Nice read from a few years ago.
RIP
The Forgotten Commonwealth Champion
ferret5th September 2014
Every year thousands of people, armed with flip-flops, tanning lotion and expensive cameras, flock to Bridlington to escape the stresses of their everyday lives and take in the intoxicating holiday atmosphere.
As you walk through the bustling town centre, you hear the joyful melodies of fruit machines bursting through the doors of the many amusement arcades. You see excited children running, shouting and singing with their happy, holidaying families. And, every now and then, you have to fend off an angry and hungry seagull that cheekily attempts to steal your fish and chips.
The nightlife is hectic and, for the most-part, merry. The countless holidaymakers visit the local pubs and clubs to socialise with the locals as if they are long lost friends. The sound of have-a-go pop stars wailing away in the karaoke bars echoes through the streets as the crowds float from one watering hole to the next.
If you are a boxing fan, however, there is only one pub in Bridlington for you. The Kings Arms on King Street is the place all fight fans must visit.
The small and welcoming bar, with walls that are adorned with boxing memorabilia, is the home and livelihood of a gentle giant named Roger Tighe – the same Roger Tighe who travelled to Kingston, Jamaica in 1966 and won the light heavyweight gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
The priceless medal hangs proudly behind the bar for all to see, and it tells the story of a champion. It serves as inspiration to the souls who are lost in a world of dilemma and misfortune. It gives them hope and tells them that anybody can succeed – no matter who you are or where you come from.
Throughout history there have been a lot of famous people, from all sorts of professions, associated with Bridlington.
For instance, Cecil Burton, who was once the captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, was born in this small seaside town in 1887, as was his younger brother, Claude, who also represented the White Rose County at Headingley.
Mark Herman is a renowned film director and screenwriter, best known for writing and directing the award winning ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ (starring Asa Butterfield) and other movies such as; Brassed Off (starring Ewan McGregor), Little Voice (starring Sir Michael Caine) and Hope Springs (starring Colin Firth). Herman was born here and attended Bridlington School.
And Richard Cresswell, who has played football for teams like; Leicester City, Leeds United, Stoke City and Sheffield United was also born and raised in the popular Yorkshire Coast destination of choice.
Roger is a remarkable character in his own right. He is an old school warrior. He is charismatic, charming and honourable. He is a true gentleman.
His chiseled features illuminate the face of a fighter, but his eyes are warm and welcoming. He has the large and sturdy frame of a heavyweight fighter and his enormous hands show the wear and tear of years of punishment.
It has been said that you can tell a lot about a man by his handshake. Well, Roger almost crushed my minuscule paw the first time we met.
My first impression of the man was, “WOW this bloke is huge – and I think he has just crushed my hand.” His deep voice and confident persona made him seem ginormous and intimidating, but his cheerful and helpful attitude instantly comforted me.
At 70-years-old, the longtime landlord and boxing veteran is always happy to share his fascinating memories of the ring with anybody who shows an interest.
One Saturday night, a few years ago, I sat with Roger and his son, Dave, and enjoyed their company over a few refreshing beers. Just like the beer, the conversation was both quenching and moreish.
During that unforgettable meeting, he told me a special story about his professional debut at the Kings Hall in Manchester.
The man in the opposite corner was a very tough and rugged man by the name of Obe Hepburn. After six rounds, Roger had earned a hard fought, yet comfortable points decision to start his journey as a prizefighter.
Although there was nothing mesmerising about the action or the result from his first outing in the paid ranks, the Hull-born pug beamed with pride as he recalled who was watching on from ringside.
Joe ‘The Brown Bomber’ Louis, the former heavyweight champion of the world, was one of the finest boxers ever to lace up a pair of gloves and he was in England to watch the young Yorkshireman fight.
After 25 fights without a vest, Roger had amassed an impressive record of 20(10)-3-2. He had travelled to Sweden to square off with Ray Patterson (brother of Floyd Patterson), he had knocked out the brilliant Bunny Johnson and outpointed him in a rematch, and he had gone to Gauteng, Johannesburg and knocked out the South African champion, Japie Pretorious. He had also avenged his maiden defeat to George Dulaire on two occasions.
Another time that I had the fortune to share a swift half with Roger, he gave me a captivating narrative of his time in Sweden.
The promoter of the show, whose name escapes me, arranged for a car to collect him from the airport and transport him to the hotel. Driving the car was Ingemar Johansson, who greeted the Englishman with a firm and warm handshake. Having placed his belongings in the trunk of the vehicle, a lethargic Roger climbed onto the backseat to discover yet another passenger. The third man was Floyd Patterson. Between 1959 and 1962, Johansson and Patterson went to war three times and there they were sharing a ride and enjoying one another’s company.
Despite Tighe’s obvious talent, fighting spirit and his success against solid opposition, legendary Merthyr Tydfil manager/promotor, Eddie Thomas, never managed to secure the heavy handed southpaw a title shot at either light heavyweight or heavyweight.
Perhaps Thomas was too busy with the likes of Howard Winstone and Ken Buchanan, both of whom went on to win world honours, to be running around in search of big fights for Tighe. Or maybe there simply wasn’t a champion willing to take on a 6′ 2″ southpaw with long arms, silky boxing skills and pop in his punches.
Upon realising that he wasn’t going to be rewarded with the big title fight that he so desperately craved, and deserved for that matter, Roger became disillusioned and relinquished the burning hunger that had driven him since his fruitful days in the amateur code.
After a year away from the ring, the loveable doorman assumed his role as a journeyman in 1970 in Bilbao, Spain against Gregorio Peralta. Peralta was the first man who ever lasted long enough to hear the final bell against the formidable George Foreman.
The Englishman gave his all that night, but it wasn’t enough and he was stopped in the eighth round of a scheduled ten.
Tighe also shared a ring with Richard Dunn, whom he lost to via a tight points decision. The Bradford man went on to win British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight titles, as well as challenging Muhammad Ali for the world title.
Roger went on to suffer defeats in eight of his last ten contests, with his final victory coming in February of 1972, when he knocked out Dennis Avoth. His final record was 21(13)-13(3)-3.
He had the potential to win professional titles, at least on the domestic scene, but it never worked out and he never got the lucky breaks. As is the case in life, no matter how good you are or how many qualifications you have, you still need Lady Luck to smile at you every once in a while.
Nevertheless, Roger can look back on his career with immense pride due to the way he conducted himself, as well as his successes as a young amateur boxer.
It was in the unpaid ranks where Tighe made a name for himself.
“I’ll always remember Roger. He was a class boxer, he had good body strength, he could punch a bit and he could hold a shot. He was very capable. Anybody who was going to box Roger Tighe had to be at their best to beat him.
“We all have a few regrets about our pro careers, but he was a very good amateur. Whenever I used to look at the ratings, the name Roger Tighe was always right up there. To win the Commonwealth Games gold medal is a remarkable achievement. I remember him winning the ABA’s in 1966 as well.
“He was a very, very good fighter and I’m glad I never ran into him!” Jimmy Tibbs said.
Brought up in Hull, he spent time playing Rugby and Tennis at a good standard, but he saw his future in the boxing ring.
Competing for the Hull Boys Club, Tighe won numerous regional titles during his amateur career and he was the last man standing in the 1965 Territorial Army Boxing Championship, as well as reaching the ABA semi-final.
Not content with reaching the last four of the most famous boxing competition in the country, he took himself to London’s Old Kent Road to train alongside, and spar with, Henry Cooper, at the legendary gym above the Thomas A’Beckett public house. ‘Our Enry’ was the British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion at the time and was deep into his preparations for a Highbury Stadium world title shot against the irrepressible Muhammad Ali.
After pushing himself to the limit in training camp, the lanky light heavyweight breezed to the prestigious ABA title in ’66 and scored crushing knockouts in both the semi-final and the final.
By proving himself as the best in the country, Roger secured his place on the plane to Kingston, Jamaica for the Commonwealth Games.
After receiving a bye into the semi-final, Roger comprehensively outboxed Australia’s Dennis Booth. Booth had won the Victoria State Boxing Championships six years in a row and was a very competent operator. Nevertheless, the East Yorkshireman was a class above and eased to a decision victory.
The final was a much more testing affair for the England representative, as he faced a rugged and crude Nigerian opponent named Fatai Ayinla, who forced the action with wild swings from strange angles. Roger, however, remained calm under pressure and held his tidy boxing together to once again claim a decision victory.
Ayinla went on to win the gold medal four years later in Edinburgh, and yet another silver in Christchurch in 1974.
Despite the fact that Tighe and Mark Rowe, who won the gold in the light middleweight category, had travelled almost 5000 miles to compete in the Commonwealth Games, their success was somewhat swept under the rug when the entire country came down with a serious case of football fever. The newspapers showed photographs of Sir Alf Ramsey, Sir Bobby Moore and Sir Geoff Hurst, and the man on the street only wanted to discuss our world cup winning superstars.
There was no social media or YouTube in those days, so our returning boxing champions received little attention. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook and IFL-TV have turned the modern day amateur fighters into stars and they have helped the youngsters build an enormous following. But there was no such publicity for Tighe or Rowe.
Regardless of his lengthy relationship with the sport, boxing doesn’t solely define Roger Tighe. His family and his desire to provide for them are a huge part of what makes him a great man.
He once worked as a security guard for a large toy warehouse and he worked free of charge. Because Roger refused to accept money for his services, the owner would instead insist that he took toys home for his children at Christmas.
No matter what job he had to do, Roger would do it in the blink of an eye to ensure that he could put food on the table and clothes on the backs of his children.
After his retirement as a fighter, he remained involved with the sport in a training, managerial and promotional capacity, and he was in charge of the careers of almost 20 boxers. The majority of those boxers would train in the gym above the Hastings pub in Hull, the pub that Roger ran at the time.
The Tighe’s relocated to the seaside over 30 years ago. And for the next two decades, the head of the family dedicated himself to educating the local youths in the art of the sweet science. He made it his mission to keep unruly kids away from trouble.
Besides Roger’s dedication to giving something back to the sport that has taken care of him throughout his life, he has raised thousands of pounds for charity by running the London Marathon six times, and he has completed more than a dozen half marathons.
Nowadays Roger lives a quiet and settled life, whilst his grown children run the family business.
I will leave you with a fond memory, a memory that is inspirational in itself:
It was a boiling summer day and I was running late for my shift at The New Inn, so I decided to get a taxi. During the cab ride, I was complaining to myself about how tired I was and how I couldn’t be bothered for a 10 hour shift behind a bar, when I looked out of the window to see an elderly man jogging with a towel wrapped around his neck and tucked down the front of his shirt. Every 20 yards or so, the man unleashed combinations into the air. It reminded me of the Rocky Balboa training montage, except this was real life. Dripping with sweat, the man ploughed on.
The elderly man was Roger Tighe and I would eventually learn that he continued to do his roadwork every day until a couple of years ago.
