There is a topic that is discussed in social media and net messages of the net with predictable regularity. Who was the biggest British boxer who never won the title of the world? The answers are usually focused on fighters since the 1980s and there are many worthy of earlier periods who are overlooked – mainly, I think, because they are not known to contemporary fans. Dave Charnley is one name that is often omitted, but should be thrown into such a debate. Known as “The Dartford Destroyer”, Southpaw Charnley was undefeated in British and European lightweight title fights, but lost his two offers of the world title with American Joe Brown, he was detained for the first time and at the wrong ending of the discussion decision on the return. In 1970 – six years after Dave’s retirement – BN sat with the former master to get an internal track in his career.

How did it all start?

I joined the Dartford Boys’ Club, where we lived, at a teenage age, and in the age of 15 he won the title Junior ABA. Then I moved to Fitzroy Lodge. I am sorry that I left my family club, but I realized that in order to make real progress, I would have to be more in the middle of things. Dartford could not set up many programs and I wanted a lot of experience.

Who was the most challenging amateur you met with?

Tommy Nicholls was a bit useful. We had strenuous in Manor Place Baths. I thought I won but it went the other way. Later, Tommy won European gold and Olympic silver. He had many skills.

There was some queue for you when you know you were driving a professional.

Our phone called several hundred times a day, but I was advised to go with Arthur Boggis. Arthur and I had petite ups and downs, but I think it’s a good partnership.

It took you a long time to win the Lonsdale belt.

For six years. I defeated Joe Lucy in ’57, Darku Hughes in ’61 and Maurice Cullen in ’63.

This victory over Hughes was the fastest in the history of the British fight for the title.

I think so. The time he had 40 seconds on his watch when he was counted. Benny Jacobs [Hughes’ manager] I came to my wardrobe to congratulate me and joke: “Mind, Darkie was at the head of points at the finish.”

What was your most challenging fight?

All. You need to do the same preparations for each work. And strenuous work punishes the body to get to the top. I would say that I worked the most challenging in the second fight of Joe Brown. And the ending was very bitter.

Many good judges thought you would win it.

Apparently, the only person who thought I was licked was Tommy Little, a judge. He is not for me, his only opinion that mattered. I choked.

What are you doing?

I am a constructor of the specification. I buy a plot of free land, receive a building permit, I put houses, sell them and go on. I also have a maintenance company. We do everything from foundations, laying bricks, plaster, sewage and roofs.

How many houses have you built from the beginning five years ago?

Over 400.

Any thoughts about the game?

Boxing was very good for me. I’ve always earned money. I have never had to apply for financial support that can kill any company. I worked in boxing, working on anything. If it is worth doing something, only the best should be good enough.

Action for the development of Charnley’s real estate and other enterprises will develop, thanks to which his life has become a success in the ring and outside. He died in 2012 at the age of 76.

10 “World” fighting for the title that took place in Valentine’s Day. Here is the full list below:

Jimmy Wilde in RTD 12 Joe Symonds – 1916
Wilde Wales said that IBU Flyight Honors in Covent Garden in his second victory over Symonds Plymouth.

Sugar Ray Robinson in RSF 13 Jake Lamotta – 1951
Robinson contested the elderly rival Lamott to become a middleweight champion in the massacre in St. Valentine’s Dassacre in Chicago.

Jose Naples in RSF 15 Ernie Lopez – 1970
Kuban Naples stopped WBC and WBA WELTER for the third time, stopping Lopez La in Inglewood.

Luis was 15 Leo Palacios – 1976
In the second of 11 successful WBA title defense for Estaba, Venezuelans triumphed in their native country.

Eusebio Pedroza at KO 13 PAT Ford – 1981
In his hometown of Panama City Pedroza held his WBA belt in a featherweight for the 11th time after the dominance of Ford Guyana.

Evander Holyfield in RSF 7 Henry Tillman – 1987
Holyfield retained his crown WBA Cruiser, driving a friend from the Olympic team in the USA in Reno in Nevada in 1984.

McGiRT Buddy in RSF 12 Frankie Warren – 1988
Fighting in the yard of Texas in Warren, Recent Yorker McGirt won the victory of revenge, as well as a free belt to super lightweight IBF.

Robert Quiroga at UD 12 Carlos Mercado – 1992
Italy was the environment when Texan Quiroga made the fourth triumphant defense of its title Super Flyight IBF.

Nate Campbell at MD 12 Ali Funeka – 2009
Floridian Campbell lost lightweight WBA, IBF and WBO stripes on the scales, but won in his family state against Funeka in South Africa.

Cristobal Cruz at UD 12 Cyril Thomas – 2009
At Away Turf in France, Cruz from Mexico successfully defended his IBF feather crown for the first time.

In a recent article about Alan Richardson, I commented that “he is another of the masters from the 70s who are threatened with forgetting.” I do not know the exact reason why the seventies, considered by so many to be a golden age, produced so many good scruples, which rarely receive a memory today, but I suspect that it may be because so little from what they achieved in the ring is easily accessible in the film.

The BBC and ITV destroyed a significant part of their archive in the early 1980s. It looks like they have preserved many top -shelf competitions that were broadcast on Sports Night with David Coleman the day after duels, but the fight against Karda, which were shown on the stand next Saturday, I undertook that the victim of great purge. That is why it is possible to see Alan Minter versus Kevin Finnegan on YouTube, but you will not find Mark Blush vs Tommy Wright, almost certainly shot and undoubtedly television on the stand. I tremble to think how many scraps with Jimmy Flint, so exhilarating a man to watch, was destroyed, or when it comes to, Jimmy Batten, Vernon Sollas and Gary Davidson.

Nowadays, boxers are spoiling with the number of materials that exist in their competitions. However, this is not for Tim Wood and Phil Martin’s families. Unfortunately, none of these great fighters is still with us because they both died youthful. They were not world, but they both went to the top of the British lithe unit, when he was crowded with very difficult people, including Johnny Frankham, Johnny Wall, Phil Matthews, Pat McCann, Roy John and Rab Affleck. I can’t find material for many attacks that took place between these warriors.

Tim Wood was born and bred in London, but moved to Midlands as a teenager. He joined Keystone ABC based in Kettering, almost as he arrived. After moving to the Leicester club in Belgrave, he became a heavyweight champion of ABA in 1972 by Hammeling Les McGowan from Speke in one round. Then he defeated him again, two months later, in the Olympic trial, but he was not elected to the GB Olympic team, because with a compact 13 stone it was too lithe to face powerful Eastern Europeans and Americans, not to mention the final gold medalist – Cuban Teofilo Stevenson.

After this Snubu, he began a professional and after non -toning in the ninth he suffered three elementary defeats, including a bad knockout at Eddi Neilson. This proves that the Olympic selectors were probably correct and Tim quickly returned to weighty weight.

Phil Martinwho boxed John Conteh in the final of the East Lancashire championships in 1971, he became a professional at the end of 1974 and won 10 of 11, when he was adjusted with Wood to question the British lithe title at the World Sporting Club, in Mayfair, in April 1976. Two competed for a free title, which took place in such a hondon by Chris Finnegan.

At that time, Conteh was the world champion, and neither Wood nor Martin were near the Finnegan or Conteh class. Roy John, a pretender at number one, was to fight Martin for an empty title, but he withdrew with an eye injury, so Wood, who was beaten by John in the eliminator of the title only five months earlier, was lucky.

Wood took the opportunity with both hands, exceeding a man from Manchester in 15 difficult rounds. Tim lost the crown at the beginning of the following year after flattening in one round by Bunny Johnson. It is a pity that it is now largely forgotten. Martin’s memory, however, remains crystal clear, after excellent work, which he then did with the “Champions camp”. But try to find a recording in the ring – it won’t be straightforward.