Champ Carruthers: tough as old boots
Carruthers…turned to bare-knuckle after gloved career
BIRMINGHAM has spat out few fighters more rugged than Terry Carruthers, a man as tough as Dunlop tyres, as impervious as the pillars that prop up Spaghetti Junction.
Quite simply, Carruthers was born to box. The 36-year-old probably emerged from the womb slinging left hooks.
The genuine consensus from those within the game is Terry lacked only one commodity, discipline. Weight-making was always an uphill battle.
After a demanding 38 fight career (15 wins and six draws) and a show-stealing performance on TV's wildly popular Prizefighter knockout series, Terry joined the bloody, brutal world of bare-knuckle boxing.
He is one of a growing band of ex pros who have, in the words of critics, entered the dark side. The defectors included unbeaten prospect Dan Breeze, Commonwealth title challenger and Midland champ Martin Concepcion and British cruiserweight king Rob Norton.
Yet those who rail against the bare-knuckle business have failed to grasp one harsh reality. Individuals such as Carruthers burn to express themselves through controlled violence. Bare-knuckle contests gave Carruthers the buzz he craved.
His urge to fight didn't end when the licensed game had had its fill of him.
When I interviewed him in 2018, Terry had taken part in two bare-knuckle contests. He gained a controversial draw with Jimmy “Gypsy Boy” McCrory in the first - most present felt Terry won handily - and took just 20 seconds to separate one Denny Anderson from his senses in the second.
That victory should've earned the hardman a major title fight and £10,000 payday. Terry's bid to crash bare-knuckle boxing's bigtime was scuppered, however, by tragic news of the promoter's death.
For the tattooed light-middleweight, the decision to enter the unforgiving world of bare-knuckle was an easy one. He said: "I work the doors, don't I? It's like fighting on the doors at the weekends but you get paid more."
Only the most foolish - and inebriated - of clubbers would dare to tussle with Carruthers on the doors.
"I enjoyed the boxing more," he admitted, "but there's more money to be had in bare-knuckle.
“Someone said ‘do you want to have a go?’ and I thought, ‘I can do that’,” shrugged Terry who last fought under the British Boxing Board of Control banner in April, 2014, losing on points to Nick Blackwell.
The Lee Bank fighter will be remembered as a battler with a heart as big as a bucket.
He won only three of nine amateur contest, but, through sheer guts, pushed himself to the top of the paid pile. At his battling best, Terry - outpointed by Chris Eubank Jnr in 2012 - weighed 11stone. He is currently scaling 15. Fans will remember his sterling showing in the 2012 Prizefighter tournament at York Hall, Bethnal Green.
Terry outpointed hot prospect Navid Mansouri on the way to the final before being overpowered by Larry Ekundayo.
He took the Midland title by comprehensively outpointing Steve Spence at the Tower Ballroom in 2013, but was halted by Jason Welborn in his first defence.
“Pizefighter was my best moment, it was amazing,” said Terry.
“Nick Blackwell (a fighter who suffered brain injury in a British middleweight title fight with Eubank Jnr) was by far the toughest opponent I faced. I was wincing before he landed those shots.
“Styles make fights, but as I tired, he got stronger. He was a machine. But he was a lovely person - we chatted before and after the fight.
“Eubank was very fast, but I didn’t think he was that powerful.”
Carruthers, a pro from 2005 to 2017, left the licensed game with no regrets and a 15-7-7 record. He fought in Denmark, losing an eight rounder to Torben Keller, drew with future world beater Liam Smith over four and pushed Brian Rose – a man who would go on to win the British title – to a points decision.
"I achieved more than I thought I would," he said. "I went into the game thinking I'd make a few quid, but I did alright."
More than alright.
Birmingham may have produced more technically gifted boxers, but few have been tougher than Carruthers.