ANOTHER EBA REAWAKENS
This time it’s Bournemouth which begins their post-lockdown comeback
BOURNEMOUTH EBA Secretary Michael Hinton contacted me with the good news that Bournemouth held their first meeting in over a year on September 5, at their regular venue, The Cricketers.
Michael went on to say that two weeks later several members went to Cardiff for the Hall of Fame, where they saw President David Fry collect his “well-deserved” Lifetime Service Award. I quite agree – David has done a lot for Bournemouth, and is a great supporter of the EBA movement generally.
The Hall of Fame is mentioned in several EBA newsletters. A party of 12 went down from Leeds to see former Star referee Micky Vann inducted, and a party from Leicester also made the trip. There’s a nice photo in the Leicester newsletter showing the members with “Modern Era” inductee Colin Jones, Wales’ fine former
British, Commonwealth and European welterweight champion (who so narrowly missed gaining a WBC title).
And the Manchester newsletter records that a group from MEBA attended to see Secretary Eddie Copeland and Life President Tommy Proffitt inducted. To quote: “This was a very proud moment for them both and for MEBA.
“Eddie Copeland was inducted for Lifetime Services and Tommy Proffitt for Amateur Boxing. Also inducted was great Manchester professional trainer Brian Hughes MBE.
“Stacey Copeland [Eddie’s daughter] and partner were in attendance, along with some of Tommy Proffitt’s family as Tommy is poorly at the moment. Brian’s wife, sons and grandsons were also there.
“Eddie gave an amusing speech, which made everyone laugh. Tommy’s grandson made a nice speech on behalf of Tommy and so did Brian’s son.”
I’m sure everyone hopes Tommy will be better soon. And immediately after that piece is a message of congratulation for new pro Johnny Kiely, who won his debut on September 11 with a points win over fellow first-timer Jake Bray in Bolton. It’s so important that EBAS show they care about the current scene, and are not simply about reminiscing about the past.
The latest Scottish EBA newsletter records that former British and Commonwealth featherweight champion Evan Armstrong was honoured with a posthumous award, and his daughter and son were there to receive it. Evan was a terrific fighter, who took part in some unforgettable battles in his 11-year career (1963 to 1974). A well-deserved award.
Scotland meet at the Hutchesontown Bowling Club, 9 Oatlands Gate, Glasgow – and their Christmas Party will be held there on Saturday, December 11 – with the hope (to quote the newsletter) “[of] uniting the ex-boxers and bowlers together. This may encourage more people to join our organisation.”
That’s a novel idea – and a very good one. Every EBA needs new members – and, as I keep stressing, you don’t have to have boxed in order to join one. I’ll be interested to see how things work out – and it’s good to see these events being planned. Another major step back towards normality.
This month’s in-depth look at the Scottish scene deals with 1962. In March, Glasgow’s Billy Rafferty travelled to Belfast to tackle old foe Freddie Gilroy for the British and Commonwealth bantam titles. They had met before, Gilroy winning on cuts in round 13 – the return was hard-fought but Gilroy always seemed to have the edge, and Rafferty was KOD in the 12th. He had said beforehand that he would retire if he lost, and he kept his word – and went on to become a Star referee and judge.
In January, “Cowboy” John Mccormack, who had won the European middleweight title the previous year, defended against unbeaten Heinrich Freytag in Frankfurt. Getting a decision over a German in Germany wasn’t easy, but Mccormack boxed splendidly to take the verdict. Sadly a trip to Copenhagen resulted in a controversial disqualification loss against local Chris Christensen – but Mccormack followed that with a points win over world-class American Henry Hank at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall.