TEARS OF A CROWN

How ‘coward’ Nelson proved critics wrong

JOHNNY NELSON wanted to celebrate like Eric Cantona when he finally won a world title. Instead, he dropped to the floor and started crying tears of joy.

It is 21 years this week since the man from Sheffield, harshly labelled a coward and a no-hoper, reached the top of the world by beating Carl Thompson to win the WBO cruiserweight title.

Nelson, who was, in his own words, the personification of Brendan

Ingle’s Sheffield gym, had overcome the ridicule to rule as a world champion at the third attempt, nine years after his first shot.

“I had two roads to go down – if I didn’t win then that was me done. I was retired. There was no fourth chance,” said Nelson, now a regular on our screens as a Sky Sports pundit.

When Nelson drew with Carlos De Leon in 1990 for the WBC title, it was an awful fight in which he froze.

He bore the brunt of the criticism, people would mock him in the streets and he received feathers in the post as a message that he was somehow a coward.

But Dublin-born Ingle stood by him and he needed this win more than Thompson, who had beaten Chris Eubank twice the previous year. They needed something to upset Thompson, though, and Nelson had to play the part of a villain.

So they hatched a plan which saw Nelson make up a story about visiting Thompson’s favourite night club.

Nelson whispered the tale to John Ingle at the final press conference, knowing the man known as ‘The Cat’ would hear it.

When he said he met a woman with the same name as Thompson’s partner, the champion erupted.

“I knew I had him,” said Nelson.

Indeed he did. He floored Thompson in the fourth at the Derby Storm Arena, did an Irish jig as he had promised pre-fight and then secured the win in the fifth.

“After the fight, my intention was to be really cool, like when Eric Cantona scored that goal against Sunderland and stood with his arms folded,” Nelson added.

“But when the referee stopped it, I fell to the floor and started crying. I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders when I won.”

■ Johnny Nelson has launched his own fitness programme which you can find out all the info on at https://johnnynelson.co.uk