Sheffield snippets by Ian McNeilly Sep 30th 2007

Some ringside banter from the Clinton Woods' bill last night. I'd been in London on Friday and Saturday and got the tea time train back to Sheffield. When we got to Derby, it started going backwards. An enquiry to a member of staff told me that the re-routing was 'in the timetable'. Rubbish. Three hours it took, then for the first time I've known there were no taxis at the station and a huge queue of people waiting for them. The bus was the only option and my trip was brightened up by chatting to a group of young squaddies who were on their way to the fights and then a brothel. Anyway, by the time I'd got there I'd missed Brookes-Rasani and the first half of Gammer-McDermott. Howard Foster told me it was close but he had McDermott nicking it. Then I saw McDermott bring it home. So disappointed in Gammer who I believed had the boxing tools to do well in an awful domestic division. He just seemed to have nothing in the tank and couldn't get out the way of Big John's work. For some reason, John's shorts were missing a 't' and read 'McDermot' on the back. I'd be asking for a refund. On the press table was a business card and photo of Sheffield bantam prospect Ross 'The Boss' Burkinshaw. He's a nice lad but if I didn't know him already, I'm not sure the pic would encourage me to ring him. Six-pack bulging and drenched in sweat, he looked like a teenage pin up. One for the lasses, that one. Junior Witter was ringside working for Radio Sheffield and rightly basking in the limelight of his super win over Vivian Harris three weeks ago. At one point he looked worried as he was left on his own and thought he'd been dropped in it. Enzo Maccarinelli was ringside and looking dapper, suited and booted. Old foe Mark Hobson exchanged warm and obviously sincere greetings after Hobbo had regained his old British title by beating Buster Keeton. I spotted recently retired little man Dale Robinson in the bar. To be kind to him, let's just say he'd had a couple. He was certainly enjoying himself although he moaned "I've had to pay a fortune to get in here...and it's my best mate fighting!" He was, of course, talking about his Huddersfield former stablemate Mark Hobson. Now he's packed it in, he'll have to get used to shelling out. Very nice lad is Dale, good fun and was a very good little fighter. But he'd just had enough of lacing them up. "I've been doing it since I was 13," he said before downing his pint. At least I think he meant boxing. Good crack towards the end of the contest between Ingle lad Adam Kelly and Nobbs' trier Matt Ceawright. Kelly was about to notch up another points win which provoked the Brummie legend to cry out in the closing stages “It's gotta be a draw, ref! I can't separate ‘em meself!” As usual, it did no good. Brendan and Nobby sat next to each other at ringside. You've got to give it to Julio Cesar Gonzalez.  What a chin that man has got.  One ringside observer said "he wouldn't go down if you hit him with a bar stool".  His balance wasn't the best though and John Ingle compared him, at times, to "a puppet on a string". Remember the little lad who was the janitor in 'Bugsy Malone'?  He turned up in Clinton Woods' corner.  Femi Fehintola, complete with flat cap.  I half expected him to sing 'Tomorrow...tomorrow never comes...' after the ringside interview was done. Top tabloid fight journo Steve Lillis was a happy man last night when a fan came over to get his picture taken with him.  This was until the lad shouted 'It's Chris Moyles!'  Steve, who kept a straight face whilst telling me he really likes UFC and Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, took it in good humour.  "I've been called worse," he chuckled.

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