Amateur boxing greats from across the UK reunited in Liverpool at the weekend to reminisce about life inside and outside the ring.
Organised by Gary Jones, Chris Ainscough and Tony Cesay, fighters from years gone by came together at the Rock n Rolla Bar to chew the fat about life and reflect on their battles inside the ropes. A host of ABA champions were in attendance as were former world title holders David Burke and Micheal Brodie.
The reunion has become an annual fixture in the calendar with fighters returning to Liverpool on Saturday for the second time since the event started back in 2017. And when asked how the event initially got started, Gary reveals it came off the back of a single phone call.
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“We started it off in 2017,” he says. “David Walker, who boxed at the Commonwealth Games, had been going through hard times and he rang me up and said: 'Gary why don’t we do a reunion?'
“I had been thinking about getting one going for years and cut a long story short, we had it in Liverpool. I think about 15 of us went for a meal in the Albert Dock.
“So after that one we ended up doing another one in Manchester, then did one in Essex and the turnout was great.
“But then the pandemic hit and we couldn’t do one for two years. But with a few lads from the North East involved we went and did one up in Newcastle.
“We have an England WhatsApp group with about 60 people in it and we do it to keep people together and have a laugh.”
Such is the camaraderie and mutual respect between those who attend, fighters who shared the same ring together can often be found chatting about their bouts against one another and Gary believes no-one cares about what has happened in the past.
“We even get people at the same weights and nobody cares who has boxed each other. We all just have a laugh and reminisce,” he tells the ECHO.
“When we had the one in Essex, we had four welterweights there who had all boxed each other at some point in the past.
“We have boxed each other all over the place and now we are good mates. We all look after each other. If you box someone you can be friends.
“A lad called Darren Langley came and he used to come up and we used to spar each other during England camps and he ended up taking my place in the England team.
“When I boxed for Scotland we boxed each other and we have been mates from before it, after it and now.
“Nobody really cares about who boxed who and how they got on. It is just all about looking out for each other and having a great time reminiscing about the old days.”
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