CHAMPION’S SWANSONG
Charity event could prove to be Hudson’s last action before turning professional
RICHIE WOODHALL’S Wellington Boxing Academy stage a show to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Research at AFC Telford United’s ground this month.
Head coach Mo Fiaz says he hopes to get 12 of his boxers matched on the show on Friday, March 17, including their latest national champion.
Roha Hudson became the club’s first female national champion when she won Development honours at 81+kgs in December 2021.
Hudson has won all eight bouts, but has struggled to get matched, given the shortage of female boxers at the weight.
Fiaz says he is determined to get her matched on this month’s show in what could prove to be the 23-year-old’s last amateur bout before she turns professional.
“The pros will suit Roha,” said Fiaz, who helped steer Kirk Stevens to a shock win at an eight-man tournament in Solihull last night. “She will have more time.”
Shabaz Masoud is a fighter who learned his boxing at Wellington before moving into the paid ranks, and the unbeaten superbantamweight will be a guest of honour at this month’s show, along with Woodhall.
Wellington have produced many champions over the past decade, including Akash Tuqir, who won European Youth gold in 2015 and was also an Elite finalist before deciding to concentrate on work commitments.
Fiaz has high hopes for senior light-welterweight Hasnin Zaber, who’s 30-bout record shows 18 wins.
Zaber is set to be matched at the football ground this month.
The club moved to a new gym last year.
They are now based at the Leegomery Local Centre after their New College base was shut.
Woodhall said: “The club was opened 13 years ago because there were lots of problems in the area with kids.
“Ever since we opened, the crime rate dropped and the police and local council have backed us.
“They can see the benefit of having a boxing gym in the area.”
Fiaz, who was in Masoud’s corner alongside Ben Davison for his breakthrough win over Jack Bateson last year, estimates he has 100 people at his gym every night.
He said: “We have three sessions every night. We start off with the juniors, then there’s a fitness and beginners’ session and that’s followed by the seniors.”
Fiaz, who had 65 amateur bouts himself, says he has around 40 boxers registered.
TWO fine exponents of British boxing in the early 1980s were Sid Smith of Forest Hill, London, and Bristol’s Chris Sanigar. Both were real hard men who could punch, and although neither won the British title, they were leading aspirants at super-lightweight.
Chris is now a successful manager, promoter and trainer, having dedicated his life to the sport and he is, undoubtedly, the top man today in Bristol boxing. As an amateur he boxed for the Bristol Empire ABC and, after beating Steve Early and Sylvester Mittee along the way, he reached the 1977 ABA final, losing out to Camperdown’s Jim Douglas. He then won the Eastern Counties title in 1978, for the second year running, before abandoning the vest to box professionally.
Smith also had an excellent amateur pedigree. He achieved the triple as a youngster in 1975, winning the NABC, London Feds and ABA Junior titles at 60kg. He boxed internationally on many occasions for Young England before representing London in a match against Paris in 1977, where he beat his man convincingly. Boxing for Fitzroy Lodge, he then won the London South-east Divisionals before losing to Sylvester Mittee in the London final. Like Sanigar, he turned professional in 1978.
Smith signed with Dennie Mancini and soon forged his way into the British top 10 at super-lightweight. Despite an early loss to Swansea’s useful Frank Mccord, Sid won every one of his remaining 11 contests, and he was then matched against Sanigar for the vacant Sothern area crown.
Chris turned pro in September 1978, six months later than Sid, and like the Londoner, he made a good start to his career, winning his first seven. He then hit a rocky patch, starting with a two-round loss to Jarrow’s George Mcgurk at the Midland Sporting Club in Solihull. After this, Chris lost four from his next 12 but some of his victories were very creditable, including, in April 1981, a four-round stoppage win over Dan M’putu in Dunkirk, France, and it was immediately after this contest that Chris got the call to box Smith for the Southern area title.
On paper this was a very evenly matched contest. At the time, Sanigar was rated at number five in the UK, with Smith just one place behind. Because of recent fiascos on some of the big shows promoted by Mickey Duff and Mike Barrett, BN had a policy of rating forthcoming contests in their previews. The Sanigar-smith bout took place at the Royal Albert Hall on a card headed by heavyweight Gordon Ferris, who was matched with the American journeyman, Dwain Bonds.
BN rated the fight an A+, stating that “Sanigar can take the narrowest of points decisions, but Smith has a puncher’s chance” in what it reckoned was the “fight of the night”.
In the event, the bout petered out to an unsatisfactory ending when referee Larry O’connell halted the bout due to Sanigar suffering a nasty gash over his left eyebrow following a head clash in the third round. It was obvious that a rematch was necessary and Sanigar’s manager/ trainer, George Francis, wasted no time in arranging it, and the two men met six months later at the Elephant and Castle Leisure Centre in Southwark.
This time the bout was extremely good, with BN headlining “Such a thriller as Sanigar takes title”. The two men traded blows incessantly throughout the four rounds that it lasted, with the report stating that “For raw, concentrated excitement, the brief clash must rank amongst the very best seen in domestic rings this year. Fans witnessed boxing mayhem, with old fashioned grit and determination finally seeing Sanigar through.”
After being down in round two, Chris found the strength to blast out his London rival out body shots. After he admitted: “I’ve served my apprenticeship and it’s been a hard one. I wouldn’t wish that kind of education on my worst enemy.”
They really were two hard men.