Three decades on - Charlie Nash recalls his 'dream fight'
"Fighting for a European title was beyond my dreams," recalls Charlie at his Culmore Road home. "That fight was just like a dream.
"At first I only wanted to fight for an Irish amateur title, then I wanted to win two."
Charlie was the first Derry man to win an Irish senior title. Those dreams then progressed to see Nash represent Ireland and Derry at the European and Olympic finals. In each instance he exited the competition to the eventual winner.
"I had no huge career plan, I just knew how to win one round at a time. Needing a new challenge, I only turned professsional in 1975, so to be coming out in front of 2,000 fans, at the height of the Troubles in my home town with a European title on the line, was unbelieveable.
"The truth is I owed much of it to manager Jack Solomons. He made record purse offers to get the fight to Derry."
Holyk had 45 fights to his career wereas Charlie had only 20 although three of his first eight fights had been wins over former British champions, the undefeated Tommy Glencross, Jimmy Revie and Joey Singleton who had made the Lonsdale Belt his own.
"I knew Holyk wasn't going to be easy but I concentrated on winning one round at a time. That is how I approached the fight with Holyk, one round at a time."
It was a style, Charlie's trainer Tommy Donnelly instilled in him.
"He taught me to be an aggressive counterpuncher. We knew that we couldn't afford to wait on him to come forward. My sparring partners Damien McDermott, Billy Ferguson, Mickey Duddy, Patsy Ferguson and Terence Donnelly as well as John Daly in my corner, were instrumental in that style and that victory. That is not to say the magnificent backing of the crowd didn't help. You always get a tremendous lift with a crowd cheering your name. The Derry public have always been brilliant support. I always tried offering them value for money in my style of boxing because of that."
Charlie recalls being in control for most of the fight. The 'Journal' fight report records a "Devastating performance by Nash...the best performance of his career to date...and that the damage was done by his potent right hand."
When the bell went at the end of round 12 Charlie's hands punched the air: "I knew with two rounds to go that I had won. I had caught a couple of body blows which left me dazed and blurred but you always have a few moments like that in every fight.
“I had taken the first six rounds so I remember easing up to get a breather in rounds 7 and 8 but I finished strong, though Holyk too was getting stronger as the fight went on.”
A majority decision gave Nash the fight and the title 119-116, 119-112, 119-112.
“The next thing was that the crowd got in the ring and I was lifted shoulder high.”
However, the celebrations were short lived - despite being as professional boxer and now reigning European Champion, Charlie had to be back in work on Monday morning.
“I had a family to support, my wife Betty was always a great support, always behind me but I couldn’t rely on boxing so I worked full time at a printers in Pennyburn as well as training twice a day.
“I boxed because I loved the sport from the age of 11 but it was Tommy Donnelly who pushed me on.”
Speaking about the possibility of history repeating itself three decades later, Charlie said: “M'baye will be difficult but he is coming to the end of his career while Paul has all the momentum to his. There is no reason McCloskey can’t win the title. He is a tremendous boxer who has a great defence and if your opponent can’t hit you, they can’t beat you. Should he win in Paris there is no reason Paul can’t defend the title in Derry.”
Charlie still coaches boxing at Ring ABC, Rosemount.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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