The country is in the middle of football. As a nine -year -old, I watched England defeated Western Germans to win the World Cup in 1966. I write it, about 55 years later, we finally defeated the Germans again in the knockout stages of a enormous tournament.

There were not many footballers who also bamped professionally, but in recent years two men broke this form. Curtis Woodhousewho played three times in the Premier League in Birmingham City, he became the champion of the British weight in 2014 after defeating Darren Hamilton in Hull. “The Driffield Destroyer” won 24 out of 31 professional competitions and is the most successful British boxer who also played high -level football.

Leon McKenzie played in all four leagues in 1995–2013, including the spells from Crystal Palace and Norwich City. While playing in Norwich Leon seven times in 37 Premier League performances. Leon is the son of Clinton McKenzie, who in my opinion was one of the best boxers of his generation. I remember well what stimulating he was, never-Say-Die Clinton, and his two wars from Colin Powers in 1979 and Des Morrison in 1981 were included in my last series emphasizing the 50 largest British fights of the 20th century. Leon inherited some of his father’s ring skills and proved it by winning eight of 11 professional competitions in 2013–2017. Favorite in York Hall, Leon Boxing for both English and southern titles Super Middleight, and his boxing career was good.

I managed to find a few examples of professional players who also bothering money, especially in the 1920s and the 1930s, but only two of them played international football. The first of them was Ted Ditchburn, who was a member of the World Cup team in England in 1950. During the long and outstanding career of Tottenham Hotspur, for which Ted kept the goal for 418 times in 1939–1958, he also played in England six times. I recently discovered three competitions for teenage Eddie Ditchburn from Northfleet, boxing in Rochester and around in the early 1930s. Eddie was the son of master Kent, Harry Ditchburn from Chatham, who boxed at a decent level before the great war, winning 19 out of 40 fights. Eddie’s student fights were for salary, and then left the ring and became a home brand on the football field.

Francis “Tom” Hoddinott [pictured above left] He came from the Brecon hills and was a tough man. He learned to box while serving in the army in India, and after returning he became a professional footballer. Tom has been the star of Watford since 1919. He was chosen to represent Wales twice in 1921 in matches with Scotland and England, after which he made a lot of money to Chelsea. He finished his career in the football league in Crystal Palace in 1926. During professional playing football, Tom also had a parallel boxing career in medium weight. In the summer of 1919, just before the league debut, volume twice in Maesteg in 10 and 12-Runder, winning both points.

After establishing an international footballer, then he again lit up in 1922, losing points to Sonna Bird from Chelsea in Fulham Baths. Bird was one of the best British medium weight of the 20th century and Tom gave him a challenging fight. Tom buckled three more times in Wales in the 1920s, winning twice before he bowed from the ring in 1930, when he retired in the 10th round of the 15th round against Jimmy McMurray in Victoria Hall in Southend. In total, he won four out of eight competitions, and died at the age of 85 in 1980. The photo on the directed page shows how sparring with Andrew Newton from Marylebone, another highest average weight of this period.

Boxing was a sport of masses before World War II, with the level of popularity of football competition. The best professionals in Great Britain are home names, idols, students, and in some cases ahead of their hearts who love women. On the other hand, Pro Wrestling tried and could not be captured by public imagination. This is until the end of 1930, when the mating matt appeared again in an exhilarating up-to-date disguise, which stormed Great Britain. Wrestling “All-in” is the name of the up-to-date madness, the so-called, because it combined Catch-as-Catch-Can, Jiu-Jitsu and classic Greek-Roman supplies into one exhilarating style.

The fights were false, with torture-ticking and breaking the fingers, eye paralysis and other brutal accent-related component, but British crowds loved it. It was something they had never seen before and for one or more nights of the week he raised the darkness of universal unemployment, bad salary and pathetic working conditions. All-in-in-in wrestling has spread like a fire and soon popular boxing rooms, such as Kilburn Vale Hall, Nottingham’s Victoria Baths, Liverpool Stadium and Blackfriars Ring, put out regular wrestling nights, and leading wrestlers-like the leading boxer-in-laws.

Some places contained joint wrestling and boxing bills because the audience crossover between sport was inevitable. Many former boxers have tried their hand at all-in-British British Master of Ponderous Reggie Meen and the one-time boxing “Wonderboy” Nipper Pat Daly, who are two known examples. Another former pitch that moved to wrestling was the bulky Hammersmith chick “Cucky” Knight. After boxing as an amateur, in 1935 and 36 Knight had a brief spell as a pro boxer, winning four and losing three before switching to wrestling.

In the last sport he quickly left its mark, and in two years he noticed the boxing world. In the echo of the Floyd Mayweather match with the UFC Conor McGregor star 79 years later, Chick-which was incorrectly settled as an American-he took part in the former boxing champion in bulky weight Bombardier Billy Wells, who left the retirement at the age of 49 for this competition “Boxer vs wrestler”.

The eyes of the audience -loving audience were glued to this news, took place in the Earls Court in December 1938 and promoted by the leading impresario wrestling Harold Lane. Unlike Mayweather vs McGregor – a real boxing match – in this fight, everyone was obliged to stick to the methods of his native sport. Wells wore boxing gloves and could not struggle, while Knight was a bare fist, he let him struggle, but forbade the hit.

A strange fight, shot by Pathé News for Cinema Broadcast, did not last long. Wells also danced around the ring, keeping the knight with his arm length with his celebrated straight left, the wrestler was frustrated and, according to press reports, was warned several times before hitting. After only two minutes and 14 seconds, Chick was disqualified as a shot in a body, which some reports considered low, and in any case opposed the rules. The boxer triumphed, but it was an empty victory.

In addition to financial encouragement, it is arduous to see what Wells – a beloved figure in Great Britain and the first heavyweight winner Lonsdale – he had to gain, entering the fight after 13 years outside the ring. But for Knight, who was at the beginning of a long career as a wrestler, he ensured invaluable publicity.

The story of the colorful life of Knight-in this life-saving heroic, working as a bodyguard for Princess Margaret and friendship with the infamous Kangjant Albert Pierrepoint-is based on the up-to-date book, Lovable Villain London (reference to one of the pseudonym of the wrestling Knight). It is available at Bookshop Barnes or from the author, Ady Scott Chick’s washed, via eBay.

On Tuesday, July 10, 1951, Pete Price watched his childhood friend became the most celebrated warrior in the world. “It is from time to time
A fight that comes out of blue and shakes the world. ” Boxing news“Gilbert Odda described the night that Randolph Turpin took over the world weight of Sugar Ray Robinson before 18,000 fans in the exhibition hall at the Earl court.

Only Jake Lamotta defeated Robinson in 132 previous fights, the only victory of Lamotta in their six competitions, while the 23-year-old Turpin has not yet exceeded eight rounds in winning 40 of 43 fights (two losses and one draw) at the national and European level.

Price remembered: “You heard a heel fall in every round. Everyone was waiting for Randolph to be knocked out. For me, no one could beat Randolph. It was simply impossible.”

The price was this opinion as a boy. “When I was four years ancient, Randolph and I ran down the street and he fell over,” he remembered the price in the memories written before his death, at the age of 79, in 2010. “His knee was bleeding, but he didn’t cry. It wasn’t right. There was something wrong with this boy. Why didn’t he circulate?

Price grew up from Turpins, Leamington SPA – Randolph was known as “Leamington Licker” – and wrote: “As the first, who ever put on randolphem gloves. It was on a compact square yard.

Turpins were fighters. Older Dick and Jackie brothers were professionals, and the price counted Kathy’s sister “would be the best warrior of the whole family if she were a boy.”

Price was about “five or six years ancient” – a randolph at a similar age – when he went to Dick’s support in the fight on Leamington Ice Rink.

“When it ended, Jackie and Randolph entered and lit the exhibition as Alexander and Moses,” Price reminded, “and stuck money.”
Turpin debuted in an amateur three months before his 14th birthday and was beaten in points, but many of his early fights ended in quick victories, courtesy of his right hand.

His interest in boxing was fueled by reading the story of Harry Greb, Roughhouse “Pittsburgh Windmill”, which took all-comers in his 298-Walka career and won the title of world middle Wweight.

Price wrote: “He read it in bed, laughed and said:” Listen to it “, and then read a fragment from a book in which his manager begged him to leave the sauce to fight for the title of world medium weight and has two women there.

“That’s why he was the hero of Randolph.”

Turpin had similar appetites. Price remembered the story since his friend boxed as an amateur in France. “There was a pencil scale from Coventry, I don’t remember his name,” he wrote – “And he had a date with this girl. Randolph found out about it, locked him in the toilet and met this girl himself.”

Turpin said that he had finished boxing after meeting his future wife Mary Stack, but he was convinced to continue and in the age of 17 he won both junior and seniors in the same season.

He joined Dick in the professional stable of George Middleton and brought the British weight of medium weight back to his family in October 1950, defeating Albert Finch, who six months earlier removed the belt from Dick.

Turpin took only 48 seconds to add a free European belt, and his demolition Luca van Dama sent a message to Robinson. It took him four rounds to defeat the Dutchman four months earlier.

Robinson was more than the best pound boxer for a pound in the world. He was a celebrity known to those who were interested in sport.

During his seven -week, seven fighting European concert tour, which ended in the fight against Turpin, Robinson took with him a hairdresser, chauffeur, his personal golf and dwarf to keep him amused. They went with Robinson in his pink Cadillac to France, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy and, finally in London.

Eamonn Andrews, earlier a good amateur boxer, asked Robinson about his tight schedule when he prepared to defend his title against Turpin. “My manager and I do it for so long, it’s nothing modern,” said Robinson. “I will make this forecast – I usually don’t forecast fights – but in this case I think I should predict. I predict that the fight will not pass over 15 rounds.”

Robinson was not alone in thinking about it. Bookmakers have become a 1/7 favorite with a win in Turpin points, seen as a 20/1 shot. Len Harvey gave Turpin a few words of consolation, telling him: “Nobody is invincible” and showed his sparring partners without mercy in the Gwry Castle in North Wales.

“We all received regular beating,” Jackie Turpin remembered before his death at the age of 84 in 2010. “It wasn’t great for us and wasn’t good for Randa because he was too far in front of him, too competent, too quickly, and I felt that I had to do something.”

So Jackie bought women underwear. “I took off my bathrobe and climbed the ring,” he remembered the next Spar. “I had a bra, flowering and garters and on my stomach I wrote in lipstick:” Don’t hit here. ” On my forehead I wrote: “abroad.”

“This time he couldn’t hit me for laughter. Later I told him that it was for his own good, that he was far away with a month.”

Fight tickets were stopped within three days.

The price was one of the elated. “My brother asked if I could get a Sugar Ray fight ticket, so I got two,” he wrote. “There were only 10 bob in the rear row in those days.”

From his seat, Price decided that Turpin won the early rounds with a stab, which Robinson tried to read. Others were not sure what they were watching.

There were stories of Robinson “carrying” opponents and considering that he was such an overwhelming favorite to defeat Turpin, which seemed to be an possible explanation of what happened.

Robinson fought the real intention in the seventh round. “I saw Sugar Ray hit him with his right hand and I thought that I saw his legs went for a split second,” Price remembered, but at the end of the round Robinson was bleeding from a bad wound on his left eyebrow.

Reporter Daily Express, Peter Wilson, wrote: “Two men’s heads gathered – no wine – with a disgusting click like two billiard balls.
Robinson’s year was able to control the bleeding from the wound, but the crowd sensed that the fight was going in Turpin, and during the 13th round they began to sing because he is a cheerful good guy.

Peter Mcinnis remembered the sense of euphoria when the last round began. “The crowd was on their feet, and the men attacked the naves, hugging the total strangers and squeezing their hands from others,” wrote Turpin in his biography, entitled “Randy”. “The women screamed, cried and fainted.”
20 million listeners of Raymond Glendenning, a appetite commentary on the radio, heard an electrifying climax point.

“Ray Robinson is chased by Turpin around the ring. He holds and certainly looks more anguish … in Turpin, right under the heart, left, right face. Robinson’s head falls on his shoulders … The English boy has a hail.

“Robinson leaves, exceeds him with his left and right face. He has a champion in trouble. The master is fighting back, and they are grinding as much as possible. Robinson’s eye is now a bad picture, and Turpin is still relatively undeniable. Turpin wins the last blow of the round … And who won?”

A moment later Glendenning conveyed the message: “Turpin won! Turpin won! Randolph Turpin, 23 years with Leamington Spa, is the modern world champion in medium weight.”

After hearing that King Jerzy VI reportedly returned to dinner guests and told them: “Turpin won.”

Fans tear around the hotel in London, where Turpin stayed, forcing him to go through the entrance to the staff, but the good times did not last.
The rematch took place before 61,370 in the Fresh York Polo area only 64 days later and was close to the results pages after nine rounds.

In the tenth there was a collision of heads, which made Robinson cut his forehead, and he remembered: “I noticed a judge staring at my face on my face. His concern made me think that cutting could be unsafe enough to stop the fight.”

Robinson found arrows to drop Turpin, and then released a desperate 31-fucked dam in just 25 seconds to force stop.

Jackie said: “When we were children, he[Randolph)alwayshadagoodtimehewasabletohaveagoodtimeyouwouldhaveagoodtimeyouneedtohaveagoodtimeofthetime[Randolph)AlwaysaidhewuldbethebestintheWorldandhehadachievedthehadnotoretorechforandtrandrobinsonfightcamoMeI’m[Randolph)zawszepowiedziałżebędzienajlepszynaświecieiosiągnąłtoNiemiałnicwięcejdoosiągnięciaadrugawalkaRobinsonaprzyszładlaniegozbytwcześnieRandolphmusiałosiągnąćszczytzejśćnadółapotemwspiąćsięnainny”[Randolph)alwayssaidhewouldbethebestintheworldandhehadachievedthatHehadnothingmoretoreachforandthesecondRobinsonfightcamemuchtoosoonforhimRandolphneededtoreachapeakcomedownandthenclimbanother”

According to Price, Turpin actually squeezed another fight between Robinson’s two battles. He went with Turpin to the local boxing cabin. Price, who himself had 11 professional fights, wrote: “This girl said:” You are not Randolph Turpin. As if Randolph Turpin came to the boxing stand, the world champion. We have PTI, who tomorrow comes to the box. “

“The next night we are in the first row and we ask:” Are there any pretenders in the crowd? “” Yes, “said this guy in RAF uniform.

“Bell went, and Randolph hit him once with his left hook, and on the way he caught him with the same blow and it was over. He had to be 10 minutes. We started to worry. He got up and said,” Come on, what a problem is. I wasn’t knocked down. ” He wanted to continue. “

Turpin remained in touch with his childhood friend until his death in 1966, and Gary Price, son of Pete, has memories of him. “Even when Randolph had nothing, he was still generous,” he said. “I remember my dad told him:” Don’t give out your money, “but every time he came to us, he left something under my pillow.”

Pete remembered the last time he talked to Turpin. “I repaired his record,” he wrote – “About a week later he called me again. I said:” Lick, this one is packed, you may as well overthrow a bloody thing and I will get you low-cost. ” He said, “Pete, I don’t have bleeding.”
It is estimated that 300,000 pounds were earned during his ring career, some of them invested in a Welsh guesthouse who fell and inland revenues wanted Turpin not to have.

On May 17, 1966, Turpin shot himself. “The Leamington Licker” is dead at the age of 37.