Boxing and boxers

Whilst out with the camera this morning I came across this mural which reminded me that the names of Bobby Arthur and Mick Leahy needed to be added to our list of "Famous Coventrians"

And Errol Christie!

Added!

What about Les Allen? Or was he a Bedworth kid?

Impressive, but yes, a Bed'uth kid

When I was an apprentice at Wickman there was a Bobby Arthur and I'm sure he was an ex-boxer. Love to know if he was "The" Bobby Arthur

Midland Red, can you check Les Allen's birthplace, he went to Foxford School, and I believe he was born in Grange Road or Blackhorse Road, and Les was by far the best boxer I knew to come from Coventry. In the top three middleweights in the country. He only trained at Bedworth as a schoolboy. My son was born in Foleshill, and was a professional boxer, appearing at Wembley on the Bruno-McGuigan card, where he got beaten by the Irish champion. He held the British welter-weight kick-boxing title back in the eighties, before turning to pro boxing. Reverting back to kick-boxing he took three state titles in Australia, then came over here to take the English title again, and now is a well known referee at both sports in Australia.

Kaga a photo for you of Les fighting. I could get my daughter who knows his grandson to ask where he was born but I don't know how long before she sees him again to ask. I would say more Grange Rd than Blackhorse Rd but I am guessing on that. Les Allen Edited by member, 20th Jun 2015 6:15 pm

My apologies, of course Bobby Arthur was a great fighter, but I've always been swayed by the middleweights, and I suppose biased because Les was my friend and training partner when we were kids.

Nope Kaga my guess was wrong it was Blackhorse Rd it tells you here Edited by member, 20th Jun 2015 6:24 pm

I was privileged to meet Les Allen on a couple of occasions through mutual friends. I was told a tale which everyone assured me was true, it concerns the time when Les kept the off-licence in Bedworth Road, Longford at the corner of Sydnall Road. Some young thug looks into the shop and sees an older gentleman wearing glasses behind the counter. He goes into the off-licence and threatens said old chap with a knife and tells him to hand over the money out of the till. The next thing the young thug remembers is waking up in the hospital where a nice friendly policeman advised him to do a bit of research into famous boxers before he threatened any more harmless looking old chaps - particularly when you are standing within range of a pair of such famous fists. Another good boxer from Coventry was Peter Boddington. He was a good heavyweight during the 1970's I think. He had a builders yard, or similar business, in Radford Road opposite to the Savoy.

Thank you Morgana, The first write up I have seen about his death, he really was a nice kid at school, and never took advantage of his fists, but he always suffered from his eyes. I remember we used to cycle from his house along Blackhorse Road to Bedworth and back, sometimes I would then cycle round to the 'Stop' and along the towpath back to Tusses Bridge, couple of years later the yanks moved in to Blackhorse Rd not far from his house. In the past I have had a few interesting chats with Terry Downes about Les. But with age, sometimes you begin to doubt your memory.

You're welcome Kaga, yes I thought it was a lovely write up on Les. There must be some thing in your memory to be true, it's just as we get older we think differently to when we were recalling in our youth if you understand what I mean.

Does anyone remember the Coventry boxer Charlie Squires, a flyweight. I used to see him when he'd packed up and worked at Morris Engines in the early sixties. I last saw Les Allen in the early fifties when he was training in an upstairs gym in The Swanswell Inn, a mate of mine trained up there. Les was training under Les Dobbins, Peter Heath was training there as well. Les Dobbins showed us a photo of a boxer who was in the army in Korea. The photo was of Jimmy Lynas who I met in later years as I lived opposite his elder bother Dave.

MARK SIMPSON Born 16.4.62. Elmsdale Avenue, Coventry Pro-Boxer-kickboxer-Referee.