SMILER PERKINS TROPHY
Ipswich EBA present an award to Harwich ABC’S Killian Hardy
LIKE so many EBAS, Ipswich support their local scene, both pro and amateur, and they have instituted the Smiler Perkins Trophy (named in honour of their former secretary), presented annually to the best local senior prospect.
Secretary Erik Roper told me: “This month four of our members attended the Harwich ABC Presentation Evening to present the trophy to Killian Hardy. Despite being out injured for four months, this lad has maintained a 75 per cent winning ratio and thoroughly deserved the award. Once again we were made most welcome by a club that has had its best season in the last 20 years.”
Well done, Killian, and well done, Ipswich. Initiatives like this do so much for boxing, and raise the profile of EBAS generally.
Ipswich also hold two annual lunches. The first is at the Park Hotel, Diss, Norfolk on Sunday August 12 – “when we will meet up with our friends from Eastern EBA (Norwich)” – and the other is at the Ipswich Hotel, Copdock, on Sunday October 14. Both deserve to be well supported, and I hope they are. Ipswich meet at 11am on the second Sunday of the month, at the Locomotive Club, Rectory Road.
As I’ve said many times, EBAS are constantly looking for new members. Latest recruit to North Staffs EBA is George Salmon, who campaigned in the ‘70s from lightweight up to middle. It all came about through a meeting at Chris Edwards’ funeral in May – Edwards being a former two-weight British champion.
North Staffs Secretary Richard Vaughan explained: “A lady approached me and asked if I was involved in boxing in any capacity, as her husband was a former professional boxer and would I like to meet him? To which I replied, ‘Of course I would.’
“As soon as I saw the gentleman in question – a very dapper gentleman – I had an idea who he was, and my thoughts were confirmed when the lady said: ‘This is my husband, George Salmon.’ I sat down with George and he very quickly began to talk to talk about his career, proudly saying that he was the first to take Dave “Boy” Green the distance, and that he had shared a ring with the likes of Jimmy Batten, Tony Poole and Steve Angell.” In fact, George met Batten on the latter’s debut, at the Albert Hall in June 1974, and Batten went on to become British champion at super-welterweight. Today he’s a regular attendee at London EBA meetings.
“Since our first meeting,” Richard said, “George has attended two meetings of the North Staffs EBA and has really enjoyed himself. He hopes to persuade his long-time friend and former stablemate, Keith Nugent, to attend a meeting in the near future. Even more pleasing to hear is that his wife, Lorna, has said that mixing with boxing people again has been very good for George.”
I’m not surprised. There’s always tremendous camaraderie when boxing folk get together. It really is something special. I’m delighted to hear George is enjoying being a member of North Staffs, and I hope he does persuade Keith Nugent to go along. Both were solid, reliable pros who lost more than they won but almost always went the distance. In fact, Salmon was stopped only once, Nugent never.
Curiously, a few days before I heard from Richard I had been reminded of Keith Nugent by a letter in from referee Steve Gray, highlighting what I’ve always seen as a flaw in our scoring system – the fact that winning a tight round is scored the same as winning a clear one.
In December 1973, I was at the famous Liverpool Stadium, covering future world light-heavyweight champion John Conteh against American Fred “Preacher” Lewis (Conteh won in three rounds). On the undercard, Tim Mchugh, a superwelter from Birkenhead, made his pro debut against Keith Nugent – winning over six rounds.
The score was 60-57, which, on the old half-point system, meant Mchugh won every round. Which he did. But the scoreline made no distinction between the first three rounds, which Mchugh dominated, and the last three, when Nugent found the range and came into things more. Decades later, this anomaly still persists.