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Birmingham boxers?

Does anyone have any information or photos of Boxer known as Birmingham's Boy Edge ?

I understand that his career was during the 1920s- 1940s

Bo
 
Billy Millington who owned pubs and lived in Birmingham had a lot to do with the boxing scene. It was said that one night Ray Corbett came to Billy's house and eat what he thought was stew on the stove, but it turned out to be bones stewing for the dog's dinner. Billy and a few others flew to USA to watch Ali fight and rumour has it that they drunk the minitures dry.
 
My great-grandfather was a referee. I have his obituary from the Birmingham Gazette 10th April 1939. He was president of the Aston A.B.C, in 1938 and president and chairman of the Birmingham J.O.C boxing section. He was also a life member of the Midland Counties A.B.C and a member of the Ivy Green Club in Livery Street at the time when the host, Alf Greenfield, was champion of England. He was also connected to Kynoch's A.B.C and president of their bowling section!

In another article I have about him it talks about a Kynoch's display night featuring;
J. Anthony (Metropolotan ABC)
J. Rowbotham (Aston ABC)
G. Phillips (Birmingham Carriage)
T.Bull (Metropolitan)
D.Tomlin (Aston ABC)
J. Gordon (Imperial)
but I don't have the date.
 
fellowkev said:
A friend of the family--Jack Kirby was a Birmingham boxer before the war (as were one or more of his brothers). Jack had a junk yard in Frankfort street, Hockley in the 1960's. I have searched online in vain for any photos of Jack; none to be found.
Click to expand...
Two things, my Nan's shop backed on to Kirbys in Frankfort St (Mrs Jones/ Crowe) she was in Gt Russel St.
When I was at school Johnny Prescott was the boxing hero.....but dad and I had followed sportsview and BBC Radio coverage of boxing, and followed Billy Walker "The blond bomber" especially when he knocked out that big American Amateur, so I was the only one who supported Walker against Prescott. Two Brilliant fights. Glad he has been successful (As has Walker) and not had his dosh taken by hangers on as a lot of boxers do. Believe he liked a drink in Flints down the road from me in Sutton Coldfield.
 
hi billy
the boxer you are talking about is dave rueben
i know dave very well a smart guy and very wealthy he used to live in a big
grand house in selly park afew years back he sold up and had a bungolow
built up in harborne i used to go to his house in selly park
when mohammed ali came to brum years ago he went to daves house
and they had there picture took around his whopping big grand bar
in his house he has got a cracking lovely wife
but dave is now getting on in life
and i m afraid he has fallen on the way side just like johny prescott
he still as is wealth but he loosing is health because of the drink
12 months ago i met dave along the pershore rd visting the old
friends and drinking in the selly park taveren where nick owen drinks
with his wife occasioniy but dave had no coat on andhe was falling along
staggering as well struggling to aboard the bus up to cotteridge
and his shirt was all hanging out he looked a right mess
i used to go to his regular and put away acouple of brandy,s
but he is getting old now and its taking its toll
incidently i spoke with some-one a couple of weeks
about johny , he,s not very well and so one of the fewtrells girl is,nt
very well he tells me ,
any way has you relize we are all getting older and we are all suffering
regarding brian london part time boxer in my eyes and he got him self
into trouble
have a nice day best wishes astonian;;
 
Astonian said:
hi billy
the boxer you are talking about is dave rueben
i know dave very well a smart guy and very wealthy he used to live in a big
grand house in selly park afew years back he sold up and had a bungolow
built up in harborne i used to go to his house in selly park
when mohammed ali came to brum years ago he went to daves house
and they had there picture took around his whopping big grand bar
in his house he has got a cracking lovely wife
but dave is now getting on in life
and i m afraid he has fallen on the way side just like johny prescott
he still as is wealth but he loosing is health because of the drink
12 months ago i met dave along the pershore rd visting the old
friends and drinking in the selly park taveren where nick owen drinks
with his wife occasioniy but dave had no coat on andhe was falling along
staggering as well struggling to aboard the bus up to cotteridge
and his shirt was all hanging out he looked a right mess
i used to go to his regular and put away acouple of brandy,s
but he is getting old now and its taking its toll
incidently i spoke with some-one a couple of weeks
about johny , he,s not very well and so one of the fewtrells girl is,nt
very well he tells me ,
any way has you relize we are all getting older and we are all suffering
regarding brian london part time boxer in my eyes and he got him self
into trouble
have a nice day best wishes astonian;;
Click to expand...

Hi Astonian.

We must be talking about two different boxers.
Dave Roden is a very succesfull businessman and is also Chairman/Director of the British Boxing Board of Control Midlands Area.
Regards
Bill123
 
Slightly off thread I'm afraid, but urgent.
Does anyone know the present whereabouts of Johnny Prescott?.An old pal of his from way back,my cousin,has passed away,and his sister would like to contact Johnny.
Thanks.
 
Dave Roden is a member of our West Midland Ex Boxers Association based at the the Portland Rd Bunny Johnstone is our president also a member is boxing referee John Coyle besides many others

Mossy
 
A bit of Birmingham history,the connection between these two photo's,is, The Clements Arms,was where Bert Kirby British flyweight champion 1930,displayed his Lonsdale Belt,when he won the title.
 
HI cATKIN
The person you are on about his david ruebin whom had the betting shop on the corner
when casus clay came to brum way back he spent time in dave house
i know dave very well and his wife and there was photograpghs taken in dave s big house
in uplands rd selly park around his very large and glamourous houseand at his
very large bar .
dave left selly park many years ago and had a bungolow built for his wife;
whom was a very nice lady indeed i see them and his sons from time to time
i will not named where they have gone to for reasons best wishes astonian ;;
 
Astonian said:
Johny prescott the boxer came from nechells and he started his training
at the trees pub up stairs and then he moved to the colledge arms
spring hill i,ve known johny for years he made some money from boxing and openend a couple of betting shops around aston and as the years rolled on he went into the steel busines he had a big yard down on victoria rd just pass the swan pub for years prescott steel stock holders was the trading name a frend of ours whomi met afew months ago told me johny is not very well now he has got serious health problems astonian ,;;;;;
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Sad to hear Johny is not so well,i met him in about 1971,at a steel stockholders he owned somewhere in small heath/bordsley.(around the back of Green Lane rings a bell).
My gaffers got the job of building some big metal gates at his yard,(they did a lot of work for the Broadhurst,s,also in the steel trade).
I was left at his yard with materials,and welding kit,and left to make the gates,got it done in a day,i was only 17 or so at the time.
When it was time to go home,i had to wait,while Johny,and jimmy Broadhurst had a beer at a really small,homely pub just a minutes walk from Johny,s yard.
He seemed a nice fella,wouldn,t hurt a fly type,was very pleasant to be with.
Jimmy Broadhurst dropped me back at home in Aston,to save my gaffers coming over to get me.
As working days go,it was one remember even now for all the right reasons.
 
Hi Guys, when I was visiting Selly Oak recently, I found out that my Grandad, ALBERT HIGGINS ran a boxing club at the Bournbrook Hotel, Bristol Rd, Selly Oak. I'm not sure of the dates. My dad, Brian apparently won a couple of fights in heavy weight in late 50's early 60's? But I would guess that Grandad would have been running a ring there in the 30/40's. He left the boxing equipment to my dad in his will, who then donated to a local school. Anbody have some boxing Selly Oak connections?
 
alandeej said:
I've been given some photo's that my late dad had, as he was a keen boxing fan the photo's I have are of boxers.
Does anyone know who they are:

Roy Baird & Ray Corbett ring any bells (pardon the pun)?
I think their promotor was Al Lawley and the address on the photo's is 267 Icknield Port Road, B'ham 16.
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hi roy baird was my dad he passed away in 2005, undeafeated weterweight champion northern ireland, addopted brummie came to brum when young, google roy baird boxer for bit more info, sorry for late reply only just came across website, paul baird
 
HI RAY
Yes i can recall your fathers name along with corbet and swally swift and tommy pardoe along with big jackie burns and the McCroatie brothers was all friends
jackie burns was a big guy and the croaties all trained up and coming boxers at the GKN Gym in heath st social club many years
and i can recall dave reubuens from six ways aston he had betting shops i ave not seen dave four about four years now he moved from selly park opersite pat smarts
the circus family she as also moved from there dave had a bunglow built in harborne afew years ago i used to go to his house very often
when cassius clay came to brum he went to daves house and sat at his giant bar in his house its funny how they all went into book keeping wallyswift was the same
even john prescott he done the same but hepacked up and went into the stainless steel stock holding bussiness years later and set up in victoria rd aston
i do not know the state of john but i met a relative of ours whom did tell me johny was in bad health i am going to a big family party this week end in coventry
so i will make inquireies regarding whether or not john is still around the McCroaties run a big truck stop bussiness in acocks green have done for donkeys years
wally had a shop next to the coach and horses pub on spring hill and facing the queens head across from the bettiing shop in the sixtyis
have a good day best ishes astonian
 
Does any one know a boxer Albert Wild who was my Uncle, He was in the Royal Navy in WW11 after the war worked at Lucus in Birmingham.
 
I was introduced to the great Len Tiger Smith when I was a boy as he was a friend o my father's. He had big ham hands I remember and a very serious face. Pound for pound he was one of the greatest ever and had the scrap of a lifetime with the great Len Harvey who was a lot heavier. Tiger was a middleweight if I remember correctly and Harvey a Light Heavy. Tiger fought a lot in South Africa in his later years and did very well.
 
Does anyone remember an old bloke called Odder who used to run the boxing at The Holte next to the villa ground. I went there a few times to get my weekly good hiding and he must have been a hundred years old by the look of him. A bit nifty in the ring though as my nose would attest.
 
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.
 
Billy Biddles, Global ID-32974. Hometown-Birmingham, West Midlands. Division-Lightweight. Born 4th May 1922.
 
Johnny Mann: Did you know that Johnny topped the bill on the opening night of Midlands A.T.V. His fight was transmitted and he won! A greatly underrated classical boxer. Sadly no longer with us. willey
 
ie Johnny Mann. From what I remember, not only was he a great boxer, he was a great guy too. Like his his Dad Sam.
 
When I worked for HP Sauce as a driver in the 60s one of men that worked there was a journeyman boxer named Paul Brown. In December 1967 he fought Joe Bugner in Joe's first professional fight and knocked him out in the 3rd round. He was the only one to ever do it. Paul was a gentle giant and a perfect gentleman. He later finished with boxing and went on to be a driver with me at HP Sauce.
 
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