REGIONAL RUCKS

When it comes to excitement and passion, Area title bouts rarely disappoint

IN November 1977, I was present at the Baths Hall, Darlington, to see Reg Long pound out a 10-round decision against Ralph Green to win the Northern Area lightheavyweight title. I remember a gruelling, action-packed contest that kept the large crowd very entertained. Almost exactly 40 years later, I was in the same town to watch another Northern Area title bout. This one between Jamie Humble and Chris Wood. The two men battled to a draw in a pulsating clash that was rightly named as one of Boxing News’ fights of the year for 2017.

I get to see a lot of shows these days and I consistently find that the best contests are those that take place for an Area title. Put two well-matched lads together for an Area belt and there tends to be fireworks. As something of a traditionalist, I am a great supporter of these bouts, for they have been around, in their present form, for 90 years.

The BBBOFC was originally formed in 1918. Its remit was to manage the professional game in the UK and it inherited this role from the National Sporting Club. Throughout the 1920s, it made little impact, as the game boomed and became far more commercialised. The Board was therefore reconstituted in 1929 and it awarded itself with additional powers aimed at tightening its control of the sport. Two of these powers had farreaching consequences and they are still enforced today.

Firstly, all those involved in the game, in whatever category, needed to be licensed, and secondly, the country was divided up into geographical areas and each of these areas had a council responsible for running the sport locally. Initially, there were only four such areas – Wales, Scotland and the Northern and Southern parts of England. By the end of the 1930s, England had been further sub-divided to include an Eastern and a Western Area, and a council had also been set up for Northern Ireland. The Midlands Area did not become established until after World War II.

Some of the Area title fights that took place in the 1930s were between men of extremely high calibre. Indeed, there were many boxers of exceptional ability who never got the chance to fight for an Area title, as the standard was so high. The image on the right shows the weigh-in for one such bout. Jack Hyams, of Stepney, and Bill Hardy, of Barlestone near Leicester, were matched for the Southern Area middleweight title in 1936. The bout was also an eliminator for the British championship. Hyams battered his rival to defeat in 11 tough rounds at the Stadium Club in Holborn.

After the war, there was a considerable expansion in the number of areas. For the first time, the Midlands Area was recognised with not one council, but three. The Midlands North, South and Central Areas each had their own council and their own title. Within a few short years, these were merged, and eight areas were formed nationally. This remained the situation until the Western Area was abolished quite recently, and so we arrive at the situation that exists today.

I well remember some excellent Area title bouts that took place in the 1970s and 1980s. The ex-british champion Jimmy Revie and Mario Stango of Bedford, for instance, shared two barnstormers for the Southern Area featherweight belt in 1974. Roy Skeldon of Tipton defended his Midlands Area light-heavyweight title in 1990, aged 37, having first won it 10 years previously. Roy was never going to be a British champion, but he was a very proud Area title-holder.

I was lucky enough to see Darryl Sharp beat Ben Davies for the Central Area middleweight title in Manchester a few years ago, and it was obvious just how much it meant to Darryl. When he retires, he can look back on his career as a proper champion, for he has held a belt that has some tradition. Let’s continue to support these contests, for in my view they really mean something.