Get off the train at the James Station on the Tyne metro line and wear the subway, and more or less you stand at a one-time boxing mecale in the north-eastern part of the box. Gathered behind the eminent Gallowgate of Newcastle United, ST James ‘Park, a 4,000-person fresh ST James’ Hall was one of the best routes in the north.

The original Hall ST James, open to boxing in 1909 by the Newcastle World Feather Wweight Title Challenger Will Curley, led the fight concerts until 1929, when Curley sold the hall to the designer named John Paget. After visiting boxing rooms in the country, Paget had a vision of his fresh place, and the existing room did not meet its requirements, so he built a fresh one in its place.

A professionally built Hall Pageta took place in the first show in May 1930. His opening coincided with two random events. First of all, closing this month of what would be his main competitor: the Holmeside Sunderland stadium, which was demolished to make room for cinema and dancehall. Secondly, it was the beginning of a boxing boom, unlike any seen before or since then.

As my columnist Miles Templeton outlined in the last article, in the early 1930s, more energetic pro -boxers and programs took place in Great Britain than at any other time. It was Days Halcyon for Modern James’ Hall, when stars such as the world champion Panama Al Brown, Teddy Baldock, Benny Lynch, Jackie Brown, Teenage Perez and Baltazar Sangchili appeared on the spot, as well as the eminent British letters Len Harvey, Johnny Cuthbert and Geordie Legend Seaman Tommy Watson; Not to mention the highest quality of northeastern men, such as Jack “Cast Iron” Casey, Benny Sharkey, Douglas Parker [pictured above] and Mickey McGuire.

At the top of the boom there were six bills a week, and a 4,000-person hall, which offered an excellent view of the ring from each observation point, had no problem filling in its shows. Every Saturday, people left the Earth Newcastle United after the match and to the boxing queue. However, until 1937, the demand for Paget’s concerts fell, and the competing forms of entertainment pulled fans away from sport.

Paget died in 1938, and owned the local merchant buyer and a reputable millionaire named Adam Hedley, who then sold the room for £ 50,000 to Sol Sheckman, the owner of the Essoldo lucrative cinema chain. In 1938, Fred Charlton – who was a match and a judge at the Holmeside stadium in the 1920s Boxing news Using Alias ​​Carl Fedthron (Anagram of his name) – became the fresh manager of ST James. He ran a place through arduous war years, when many of the best liners were called to be given, and resolved in 1947.

Shortly after the takeover of Hala, Sheckman appointed Joe Sheppard – a former professional who became a manager who had a long association with this place – as his matches. Joe has issued popular two -week promotions in which a fresh generation of North East heroes appeared. Men such as British and European Master Teddy Gardner, British title pretenders Stan Hawthorne and George Bowes, as well as popular performers, such as Billy Exley, George “Ginger” Roberts, Wilf Bone, Jackie Keogh, Johnny Miller, George Casson and Ben Duffey.

During the long history of Modern James’ Hall gained a reputation of the “Masters Cemetery”. King World Flyweight, Teenage Perez, became Ko’d on two by local Mickey McGuire, World Bantam Baltazar Sangchila lost to Benny Sharkey, European Flylist Titlist Teenage Martin was eliminated by George Bowes, European champion Bantameig Ali, was equipped by Alan Rudkin, British Welterweight Wally Thom. Tom Smith.

Unfortunately, Modern James’ Hall took full number in 1968, when it was transformed into a Bingo Palace. The building was Buldoned in 1976.

A few hours after Bernard Hopkins defeated Felix Trinidad, I scanned eggs with Buddha Schulberg, and he told me about the arrest of Leni Riefenstahl.

“She was handsome,” Budd told me this morning. “But she mixed up with bad people.”

I was in a city where other bad men did their work a few weeks earlier and forced the fight to push two weeks. The dust was still ponderous from the fallen towers during my unforgettable five days in Novel York. The Buddian agreed when we appeared on Sunday morning, vivid sun and the memory of a truly epic fight, 12 rounds in medium weight, last night in the fresh garden in our heads.

“It really was one of the best,” added Budd. I agreed.

Words and sound of singing Ray Charles America handsome When Bernard approached the ring. What a night. In the seats next to me, hundreds of firefighters squeezed with a desperate handle and cried and a badge. Many came straight from the ruins of the twin towers, dust and dirt still smudged on their faces, broken only by tears. They submitted a submission at 21.45, walking show and the biggest standing ovation I’ve ever heard. It was a drama, don’t make a mistake.

Don King took his eyes, waved with two flags and nodded at men and women of the police and the fire brigade. The place was humid with sadness and regret, and then Hopkins approached the ring. And Ray Charles sang.

The ring was full before the first bell. Roberto Duran, Emile Griffith, Jake Lamotta and Vito Antoufermo. Icons on the night of pride, more than just a parade – were men who had huge nights in Novel York.

I didn’t notice much about King’s flags: “His flags disappeared so much; they look like relics from the battle. Flags displayed in the museum.” They swayed into a night where you can wash the color to the horror just a few kilometers away.

Tito wore a policeman’s hat; Hopkins, the red mask and his team supported the helmets of firefighters. Oh, boy. And Ray Charles sang.

Over the years, the senior garden was many things, that night it was a scene of global and very public waking for thousands of dead. It was also an ideal place to fight the delayed and really brilliant fight of Trinidad and Hopkins.

The couple met at the conference, not the one in Puerto Rico, where Hopkins stood on the flat. It was one or four days before the fight in which Hopkins offered Tito Bean and Rice. Even King knew it was awkward. However, Hopkins was great with his time that day, talking about terrorists, talking about his powerful beliefs in Islam and talking about a fight.

“Those guys who took planes and did what they did,” said Hopkins. “They followed a message like a soldier – don’t be an observer, because it can lead you straight to the hellish fire. Ask questions, look for answers; read the book.” He was on the edge, ready. By the way, he received a warranty of six million dollars less than the Tito warranty. Hopkins just knew; Bookmakers had 40 Tito as their favorite.

King finished the conference, asking everyone to break for a second, and then told us: “Tell someone you love them.” Ten minutes later, Hopkins said: “There is no love in the air. I have to block what happened.” It was frigid, very Hopkins. His black bandana had three letters in white: war. He had 500 made before the attack. Sensitive managerial staff in the garden and on television decided to let him still wear it. “This is a war in boxing for him, there is always a boxing war for him,” noted King. Hopkins would refuse to give up a basic message of the fight. “I don’t want to earn a tragedy,” he said. “I am in the war, I am always in the war.”

King and Tito visited Engine Company No. 54, and King never mentioned the fight. The city consumed death and destruction, but the king rightly, in my opinion, refused to move the fight to Las Vegas or Detroit. “Novel York deserved it,” King insisted.

Hopkins was in Novel York when the attack took place. He watched smoke. He was to train on the waterfront in the shade of Twin Towers that day at 11 am. Two days earlier it came from Las Vegas. “I saw the first plane; I thought it was crazy. I saw the second plane, it was it. I forgot about the fight,” Hopkins told me. It was part of the changed week.

He was set to a miracle in the ring. Hopkins in MasterClass. Tito broke, his father in tears. The end in the last round was brutal. Father Tito intervened in nine. It was a special fight. Never forget about it, a city or a crime.

For a long time I talked to Lou Dibella, repair of the fight and indefinite in Novel York, in a press conference. He still seemed a bit stunned. “I don’t remember the time when a great warrior was so thoroughly and completely beaten.” Dibella was an advisor to Hopkins in battle.

That night, Hopkins was kind, respectful, polite to the man he just ruined. Trinidad was broken, I saw and sensed that after the fight – he was broken in an invincible manner of fighters, which was said that they were unbearable, they suffer. “I said for months that it would be an effortless fight,” added Hopkins. He was so good at night, so perfect, so Hopkins.

Yes, Bud, it really was one of the best.

On May 4, 1973, Frankie Lucas from Sir Philip Game from Croydon ABC defeated Carla Speare from Liverpool in this year’s final ABA Middle Wweight at Empire Pool in Wembley. This was the second victory in Aba Lucas’s championships, after defeating another Liverpudlian, Tony Byrne, in 1972. During his triumph over Spear, he seemed to be intended for great things.

The well -known great puncher, Lucas was also inclined to cut, and when he went to Belgrade next month to take part in the European Championships, BN was a bit guarded in predicting that he could do it well, “Lucas is particularly effective with a enormous right right, but I would feel a little more hopeful about his opportunities, if he returns to his elderly style of natural aggression, because these time seems to that he is so concentrated by his defense. ” Lucas lost in the quarter -finals with the final winner, Russian, Vyacheslavem Lemechev. His great form saw that he took position number one throughout the year in Amateur BN ratings and seemed to be a shoe in the Games of the Nations Community in 1974, in which he hoped to win gold for England.

Aba dropped the bomb in October 1973, when they chose Speare for the game team, and the man Croydon was understandable, enraged. In Article BN, headed by “Lucas Hopping Mad Over Games Snub” Frankie said: “I’m just too handed to think about what to do in the future. I had my heart to win the golden medal in Christchurch. I had offers to change the professional, but I stopped because I wanted to win the title of the community. Olympic team.

He decided soon. When he was born in ST Vincent, he contacted this federation to ask if he could box them at the games and they jumped him. Thus, the medium weight tournament of the community of the Nations Community in 1974 would have some skin and the needle and was observed with considerable interest. Speare is still impressive in England. This season, he won three of the four international competitions for England and was part of the very robust team of England, which also included Billy Knight, Robbie Davies, Mickey Abrams and Pat Cowdell.

Both boys won two open competitions at matches, and then were tailored to each other in the semi -final, and the loser won the bronze medal. I remember the emotions generated by this scrap because the games were well television. Lucas and Speare fought with another arduous, close competition, and the national coach Kevin Hickey said that “their finale ABA was close, the decision to choose Speare instead of Lucas was close, and the semi -final could go both ways and Frank got it.” Lucas had to feel a great sense of satisfaction, because although he did not feel hostile to his opponent, he had a great result to settle with the authorities.

Now he just had to win the final. He fell against Zambia, Julius Liuipa, who performed extremely well and was a miniature favorite. None of this was significant for Frankie, who after cutting out in the first round took the initiative in the second and downed his rival, then blew him up for good with a enormous right hook.

Both Lucas and Speare turned to their professionalism in 1974 and although their paths never exceeded in paid ranks, each of them had a respected career. Lucas has twice questioned the British medium weight title with the two best, Kevin Finnegan and Alan Minter.