Other Sports

Boxing in Kerry


by Weeshie Fogarty

 Growing up in the Killarney of the forties and fifties the radio was our window to all the great sporting events of the world. The word television had not even been mentioned in Ireland at the time.  The radio transported us to places that were for us of another world. Ronnie Delaney's Olympic Gold medal win in Melbourne. The English Cup finals from Wembley. And of course the All Ireland hurling and football finals from Croke Park were all brought into our kitchens curtsy of the old Bush radio my father had purchased from Mr. O Neill the Bush agent who lived four doors down from us in Lower New Street. His was the first business I recall which used a slogan to sell his wares. Written over the door of his little shop/public house were the words. "It's a wise bird that settles on a Bush". I have vivid memories of rising, eyes heavy with sleep in the early morning hours as the dawn was breaking outside to follow the boxing broadcasts from America as another youthful sporting hero Rocky Marcinio punched his way to 49 straight wins during that golden age. Nicknamed "The Brocton Blockbuster" after his place of birth his fights against legends of the ring such as Joe Lewis, Jersey Joe Walcott, Roland Lastarza, Essard Charles, Archie Moor and the English man Don Cockell remain forever etched in the memory. Rocky was one of the worlds greatest ever boxers. The argument still rages that he may have been the only man who was better in the ring than the Muhammad Ali. Marcanio remains the only heavy weight champion of the world to retire undefeated. His record reads. 49 professional fights, no loss, 43 knockouts and no draw. He died tragically in a plane crash in 1969.  

It's seldom if ever that we have the opportunity to talk boxing in this column and it's even more seldom that we hare afforded the chance to meet some great boxing figures. By sheer coincidence that was my great pleasure lately when I had the opportunity to interview two great names from the world of that age old sport. George Kimball is an award winning writer and he was in Dublin recently promoting his new book, "Four Kings" a fascinating insight into the careers of four of the all time great fighters. Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran. These "Four Kings of the Ring" would fight one another nine times throughout the eighties and win sixteen world titles between them. Just like previous legends of the fight game, Ali and Frazier, Dempsey and Tunney, Robinson and LaMotta, these four boxers brought the best out of each other. And of course along the way they produced unprecedented multi-million dollar gates. All of the fights between these men are described vividly in the book. The build up, the fight itself and the aftermath is compulsive reading. And while all nine meetings between these giants of the ring were memorable in their own way at least two of them-Leonard-Hearns in 1981 and Haggler-Hearns in 1985 are commonly included on any list of the greatest fights of all time.

Talk to any great student of the fight game here in Kerry or beyond and they will bring up the controversial outcome of one of those fights. That was the Leonard-Hagler world title meeting in 1987.   It is commenly accepted that by the late seventies boxing was in a very poor state. It was the post Ali era and the great man had brought the fight game to an all time high during his magnificent reign. Leonard, Hagler, Hearns and Duran were fighters, warriors of the ring. They didn't set out to save boxing during that period of the post Ali era. But they did. Between them these fascinating Four Kings won sixteen recognized world tiles. Their records excluding their fights against each other is unequalled by any other four. Leonard (33-0), Hagler (60-2-2), Hearns (46-1) and Duran (84-4). George Kimball has intertwined their stories with superb style. If you have only a passing interest in Queensbury Rules you will still hugely enjoy Four Kings. It's a gripping tale of one of the worlds most brutal and dangerous sports. The American born author is a fascinating man to talk to. He will be well known to readers of the Irish Times as he has written a weekly America at large Column for that publication the past decade.

Proboxing - The Path to Glory

This is the poster heading which jumps out at you as professional boxing comes to Killarney next Sunday evening for the first time since the early eighties. Former Irish boxing great Phil Sutcliff and Ballyvourney man Don o Leary have come together under their banner Dolphil Promotions which gives us the opportunity to see nine professional fights in the INEC Killarney. Both men joined me on radio (Terrace Talk) last week and Phil Sutcliff's career fascinated listeners. He boxed in two Olympic Games. In Moscow in 1980 and Los Angles four years later. In Moscow he lost to a great boxer, Zaragossa of Mexico who went on to win five professional world titles. In Los Angles he fought an Italian Stetica. Phil lost a split decision and the Italian went on to win the gold. He also fought in two European championships. Back in 1977 the British A.B.A endeavored to prevent him taking part as he was only seventeen. They wanted him to fight in the junior Europeans. He defied them and went to the seniors and on his way to win a bronze medal he beat the English representative Fletcher. He lost in the semis to a Polish boxer named Shrickni. He also fought in the 1979 Europeans and again reached the semi-finals. He was unfortunate to suffer a broken hand in that bout and lost to a Russian who won the gold and was awarded the best boxer of the tournament. Phil is Dublin born and bread and fought out of the renowned Drimnagh Boxing Club. He won four Irish titles in seven final appearances and while most Irish experts would say that Mick Dowling was our greatest bantamweight Sutcliffe was a very close second to him. Those who know have told me that Phil was far more stylish that Dowling and had a far better record against the big boys such as the Cubans, Russians and Americans. He boxed for his country on close to forty occasions and when in America beat men who went on to win professional championships. Next Sunday's promotion at the INEC is a wonderful opportunity to witness live professional boxing up close and personal. The opportunity might not come along for another thirty years or more.  Doors open at 7.00pm and my experience of these men of the ring is that they are so courteous, and always more than anxious to talk about their sport and careers. Phil Sutcliff was all of this and much more. 

Fogra: Well done to all in the Knocknagoshel Boxing Club on their recent great run of successes. Wonderfully dedicated people keeping boxing to the fore in the Kingdom. The youth are in safe hands when in charge of Kerry's oldest boxing club you have Trojan workers like Jer and Geraldine Long, Philip Daly, Martin Murphy and others. The trophy dedicated to the memory of my old friend the late John "Killer" o Callaghan was won by Knock for record 10th time.

Sections

Search Articles



 
Radio Kerry - The Voice of the Kingdom