Boxing News – July 04, 2019

PLENTY to read in the latest round of EBA

newsletters. Several interesting articles in

Mug’s Alley (Merseyside Former Boxers’

Association), but what fascinated me most

was the reproduction, on the back page,

of the programme for a Manny Goodall

promotion on March 5, 1977. Topping

the bill was Liverpool’s own John Conteh,

defending his WBC light-heavyweight

title against American Len Hutchins. On

the undercard, Leon Spinks – America’s

light-heavyweight Olympic champion the

previous year – was having his second

professional outing, at heavyweight. Both

won quickly – Conteh in three rounds,

Spinks (against Bolton’s Peter Freeman) in

the first. Who could have foreseen that

less than a year later, Spinks would upset

the great Muhammad Ali and become

world heavyweight champion in his

eighth pro fight? The programme cost 50

pence, and ticket prices started at £5.50,

up to £30 ringside. Happy days, eh?

Inside the newsletter are detailed

articles on two fine African featherweights

• Nigeria’s Hogan “Kid” Bassey and
  Ghanaian Roy Ankrah – both of whom
  boxed at Liverpool Stadium. Bassey, who
  went on to become world champion,
  appeared there several times, against
  some quality opponents. Ankrah beat
  local Tom Bailey over 10 rounds in July
  1950 and later won the Commonwealth
  title. The next Merseyside meeting
  takes place this Sunday ( July 7) at The
  Crosby Suite, Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool at
  11.30am.
  The Leicester EBA newsletter reports
  that former heavyweight Rocky Campbell
  was a surprise attendee at their recent
  meeting. That’s good to hear, and I hope
  you’ll keep on going, Rocky. Managed

initially by Leicester’s Johnny Griffin, and

subsequently by former European and

Commonwealth featherweight champion

Al Phillips, Rocky campaigned from 1965

to 1975, winning 22 and drawing three

of 43 contests. He met the best in Britain

and scored some creditable wins on the

continent, including forcing ex-European

heavyweight champion Jose Urtain to

retire after five rounds in Valencia.

I saw Rocky box several times. The first

show I attended at Shoreditch Town Hall,

in December 1968, had Rocky topping

the bill against Roy Enifer. Rocky was

actually a late substitute but pushed

Enifer all the way, losing a close eight-

round verdict. In September 1974, while

on the BN staff, I went to Birmingham to

cover Rocky against Dave Roden for the

vacant Midlands Area title (Rocky’s first

bout since the Urtain triumph). Roden

44 lBOXING NEWSlJULY 4, 2019 http://www.boxingnewsonline.net

YESTERDAY’S HEROES

Simon

Euan-Smith

simonoldtimers

@googlemail.com

EBA

correspondent

AROUND THE COUNTRY

News from

the Merseyside,

Leicester, Central

and Bournemouth

Associations

against Young Romania. In these two

tournaments, Andy boxed alongside

Charlie Magri, Terry Waller, Dave

McCann, Ricky Beaumont and Johnny

Pincham. That same year, Andy won the

London Senior Championships against

John Zeraschi of Alexandra BC. The

decision received a mixed reception,

but Braidwood’s effective southpaw

jab proved enough in the end. He was

then beaten in the ABA semi-finals

by Liverpool’s Gordon Kirk, who later

became a decent pro himself.

In 1975, Zeraschi, who by this time

had switched clubs and was now boxing

for Fitzroy Lodge, extracted revenge

by beating Andy in the final of the SE

London Divisionals. This setback was

only temporary, as in 1976 Andy again

became SE London champion, this time

at welterweight, with a hard-earned

victory over Casley McAllum. He came

a cropper in the London semi-finals,

however, being stopped by the very

capable Lloyd Lee, the eventual winner.

After this, Andy’s amateur career went

a little quiet as he deliberated about

turning professional.

With the support of his childhood

sweetheart, Barbara, he made the

decision to become a pro and, aged 21,

he had his first contest at the Manor

Place Baths, Walworth, for promoter

Paddy Byrne in May 1977. His opponent

was Johnny Elliott of Bournemouth. The

card was topped by Albert Hillman and

Alan Hudson, another Peckham boy.

The bill was a charity event organised by

the Mayor of Southwark, so Andy found

himself supporting the same cause his

father had 40 years before.

Andy beat Elliott to set the ball rolling.

Three weeks later he outpointed Trevor

“Cookie” Roomes in another bout at the

much-loved Walworth venue, and then

he beat Elliott twice more. For his fifth

bout, Andy was matched against Dennis

Pryce of Wolverhampton, then in the

early stages of what would prove to be

a tough 48-fight career. Dennis fought

them all and he knew his way around

the ring. He couldn’t match Braidwood’s

skills in this one, though, and he was

comfortably outscored. The same thing

happened again the following month, so

Andy ended 1977 with six straight wins

and was ranked 27th by Boxing News.

Andy only had one more contest after

this, being surprisingly outpointed by

newcomer Tony Kavanagh. Braidwood

appeared unlucky to lose but, having

been floored at the final bell, he must

have thought that there were easier

ways to make a living and he quit the

game. Andy stayed fit and healthy right

up until his illness and he leaves behind

a daughter, Phoebe, and a son, Bertie,

who is an avid reader of BN. You should

be proud of him, Bertie. He was a good

fighter, your dad.

NDY BRAIDWOOD,

of Peckham,

who had a short

professional career

in the late 1970s,

recently passed

away, aged 62, after

a brave struggle with prostate cancer.

Andy’s father, Bernard, was a decent

amateur boxer in London in the late

1930s and he had hopes himself of

turning pro. Like so many other fighters

of the time, his hopes were dashed

by the outbreak of war. One of the

highlights of Bernard’s career was being

asked to spar on a float in the annual

procession through the streets of South

London, organised by the Mayor of

Southwark.

Andy boxed for Robert Browning

ABC and had a good amateur career.

At the age of 15, he was the runner-up

in the ABA Junior Championships (Class

A) at 9st 7lbs. Just looking at some of

the other competitors in these finals

provides a clue as to the sort of standard

that Braidwood was boxing at – Kirkland

Laing, Jimmy Batten, Steve Early, Tommy

Dunn, Wayne Evans, George Gilbody

and Alec Tompkins all took part.

By 1974, he was a well-established

competitor at super-lightweight. He was

picked that year to represent London

ABA against West Berlin and he then

represented Young England in a match

R.I.P. ANDY BRAIDWOOD

Paying tribute

to a talented

South London

fighter

Miles

Templeton

Boxing

historian

A