Ask everyone who attends meetings of former boxers’ associations in northern England, and everyone will tell you that Alan Richardson is one of the nicest people you can meet. For the first time I met Alan about 12 years ago, when I went to EBA meetings of the Leeds Association. I was immediately hit by how modest this man is. The photo on these pages shows a man with a real warrior, cool eyes, a steel expression and a challenging man’s appearance. Alan was all in the ring, but outside the ropes he is a tranquil, worthy and popular man. He is another of these masters from the 70s who are threatened with forgetfulness and shame.
IN Boxing news“The last series in the 50 best competitions in Great Britain, in the ranking of Alan’s war with Lesem Pickett at 31. It was not the only challenging scrap in which Alan took part, and I especially remember his dust with Vernon Sollas and Evan Armstrong, both in terms of the British featherweight title.
The Wakefield Alan, Alan white rose product created great waves as an amateur. He was beaten in the semi -final of both the European Championships in 1969 and the Games of the Nations Community in 1970. He won the championship in the featherweight in 1969, increasing his victory in 1965 as a junior. He is related to Jimmy Kid Richardson, a veteran of 65 professional competitions in the 1930s, and he was born and raised in Fitzwilliam, located strongly on Coalfield Yorkshire, perhaps inevitable that he would start working as an mining engineer.
Alan has never been a single -pound finisher, but the cumulative effects of the very number of challenging, true and speedy blows he threw often wore his opponent. A good example is his victory in 1973 over Billy Hardacre for the central featherweight title in the competition fighting at the Adelphi Hotel in the hometown of Hardacre, Liverpool. Billy twice defeated the developing Richardson in challenging fights, but using the exact left stab and maintaining relentless pressure during a full ten rounds, Alan won his first title in this third meeting.
The council made the match an eliminator of the British title, and in the following year Alan had a chance. Evan Armstrong, one of the best masters in this weight, appeared after 11 rounds of titanic fight. Alan had a great advantage of 10, but Evan turned him with a huge left hook. In the real style of Richardson, Alan left the wardrobe after the fight to find Armstrong, tired and stretched on several chairs, trying to recover after his attempt. Alan told him: “If I had to lose, I am glad that I lost to such a great warrior and a good athlete like you.”
Evan told the press that the fight against Richardson was “the most challenging fight I’ve ever had. Richardson is man. About nine and 10. I started to think that he could be too sturdy for me. He just came back to me. He has so much heart!”
Armstrong gave Richardson a ladbroke trophy, which was awarded with the Lonsdale belt after the competition, because he did not think that Alan should leave empty -handed. They both showed such great respect. Unfortunately, Evan is no longer with us, but Alan is still gaining respect – but maybe not as much as he should.
Alan achieved his goal, winning the British title three years later, when he separated Vernon Sollas in eight rounds in the town hall in Leeds. After Eddie Ndukwu beaten for the empty title of Commonwealth in Lagos a few weeks later, Alan gained his first successful defense with this classic against Pickett.
Going to the third level, Alan was beaten by Dave Needham. He did not win the belt straight, but he won almost everything and was a great warrior.