When do you think about the ancient gym, what do you imagine? Floors, walls and chunky windows with dirt, ruined equipment and a shaky, colored with a blood ring? Go back 60 years or more, and this is probably an forthright representation of a typical British boxing gym. But there was one significant exception.

Cambridge Gym at 9 Earlham Street, at Cambridge Circus, in London West End was a bastion of neatness and purity thanks to the eccentric owner Joe Bloom. “You would be overlooked and he would circulate on the floor disinfecting,” a talented feather and featherlight in the 1940s and 1950s once told me. “Woe to anyone who dropped even a diminutive piece of paper on the floor of the beloved Joe gym”, reminded Boxing News “Elderly Timers” Doyen Ron Olver.

Although known as Southern Africa, Bloom was born in London on April 16, 1896. His father was sent to South Africa with Imperial Lithe Horse during the Second Boer War (1899–1902), and when the war ended Joe and his brothers, they joined him. As a newborn man, Bloom was an avid amateur boxer and was interested in medical matters. He joined the ST Emergency Service Organization, he worked in a hospital during World War I, and then continued working with an ambulance, which explains his obsession with hygiene.

In 1932 he returned to Great Britain, planning to work in greyhound races, but instead he entered boxing. The Olympic bronze medalist in South Africa Eddie Peirce was Joe’s first warrior. Bloom brought him to Great Britain in 1933 and directed him to a successful professional career. Soon other South African boxers appeared – Johnny Holt, Johnny Rust, Robey Leibbrandt and many others. Joe found them accommodation, looked after their general matters, and in 1936 he opened his Earlham Street plant. The place quickly became one of the best known in the country. Mecca for South African boxers, was also popular among businessmen and showbiznes stars who want to stay in shape.

Twenty-two world champions performed there at different times-primo Carner, Al Brown, Freddie Miller, Benny Lynch, John Henry Lewis, Henry Armstrong, Freddie Mills, Randolph Turpin, Terry Downes, Sugar Ray Rayson I Sonny poston among them. It was also used for critical indicators.

Norman Giller, currently 81 -year -old, was a regular guest at the Bloom gym at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s, when he wrote for BN under the pseudonym Ross Martin. It reminds: “The gym looked at Palace Theater and Down Shaftesbury Avenue and acted like a boudoir by a very picky, Martinet Joe.

“Joe was quite a figure, knocked and walking when I knew him, and he still had a robust accent Springbok. He was always flawless with freshly rooted wear in the gym, looking more like a doctor than a trainer. Many warriors felt the length of the language, if there was something less than organized. He liked to say:” You can eat dinner from my junior high school. ” When I participated in press conferences, he once insisted that reporters and photographers remove their shoes.

“A proud Jew, Joe, was furious [Jack] Solomons and [Harry] Levene, when after the war, they began to import German boxers. He belonged to anti -fastic movements and undertook [Oswald] Blackshirts Mosley in the celebrated battle at Cable Street from 1936. “

In addition to the spell, when Bloom served as PTI in RAF during World War II, he continued the gym for over 30 years. He was forced to close this place in 1967, when its owner raised the rent from 500 to 2000 pounds a year in accordance with the rising prices of real estate. But he returned to look after the gym control council in Havestock Hill on resident coach George Daly Free. Joe died in London in 1979, at the age of 82.

The Bronx, Novel York, July 2, 1935. The spectacular Yankee stadium, in which the Novel York Yankees lives, hosted 48,000 fans of the fight to see a special amateur program directed by the former king of ponderous heavyweight heavyweight Gene Tunney.

Golden Gloves champions in Novel York intended to test their enthusiasm against the British team of ABA. Paul Gallico, the celebrated sport who founded gold gloves and helped organize this event, said that the British were surprised by the time of this amateur tournament. He wrote rather patronly: “Our whole matter with the reflector and music, tips and flags and what we call a presentation, makes them a bit tired. They do not do such things in Merry, England and do not understand why we do it.”

Gallico and other ring reporters expected a clear victory in the Crack American team. They were surprised. As the competitions passed, the wins for the ABA team quickly set up. The most crucial British amateurs rinsed their American counterparts – including (in retrospect, the most unusual of all), in which this is the huge triumph of Albert Barnes Cardiff because of the future world champion in fertilization, Petey Scalzo.

But the Novel Yorkers believed that they had an ace in a skying – heavyweight. It was the age of the “horizontal British heavyweight”, when the great people of Great Britain turned out to be a slight adaptation to their more solid rivals in the USA.

However, the ABA team had two great ponderous ponderous in Tony Stuart (London Fire Brigade) and Pat Floyd (Battersea and The Times). Between them they created a virtual monopoly of British heavyweight awards, winning four ABA titles and directed to each other in six finals. In total, they fought 16 times, winning eight pieces.

In ABA vs Golden Glovers Showdown Stuart took care of Larry Green, winner of the second place in the Novel York Golden Gloves final and stopped him for three. While Floyd, this year’s champion by ABA, faced Jim Howell of Harlem, who defeated Green to win the Novel York Golden Gloves crown.

Pat, a skillful 6 -step technician that could hit with both hands, packed well to get the Verdict of Gene Tunney. This and the victory of Stuart was an icing on the cake in eight wins in the ABA team. Then Tunney, along with another heavyweight legend Jacek Dempsey, praised Pat’s performance and urged him to change the professional. But the Englishman – an amateur – was not interested.

“I used to train in the Joe Bloom gym,” said Floyd later Boxing news“Sparring with any professional who came: Tommy Farr, Len Harvey, Daniels Gips, Danny and Packy Paul, Al Delaney, Robey Leibbrandt and the unhappy del fontaine. Joe Bloom called me” Mad Amateur “because I boxed for free and paid my own expenses.”

Nevertheless, Pat would fall as one of the best in Great Britain in heavyweight history, establishing a seal for fame when he came out of a pension at the age of 35 to win the title of ABA from 1946 after a long release. Like Pat, Tony Stuart has never changed a professional. Floyd said about his great rival: “Tony was probably the best ponderous I’ve ever met. But for him I could set a record of ABA titles.”

Later, Pat reached the mark of a class A judge, retiring on the basis of medical, before he could get a star license. He made an indelible boxing trail, but admitted that he regretted that he had not changed a professional.

If Floyd and Stuart tried their hand in paid ranks, the British heavyweight king Tommy Farr could have two stern national rivals.

The wonderful Marvin Hagler, who was widely respected in the boxing community and was one of the biggest boxing masters, died suddenly on March 13 at the age of 66.

There are usually warning signs against the death of a great warrior. He is aged. Or he is relatively teenage, but in a health failure. The newspapers vacuum their obituaries. The end is close.

There was no such warning here. The message appeared in the post on the official website of the Hagler fan club signed by his wife Kay, who sounded: “I’m sorry I made a very melancholy advertisement. Unfortunately, my beloved husband wonderful Marvin unexpectedly died in your home here in Recent Hampshire. Our family asks you to respect our privacy at this tough time.”

No cause of death was announced. TMZ later informed: “One of the sons of Hagler, James, says TMZ, his father was taken to the hospital in Recent Hampshire earlier on Saturday, March 13 after they experienced trouble breathing and chest pain at home. About four hours later the family was informed that she died.”

Hagler approached his own path. Most fighters do it. He was born in Newark, Recent Jersey, on May 23, 1954. His mother moved his family to the city of Brockton in Brocton, Massachusetts, after the riots in 1967, which destroyed Newark. Marvin began boxing in Brocton and was discovered at the local gym by Goodho and Pat Petronella – brothers who trained him and managed the Ring throughout their career.

Hagler fought with all this career as an average weight. His confession was basic: “Every time, anywhere, in the yard of everyone.” He returned Pro on May 18, 1973 and in fourteen years developed a record 62-3-2 (52). Everyone but the final defect on his ring book was cleaned.

Sugar Ray Seals fought for a disputed draw with Hagler in the family state of Washington Seales. Hagler’s decision about Seales in an earlier fight and destroyed him in one round in a later one.

Bobby Watts won the decision about the family majority over Hagler in Philadelphia and was knocked out in the second round when they met. Also in Philadelphia, a family warrior Willie Monroe Hagler’s decision. They fought twice with Hagler, who struck Monroe in the twelfth and second round.

Vito Antoufermo used what widely recognizes that it was a badly considered draw when he first fought with Hagler. Eighteen months later, Hagler knocked Antoufermo in four rounds.

The only flaw that is not pomsa was the loss of the decision about Sugar Ray Leonard on April 6, 1987 in the final struggle of Hagler’s career. He took the calculated risk against Leonard Hagler. Or more precisely – incorrectly calculated risk. Natural Southpaw, he fought in an orthodox attitude over the first three rounds, shortening the fight for Leonard and losing points on the cards of the results of judges. Lou Filippo scored 115-113 for Hagler. Dave Moretti had it 115-113 for Leonardo. Jose Juan Guerra (who seemed to have a problem with understanding what he watched) threw the decisive Tally 118-110 in favor of Leonard.

Hagler fought the crushing search style and Nestroy. He was as relentless in training as in the ring and wore combat shoes while performing road works. In 1980, in 1980 he took over the throne in the middle weight in the third round of Alan Minter in London and successfully defended his crown against John Mugabami and Roberto Duran. His most significant victory was the knockout of Thomas Hearns in the third round on April 15, 1985, in Non-Stop Slugfest, which is widely considered one of the most invigorating fights in the history of boxing.

After the fight with Leonard Hagler (a month of shame with his 33rd birthday) he left boxing. He moved to Italy, learned the Italian and played the hero in class B action movies. He was a history of success in boxing – a great warrior who retired in good health with money at the bank and remained retired.

One anecdote says size. Flying home from Las Vegas after an eight -digit payment, Hagler called his wife on the phone. Telephones on aircraft were fresh at that time and were activated using a credit card. Marvin talked to his wife for about a minute before he told her: “I have to hang up now. I don’t know how much this thing costs.”

How good was the warrior Hagler?

Six years ago I conducted a survey to argue the largest average importance of the present. Entrepreneurs were restricted to the era after World War II and did not include fighters such as Stanley Ketchel and Harry Greb, because there are not enough film films to assess them properly.

The fighters considered alphabetically are Nino Benvenuti, Gennady Golovkin, Marvin Hagler, Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones, Jake Lamotta, Carlos Monzon, Sugar Ray Robinson and James Toney. Panels were asked, anticipating the result of each fight whether each of these warriors would fight the other eight in a round-robin tournament.

Twenty -four experts took part in the ranking process. Among them were studied, trainers, warriors, historians and media representatives, from Teddy Atlas and Don Mcrae to Bruce Trampler and Mike Tyson. Voters were to assume that both warriors in each fight were at the point of their careers, when they were able to earn 160 pounds and were able to duplicate their best performance of 160 pounds.

The incomparable Sugar Ray Robinson took first place. Hagler defeated (or one could say that “defeat”) other contenders who end as the second average importance of the present.

In the long run, I once asked Bernard Hopkins how Ray Ryinson dealt with Sugar.

“Sugar Ray Robinson weighing 147 pounds was close to the perfect,” replied Hopkins. “But in medium weight he was defeated. I would fight Ray Robinson and would not give him room to do my things. I would force me to pay a physical price. But in medium weight, I think I would utilize it and win him.”

And how did Hopkins think he would do against Hagler?

“Me and Marvin Hagler were a war,” Bernard replied. “We would both later be in a hospital with straws in our mouths. We would destroy each other. My game plan would be gritty, box, gritty, box. You wouldn’t utilize judges for this fight. You will go through doctors’ reports.”

There was time in Hagler’s career when he decided that he should be presented in the fighting and refer to the media as “the wonderful Marvin Hagler”. But as Muhammad Ali learned after changing his name with Cassius Clay, the world of boxing is not always in line with nomenclature. Finally, after the performance without “wonderful” in one too many fights, Hagler went to court and legally changed his name to the wonderful Marvin Hagler.

Hagler was a real champion in and outside the ring. He deserved the right to call “wonderful”.

Thomas Hauser’s latest book – Gateown: Another year in boxing – He was published by the University of Arkansas Press. In 2004, the boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the NatLeischer Award for career perfection in boxing journalism. In 2019, he was elected to be introduced to the International Gallery of Sław.