Boxing 2022

[KMD7]

https://fightpost.co.uk/2021/08/11/a-boxing-memory-gary-mason/?fbclid=IwAR2ScBLlQ16xx6BB5Of4G9dC4pPYJz7fauITMzrlzbbRB61uLg41HvonsQc

 

A Boxing Memory: Gary Mason

In many ways, Gary Mason was a victim of timing. Mason was overshadowed by another British heavyweight of the time who grabbed the majority of the headlines when they were both climbing up the heavyweight ladder of contenders.

Frank Bruno was the man of the moment, the best chance Britain had in over a century of failure on the world heavyweight scene. Bruno, and his career of heroic and brave failures on the world stage until one famous night at Wembley sent everyone home happy and more than a little relieved, grabbed much of the newspaper print, Mason was relegated to an afterthought. Mason and Horace Notice, another forgotten heavyweight from the same camp, suffered as a consequence from the Bruno hysteria.

We remember Bruno fondly, but sadly Mason is largely remembered for one defeat, his only defeat, to Lennox Lewis in 1991 which effectively ended his career. Boxing a sport of short memories, it soon forgets.

 

Mason went to America to prepare, an appearance on the BBC chat show Wogan helped sell a few more tickets, a possible fight with Mike Tyson or a shot at the world heavyweight title held then by Evander Holyfield was mooted for the winner. A fight of high stakes. Mason could have taken an easier route, Duff admitted he had made a mistake in making the fight. But boxing doesn’t do hindsight, Mason didn’t get a second chance.

Lewis, the 12th ranked world heavyweight contender at the time, was a hard sell despite his amateur pedigree. The former Olympic champion had laboured in 14 fights in the paid ranks, failing to convince the doubting British public or Duff, the Bruno love affair was still strong. Mason had reached 35-0 and started the fight the slight betting favourite. Duff had bid £270,000 to stage the contest, one of the few times in his career he got it wrong. By the 3rd round, Mason was fighting a losing battle, his right eye swelling and closing, his window of opportunity closing with it. Mason was brave, showing courage beyond the call of duty. One of the best jabs in heavyweight history had done its job, the damage to his opponent’s face grotesque and the same opponent marching forward in desperation made it a hard watch, an uncomfortable watch. More so for Norman, who was in Mason’s corner that night:

 

 

He dabbled in the arm-wrestling world, but nothing seemed to last or work. The stint as a Sky Sports pundit ended when he inadvertently swore live on TV. Mason drove a taxi, he had a period as a security guard in a hospital. The good times well and truly over, Mason another sad statistic of a sport that leaves so many behind. Norman remembers the infamous moment on Sky well:

 

“We had fun, got some plaudits, but one day the late nights had caught up with him and he wasn’t paying attention when I told him ‘we’ll be live in 2 minutes mate’ and, after a monologue from me about Lennox being crowned World Champion, he uttered those immortal words that I just cannot repeat. An apology quickly followed, but for the management of Sky Sports, that was the last straw.

“We stayed in touch, we met up at fights, but we saw less of each other once I left Boxing and turned back to production solely and started following a certain Tiger Woods around America on behalf of the Sky Sports Golf department. I’d bump into him on occasion, I’d get second-hand stories of how he was doing. The arm wrestling, the drumming group, my Mum even bumped into him in St Heliers hospital where he was a security guard. I tracked him down to the Roundshaw estate in Wallington where I used to live and to use his own words, he was ducking and diving, just about getting by.”

 

Cemetery. I don’t think anyone else goes to see him, but I do. I even took my Mum last time as she’d met him more than once and like many, remembered him with nothing but affection. So I go and tend his grave just before Xmas, around his birthday and again in the Summer, a grave that now has a headstone with a beautiful inscription and the Title ‘People’s Champ.’

 

Mason, had a career of what might have been, very much a case of being around at the wrong time. In life and in death, Mason deserved better. It is apparent from his comments for this article, how close Mason and Norman were. The former Sky Sports presenter will never forget his old friend:

“I’ll never forget him and I hope the boxing world doesn’t either, he was a good man, with a kind heart, a twinkle in his eye and full of mischief, but you couldn’t help but love him

 

 

[sir roger]

I went to Liverpool Stadium to see Horace Notice fight Noel Quarless in a British Title eliminator in 1985, and Frank Bruno was in attendance. During one of the earlier bouts I made my way down to see if I could get him to sign my programme, but he wasn't in his seat, so I passed the programme to his minder and said I would come down after the fight. Went down, and good on him, the guy he had got it signed and passed it to me. An hour later the minder gets in the ring and is announced as Gary Mason. Not my finest night as a boxing know-all.

[Remmie]

Just watched the Josh JKelly fight, he deffo breezed to a points win (decision pending as I type) but ended up thinking he was a bit of a bellend trying to smell himself most of the fight and then not showing respect to his opponent. Will be checking the youtubes for his KO defeat now.

 

A future in celebrity love island certainly beckons

[Lee909]

9 minutes ago, Remmie said:

Just watched the Josh JKelly fight, he deffo breezed to a points win (decision pending as I type) but ended up thinking he was a bit of a bellend trying to smell himself most of the fight and then not showing respect to his opponent. Will be checking the youtubes for his KO defeat now.

 

A future in celebrity love island certainly beckons

 

 

On round 11 of that. It's fucking shite. A pillow fisted showpony. Showing off to the 200 in attendances against a Argentine roadsweeper. Waste of time the whole card outside of the British title fight earlier

[Lee909]

Showboating like a prick in the 12th and clipped twice 

 

This win puts him in place to fight Tim Tszyu who will fucking batter him

[Remmie]

19 minutes ago, Lee909 said:

Showboating like a prick in the 12th and clipped twice 

 

This win puts him in place to fight Tim Tszyu who will fucking batter him

Tszyu doesn't look that good to me either to be honest, quite a weak division. 

[Lee909]

Yeah overall its a weak division especially when you look 1 up and down in divisions(middle and welter)

[Kevin D]

 

 

[Lee909]

 

 

 

 

[Kevin D]

On 17/07/2023 at 00:12, Lee909 said:

 

 

 

 

I didn’t know that Crawford has been shot before.

[Curly]

On 17/07/2023 at 00:12, Lee909 said:

 

 

 

 

Fucking hell im excited for this. This is the most excited I’ve been for a fight for fucking ages. No fucking clue how it will pan out either

[KMD7]

40 minutes ago, Curly said:

Fucking hell im excited for this. This is the most excited I’ve been for a fight for fucking ages. No fucking clue how it will pan out either

Same. 

[KMD7]

Taken from Facebook

 

Latino Boxing History

 

OCTOBER 12, 1981

LOWERING THE BOOM BOOM

LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMP ALEXIS ARGUELLO WAS TOO CLASSY, TOO CUNNING AND TOO MUCH FOR 20-YEAR-OLD RAY MANCINI, WHO MAY HAVE LEARNED A VALUABLE BOXING LESSON

It was a remarkable scene after what had been a remarkable fight. Alexis Arguello had retained his WBC lightweight championship by knocking out 20-year-old Ray (Boom Boom) Mancini at 1:46 of the 14th round. It was Mancini's first loss in 21 professional bouts. Mancini's lip was cut and his face was puffy, but considering the number of left jabs he had absorbed, Mancini didn't look too bad at the postfight press conference.

 

He started with a little joke: "It would have been a helluvan upset, huh?"

It would have. Arguello is one of six men to have held world championships in three weight classes. At 29, he's at his peak: He's 16-1 in title fights—with 16 wins in a row—and has a 72-4 record. Still, last Saturday afternoon in an overcrowded ballroom in Bally's Park Place Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, Mancini gave Arguello all he could handle.

"I'm just glad it's over," Mancini said. "It takes a lot out of you—these championship fights." It had been a tense, emotional few days, and it showed. "The disappointment's going to hurt longer than these wounds. I wanted to win it for my father...." Mancini's voice cracked, and his eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry I'm not acting like a professional," he said, trying to smile.

In a few minutes, Arguello arrived. He is a strikingly handsome man, a slim Omar Sharif, but now there was a cut on his left eyelid and a purple crescent beneath it. "It was the best fight so far this year, my friend," he said to Mancini. Then, to the press: "I think my heart is special. But his heart is bigger than I have."

Arguello is a gentleman as well as an estimable champion, and he knew Mancini's story well—how Mancini wanted to win the championship for his father, Lenny (Boom Boom) Mancini, who was drafted in 1942 before he could fight for the lightweight title and then sustained a shrapnel wound in WW II that ended any hope for a title. The elder Mancini attended Saturday's fight in a wheelchair because he was convalescing from a heart-bypass operation three weeks before. "After the fight I saw Mancini's father," Arguello said, "and I felt bad." Then, as if he needed to explain the thundering right hand that dropped Mancini and obliged Referee Tony Perez to stop the bout, Arguello added, "But it's my job." He sounded apologetic.

Shortly afterward, Mancini excused himself to be with his father, pausing to say, "This isn't the end of the story. This is the standard first chapter. I'll be back. I'm just sorry that...sorry for all the people...." His voice began to crack again.

Which was when the champion put an arm around Mancini and spoke to him as one would to a younger brother: "You don't have to be sorry. This is a better experience than any fight you've ever had. You'll be better for this." Mancini nodded, and with a roomful of eavesdroppers, Arguello told the kid about his first title fight, how he had lost by decision to Ernesto Marcel in February 1974 and had cried afterward, how he now drew on that experience and was a better boxer because of it. This took place about 15 minutes after Arguello had nearly taken Mancini's head off. When the champ was through, Mancini thanked him and everybody clapped. Quite a show.

 E.M. SWIFT - S. I.

 

 

 

[Kevin D]

Eubank and Smith is back on, September 2nd at the Manchester arena.

[Remmie]

21 hours ago, Curly said:

Fucking hell im excited for this. This is the most excited I’ve been for a fight for fucking ages. No fucking clue how it will pan out either

I think Spence is boss and was impressed from the first fight I saw him in. I hope he wins. However, Crawford is pound for pound number 1 in my opinion and looks almost invincible, I back him for a points decision by 4 or 5 rounds. 

[Kevin D]

 

 

[KMD7]

1 hour ago, Remmie said:

I think Spence is boss and was impressed from the first fight I saw him in. I hope he wins. However, Crawford is pound for pound number 1 in my opinion and looks almost invincible, I back him for a points decision by 4 or 5 rounds. 

Agree with all this. 

[Kevin D]

Lee McGregor fight about to start on Channel 5.

[Lee909]

Good fight this 

[Rushies tash]

Just now, Lee909 said:

Good fight this 

 

A vast improvement on the previous one, absolutely. 

[Lee909]

2 minutes ago, Rushies tash said:

 

A vast improvement on the previous one, absolutely. 

 

Didn't see it. Been watching cage warriors

[Kevin D]

McGregor is losing so far.

[Rushies tash]

11 minutes ago, Lee909 said:

 

Didn't see it. Been watching cage warriors

 

Eubank vs some feller who kept going down onto his knees. Overall quality was quite poor, with Eubank winning - ref intervened possibly because he was getting bored.

[Lee909]

Good fight,excellent match making for a change. Didn't score it but feels like McGregor should edge it

[Kevin D]

I have Robles by a round.