MODEST AND GRACIOUS
LONDON EBA member Bob High kindly contacted me to give me the sad news that former British and European bantamweight champion Johnny Clark had died. He was 73. From Walworth, Johnny had been suffering from dementia for some time, and the last few years of his life were spent in a care home in St Leonard’s, Sussex. Hastings EBA Chairman Dave Harris used to visit him, and take him to EBA meetings and other functions.
“He was a lovely man,” Dave said. “He loved to be among boxing people, and we always loved having him at Hastings. Seeing Johnny like that was one of the things that gave me the idea for the Ringside Rest and Care Home. He would have been so much happier being with boxing people, to whom he could talk about his fights – and with a cinema where he could watch them on film. The last time I saw him, I took him to an Essex EBA meeting – and of course they made him most welcome, and he had a great time.”
Johnny boxed professionally between 1966 and 1974, with 39 wins (27 inside schedule) against three losses and a draw. The draw (against Tommy Connor) and a loss to Scot John Kellie (when Johnny was found to have a blood disorder) were both avenged via stoppage. The one opponent Johnny couldn’t overcome was Liverpool’s world-class Alan Rudkin, who twice turned Johnny back in British title defences. When Rudkin was forced to retire owing to eye problems, Johnny took over his mantle by outscoring Belfast’s Paddy Maguire in an excellent 15-rounder.
I saw Johnny box many times. All his bouts were staged in London, all but nine at either the Albert Hall or Wembley. In 1973, he twice boxed a tough Japanese, Hiro Hamada. The first time, at Wembley, Johnny got home by just one round (though from my ringside pitch I definitely thought he won). Just over seven weeks later they met again, at the Albert Hall – and this time the margin was five rounds. In the audience was the legendary former world featherweight champion, Willie Pep – and he was very impressed with Johnny.
The talk was of a challenge to WBC champion Rafael Herrera – and when I subsequently interviewed Pep for BN, he said he thought Johnny had a great chance. Sadly, the fight never happened – the following year a detached retina forced Johnny to retire. It was a shattering blow.
In 2010, Johnny was reunited with old rival Rudkin at the Shoreditch Town Hall reunion – sadly Rudkin died suddenly, just a few days later. The last time I saw Johnny was at the Manor Place Baths reunion in 2018. “He had a lovely time,” Dave Harris said. “He signed so many autographs!”
I was called into the ring to present Johnny with his Manor Place medal – along with another former fine bantamweight (and now London EBA member), Tony Humm. MC Steve Holdsworth asked Tony if he’d liked to have boxed Johnny. “He would have been too good for me,” Tony replied. “You can’t say that!” Johnny said. “We never did it in the ring, so we can’t know!” That was typical of Johnny – as modest and gracious outside the ring as he was ruthless inside. My condolences to his family and friends.
Brighton EBA’S newsletters regularly include informative articles by Leigh Crompton on fighters of the past, and the current one has a piece on American heavyweight Jeff “Candy Slim” Merritt, who’s largely forgotten now but was considered a real prospect in the ‘70s.
Sadly – and this has happened so many times – a very promising career was ruined by drugs (in Merritt’s case, heroin).
Merritt’s final tally was 22 wins (17 inside schedule), against three losses and a draw. Significantly, all three losses came by the quick route – including a one-round defeat by Henry Clark, whom Jeff had already beaten. Jeff died in 2014, aged 67.