Big punching Mack fought the very best

Joey Mack…matched tough, hit very, very hard

THEY certainly matched Birmingham’s Joey Mack tough.

Back in the 1970s and 80s, Joey faced them all. The list of champs on his 40 fight record is staggering, truly staggering.

He actually stopped British welterweight champ Henry Rhiney in a non title fight when Rhiney held the title. Joey won the scheduled eight rounder in the seventh.

He took fine European light-welterweight king and world title challenger Jo Kimpuani the full 10 rounds in France. European champ Hans Henrik Palm outpointed Joey over eight in Denmark.

Add to the unbelievable CV contests against British champs Colin Jones, Lloyd Hibbert and Kostas Petrou (twice) and you have the pen portrait of a man who would face the best, no questions asked. You have the portrait of a man who conducted his profession in the deep end.

He even took Sheffield’s brilliant Herol Graham the full eight rounds.

Joey - real name McIntosh - was tough, a dangerous puncher and talented.

He was a fine fighter for the army and Birmingham Golden Gloves club before turning pro.

Joey’s record - he hung up his gloves in 1983 with 23 losses - does not suggest that talent was nurtured. Fourteen of his contests took place abroad, where doing enough to win does not always mean you win.

After only eight pro contests, Joey took three overseas assignments and lost them all.

Two fights later, he was in South Africa to face that country’s light-middleweight champ Gert Steyn and dropped an eight round decision.

Mack was a true throwback “have gloves will travel” fighter. And he carried knockout power.

I only hope he earned well from the long list of risky outings. He deserves security, but few achieved it.

In ring retirement, Joey, now 74 and born in St Kitts, worked for BT and had a spell as a cabbie. He is still with us, but not part of Birmingham’s buzzing fight scene.

Former rugged middleweight Willie Wright said: “Joey was a very tough lad and I’ve lost count of the number of rounds we sparred together.

“The gym was under the old Citadel and I was the only white kid in the gym. You’d go on Sunday mornings and all you did was 15 rounds sparring. It was a case of having to learn how to look after yourself very quickly. The sparring was unbelievable.”

There were nights of glory for Joey - at Midlands level, but he was capable of much more. The nearest he got to the Lonsdale Belt was a British title final eliminator against Colin Jones.

I was present on that night in Caerphilly 43 years ago and brave Joey took numerous tumbles to the canvas - 10 in all - before the fight was stopped in the 10th.

Jones, unbeaten in 11 going into the fight, was something special - and one of the biggest hitting welters I’ve watched from ringside.

After losing his first three contests on points - all eight rounders, Joey began to make his mark. The calibre of opposition was cranked-up considerably.

1979 was a particularly good year - the stoppage to future European champ and world title challenger Jones apart. Thunderous punching Mick Mills, a true “I’ll either stop you or you’ll stop me” bomber was dismissed in the third. He later gained two round revenge over the Birmingham boxer.

Coventry’s slick Achille “Speedy” Mitchell was blasted out in the fourth for the Midlands welterweight title.

He successfully defended against Roy Varden, gaining a narrow half point victory after 10 rounds, before again plying his trade abroad.

Joey actually beat Michael Pagani in Calais in five.

It’s the upset wins that show Mack’s true worth.

John F Kennedy was considered a champ in waiting before being outpointed by Joey for the Midlands title. The Derbyshire man never fought again.

The East End’s Colin Derrick, another with knockout power, was being groomed for stardom by Terry Lawless. Nine of his 11 victories had come early before he faced Joey, who outpointed him over eight at York Hall, Bethnal Green. Like Kennedy, Derrick hung up his gloves after encountering Mack.

Salvo Nucifero, from Cornwall, could be a handful - and was a middleweight. Joey outpointed him over eight.

Of that 1980, Solihull bout, Boxing News wrote: “Intelligence and precision were the keys to Joey Mack’s points victory over a resolute Salvo Nuciforo, who showed the resilience but was found wanting in accuracy over eight (three minute) rounds at the Midland Sporting Club. It was Mack’s first fight since his crushing defeat by Colin Jones in their British title final eliminator.”

Joey defended his Midlands belt against Martin McGough in 1982, the Coventry puncher retiring with a hand injury after six torrid rounds. He lost the belt to Cliff Gilpin, who would go on to twice face future world champ Lloyd Honeyghan for the British title. He lost both on points, but dropped Lloyd.

Joey bowed out of the sport after being stopped by Petrou in an attempt to get his old belt back.

Kostas, now a successful businessman, said: “Joey was a good fighter with a bit of a dig. He caught me the first time we met (an eight rounder narrowly won on points by Petrou), but I bounced straight back up. It was one of them.

“He had the height, reach, technique and  the punch to possibly have gone farther.”

Today’s prospects should look hard at Mack’s astonishing record.

There were no four rounders, no journeymen to pad his record, frankly very few favours. He hit the ground running.

In a very hard sport, Mack did it the hard way.