POSITIVE SIGNS
LEBA welcome a new member and hope to hold a March meeting
IN his editorial to January’s Seconds Out, London EBA’S monthly newsletter, LEBA Secretary/treasurer Ray Caulfield repeats that, now vaccinations have started, LEBA should be able to hold a monthly meeting on March 7. Let’s hope so.
Committee member Bob Cheeseman has penned a piece on his old school friend and three-weight ABA champion, Terry Waller. He recalls Terry representing Great Britain at lightwelterweight in the Mexico Olympics of 1968, where a freak accident ruled him out in his very first bout. Terry was put down in the first round (by Cuban Enrique Regueiferos), broke his tibia near the ankle, and that was that.
Bob relates a follow-up story, which is so shocking it’s funny. When Terry got back to England, he was called for interview by the BBC, who gave him £5 to cover transport and a meal. Subsequently he was contacted by the ABA, who informed him that if he had been paid he would forfeit his amateur status. The taxi plus meal came to £4 17s 9d (about £4.88 in today’s money). So Terry’s father bought a postal order for the difference and sent it to the BBC, enabling his son to box on as an amateur for several years (and win four more ABA titles). Bob also mentions that Terry and his wife, Louise, have recently become grandparents – for the 10th time!
In his ‘Round and About’ column, Bob says he has talked to, among others, former British featherweight champion Vernon Sollas, who originally hailed from Scotland but was based in London throughout his pro career – and has been a keen LEBA member for several years. Bob also reports that member Micky Abrams is making good progress after some problems following his recent operation, and gives the happy news that Charlie Wynn will be joining LEBA.
Charlie, as most people know, was a promising fighter who won both his pro outings, but then suffered a horrific injury in sparring. Rehabilitation has been slow, but Charlie has been making progress. EBAS, and the boxing community generally, have rallied round to help raise the money he needs for treatment (not available under the NHS). It will be great to see Charlie at a LEBA meeting.
LEBA member Dominic Bergonzi called to tell me the sad news that Freddie Barr, long-time trainer at Kingston ABC, had died. “He was a fantastic guy, an absolute legend,”
Dominic said. “He was a London coach, an England coach, and he trained trainers! He had tremendous experience, and a real wealth and depth of knowledge of amateur boxing. When I first met him I was at a crossroads in my career. I’d just lost to Lloyd Honeyghan in the London championships, and I was feeling down because I thought I deserved the verdict. Freddie was there, filming the bouts – he regularly did that – and came to see me in the dressing room. He gave me his phone number and invited me to come down to Kingston.
“I came down the following week – it took about two hours, from Hackney – and the club was an old church hall, with buckets to catch the rain where the roof was leaking. But we absolutely clicked! I joined, and I got revenge over
Honeyghan – it was on his Fisher club show, in South-east London, and it was his last bout before going pro. Terry Lawless and Mickey Duff were there to watch, and I spoiled it for him – I took a unanimous decision. Freddie worked out the strategy – he could always suss out a boxer, and come up with a plan – and I followed it. Freddie really gave me belief in myself.”
Honeyghan, of course, became British, European and undisputed world welterweight champion. Dominic boxed professionally from 1980 to 1984, and had 14 bouts, winning nine and drawing one. “Freddie Barr was like a father to me – to many of us,” Dominic said. “He’ll be very sorely missed.”
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