harry Holland, Kellie Maloney, Steve Goodwin and many others for their contributions. It is very much appreciated. Author Paul Zanon for his sage advice. Lastly I thank Paul and Jane of Pitch Publishing for taking a chance and allowing this book to be brought to the public.
Foreword
F OR every boxer who earns his millions and pollutes the front pages of the tabloids there are a thousand others that you will never hear of. These people form the framework of boxing and fit their contribution to the sport that isn’t a sport around more infinitely humdrum existences. Such nuts and bolts achievements are, however, precious beyond words.
In this book Andrew Fairley does something that I’ll never be able to do: namely research and commit to paper the stories of some of Portsmouth’s unsung boxing heroes, and he does so in a manner that is both engaging and a valuable addition to the great tradition of boxing writing that spans Hazlett and Hemingway, Mailer and Carol-Oates.
The vignettes contained within these pages tell the stories of ordinary people who did extraordinary things. They are an inspiration to us all and demonstrate that with application and talent it is possible to lift oneself up from the ground and head towards the stars. Whether you are a boxing fan or an observer of life, there is a wealth of material in this superb book to keep you wanting more.
Ian Probert, 2016
Foreword
D URING the second half of 2015 my life has been dominated by two men, neither of whom I have met. However I now know so much more about the first of these gentlemen, my Portsmouth-born grandfather who boxed professionally exactly one hundred years ago, thanks mainly to the second of these gentlemen, your author.
Never having spoken to him face to face does not stop me from getting to know him very well, nor limit my appreciation of this man’s extensive knowledge of a sport he so clearly loves. For my part, thanks to the informed historian that he so obviously is, he has transformed the very grainy picture I had of my grandfather’s life both in and out of the ring, into one of colour and light, and with his guidance I am now aware of exactly where in Portsmouth my grandfather drew his first breath, and where he was laid to rest. I am confident that on reading this excellent book into which Andrew has poured so much love, time and dedication, there will be many more people like myself throughout our beloved city of Portsmouth and beyond, who will bristle with pride on reading about their own, and the many other Pompey boxing heroes.
So it’s seconds out, chapter one.
(Francis Emery, grandson of Harry Andrews)
Introduction
U NSURPRISINGLY for a city that has for centuries sent men to war Portsmouth has produced some excellent fighting men, and continues to do so to this day. Pompey must rank as one of the most historically significant cities in Britain, largely due to the presence and exploits of the Royal Navy whose home the city is, and there can be few families locally who are without a connection of some sort or other to the Senior Service. The navy and the sprawling base that serves it remains the largest single employer in the region, and many of the men you will read about in this book were employed in the dockyard. In addition the navy has produced many fine boxers itself and without the fistic talent that has emerged over the years from the navy and dockyard, professional boxing in Portsmouth would have been very different indeed.
Today, trainer Mike Ballingall deserves much credit for reinvigorating the professional scene locally, while amateur coaches such as Bob Taylor, Colin Hooker, Darren Blair, and Q. Shillingford work ceaselessly to nurture the next generation of boxers.
As always it is the trainers working far away from the spotlight in often run-down clubs who give up their time year in and year out without fanfare or financial reward to train youngsters who are the heart and soul of the sport and they have my boundless respect.
Portsmouth is of course the country s only island city and in many ways the city s culture and her people are a reflection of that uniqueness. Perhaps comparable only to the old East End of London, Pompey people remain overwhelmingly ground-level and working class and their lives have been shaped by the proximity of the docks, the experiences of intense bombing during the war and of being a very real part of front-line Britain in times of conflict. Together these factors have bred a fiercely tribal sense of identity, personified most obviously in the passionate support of Portsmouth Football Club that remains unwaveringly loyal through the ebb and flow of the club s fortunes and whose fans have a big reputation all of their own. Lesser known to many however will be the equally passionate love of boxing that has existed in the city for the last hundred years and more, and believe me if you go to watch boxing anywhere in the country and there are fans from Portsmouth present, you re going to hear all about it.
Many people who pick up this book may have no knowledge of the many great fighters to come from Portsmouth and its surrounds such as Fareham, Gosport, Waterlooville, Leigh Park and Havant and I very much hope you enjoy reading of their lives and times. As the title indicates here are only some of the best fighters from the island city, for it would be impossible give an in-depth profile of all who have gloved up for pay although there are many who deserve to be included, but due to space considerations have not: men such as Harvey Cheatle, Seaman Broadbent, Jack Fiford, Archie Hannan, Jim Ware and Billy Pleace and to anyone who feels I have neglected a particular fighter please do get in touch with me via the publishers and if there is a demand for it then perhaps a second volume profiling boxers not included in this book can be produced. Equally if you find any mistakes I would be grateful if you would contact me.
It has been a privilege to write about these fighting men from a fighting city, and perhaps restore them to their rightful and deserved place in memory and the city s history. Quite simply we re Pompey and we re proud.
Harry Andrews: The Stamshaw Slam
Born: October 1892 - Died: March 1959. Active: 1910 - 1922
54 W: 34 L: 14 D: 5 ND: 1 - Feather, Light, Welter
W ITH thirty-four wins from fifty-four fights Portsmouth s Harry Andrews brought a good deal of natural ability to the ring and with only one loss by knock out during a twelve-year career, Andrews was