George Biddles from Leicester lived and breathed the game in a 50-year-old career as a boxing manager and a promoter. Starting a petite stable of fighters from the card in the mid -1920s, George had little to show his demanding work about 30 years later. In 1934 he managed to lead Pat Butler to the British welterweight title, but George was better known for managing such as George Marsden and Len Wickwar, two men who occupy the record of most competitions in this country. After the war, he continued with Ric Sanders, Jeff Tite and Roy Davies, all of which had many competitions, winning most of them. It seemed that George could ever produce the world champion, but then Hogan Kid Bassey came. This Nigerian came to Great Britain in 1952 and overtook from Liverpool for a manager and former fighter, Peter Banasko. He lost only two of his 24 competitions in his hometown and raised the Nigerian fly and Bantam on the way. Over the next four years, Bassey took part in 47 competitions for manager Banasko and achieved his greatest success, winning the title Empire Feather Wweight, beating Billy Spider Kelly in Belfast in 1955.

At the end of 1956, Bassey parted with Banasko and George Biddles bought their contract for 600 pounds. It was a huge gambling for Biddles and needed a quick return on investment. He began to be interested in the Nigerian, with his ordinary talent for Ballyhoo, then adapted him to Jean Sneyers in Belgium in a competition described as an unofficial eliminator of the world title. When Hogan was detained in the fourth round with a cut forehead, it seemed that Biddles could make a massive mistake. Annual grades published by The Ring Magazine at the end of 1956 Sandy SaddlerCherif Hamia and Miguel Berrios, so not everything has been lost yet.

Then Saddler was injured in a car accident, and the title of world champion was considered free. Bassey was included in a number of official eliminators to find a fresh master. Unfortunately, the Empire Committee ordered Bassey to defend his title against Percy Lewis from Trinidad.

Biddles was not restless, suspecting that a needy performance could threaten Bassey’s place in these eliminators, but Bassey insisted that the fight continue. Although he managed to defeat Lewis, the victory only took place after a demanding fight. The path was now clear to the competition eliminating with Miguel Berrios, and it took place in Washington in April 1957, and Nigerian skating for straightforward, unanimous winning points.
Then Biddles realized his ambition through his lifetime when he took Bassey to Paris to meet Cherif Hamia in order to obtain an empty title of the world featherweight. Coach Charlie Fox from ST Helens, a good petite hook in his time, prepared Bassey for perfection with high -class sparring partners, Sammy Odell and Teddy Peckham.

The party arrived early to Paris to properly get used to the conditions and it was a wise decision on the part of Biddles, because Bassey pounded the Frenchman to defeat in 10 unilateral rounds to become the first world champion from the UK from Randolph Turpin six years earlier. BN announced that “Hamia was beaten in a shocking, helpless Hulk in 10th place [sic] The rune of concentrated fire-fighting force and fury, which gave the rene Schemann judge only two alternatives-alboly stop fighting, or allow 26-year-old French Algerian to cross the canvas. “

And so George Biddles had his first world champion, and his gambling paid off. Bassey finally lost the title with the unfortunate Davey Moore in 1959, and George never managed another world champion, although he led Richard Dunn to the title competition with Muhammad Ali in 1976.

Before the First World War, there were not many better fighters than Johnny Summers, Freddie WelshOwen Moran, Jim Driscoll and Ted Kid Lewis and one man fought everyone with them. Seaman Arthur Hayes was one of the best groups of fighters at that time who never won the British title, although he approached.

Arthur was a navy boxer before he became a professional in 1904, and in two years he became a leading feather scale. He turned against Johnny Summers, later a British champion in both delicate and welterweight, in the National Sporting Club in 1906, losing a hard-fighting 20-runda in points. The distance of lost meetings with Moran, Welsh (twice) and Lewis also went. Driscoll was the only of these groups of great fighters who detained Hayes, and did it in the 1910 competition with the title of British featherweight. Driscoll simply outclassed his man, then stopped him in the sixth round of a unilateral fight.

Despite this loss, Hayes was still good enough to command immense bags, and his services were very sought after, where he can often be imported to test the abilities of local talents. In this sense, he played a role similar to the role of today’s journeymen, except that Arthur usually won. In September 1912 he went to Manchester to face Allan Porter from Salford in 15-Rund. Arthur was already in Manchester twice this year, stopping both Billy Marchant and Harold Walker in winning competitions, and he was looking for a hat-trick.

Allan Porter is a warrior in which I had long -term interest. In 1912 he laid a decent race, and the fight with Hayes was considered a 50-50 match. Earlier this year, Porter passed with Ted Kid Lewis and since then he won five at trot to start a match with Hayes.

BN informed that “from the fifth round Hayes led a porter from the pillar to post and hit him where and when he liked it. Porter was certainly a game and persevered against hopeless opportunities, but the punishment was so rigid that it causes that the judge intervenes in the returned thirteenth round when he was holding the order.” It was a failure from which the porter would not recover. Ten days later, Porter met George Mackness of Kettering in 10-Rund at the Liverpool stadium, and because Mackness lost the previous five competitions, it was to be uncomplicated for Salford Fighter. Within a minute of the initial Mackness he had solemn problems of the porter, and in the seventh judge stopped the fight because Porter was not able to go to his Gablads because he fell after returning to the corner. Three doctors immediately participated in it and, when responding to treatment, partially revived, but it was believed that it was advisable to be removed to the hospital. “

Later he had a recurrence, fell unconscious and turned out to suffer from brain shock. He finally came the next day in the evening. It was a beating that he suffered from the hands of Arthur Hayes, led to the collapse of this pretty warrior. Within five years, the porter was dead, his body lost forever in the mud of the Western Front.

Seaman Hayes began to question the eliminator of the British featherweight title in 1915, losing to Llewew from Porth, the final master, for the 10th round, and BN stated that “under a hail of blows a brave seam went outside, but with his unexplored spirit as always.” He retired in 1924, the winner of 95 of his 160 professional competitions.

Lennox Lewis in RSF 7 Frank Bruno
October 1993

Frank Maloney did not bother watching boxing at the 1988 Olympic Games. Why would he? He was not the main promoter, and the warrior, whom everyone wanted to sign, was a Canadian.

Reporters in Las Vegas, including Lloyd Honeyghan-Marlon Starling, discovered the relationship between Maloney and the Olympic champion of heavyweight Lennox Lewis-I called to tell him a message.

“They said,” Imagine how good it would be to have a British heavyweight master? “, Maloney remembered. “I said that there is no more chance because Frank Bruno and Gary Mason were with Mickey Duff.

“But they told me that the heavyweight Olympic champion, Lennox Lewis, came from West Ham and that his brother Dennis knew my brother Eugene. I checked this and it turned out that it was true.

“I was chasing Lennox on the phone. Lennox wanted to come to Great Britain to see his brother and said that if I got two tickets in both directions, he came and saw me. I got a credit card and used her for a limit to get Lennox here.”

Maloney convinced the Sport Management Group, Levitt Group, to give them support. “I told them that the British heavyweight champion would be huge for them,” said Maloney and Lewis, they were crowned WBC Belt-Holder in December 1992 after Riddick Bowe, detained by Lewis in the Olympic final, refused to face.

This made Lewis the first British warrior to organize the version of the heavyweight championship since Bob Fitzsimmons, born in Cornwall and raised in Modern Zealand, lost to James J Jeffries in 1899.

Within 93 years, Tommy Farr, Don Cockell, Brian London, Henry Cooper, Joe Bugner and Frank Bruno lost their challenges.

Bruno was beaten by Tim Witherspoon and Mike Tyson, but he kept his place in public feelings, and most fans rooted for him when he fought with Lewis in “Battle of Britain” at Cardiff Arm’s Park in October 1993.

Bruno had the history of accent and intermittent hop, which spoke to British fans, and in half the point he landed enough to overtake one result card, and the other two judges had the level of fighting.

It seemed, however, that the fight turned around Lewis, and after he shattered Bruno on his chin with his left hook, he did not allow the pretender to recover, with his right hands until the judge jumped.

Herbie hide in Ko 7 Michael Bentt
March 1994

Bentt He was brought to give Tommia Morrison to rusty before he challenged Lewis.

Bentt didn’t even give him one round. The fight lasted within 93 seconds. Morrison fell three times, and Great Britain had another belt owner, although at a time when the WBO belt, especially in heavyweight, was barely respected.

Not so many realized that Bentt was a British.

Bentt spent the first six years of his life, living with his aunt in East Dulwich, before settling in Modern York and represented the United States at the World Championships in 1986, where he defeated the defending master Alexander Yagubkin on his way to the bronze medal.

Batt, beaten in the round in his debut Pro, began to shock Morrison and was a home warrior when he defended the title of WBO from Hide at the home of the Millwall football club, The Den.

Bentt wore a Millwall hat at a press conference – before Hide threw him off his head.

Bentt remembered: “I hit him, grabbed me, torn off a suit, grabbed me, fell to my knees, grabbed me, hit me. It was an ugly mess.”

Hide later stated that Bentt caught his genitals during the “ugly mess” and they were both fined in the amount of 10,000 pounds, John Morris, secretary general of the board, describing them as “two stupid youthful men.”

Only 22 years elderly, Hide was astute enough to know that he must hold Bentt’s right hand.

Bentt could not leave the road to the upper right part in the third round and landed on the floor.

Hide dominated to the finish in the seventh round, Bentt later said: “Everything I tried to have had an answer.

“His rhythm was completely unconventional – and he could hit like an atomic bomb. The guy could crunch.”

Bentt has only vague memories of the fight. Later he was taken to the hospital and spent 98 hours in a coma before full recovery.

Hide was not aware of Bentt’s rush to the hospital when he said the press: “I want you to kill and kiss my ass. I want you to all kill and say:” You are the greatest. ” Because I am. “

Henry Akinwande at PTS 12 Scott Welch
January 1997

Akinwande was hefty weight of Great Britain.

Born in London, he grew up in Nigeria and returned to England as a teenager to continue his boxing career – contrary to his father’s wishes. Gangling Akinwande left Great Britain to Florida after 27 professional fights (one draw), feeling underestimated and together with Don Turner in his corner, he claimed that the free (and still slightly known) style in style, putting Jeremy Williams with a poem right hand in three rounds.

Then came the 10th round of the detention of Aleksander Zolkin in Las Vegas and in the coloration, Welch overtook Daniel Eduardo Neto.
The Argentinean had previously fought for the title of WBO, losing in two rounds with Francesco Damiani and defeating him “The Brighton Rock” a must -see for Akinwande belt.

Welch was against. In the previous 32 fights, no one found a way to defeat Akinwande. Many even fought for a glove on him.

Akinwande had 6 feet 7 inch-the highest boxer in the world-I had an 82-inch range that stopped opponents. Five inches shorter, Welch knew that he was not going to Outbox Akinwande, but a fanal that he could reconcile him.

He tried to start the fight against Akinwande at a press conference and had to be stopped during the judge’s instructions, but after the Akinwande bell departure he was holding the game plan. He got a welch at the end of his stab – and held him there. For 12 rounds

It wasn’t until the fifth round that Welch only achieved significant success. Akinwande felt the strength of his right hand and wrapped him with his arms.
Welch was doing well to go through the sixth and seventh round and stopped the crowd behind him when he attacked the right hook of the 10th round that hit Akinwande’s jaw.

Akinwande took a few steps back, hit the gloves and waved the welch forward. Akinwande made another move, landing crispy to the jaw, and the unilateral competition lasted.

Coach Jim McDonnell pulled out a photo of the two-year-old son Welch, Tommy-Teraz of the invincible professional-the last round and begged: “Do it for him!” But the task was too great and on the last bell only one of the three judges gave the claimant a round.

“I couldn’t raise the pace,” said Welch. “Perhaps it turned out to me.”

Lennox Lewis in DQ 5 Henry Akinwande
July 1997

There were more in Stateline in Nevada than the WBC Lewis belt in Stateline, Nevada.

Two weeks earlier, Mike Tyson was thrown out of his rematch against Evander Holyfield for playing part of the ear and John Morris, secretary general of the British control Council and WBC supervisor, defined the meaning of Lewis-Akinwande for sport.
He said: “This is a fight that can start a novel beginning of heavyweight boxing, show that his spirit and image do not have to be drawn into the gutter.

“This is the first fight since Tyson bit Holyfield’s ear, and Lennox Lewis and Henry Akinwande not only fight for themselves, but for the true meaning of their sport. I know them well and I know that they are good fighters and good people.”

Not everyone in England liked Akinwande.

He said before the fight: “Everywhere I go, except for England, people love to watch me.”

Fans in England could remember the heavyweight final of ABA in 1986, when Akinwande threw himself on the canvas after disqualification against Eri Cardouza of Northampton or his reaction to his exit from the Olympic Games in Seoul from 1988.

Akinwande said: “I didn’t believe in myself. What can I do?”

He also did not talk with great trust in the fight with Lewis, and after Judge Mills Lane told him, who was also responsible for Holyfield-Tyson II, in the opening minute for holding, he lost point second.

Coach Don Turner tried to get some fight from the warrior, telling him: “He strikes you because you don’t hit him,” and in the third round Akinwande hit Lewis with his right right, which made the master’s knee graze the canvas.

Lane later admits that he should count to Lewis, but he got it in the fifth round when he pulled Akinwande out of Lewis, telling him: “That’s all, he left” before he pushed him back to the corner.

Reporters noticed that Akinwande was close to tears at a press conference after the fight.

Read Steve Bunce on Lennox Lewis vs Frank Bruno HERE