Recently I attended the funeral of John Hughes. Probably in more recent years John was known as a top Auckland Police Officer. The detective inspector was a dedicated ultra-distance athlete, having held many distance records, and in the 1950's he won the Light Middleweight Title on three occasions, from 1955 to 1957. The following piece […]
This New Zealand wrestler Jack Carter died in Florida recently. He was 90 years old. His real name was Johnny Lakey. He arrived in the U.S. in 1946 and got lots of work with Fred Kohler at Chicago's Marigold Arena and surrounding areas. He was unknown in his homeland as a wrestler but met Lou […]
The scoffers can say what they will but not since the 1930s, when Earl McCready and Lofty Blomfield, plus a crop of 'name' performers with world title backgrounds – Dean Detton, Dave Levin, "Strangler" Lewis, Ed Don George, Vincent Lopez, Ray Steele, "Jumping Joe" Savoldi and the like – won the sport its record following, […]
I wrote the story below on George Gordienko when I was only young, and I can tell you he turned into one of the sports "All Time Greats." He was highly regarded in Germany and Britain as well as all over Europe and Canada. His matches in New Zealand with Big John DaSilva are legendary […]
You'd search long and far before you'd find a more startling physical comparison between two sportsmen who have recently competed in New Zealand. Both Giant Baba and Little Tokyo are Japanese and both are wrestlers but there the similarity ends, starkly. Giant Baba Little Tokyo Giant Baba, you see, towers 7ft tall and bangs the […]
Chris Rehu–Jackie Stuart P.A.B.A. Champ Peter Kariuki with Azzra his Manager and Kenyan amateur Absolum Okati Bruce Glozier–Chris Rehu Decision a Draw Chris Rehu Mick Flannery (Australia) Ex N.Z. Champs Lance Revill and Battling Laavasa Craig Parsons Jimmy Brown Daniel McKinnon Mike Parkinson Thomas Laulii Bruce Glozier
Outstanding Jewish wrestler is fairly and squarely on the side of law and order in 5000-bout mat career. DAVE CAMERON of Auckland is the original wrestling "nut". He has wrestled professionally both in New Zealand and in Britain, has written many words as a publicity source for the game, photographed numerous wrestlers, including all those […]
One of my favourite fighters in the 1970's was the big Tongan swinger Fonomanu Sekona. He was known as "Young" Sekona because his Christian name was a bit of a handful and the sportswriters never spelt it correctly. I recently caught up with the big Tongan at his house in Mangere, Auckland. "Young" Sekona was […]