COME ONE, COME ALL
Everyone welcome at EBA meetings where there is much fun to be had
I’VE said it before – these aren’t the easiest of times for Ex-boxers’ Associations, and it’s vital that they help the cause by attending one another’s functions.
So I was delighted to receive the latest Leicester EBA newsletter, and read that last month Leicester were represented at both the British EBA Hall of Fame Awards Lunch in Hastings and the annual Welsh convention.
“Three of us went down to Hastings by car – [Chairman/president] Mick Greaves, Vice-president Tony Sibson and myself,” secretary Alan Parr told me. “But we had a coach to Wales – about 19 went.”
EBAS regularly used to organise coach trips to visit other Associations, but nowadays the high cost – and dwindling numbers – often makes this impossible. “But we usually manage,” Alan said. “We booked a 29-seater for Wales, and when it’s somewhere nearer, like Nottingham, we can get a 53-seater – because members tend to bring family, and friends.”
That last is a good point – you don’t have to have boxed, or be associated with boxing, to attend an EBA function, or become a member. My wife had little interest in boxing before we met, but she’s come to a number of EBA events – and always been struck by the atmosphere, and the friendliness. “It’s the mingling, and the meeting, that matters,” Mick Greaves said.
“There’s no other sport like it. You get two guys fighting for 12 or 15 rounds – they meet again, 50 years later, and the genuine affection between them is something special.”
Mick especially enjoyed meeting relatives of former world lightheavyweight champion Freddie Mills, a posthumous inductee. Mick’s father, Jim, met Freddie twice, in 12-rounders at Bournemouth’s Westover Ice Rink. They boxed a draw in November 1937, and two months later Freddie won on points.
Sibson, who campaigned between 1976 and 1987 and was European, British and Commonwealth middleweight champion, was very popular in his fighting days – and found himself much in demand at Hastings, happy to sign autographs and pose for photos. He also met former opponent Alan Minter.
“It was a wonderful day,” Hastings EBA Chairman Dave Harris said. “And other EBAS were very supportive. Tickets sold out within six weeks!”
It was the third such function, all organised by Hastings – but next year’s will be hosted by the Central Midlands
EBA, and I understand Essex will be the hosts in 2019. “That’s how I always wanted it to be,” Dave said. “Having different EBAS host it pulls all the EBAS together.”
As mentioned, membership of some EBAS has been dwindling – but Hastings is one of the healthy ones, with monthly attendances rarely falling below 50. “We meet on the last Sunday of the month, at the Silverhill Club,” Dave said. “Upstairs there’s a room full of memorabilia – it’s like a museum of boxing in Hastings.
“In the past eight months we’ve raised over £7,000 for deserving causes.”
As many of you know, Dave has been fighting cancer for some time, and in fact was due to get some results last Friday. We all wish him well, but he’s fighting it with typical determination. “I’m going to be at next year’s Hall of Fame Lunch, definitely!” he said.
The 2018 event is due to take place at The Premier Suite, High Green, Cannock, on Sunday, September 16. You can get details from Paul Nutting, 0776-664-1590. Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. on November 1, and cost £35 each.
Still regarding EBA memberships dwindling, I was interested in an item in the latest Scottish EBA newsletter. The SEBA committee have prepared a letter to be sent, initially, to Glasgow amateur boxing clubs – to ask the trainers to bring their young boxers along to a SEBA meeting, with a view to creating new members.
That’s a great idea, and I hope it’s successful. All EBAS need new blood – inevitably members pass on, and if they’re not replaced then the Association will eventually cease. Current boxers are always welcome to join EBAS – you don’t have to wait until you retire! – and I’ll be very interested to hear how this initiative works out.
The Scottish Association meets at 12.30 on the second Sunday of the month at The Iron Horse, 115 West Nile Street, Glasgow.