THE MADIGAN-ALI TRILOGY
I WAS very sorry to hear about the passing of three-time Australian Olympian Tony Madigan on October 29. I met Tony in 1954 while serving in Germany with the RAF. The station boxing officer asked me if I would box Tony in an event which was arranged by the Germans. I was totally unaware of his high-quality standing, but I was only 18 years old and was eager to box anyone, so I agreed. I sparred with him on two occasions after that, and was made aware of who he was and how good he was. Tony was a perfect gentleman who had an iron chin. It was an honour to have known him.
The press reports I’ve read state that Tony fought Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) on two occasions, but they did in fact fight three times – in 1958, 1959 and 1960, with Tony winning the first on points, and losing the second and third by decision. Many people believe Tony actually deserved the verdict in the third fight, which was an Olympic semifinal.
Tony and Ali went on to become very good friends. In 1963, I had the privilege of meeting Ali, who I talked to for about 15 minutes. It was being rumoured at that time that Tony was considering turning professional and he hoped to face Muhammad in his first pro fight. When I mentioned this to Ali, his eyes lit up. He then said that he had no say regarding his opponents, and simply fought who he was told to. Pat Leighton
CHESS MATCH
THE Liam Smith-liam Williams rematch wasn’t the war that the fans had wished for. After the thrilling first scrap and the real dislike between the two boxers, we all expected a continuation of the first encounter. This didn’t happen, as a lot of respect was shown by the two fighters, which led to a chess match of a fight. Williams is a very game and capable fighter, but the experienced Smith just had a little more in his locker, which earned him the decision. It was good to see the fighters embrace each other after the final bell. Now Smith can continue to chase another world title. Patch Hammond, Norwich
NOT GOOD FOR THE SPORT
I WAS a little taken aback by the announcement of James Degale’s next opponent – Caleb Truax. I was even more taken aback by Gilberto Ramirez taking on Habib Ahmed. This is not good for the sport. There’s no need for world champions to inflate their records with undeserving opponents. Robert Brewer