The fights my dad always talked about

[CutMeMick]

My dad died this morning at 12.30 am in Sandwell hospital. I got back home at around 3.30 and, just after, classic fights were on tv, with joe frazier and jimmy ellis.

1st and foremost my thoughts and prayers are with you and will be with you tonight.

It reminded me of my dad because he always used to talk about watching old fights in the sixties and seventies, not live but highlights. Does anyone know what the show was called?

Well that I know of there was only the 'Gillette Calvacade of Sports' back in those days. Where Kid Gavilan fought most often but they also featured Marciano, SRR, Pep among others.

He told me about Marciano and Walcott, and told me that the ref gave marciano one more round before he stopped it. I was fascinated by this, but my old man was always prone to exaggeration so I don't know.

Well your dad actually didn't exagerrate enough. Marcianos nose was split down the middle. Below is a picture I have of Marcianos split nose the fight was on the verge of being stopped when Marciano lands his 'Susie Q' (right hand) and KO's Walcott in one of the most talked about KO's ever.

He also used to talk about the fight between Emille Griffith and I presume Benny Paret, when he said that it was the worst beating he'd seen anybody take.

That was a horrible ending. I have the fight but refuse to see it.

He told me that after one fight with sugar ray robinson, carmen bassilio's mother couldn't recognise her son. This was probably an exaggeration as well, but it was both horrible and magical to a young boy learning about life and boxing.

Attached below is another picture of Carmen Basilio 'DURING' the fight just imagine how he looked at the end.
Your man wasn't lying to you he was telling you the truth.

My dad loved fighters rather than boxers. He said Ali and Leonard were brilliant, but insisted that they were on drugs as nobody could possibly move that fast. His favourites were Duran, Hagler and Tyson. I'll miss him.

God bless your fathers soul and I know you'll continue to move forward and enjoy a good fight in your fathers memory.