“Malta Championships” may seem like a unlikely slogan of a fight on a macula of a wasteland at the eastern end of London between Mancunian and Cockney. Nevertheless it was a description A Boxing news The writer used in 1953, looking back at the fight, which took place last year at the Mile End Arena between the featherweight prospects Skinkiss and Sammy Bonnici. Although the conversation about the championships was a hyperbola, both had connections with Malta, who was then a British colony.

Skinkiss was born in Bury in 1931, and two years later he moved to Malta, where his father, a British soldier, published. The family lived there for a decade, leaving the country torn torn to the war in 1943. Then they spent four years in South Africa, but returned to Great Britain and settled in Manchester in 1947. Skinkiss soon joined the Lily Lane boxing club. He won the youth titles for three years, and in 1950 he won the crown in the northern featherweight of the north. After losing in the ABA semi -final in 1950 to this year, Peter Brander, the state decided to change the codes.

Skinkiss [pictured above] I turned around in March 1951 under Jacek Bates, and he had 20 fights in his first year as a professional, winning 15, losing three and attracting two against solid opposition. He really scored in his second London competition, when Ko’d Sidcup from Charlie Tucker Sidcupa in three in West Ham Baths in front of the live television audience live in February 1952. “The next morning his name was on the lips of every fight of the fight,” Ron Olver Bn remembered. At that time, however, the state lost to Teddy Peckham, Johnny Butterworth and Freddie King. He says a lot about the competitiveness of the era – and focus on science, not to preserve unbeaten records – that he was still considered a decent perspective.

On the other hand, the Bonnici was born in the capital of Malta, Valletta, in 1930 and came to Great Britain as a child, the family settled in Stepney, Eastern London. His first boxing taste was during national service and reached the final of the 1950 Army Championships. In July 1951, he turned to professionals with Jim Pettengell and had 16 matches in the first year, starting with mixed success, but finding his form in early 1952 with wins over good people, such as Jackie Turpin, Johnny Mollo and Freddie Hicks.

Boxing news Bonnici vs Skinkiss Eight-Rounder, dedicated to almost the full side, which took place on July 22, 1952, our reporter writes colorfully: “On the night, which was sizzling enough and stuffy for Spain, the droughty Tieless shirt was sweating, and he decided and fell in love and supported his skills and science, he ever went to skills and science. Master. “

The Bonnici was Matador and Skinkiss the Bull. From the very beginning, Londoner put in a boxing class when a man in Manchester was constantly bored, knowing from the stage halfway that he needed a knockout. In the last round he was in trouble, but the clever Stepney Lad remained on his feet to receive the verdict.

The Bonnici strengthened his superiority, again beating Skinkiss four months later. After her career, Stan reached the trajectory down. Sammy was still impressed by defeating the highest innovators, such as Teddy Peckham, Allan Tanner, Boswell St Louis, South African master Alby Tissong and British pretenders Dai Davies and Bobby Boland. But the bonnites had to feel as if he was walking in the water. Although he was a British citizen, he could not box the British title because he was born abroad. Sammy spent the last two years of his career in Australia. He liked this place so much, he stayed there and married the Australian.

“Being Southpaw and a contractor,” reflected Ron Olver, “Sammy was not a cup of tea at the ticket office. But his record shows that he defeated one of the best. He wonders what could happen, allowed him to fight for the British title.”

I remember when the fight was signed as clearly as the day. I just came back from the fight of my Stablemate Lee Purdy with Devon Alexander, being in his corner in Atlantic City. My mother graduated to become an assistant to the midwife and we were on the southern shore in London. We went to finish it and after passing one of the Thames bridges, I went to a drink and something to eat with my close family. The phone rang and it was my promoter, Eddie Hearn. Everyone looked when they wondered if it would be a fight or, worse, a call to say that it would not happen. I waited outside when they came in, and Eddie said that everything was signed and done. This has become a double holiday.

I knew Daniel Geale Summer Earlier, and our careers were parallel, except that he won the world championship title. He won half -two -red gold at the Games of the Nations Community in 2002, and I won slightly. You always watch your rivals and I always liked that I could beat him. I was glad that it was in Atlantic City because I wanted to buy back here, it was one thing against me after I lost to Sergio Martinez in 2011.

We started the camp at the venerable Tony Sims gym in Hainault. It was a fantastic camp, I practically didn’t run and worked a lot on the trampoline. Two weeks before the fight we went to Jersey City and made a few sprints. We found a good gym in Novel Jersey, where I saved Ossa Duran. In the area he was tranquil, not as manic as the nearby Novel York. It was me, tons [assistant coach] Marl Seltzer and my brother Lee. Everything went so well.

During the 14-week training camp I was sure for 13 weeks and six days. But on the day of the fight I don’t know why, I got a wave of doubt, it was terrible. I sat in a hotel room, thinking: “What’s going on?” Also in the locker room I tapped inside for some reason and it was really tender. I thought, “I don’t really want to be hit with a good shot.” When I went to the toilet, my team convinced MC, Michael Bufa, to say: “And up-to-date …”

There was a immense group of my friends at the entrance of the ring, so I heard a lot of cheer and chanting for me. I didn’t feel so far from home. In his entrance there was a guy playing Didgeridoo, which snatched me, made me really livid and aggressive, I think that it did more for me.

To be sincere, the opening round was a huge surprise. Our game plan was to fight for him, be clever, act on the front foot, but employ bright boxing and my speed. But Geale was disingenuous awkward, speedy on his legs and was able to get out of the range by a fraction, so I ended a bit. He was slippery on the legs, and after this round we decided to go hell to the skin, turn it into a fight. I had to be before him, letting the arrows go.

From that time to the sixth round I remember that I won. The adopted plan of the game worked and I returned to the whole reason to sacrifice this fight to Gary, my younger brother and other boxer who died of a car accident in 2006.

Then it came to the sixth round. Raniuk hurt me earlier. It was in Canada when I met Larry Sharpe in my 18 Pro Fight; I did not fall, but the shot remained with me throughout the fight. Against Geale, we both went to a chance when we were close, my body was exposed and he landed a fantastic left. My breath was taken immediately, and then it was simply excruciating pain. I was on the floor and you know how people say your life is flashing in your eyes? It was a bit and the longest nine and a half seconds of my life. I fought my breath and thought about my daughter Scarlett – my son Charlie was not born only in 2014 – my goals and ultimately my brother. I thought, “I can’t stop, it’s not fair, that’s not the point.” It was the most valuable half second in history. I got up and the judge asked if everything was all right. I tried to answer, but I couldn’t talk, and when the words finally appeared, they were a elevated, squealing, vitime voice. Then I was in pure survival mode for the rest of the round. Geale is a great finisher and he was shot from shots. It was a challenging period, but I arrived until the end of the round.

I returned to the corner and Tony said: “Are you okay?” And I apologized immediately. The rounds immediately after six were probably my best, seventh best of all. I was on the front foot, better boxing, increasing my range.

I put my eye and move my feet. Everything was approaching, but I had it in my head that I didn’t want to go down again, I knew I couldn’t afford it.

At the end of 11. Tony and I raised my hands and thought that I just had to survive. In the last bell I and Tony were over the moon. We knew that the fight was close and that the promoter of my opponent staged the series, but I am forcing the pace. Eddie Hearn got on the ring and said: “This is close, I don’t know how they will choose it here”, which made him question.

But I had an immediate feeling that I had done enough. My brother Lee saw Michael Buffer’s results card just before the announcement, and on the materials you can see how he runs to my family with a great, insolent smile, and then he started to panic in case he was wrong.

Then came the announcement that I won the Geale IBF title according to Split’s decision. These are the moments you dream about: Buffer announced the winner in the fight for the title of world champion in America. Perfect. I was very emotional, crying with my eyes, but they were not tears of joy. Part of me was gloomy because I made my life work to get the world title for my brother and I achieved it that night, so I thought: “What can I do for my brother now?”

I don’t think I’m physically at the top of this fight. I changed the way I trained and was as competent as always, but I fought with injuries, my elbows were really bad, very sore. But saying, I wouldn’t have the same experience a few years earlier.

Just before the First World War, there was a group of four black American heavyweight, which were unique. I have already written about the best of them, Jack Johnson and the competition, which he had in Plymouth in 1908, just five months before he became the first heavyweight champion Black World. I also told a story Langford himself and his competitions in Great Britain. The other two, Sam McVey and Joe Jeannette, also toured extensively in Europe and both fought in Great Britain, and also fought with British opponents in Paris, where both men had for some time. These four heavyweight were much better than any of the leading white weights of the era and everyone conveniently defeated Tommy Burns and Jess Willard, the masters against whom Johnson won and lost the title. Only Johnson received the title shot and used it fully.

McVey, Jeannette and Langford were largely ignored by the main promoters of that day, especially by Tex Rickard, and to get decent handbags, they had to resort to fight. Langford himself, for example, called 14 competitions with McVey and 15 against Jeannette. McVEY and Jeannette met five times, including two classic meetings in Paris in 1909, when Joe knocked out his rival in the 49th round before they both attracted the 30-runder. I am almost sure that for the first time the rounds were each of the three minutes, but I am not sure if the arrangements regarding the return. Either way, these were exploits of incredible strength, because each competition was extremely complex.

Joe Jeannette came to boxing at a behind schedule age. Born in Modern Jersey, he was 25, when he first entered a professional ring and it was quite unusual for this period, and most boxers fought for money from early teenagers. Both Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey, both hit the salary around 19. During the year Jeannette met, and they beat like Langford, as well as Johnson himself. In 1909 he was recognized as one of the best heavyweight in the world, and then he came to Europe for the first time. During his first route, from January to May 1909, he put on five British heavyweight in a total number of 12 rounds. Ben Taylor, Charlie Croxon and Jack Scales were defeated in Paris in competitions, which took place immediately before and after its classic 49-UND with McVey, and then, before returning to the States, he crossed the channel to take part in two competitions on the newly opened, and very brief breaks, hearing cross arena. This building, which still survived today, was located on Villiers Street, near the band and was full of night, when Jeannette boxed there, when he was exposed to two six runes against the soldiers of the Cook Royal Watchtower, the end guard and Harry Shearing from Walthamstov.

Jeannette entered the ring at 22:00 Edged and was supported by the great American medium weight, Willie Lewis, who won in the same place last night. Competitions were held a few months earlier Bn The uprising appeared, so I rely on the fact that sports life told me that Joe constantly beat Cook before the second of the soldier threw a towel during the second round, and that the shearing occurred before the performance before he was also pulled out by his corner in the fourth. The next day, Jeannette left Great Britain and sailed home. He returned in 1912 to fight both in Glasgow and Plymouth, beating Teenage Johnson and George Rodel, and in the last British competitions, in 1914, he detained Andrew Johnson in Liverpool, before he overtook Colin Bella in Premierland, Whitechapel. He died in 1958 at the age of 78, a relatively opulent man, unlike two Sams, Langford and McVey, both of which, unfortunately, died in poverty.