WHERE IT ALL BEGINS
Central EBA are looking out for those at grassroots level
I’VE always stressed the importance of EBAS taking an interest in, and supporting, present-day boxing. Central (Midlands) EBA Chairman Gary Bate certainly agrees. In his Chairman’s Chat, he writes: “I personally have had a great start to 2019 by gaining my Box England Level 1 coaching certificate in January. I’m hoping to use this to expand the use of the WBC [Wolverhampton Boxing Club] gym, to schools, youth groups and also special needs adult groups.”
Well done, Gary. This is a great example of an EBA member putting something into the sport and in so doing, raising the profile of his Association.
“We’re great believers in helping local kids and amateur clubs,” Secretary Paul Nutting told me. “For instance, a couple of years ago, Frank O’sullivan’s club – Birmingham City ABC – sadly got burgled, and we made a sizeable donation to help replace the equipment.”
There’ll be a party from Central EBA at the London Annual Awards Lunch this Sunday (February 17), and of course that’s another vital part of keeping the EBA movement going – Associations attending one another’s functions. The greater part of Central’s current newsletter consists of an in-depth tribute to the recently retired George Groves. A very interesting read.
The current Leicester EBA newsletter opens with an appeal with which I’m sure virtually every Association will identify: “Without reaching any alarming figures, our membership numbers have been steadily dwindling in recent years. We are not alone in this situation and, sadly, some EBAS have reluctantly folded.
“Thankfully, we are some way from that plight, but we should not be complacent. New members are needed and would be most welcome. We have a strong nucleus who attend our monthly meetings, support outings and social events, and are generous with their contributions. It’s also a fact that we have several friends who’ve enjoyed our trips out, but we can only organise these outings if we have support in numbers from the membership. So, please do your best. If you know an ex-boxer or a supporter of boxing, encourage them to join.”
I’m sure that will resonate with everyone. I’m friendly with an ex-boxer who lives very near me, and I tried for a long time to get him to attend Croydon meetings. He said he’d like to, but somehow never got round to it. So one day I rang him, told him the meeting was that coming Sunday, and offered to collect him. He said yes, and he enjoyed
it so much that by the end of the meeting he’d taken out membership, and he’s been a regular attendee since. Not only that, he’s also joined London EBA! Often it’s just a question of that initial push.
The phrase “or a supporter of boxing” is important. As I’ve said many times, you don’t have to have boxed to belong to an EBA. The fact that you’re reading
BN proves you’re interested in the sport, so why not go along to your local Association.
Last week, I mentioned former opponents (and current Essex and London members) Albert Carroll and Johnny Kramer reunited on the front of the current Essex EBA newsletter. I gave some details of Albert’s career, so it’s right that I should do the same for Johnny.
Johnny Kramer (West Ham) boxed professionally from 1959 to 1970, winning 39 and drawing three of 68 outings. Twenty-three of his wins came inside the distance. One early victim was my good friend (and fellow LEBA member) Bernard Hart, stopped in five rounds.
A two-weight Southern Area champion, Johnny met some of the best welter and middleweights around – Bunny Sterling, Mark Rowe, Johnny Pritchett, Wally Swift, Ralph Charles, Les Mcateer and Tony Mundine. He beat Sterling on points in a middleweight title defence, but lost the return on a cut. His last two fights took place in Australia – a very creditable points win over New Zealand’s Kahu Mahanga, and a cut-eye loss to future Commonwealth king (and world title challenger) Mundine.