Left Hooks and Dangerous Crooks by Tel Currie

Author:Tel Currie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: charles bronson, charlie bronson, prison, illegal, boxing, unlicencsed, crime, true, real life, story, krays, bare knuckle, underworld, sport, gangs, gangland, faces, violent, fights, currie, fighter, villains, fact, Charlie Richardson, Roy Shaw, Ronnie Knight, Howard Marks, Wilf Pine, Ronnie Biggs
ISBN: 9781907792502
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited
Published: 2011-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

14

Where are we now?

In the 1990s, unlicensed faded from people’s minds slightly. I think this is because stars like Roy, Lenny and Cliff were not replaced and we were extremely spoilt by the pro game in this period. This was a great era for pro boxing. Cast your mind back Nigel Benn v Chris Eubank twice, Chris Eubank v Michael Watson twice, Herol ‘Bomber’ Graham (in my opinion, the most difficult to fight out of all of them, Benn was made for his style!), Nigel Benn v The G man Gerald Mclellan, Steve Collins v Benn and Eubank and that’s just the British middle and light middle weights!

At this time we also saw the incredible rise of a man who never received the credit or support he deserved, the Great Lennox Lewis. Who will ever forget his destruction of Razor Ruddock at Earls Court? I won’t, I was there, it was electric! Frank Bruno was making a comeback and a clash between the two was inevitable and eventually took place at Cardiff Arms Park in 1993 with Lennox knocking Frank out. Bruno would eventually beat Oliver Mcall and win the world title, only to lose it again to a hungry ex con called Mike Tyson. That’s just a taste, yep, we were really spoilt in the ‘90s and it’s not until you look back now that you realise how thrilling that period really was AND it was mostly on normal TV! Remember those Saturday nights with the big build up actually getting nervous?

One of my worst experiences came in November 1993. I went to a Muhammad Ali book signing and actually got to meet ‘The Greatest’. We spoke to each other and even shaped up. My girlfriend Cheryl took two photos of myself and the great man. He slurred, “you’re a good looking kid ... but nothing on me!” We even embraced before parting. I couldn’t wait until the day the photos were developed and was outside the shop before it opened.

As I flicked through, to my horror, I realised the pictures had NOT come out! All I got was a picture of Ali with someone else I had taken to check the camera. What a nightmare! I don’t mind telling you, I actually cried! It was Ali for Christ’s sake!

I do have a great framed photo with Lennox though, that man was so underrated, probably because he was a winner and the British don’t like a winning sportsman, they prefer Bruno and Henry Cooper but Lennox was a true winner, that makes you unpopular straightaway over here. You have to have the ‘aaahhh bless ‘im’ quality to be popular in the UK. Sir Henry Cooper. Why?

Frank Bruno had a lovely gentleman in his corner called Johnny Bloomfield. Myself, Joe Smith, Jimmy Stockin and the other lads had the pleasure of being trained by Johnny in our gym. Johnny told me I was the best pad man he had ever seen apart from Jimmy Tibbs what a gee! (Jimmy Tibbs is one of, if not the best trainer this country has seen.

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