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Last count for former champs
Former Cape Province lightweight and junior welterweight champion Bramley Whiteboy has died of cancer in Cape Town at the age of 53.
His last fight was in Lusaka on November 10, 1994 when he was stopped in the first round by Felix Bwalya. Even though he lost 26 of his 62 recorded fights Whiteboy was always a match for anyone.
He made his professional debut in August 1976 with a first-round knockout over Boy Boy Mpulampula. In his second fight he lost on points to Jacob Morake, who died after a fight against Brian Mitchell on November 2, 1985.
Whiteboy was a journeyman who fought some of the best opponents of his time.
He took on Anthony Morodi, then the SA bantam, junior light and lightweight champion, Peet Bothma (SA lightweight champion), Norman Sekgapane (SA lightweight and junior welterweight champion), Tsietsie Maretloane (SA featherweight champion) and Coenie Bekker (SA jr middleweight champion).
Among his other opponents were Nkosana Mgxaji (SA jr light and jr welterweight champion), Gregory Clark (SA jr middle and middleweight champion), Brett Taylor (SA jr welterweight champion), Luvuyo Kakaza (SA jr welterweight champion), Mpisekhaya Mbaduli (SA jr lightweight champion), Sidney Msutu (SA welterweight champion), Brian Baronet and Jeffrey Mankune.
OLYMPIC CHAMPION DIES
Kazimierz Pazdzior, who won the lightweight gold medal for Poland at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, died in Wroclaw recently. He was 75.
Pazdzior, then a 25-year-old bricklayer from Radom, used his experience from 175 amateur fights to beat five opponents on his way the final.
He beat Richard McTaggart of Scotland, the 1956 champion, in the semifinals and outpointed Italian Sandro Lopopolo 4-1 in the final. In 1957 he also won gold at the 1957 European championships
A total of 34 boxers competed in the lightweight division in Rome. South African Stoffel Steyn beat Sidney Prior of Australia in the first series, but was outpointed by Lopopolo in his second fight.
Lopopolo later won the WBA and WBC light-welterweight titles as a professional.
OTHERS PASS AWAY
Former heavyweight contender Mac Foster, who retired with a record of 30-6, including 30 knockouts, also died recently. He was 68 years old.
Foster fought Muhammad Ali in Tokyo in 1972 and also faced top heavyweights Jerry Quarry, Cleveland Williams, Zora Foley and Joe Bugner.
Trainer Jimmy Murphy, who was known as “Mr West Ham,” passed away at the age of 68 in London on July 4.
The West Ham Boys Club near the Black Lion Public House in Plaistow, London, produced many ABA champions, which was testimony to his work over 25 years.
Matt Moran has died in Manchester at the age of 96. He started boxing at the age of 12 in Len Johnson’s travelling fairground booth. As a professional, he fought the original “Fen Tiger," Eric Boon, who later won the British lightweight title.
He later had his own travelling booth and among of his fighters were Frank Johnson, Jackie Braddock, Tommy Proffitt, Stan Skinkiss, Paul Dunne and Billy Shaw.
William “Elky” Clark and Alex Ireland have both been inducted posthumously into the Scottish Ex-Boxers Association Hall of Fame.
Clark, from Glasgow, won the British flyweight title in 1924 (it was not recognised by the National Sporting Club), and later won the British Empire and European flyweight titles.
Ireland, from Leith, won the welterweight silver medal at the Antwerp Olympics in 1920. As a pro he won the British and Empire middleweight titles.
In 1925 he visited South Africa and beaat Wally Baker, Johnny Squires and Bruno Fratini on points over 20 rounds. All the fights took place in the Johannesburg City Hall.
SNIPPETS
Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera may challenge WBC lightweight champion Humberto Soto in Mexico City on September 11.
Jan Zaveck, from Slovenia, will defend his IBF welterweight belt against the only man who has beaten him, mandatory challenger Rafael Jackiewicz of Poland, on September 4 in Slovenia.
The famous 5th Street Gym in Miami, which closed after a 42-year period in 1992, will reopen on August 14. Muhammad Ali trained there under Angelo Dundee.
