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World Boxing Council gala awards dinner Cardiff International Arena, Cardiff, Wales So it was on a Summer’s day that myself and Frank Warren corner man and good friend Lennie Lee, made the two hundred or so miles journey to Cardiff, in Wales in my trusty old scrap heap from my home in Colchester in Essex. Driving down to the Welsh capital, we passed the green belt by the motorway, but where we were going there were going to be plenty more green belt’s of the W.B.C variety, so getting there we made how way in and was greeted by Alex Payne, Len however informed me he’d been here many times before, working the corner with the likes of Naseem Hamed, Joe Calzaghe amongst a hundred others etc….etc…. The place was rather plush to look at, a boxing ring was erected in the main hall used just as a background piece and nothing more as all boxers past and present were in tuxedo on this evening in celebrating the World Boxing Council’s annual awards, on a huge screen and a few smaller ones the guests were treat to various fight film excerpts of fights involving W.B.C title fights from yesteryear as the likes of Carlos Monzon, Oscar De la hoya etc….played out in front of the diners who’d paid good dollar for the honor of being present at this most prestigious of award nights, you could call it the boxing oscar’s almost. Sitting there at the press table, I remembered my manners despite one or two who hadn’t, {to think they call us guy’s the gentlemen of the press, a joke surely}, I enthused as did Len on the various pieces of fine memorabilia on offer in this a silent auction, did I bid? no, and has it was a silent auction I didn’t say a word either! Muhammad Ali’s dressing gown, shorts and boots all signed were framed nicely, has were Carmen Basilio’s and Jake Lamotta’s Ring championship belts replicated in respective frames and were an affordable £2,200 each and for such a cheap price weren’t bought, as were some of the organization’s green and gold bauble’s, the revered W.B.C’s trophy the championship belt framed and mounted professionally. While waiting for the awards to get underway, an old face Alan Minter came over and greeted Len, and it was Len who traveled much further than he had done today with yours truly, way back in March 1980 as he flew to Vegas to see Alan lift the undisputed World middleweight championship when he outpointed the rugged bull like Vito Antuofermo over the championship course of fifteen rounds {they were the days}. I had a few words with Minter myself, asking the former champ where his old nemesis Antuofermo was today has Vito had been expected to attend this event, “he missed the plane” Minter told me, to which I joked “maybe he didn’t fancy the trilogy!” in reference to Minter’s two championship fights with Antuofermo. Before things got underway, the paying public got to mingle with the fighters, getting autographs and chatting away to the ringmasters was an awesome experience to behold, I myself had a chin wag with the likes of Robin Reid, John H Stracey, Alan Minter, Jeff Harding and Enzo Maccarinelli all former W.B.C champions with the exception of Maccarinelli who was a W.B.O king at cruiser, still though the likeable Welshman told me he hopes to be getting a crack at the W.B.C crown sometime soon if all goes well in his next fight on September 18th. Also in attendance were former World heavyweight champions, James ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith and Tim Witherspoon, they knew each other pretty good though and even more so as fighters as they shared a ring twice and a version of the World crown as recognized by the W.B.A when Smith relieved ‘Terrible’ Tim inside of a round back in December 1986 for the title. And talking of heavyweights, possibly the hardest puncher ever was here in attendance, the Acorn himself Earnie Shavers who hit so hard he split his glove against James ‘Quick’ Tillis back in 82 on the Holmes-Cooney card, but please don’t tell that to some big hairy curly haired Texan ‘with a gap in his grin, but plenty of iron in his chin’ the Texan being Tex Cobb the affable quick witted colorful heavyweight contender from the 80’s who defied logic and gravity against Larry Holmes in a title try in 1982 when he took a pasting over fifteen rounds which was severely inhumane, but Tex being Tex asked Holmes at the final bell ‘Let’s party’ Okay enough of a history lesson and back to the convention, so here goes the list of champions in attendance, now not all were of the W.B.C’s affiliation, like for example James ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith who was a W.B.A champ, but hey he was here, also was former W.B.C kings Paul Hodkinson, Witherspoon, John H Stracey, Robin Reid, Carl Froch, Calzaghe, Humberto ‘chiquita’ Gonzalez, John Mugabi, Iran Barkley and the legendary Roberto Duran, Zab Judah, Miguel Angel Gonzales and Rafael Herrera plus two fighters that had a memorable battle or two the ‘Z’ boy’s Carlos Zarate and Alfonso Zamora whose fights were billed as ‘the battle of the Z boys back in the 70’s, but there were plenty more here and far too many too mention, also amongst them were current W.B.C king’s Vitali Klitschko and Mikkel Kessler, as well as non World champions in Nicky Piper and Scott Welch, but they were champion’s at Commonwealth level, and also challengers for various versions of the W.B.C title, Piper having fought Nigel Benn for the full W.B.C World crown at super middle back in 92 and Welch up at heavy failing to dethrone the late Jame’s Oyebola for the W.B.C international bauble back in 1994, Welch gained revenge the year later and the British title but not the W.B.C international crown. On the stage the champions were invited and they made there way as master of ceremonies Steve Holdsworth a useful pro himself and fight film collector, check out his site at www.steveholdsworth.com for his list of privately filmed fights from Britain, announced each champion as he and she made there way to the stage for the press to take there shots, each champion was presented with a single glove before leaving the stage. Then a selected few were called to the stage to be presented with W.B.C medal’s as they were honored individually, but it wasn’t only the boys who got in on the act and the accolades, some of the ladies did also, one being Jane Couch M.B.E, a lovely lady so Len tells me, Len got a kiss from Ms Couch {lucky bloke} However it was Brendan Ingle who was awarded a special W.B.C award from the one and only Joe Calzaghe for services to boxing, has did Frank Maloney as promoter of the year who spoke of his joy of landing his two fighters Rendall Munroe and Jason Booth World title shots, Munroe is boxing soon for the W.B.C super bantam title in October in of all places Japan, and it was Munroe who was awarded the W.B.C’s European fighter of the year also! Fight and ko of the year belonged to Carl Froch, the kayo of Jermain Taylor proved the winning punch of the year, Vitali Klitschko was named the fighter of the year of the year 2009 a.d {please don’t tell David!} Also receiving awards were John Mugabi and Enzo Calzaghe, Calzaghe for services to boxing, Terry Marsh was in the roll of honors also though he was I.B.F champ, and it was nice to have under one roof, Britain’s only two undefeated World champions in Marsh and Calzaghe, though Marsh was pretty upset when Joe retired undefeated after licking Roy Jones, Terry can always say he still remains as England’s only undefeated World champion, though Joe may argue as he was born in London, but has no English blood coursing through his veins, if that makes any sense, confused? don’t be! And then here he was……..on the big screen the daddy of the W.B.C Jose Sulaiman who was too ill to attend and gave a message from his hospital bed which was very interesting to watch. Then after all the awards were given out, the free booze was passed around the press table, not that I drank as I was driving! So I got then the chance to interview the likes of Alan Minter, Robin Reid, Jeff Harding, John H Stracey and my mate Lennie Lee, {I have an interesting interview with Len to be put on here soon, so watch out for that one chaps} the aforementioned interviews also will be appearing fairly soon starting with Alan Minter, so keep a look out for those. And so there it was a good evening spent in the company of many a World champion or ten, and as the night was no longer young me and Len decided to make the journey back from Wales to North London where Len lives as we left the venue, two hundred or more miles later and were home and safe, mind you its dawn as we get home, whoever she is! A champion show full of champions, and a night that will live long in the memory, thank you Alex and Roy Payne for letting us come, it sure was a honor to be here!!!! Michael Angelo Serra with Lennie Lee reporting from the World Boxing Council’s convention in Cardiff, Wales..

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