Five boxing champions in Toon
WITH his winning smile and personality, coupled with devastating fists in the ring, Anthony Joshua is set to be the UK’s biggest ever boxing superstar.
The 27-year-old Watford-born world heavyweight champion has just completed a successful personal appearance in Newcastle.
Flanked by his burly entourage, and arriving via Newcastle Airport in a red Ferrari 488 sports car, ‘AJ’ wowed a sell-out crowd at the city’s Tyne Theatre and Opera House on Thursday night.
In April, the 6ft 6in star retained his title with a stunning 11th-round victory over Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium.
Now, Joshua threatens to explode on to the mainstream.
His recent appearance on Graham Norton’s TV show, a game of tennis with Andy Murray and comedians Jimmy Carr and Rob Brydon, and pictures of him hanging out with music superstar Stormzy have all continued to raise his considerable public profile.
Here, we recall five former heavyweight greats whose fame extended beyond the boxing ring, and who visited Newcastle and the North East. ■■Muhammad Ali, July 1977:
Quite simply ‘The Greatest’. The man who won the heavyweight title on three occasions.
But Ali transcended not only boxing and sport, but also race and religion. The most colourful, charismatic and flamboyant of characters, he was also a great humanitarian, famously speaking up for black Americans in the troubled late-1960s.
When he made a surprise visit to Tyneside nearly 40 years ago, he was probably the most famous man on the planet. During his four-day visit to Tyneside, he toured the region in an opentopped bus as tens of thousands of us took to the streets to catch a glimpse of the much-loved global superstar.
■Sonny Liston, September 1963:
The fearsome hard-hitting champ, known in the US as the Big Bear, arrived in the region in September 1963 as part of a European tour.
When his train pulled into Newcastle Central Station on the evening of Sunday, September 15, there was a big crowd anxious to get a glimpse of the menacing heavyweight.
Next day, as our photo shows, thousands turned out in the city
centre to witness the extraordinary sight of the champ riding through Newcastle on a magnificent white horse.
Liston, like a character from a classic western movie, cantered confidently on the horse, riding from the Royal Station Hotel to the now-demolished New St James’ Hall where he gave a boxing and sparring exhibition.
Joe Louis, September 1965:
Nicknamed the ‘brown bomber’, Alabama-born Louis was 51 and a former world heavyweight champ when he paid a visit to Newcastle in the company of the notorious Kray Twins.
Our picture shows the entourage enjoying an on-the-house drink at the city’s recently opened La Dolce Vita nightclub on Low Friar Street. Louis was paid a four-figure fee to appear at the club.
Considered one of the greatest of all time, Louis was champ from
1937 to 1949. His two fights against German heavyweight Max Schmeling are among the most famous of all time.
Frank Bruno, September 1997:
Frank Bruno was a longestablished national treasure when he opened Newcastle’s Ikon nightclub - the latest incarnation of the Oxford - 20 years ago.
The Londoner had become a household name, and his affable banter with TV boxing commentator Harry Carter - “know what I mean, Harry?” - became his calling card.
Bruno famously suffered two defeats against Mike Tyson, but finally landed the WBC crown when he outpointed Oliver McCall at Wembley Stadium in 1995.
Not without his troubles in the years after boxing, Frank remains a regular and popular visitor to the North East.
Mike Tyson, October 2012:
The ‘baddest man on the planet’, Mike Tyson became the biggest name in world boxing since Muhammad Ali. Famed for his ferocious punching and intimidating persona, Tyson was only 20 years old when he landed the world heavyweight title in 1986.
From the late 80s, however he became dogged with controversy in and out of the ring. He was jailed for rape in 1992. He last competed in 2005.
In October, 2012, “Iron Mike” was in Newcastle for a personal appearance and in philosophical mood. He told our reporter: “In life we correct ourselves so many times, and we are always reshaping ourselves to fit in with society. Life is one big school and we have to learn from it – we learn from the hard knocks and the hard times. The reality of life is that life is struggle.”