Boxing History
Remembering Dennis Andries KO7 Jeff Harding – one of the greatest away victories of a British boxer
There have been quite a few great away wins for British players over the years; fights in which the weaker British fighter went to his opponent’s homeland, sometimes his backyard, and brought home victory and with it the title. When creating such a list, a fan immediately thinks of the still notable stunner Lloyd Honeyghan, who topped Don Curry in Atlantic City, and the 8/1 dog Honeyghan took the welterweight title from the “undefeated” Curry.
Older fans point to Ken Buchanan’s brilliant victory over Ismael Laguna in Puerto Rico to bring home the world lightweight crown. Others think of John H. Stracey’s amazing feat in Mexico City, during which Stracey won the world welterweight title, retiring the legendary Jose Napoles. Others still bring up Tyson Fury’s two wins over Deontay Wilder, both scored in Las Vegas, one in 2020 and one in 2021.
There are others, of course, and you may have your own favorite. Here’s mine – one of the most seemingly underrated away wins for one of Britain’s most underrated players. It was in July 1990 when the teak-tough, rock-like Dennis Andries, after making a long-haul flight to Australia, crushed his fierce rival and fellow tough guy Jeff Harding, defeating him in the 7th round. It was a rematch between Andries from Hackney, London and Harding from Sydney, Australia.
In the first fight, which took place the previous June, the largely unknown Harding shocked Andries with a 12th-round stoppage victory and the WBC featherlight heavyweight title in Atlantic City. This was the beginning of one of the wildest, exhausting, and wildly entertaining trilogies in recent memory, if not of all time. Three times these exquisitely conditioned, stubborn warriors of the ring went to war, and both utterly refused to surrender or even retreat.
Andries and Harding took each other to hell and the blood, guts and raw courage shown on the pitch was truly something to behold. The third fight, won by Harding in London (a great away win for the Australian fighter) may have been the best and deadliest fight between the two, but the KO victory Andries managed to score in fight two holds a special place in the hearts of British fight fans. At least it should.
Turning to his younger rival (Andries was 40 in 1990, some said he was towing it, Harding was just 25), the former two-time champion turned challenger rolled the dice. Dennis’ gas tank ran parched in the first fight after his best shots failed to hurt Harding. Would the same thing happen this time? Andries, unable or unwilling to change tactics, prevailed in round seven when his wild, clumsy but powerful right hand struck Harding in the skull, knocking him to the ground.
Harding shook his head in surprise and resignation. He knew he would have to fight his career rival again. Andries knew it too.
Who was in the top ten boxing pound-for-pounds in the 1920s?
Welcome to Part 4 of the 13th newest boxing poll series, which will survey volunteers to determine the best pound for pound boxers from each decade. This particular poll, which focuses on boxers from the 1920s, involved a total of 20 volunteers. Each volunteer submitted a chronological list of 10 to 25 names to vote on for the best boxers of the 1920s.
The 1920s were an extraordinary and fascinating time in boxing history, with the popularity of boxing growing dramatically as the rules were modernized in a way that up-to-date fans could understand. Among the biggest stars of the era was the great Jack Dempsey, a national hero whose popularity rivaled that of American baseball icon Babe Ruth. However, it was a wealthy era of boxing, with many talented boxers competing during this period, many of whom are considered legends of the sport.
Among the great legends of all the teams that competed during this decade, one of the most notable honors was the man, the myth, the legend – the great Harry Greb, The Pittsburgh Windmill. Greb was an American boxer known for his incredible stamina and, as his nickname suggests, he had a relentless offense that he was always looking to throw, as well as being powerful and rapid with an unmatched will to win. Greb won the World Middleweight Championship in 1923, which he defended until his defeat in 1926. Greb fought 16 other Hall of Famers during his illustrious career and is widely considered one of the greatest boxers of all time.
So who were the top ten pound-for-pound boxers of the 1920s? And where is Harry Greb?
This edition Rummy Corner will try to answer this question based on the results of Part 4 of this Survey, in which 20 volunteers participated. Please watch and enjoy the video. This is Rummy’s Corner (produced and narrated by Geoffrey Ciani).
They say boxing is a strange mix of brutality, beauty and – for those who can do it at the highest level – perfection. And so it was that on this day in 1957, the boxing world witnessed a single punch, a magnificent one-punch knockout, an essentially flawless display of punching without being hit, that showed how, one night, this sport we all love so much can deliver all three: B, P and B, if you want it to.
How was the fight, KO?
It was on this day, in rematch for a lost fight, that the one and only, truly incomparable Sugar Ray Robinson, faced the tougher than tough Gene Fullmer. In a sold-out stadium in Chicago, the one and only boxing Sugar gave us the BEST KO of all KOs.
To this day, the great boxing trainers (perhaps a dying breed – but that’s another article altogether) show a brilliant example of pure poetic violence that was literally unleashed, not in the split second at best, on their students. Indeed, it was “The Perfect Punch.” Try as they might, no boxer has ever managed to replicate the brilliance of Sugar Ray, his superhuman blend of balance, timing, and explosively correct power. All delivered in one punch.
Fullmer went down the previously seemingly bulletproof Fullmer and never got up again before the count of 10. Fullmer was knocked down by a punch that left everyone who saw him (and Gene, by his own admission, never saw the unstoppable projectile coming) in absolute awe.
So what was the punch that did this?
Sugar Ray, who was 36 at the time, was already in his prime (or so it seemed, as it turned out, very wrongly) combing his hair back, uncorking the greatest left hook he had ever thrown – that anyone in this sport had ever thrown and thrown the country. Fullmer, who had been transported to another orbit by a divine shot from hell, instinctively tried to get up, but fell on his face, his right glove searching for the world as if it were pinned to the canvas. That was the end. But it will never be forgotten.
We’ve seen some exceptional knockouts over the years, many of them from our favorite and biggest stars. However, at the risk of making the repetition tiresome, there’s never been a knockout captured on film that was/is as epic as the one born Walker Smith Jr scored on this day 63 years ago.
How many times have you watched and admired this KO? youtube!
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