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Birmingham boxers?

on the subject of freddie mills he was a lonondoner and way back in time he got involved with gang lad crimms and he got shot dead in the back streets
and johnny prescott was the better of the two fighters when it came to billy walker he was only a play ground boxer and a pub brawler compared to johny
i always watched there fights i also know the pardoe famiy sibbling the last i seen any of them is some years ago when they was living in deakins rd hay mills good old friends
way back and at the hay mills social club ; astonian
 
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Bumped into Johnny Prescott in the garden of The Garrison pub before last Saturday's match. Not too well health-wise but still a proud Bluenose.
 
davidfowler said:
Bumped into Johnny Prescott in the garden of The Garrison pub before last Saturday's match. Not too well health-wise but still a proud Bluenose.
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For many years he worked for Jubilee Spares on Garrison Lane before they went bust. Dek
 
Can anyone help with identifying this boxer, please?
It's a photo that's been passed down through the family. Any ideas to the era?

Thanks
Phil
 
Hi. My grandfather William Darby was a boxer in Birmingham. I have very limited information on him, except he had a Lonsdale Belt & used to box at the Gaiety Theatre.. is anyone able to help me with more information on him please?
 
paul stacey said:
I remember "johnny prescott from the early 60's used to drive an "E Type", great brummie.
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Hello Do you remember his mate Don Reuben he was my cousin, he also had an E type and sadly died in it. I am looking for any info on th Reubens as Dave Reuben was my dads brother who was Percy. Not may of us left now I do have some memorabilia of my late dads boxing carrer but looking for more on Dave and Joe who were both professionals in the 1930s.
Keith Reuben.
 
Keith,
Found this little snippet,am now looking for photo's.

Reubens Dave(Birmingham) total bouts 5 - active 1930s
Reubens Joe(Birmingham) total bouts 18 - active 1930s
 
Welcome Berger50, I am very sorry but I did,t know Don, I remember jonny around the town thats all really, good luck though with your search, there are some super people on the forum and the accumulated knowlage is awsome.
regards
paul stacey
 
Goffy said:
I remember Johnny Mann, he was working at Turner Brothers in the maintainance dept, His dad also worked at Turners for while not long after I first started there, he used to tell me a lot about John and his boxing. During that time Johnny Mann was coaching Johnny Prescott and I remember watching
one of Johnny Prescotts fights on television and there was Johnny Mann at his side in his corner.
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I boxed Johnny Mann in Stratford on Avon,when we were lads...I came a poor second.
 
Hi David,
Len Tiger Smith is my Grandfather. He brought my mother with him to South Africa in 1937 when she was only 2years old and settled here in the Cape Province. Mom has just turned 76 years old - she is Len's only child from his 2nd marriage. Mom was born in Sowerby Bridge (Mary Elizabeth Smith)
Mom married in South Africa in August 1952 and had six (6) children all living in South Africa,
Len's first wife also had only one child - and Len has one grandchild from that marriage.
Len married his 3rd wife and they had a son called Graham who never got married and died in South Africa soon after his mother died here in SA.
Len spent his years here in South Africa, but returned to Erdington in the early 1970's where he passed away in 1977.
If you have any stories that you can remember, we would love to hear from you. Kind regards, Emmie
 
paul stacey said:
Welcome Berger50, I am very sorry but I did,t know Don, I remember jonny around the town thats all really, good luck though with your search, there are some super people on the forum and the accumulated knowlage is awsome.
regards
paul stacey
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Hi Paul thanks for your reply, thats ok, Johnny and Don were always together apparently they were big mates, Don is in Eddies Fewtrels book King Of Clubs with Dave Reuben as Dave and Eddie Were good friends too. Ok i have read a lot of things on this site and found it really good. Thanks for your time. Keith Reuben.
 
does any body recall watty green ; another birmingham boxer whom done well ;
he also was another bookie ; in brum whom done well i beleive is son later after him also took up boxing ; i had seen a couple of the sons fights on tv years ago but he was not as good as is father the son was watty green juniorhe was known for his boxing in the seventy bu senior waty green the man him self took some titles and he used to keep a big framed picture in the one betting shop on spring hill showing him with his belt and cup trophys its amazing how all these boxers turned to betting shop owners around brum ;
have a nice day every body best wshes astonian
 
Phil B said:
Can anyone help with identifying this boxer, please?
It's a photo that's been passed down through the family. Any ideas to the era?

Thanks
Phil
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Hi Phil,

I think the photo is of Jack Hood. You can compare it with the photo on the Jack Hood thread.

Old Boy
 
Old Boy said:
I think the photo is of Jack Hood. You can compare it with the photo on the Jack Hood thread.
Old Boy
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Hi Old Boy

I've looked at the Jack Hood thread and although the photos are very similar I don't think they are the same person.
The photo of the boxer I posted shows he has a few tattoo's on his left arm. I know these could have been done later but both boxers are of a similar age. Have you seen a later photo of Jack Hood including the tats?

Phil
 
Phil B said:
Hi Old Boy

. Have you seen a later photo of Jack Hood including the tats?
]
Hio Phil,

No I have not seen a photo of Jack Hood with the tattoos. However, perhaps it is Bert Kirby (see Post 40) but I am not at all sure.

Old Boy
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hello astonian, hav,nt hear from you for a bit, i think we were cut short last time, haha, i never realized i -or we- were talking out of school, haha. how are you? still getting about i hope, i wonder if you can help me,? i,m trying to find my old pal jimmy brady, last time i saw him was when i popped into his pitch in bristol street, popped in last time and he,d upped and gone. its not desperate but i have some bussiness he might be interested in. sometimes i feel well cut of living up here in sutton, its a right jaunt down to aston or the city, when i get about everybodies ducked, haha. a few of the crowd used to use the actress and bishop, nice, but that stopped, i have brendans old phone number hes changed it or moved. cheers tom.
 
hi tommy
sorry i have missed out on your thread i have not been around on the forum for awhile for one reason an other
so i missed your thread as i am down in worcesteshire its not vwery often i am up there and i have been out of touch with the family of late
but i will be meeting up shortly with them as we have a relative young woman whomis part of our family as died
so there will be alot of the old school are gonna be there so soon as i get to see them i will be ble to tell you okay
i hope you are keeping well your self tom yes alot of us and the school used the actress years ago a great oldmeeting place
i have just heard on the morning news that jack hoods belt is staying in brum;
it was save by old jack whitteraker for a sum of thirty thousand pounds and jacks belt is gonna stay in brum ;
where it belongs good old jack ; its about time we saved brums history for ourselves instead of yankie doodles buying our stuff up
tommy i will get back to you as soon as i have been in touch with them take care astonian
 
old freddie mills was a londoneer and involved with the gangs and in the end they killed him as i recal him ;
in some back street he was not a yam yam man he was a londoner astonian ;
 
Sorry to disappoint you but he was born Frederick Percival Mills at Parkstone, Poole on June 26th 1919, and went to a local school until he was 14 years old. I was born in the area in 1939 and believe me Freddie Mills was a local legend.

He finished up in London due to boxing, and yes he was shot and killed on July 25th 1965.

Saorry , you cannot claim him as a Brummie
 
hi nibby ;
at least i got some think right then ;in my eyes he became a londoner because asyou are quite rightly saying he moved into london for his carreer
but in my eyes he was never rated as a top boxer in most peoples eyes just like bryan london was or our henry coopers grade
i personaly think he was only in it for the money like joe bugner was in my eyes a third rate boxer ;there are boxers and boxers ;
sorry old freddie did not match up to my opinion of boxers ; abit of a gangerster in my eyes ; and bryan london as well was not all that good either
by the way ; i did not say i thought he was a brummie ; london; or not he still from the south ain;t he ; unless i have my geographics wrong ;
have a nice day my friend ;; astonian
 
Not sure if this pic from Carls Brum has been on before.
Image541.jpg
 
Hi ..was intersted to see jack hood mentioned ..he was my grandmothers brother (annie mary)..when he died he took over a pub called the bell in tanworth in arden.his gloves are still hanging over the bar to this day .i beleive his belt was sold for a considerable amount of money when he died his daughter took over the pub ...weve had lunch there a few times..can you print the foto of him again please ..
 
i am sure that there are pics of jack hood in the queens head pub corner of farm st and hunters vale...think i read somewhere that he used to go into this pub or maybe lived very close...will take a better look next time i am in there...

lyn
 
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