Anniversary boy Glenn McCrory is to return to the town where he launched his North East career searching for the next local boxing star. McCrory, who became Tyneside's only ever world champion, will be ringside in Gateshead on Saturday night taking up his usual Fightzone TV seat when four area hopefuls embark on early tentative steps to what they hope will be a road to fame.
Gateshead was where Glenn pulled on gloves for his first fight upon returning to the North East from London in 1984, the year he had turned pro. It was at the Federation Breweries across town from Saturday's venue at the Hilton Hotel and McCrory racked up an eight-round points victory over Andrew Gerrard on a bill which also featured another future North East great Billy Hardy.
The quartet taking similar early steps in the pro ranks this time are headed by Tommy Hodgson and Anth Ornsby with the backing of debutants Ryszard Lewicki and Kai Richmond. "Every kid has a right to dream and I was no different to Tommy or Anth," McCrory told me. "Few if any would have suggested I was a future world champion when I endured a bad run of results after a great start to my career.
