Sweet D Data files: Remembering Bobby Wells and the 1984 Olympic Video games – Boxing Information
IN THE summer of 1984, the gaze of the sporting earth was on the Olympics that took spot in Los Angeles. America aimed to provide a spectacle that would strike an ideological blow in its Cold War with the communist, Soviet Union, who led a boycott of the party in reply to The usa staying away from the Moscow online games, 4 several years just before. Their withdrawal was followed by Cuba, East Germany, Bulgaria, and other Eastern Bloc nations.
Carl Lewis was the star-spangled superstar who dominated the headlines as America got powering his audacious try to emulate the excellent Jessie Owens and win 4 gold medals in track and area. Lewis shipped in style and his country lavished praise on him, viewing his feat as heroic and ideal of breed, like Owen had been in the face of Nazism at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
On the boxing facet there was the anticipation of more American dominance, particularly with the absence of Cuba and the Soviet Union. It seemed most eyes were focused on Mark Breland, who had been the most celebrated beginner in the world for two many years main up to the Olympics. These types of was Breland’s brilliance in the amateurs and the anticipations that he would graduate to superstardom so lofty, he had previously been cast in a Hollywood movie, The Lords of Discipline.
World audiences also got their initially prolonged viewing of future legends, Pernell Whitaker and Evander Holyfield and planet champions in waiting around, Meldrick Taylor, Frank Tate and Virgil Hill.
Amongst such rich talent the British crew appeared to have little hopes of winning a medal, and so it turned out. But I kept a close eye on the progress of the British representative at tremendous-heavyweight, a lanky 23-12 months-old called Bobby Wells. The division has served as fertile floor for users of Workforce GB in the 21st century Audley Harrison and Anthony Joshua have gained gold, although David Rate, Joe Joyce, and Frazer Clarke, have bagged bronze, silver, and bronze medals. But it was Bobby that acquired the ball rolling for Britain’s super-heavyweights on the Olympic stage.
Bobby and I had boxed in the same Southwest Divisional Championships, in Battersea, five months before the Olympics He won it beating Gary Mason, who was my Wandsworth ABC clubmate, and I shed in the heavyweight finals by disqualification. Gary and I entered all those championships believing we were the best and most dynamic heavy and tremendous-heavyweights in the country and could make a late press for the GB Olympic workforce. Youthful hubris often supplies the rosiest tinted eyeglasses.
After my disappointing loss to Graham Greatest, a fighter who I had stopped in the 1st round, a number of months prior, I was certain that Gary would win his last, and for the very first two rounds it seemed likely that he would, as he dropped Bobby heavily and battered him with speedy and significant combinations. But to his credit Bobby weathered the storm and came firing back again, and in 3rd round Gary was bent about from exhaustion and gasping for breath, unable to proceed.
That humbling evening served as a serious eye opener for Gary and me, even more so when we saw Bobby on television fighting for a location in the Olympic final. It turned out that we hadn’t truly grasped how shut a spot on the ’84 Olympic team actually was. Again then an ABA title was enough to qualify for main event. Bobby went on to win the ABAs that year and guide his seat on the plane to Los Angeles. Gary and I were still left to spend our summers weighing up whether or not to convert professional or wait around for an additional Olympic cycle. We made our specialist debuts in Oct 1984.
Bobby didn’t have his to start with fight right up until the quarter-finals – just after obtaining a bye – winning it by knocking out Tonga’s Viliami Pulu, which guaranteed him the bronze medal. I assumed he might actually go all the way, but the rugged Italian, Francesco Damiani, who was the globe range one going into the game titles, proved way too solid in the semi-finals.
On reflection, Bobby did manage to go further in the event than Lennox Lewis (albeit a quite young edition), who arrived up shorter in his quarter-remaining with eventual gold medal winner, Tyrell Biggs. His bronze medal was the only British boxing medal in 1984 and the first ever Olympic medal of any description to be won by a British tremendous-heavyweight.
It would likely have been a struggle for Bobby to make it onto the podium if the full quota of nations experienced been present. The super-heavyweight division was loaded: aside from Damiani and Biggs it included the legendary Teofilo Stevenson, who was aiming to acquire his fourth gold medal and his initially in that division, prior to Cuba’s withdrawal. East Germany’s Uli Kaden, who had received a few out of 9 fights from Stevenson, and the Soviet Union’s, Aleksandr Miroshnichenko, both of those of whom registered wins over Lennox Lewis in the amateurs were recognized world top rated-10 skills. In spite of people hypotheticals, Bobby’s bronze medal can by no means be denied.
I was delighted to catch up with him at the London Ex-Boxers Association awards, previous thirty day period. We probably haven’t seen one another since we had been energetic boxers much more than 30 yrs in the past. He remains fiercely proud of what he did as an novice, attaining what he set out to do: follow in the footsteps of his late father, Billy Wells. Wells Sr was also an ABA winner, winning at heavyweight in 1965 – representing my old club, Wandsworth ABC – and 1968. His 2nd ABA triumph certified him for the Olympics that 12 months in Mexico – at the ripe previous age of 32.
Probably emulating his dad as an beginner was around the restrict of Bobby’s aspirations in the sport, as he selected not to change professional after the Olympics, even with a bronze medal in his again pocket. He only had 5 fights once he did switch about. Just two months after medalling at the Olympics he took on Lennox Lewis in an England v Canada invitational. Lewis’ trademark right-hand settled their duel brutally in the 3rd round.
It wasn’t till January 1986 that he produced his skilled debut. It was at Merton Civic Corridor, a proper small corridor show, and I was also on the monthly bill. It would be unthinkable now for an Olympic bronze medallist from the British isles to make their debut on the smaller-hall circuit and with these types of minimal anticipation encompassing them. Matchroom, Queensbury, or a reputable advertising outfit would’ve signed Bobby and had him battling on a regular basis. Today, just currently being an Olympian, even without the need of a medal, will come with instant marketability.
Bobby’s deficiency of accomplishment as a skilled is likely why his performance at the Olympics is largely forgotten. Then yet again virtually 40 a long time have due to the fact passed. But in a solitary assembly we were being again in 1984.