As anyone who has ever stepped into a boxing ringwill agree, it isn’t anexperience that can be easilyforgotten. Not least in thedays when boxing waslargely unregulated and therules that did exist were oftenignored. Former boxer
GedolWyn Roberts
sharesmemories of fairgroundbooths, Geoff Capes andHitler’s boxing ring...
“I was born in January 1937 in asmall village on the West coastof Wales, the youngest of four children, losing my father at theage of nine. Boxing was myfavourite sport and I would listento it on the radio. Most boutscame from Haringey Arena; JoeLouis, Bruce Woodcock, FreddyMills and Tommy Farr were all intheir prime at this time and I’dpaste their pictures from thedaily newspapers on my door.
In January 1952, when Iwas fifteen, I left home to find ajob. I was accepted by the GreatWestern Railway in thelocomotive department, andposted to Slough as a locomotivefireman. That’s when I joined theSlough Boys Boxing Club.
With some training anda few wins under my belt Ibought my first pair of boxingboots, all black leather withwhite laces. After I married Iwould loop my wedding ringthrough the top lace for goodluck.
Before being called upfor National Service, I took partin boxing booths on fairs. Onethat comes to mind is Eton Fair,held in a sports field near Windsor and run by SamMcCrowns. I found the rulesquestionable – low punching,kidney punching and the use of thumbs and heads were ignoredby the referee, and with threeloose ropes to stop you fallingout of the ring, rope burnsbehind the knee were a commonoccurrence. The going rate for going the distance was £2 and£3 for a win.
In 1955 I went into theArmy and fought many hardbouts to get myself picked for theregimental boxing team atwelterweight. Sparring partnerswere in abundance on aMonday morning when theregimental police marched intheir defaulter’s for fighting inthe N.A.F.F.I. After too manyGerman lagers, they broughttheir nasty streaks into the ringand we taught them a lesson.
On 1
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February 1957 Iwon the light middleweightIndividual Open BoxingChampionship of B.A.O.R. at thesports stadium that Hitler hadbuilt for the 1936 OlympicGames in Berlin. To qualify for the title I had to fight twice inone afternoon. Knocking outboth opponents from the ScottishBlack Watch regiment, I went onto win on points in the eveningagainst Fusilier Adams of theRoyal Welsh Fusiliers. Being inthe team got us away fromguard duties and parades, andwe got extra food and travelledquite extensively aroundGermany to box variousregiments.
On my return to civvystreet in 1957, and back toBritish Rail, I carried on trainingand in 1958 won the GreatWestern regional championshipin Newport at middleweight,winning on points to a chap withthe surname Salmon. It was ahard bout, and the last roundbecame a toe-to-toe sloggingmatch. To this day I can’t recallreceiving the trophy from theassistant director of British Rail,or walking back to the dressingroom – only the doctor askingquestions I couldn’t answer. Onreceiving back my medical bookI noticed that the doctor hadmade the entry – ‘Amnesia, 25minutes’.
In qualifying for therailway finals I was matchedagainst WJ Stack fromLeamington Spa. He had thelook of Freddy Mills and I knewit was a matter of stepping intothe ring, not turning my back tohim and being assisted out. Hewas a very good amateur boxer
My life in amateur boxing - Gedol Wyn Roberts
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