AAB SPORTS®

The Author AAB SPORTS & FITNESS MANUAL Page 3

The Author A Boxing Background

Whilst my own personal introduction to Boxing training and competition wasn't until I was 19 going on 20 the Herbert family has an extensive background in the sport. My dad Sidney Herbert was a London amateur champion and my Uncle Will, who was killed in 1915 at the first battle of Ypres in World War 1, was an Army Boxing Champion of India. My favourite Uncle Joe never fought, even though dad reckons he caused plenty of fights, but all his sons did. Uncle Joe also brought up British Champions Harry and Dicky Corbett and his son my Cousin Harry was a top English professional in the 1950's. "Harry Boy" a celebrity in the Boxing game especially in the East End of London also appeared in a Boxing film called the "Square Ring" as the dirty fighter who used the thumb in the eye trick.

Harry was the only one I ever saw box and years later in 1970 he returned the compliment when I went back to box in England. He came to see me in a return bout against English International Tony Tacchi after the ring doctor had put me out of our previous contest on a cut eye in the final of the English ABA Divisional Championships. I was looking forward to reversing that result before returning to Australia having just come off beating Irish International Mickey Foley, but sorry to say Tacchi never showed and Harry never saw me box.
I began boxing in England before coming to Australia where I had my first contest on the inaugural 1967 Channel Nine televised Australian Golden Gloves Boxing. I boxed on the first two Golden Gloves telecasts taking out the Best Boxer Award on both occasions. The championships that started shortly after were a lead up to the Mexico Olympic Games of 1968 and open to all comers. In a vintage year of Boxing Channel Nine flew the best Boxers into Melbourne from all over Australia.

I entered the Australian Golden Gloves Boxing Championship just to compete even though I wasn't a champion of anything. Sometimes luck rides on your side and after getting a walkover when the Tasmanian Champion never showed beat the Queensland Champ by the literal whisker. Picked up another Best Boxer Award in beating the Victorian Champion in the semi-finals, and capped it off in taking the Light-Welterweight Crown by beating South Australian Champion Tony Smith in the final

All good things come to an end and I lost on points in the final of the 1968 televised Mexico Olympic Trials, but as I said to the national newspaper reporters a couple of years later after a cut eye cost me a fighting chance at the English ABA Crown - "that's the way the cookie crumbles".
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