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Fame for the fighting men
By Mike C Ryan
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In the Victory
Room this Saturday night, thirty historians
of Australian Boxing roll out the red carpet.
The Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame
selectors announce their second Induction of
the greats.
Four hundred guests ($99.50
in the "bleachers") attend dinner
in the Victory Room of the Telstra Dome in Melbourne
Docklands. Guests of Honour, Alan Rudkin from
England and Fighting Harada from Japan, embrace
old foes, Lionel Rose and John Famechon.
Nineteen great names will
join the Famers in five categories. Last year
the first Moderns were Rose
and Famechon, Fenech and Barry Michael.
(Originally nominated in 2002,
Lester Ellis has to wait the prescribed five
years retired. He came to the well, in 2002
with Mundine. Rocky Mattioli missed out when
revisionists said only four).
On this website tomorrow,
we shall speculate who the newly inducted Moderns
will prove to be.
Second category, Non-Combatants.
Promoters Hugh D McIntosh and Snowy Baker, and
trainer Jack Dunleavy were the first inducted.
Wouldn't you like to see the two Ern McQuillans
or television's two Ron Caseys join them? Or
promoters, Wren, Lean, Mawson, Mordey? Or referees,
Terry Reilly and Billy Males? Or scribes Merv
Williams and Steve Hayward?
Two non-combatants will be inducted - not necessarily
any of these.
The Old Timers
(1900-1939) began with Les Darcy, Jack Carroll,
Ambrose Palmer and Billy Grime.
Will we see Mick King, Lew Edwards, Bert Spargo,
Jack Haines or Fred Henneberry step up?
The first Veterans
(1939-1965) inducted were Jimmy Carruthers,
Dave Sands, Vic Patrick and Ron Richards. Will
Tommy Burns, George Barnes, Tod Morgan or the
two Millers be chosen?
In Pioneers
(pre-1900). Young Griffo is lonely for company
at the bar.
Frank 'Paddy' Slavin, Peter Jackson and Ruby
Robert Fitzsimmons (whom we rightly claim) are
waiting in the wings.
The sixth category instals
in the Hall of Fame, Internationals
who left their mark in Australian rings.
Jack Johnson, Lil Arthur,
left the mightiest mark. Freddie Dawson, "Dark
destroyer" of 21 Aussies, was named with
Johnson last year.
On Saturday the distinguished
names under consideration could include Canadian
Tommy Burns; the Americans Eddie McGoorty, Archie
Moore, Gus Lesnevich, Young Stribling, Alabama
Kid, Ralph Dupas and Emile Griffith; Nel Tarleton
of England; Eugene Criqui of France; Dencio
Cabanella and Rod Sequenan of the Philippines;
and D'Agata, Visintin and Nino Benvenuti of
Italy. Memorable imports all.
But wouldn't the
first call have to be Fighting Harada and Alan
Rudkin?
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Watch for our further sifting of the Moderns,
whom 30 selectors will reduce to two immortals,
on this web site tomorrow.
And
tune to Kid Kalin's colourful Gallery of the
Greats, in the new week.
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