Bury bans boxing

And they have accused members of sheer hypocrisy in outlawing professional fights - yet, at the same time, giving out grants to local amateur boxing clubs.

Pro fights in council premises were formally banned after a nail-biting 23-19 vote on a night of high drama at Wednesday's (July 23) council meeting.

It means that Ady Lewis (21) cannot defend his British flyweight title in his home town.

Mr Stuart Andrews, of Ady's management firm Tara Promotions, said he was "absolutely disgusted" by the verdict.

"I feel gutted for Ady and another of our Bury boxers, David Clavering. A lot of people in Bury are boxing fans, but they cannot go because the council says so."

Bury had ordered a moratorium on boxing in 1995 following the death of James Murray in a Glasgow bout.

After months of talks, this vote finally bans boxing for good - and is believed to be the first such ban in Britain.

Mr Robert Smith, from the British Boxing Board of Control, also attended the meeting and is now taking legal advice on whether to sue the council for restraint of trade.

In a stormy debate, council leader Derek Boden delivered an impassioned plea to ban boxing and allowed his Labour colleagues a rare free vote on the issue. But nothing could have prepared him for the verbal left-hooks some members on his own side delivered.

Coun Boden poured scorn on the sport's claims to promote self-discipline and good conduct, holding up the recent "thuggishness" of the Mike Tyson fight as an example.

Highlighting Mohammed Ali, he said scientific evidence incontravertibly showed that boxers did suffer brain damage over time.

He added: "We have a duty of care to our people. If people deliberately hit each other with a view to disabling them, then we are part responsible because we have facilitated that."

His motion was seconded by fellow Besses councillor Alan Matthews, who said there was "bloodlust in the air" at professional bouts.

But Coun Wayne Campbell said any ban had to be a national decision, not Bury's.

And leisure services chairman Coun David Willis advocated freedom of choice.

"Other sports can be brutal. The way forward is the maintenance and improvement of safety standards," he said. But Liberal Democrat leader Coun Vic D'Albert agreed with a ban. His colleague Wilf Davison recalled twice in his youth knocking out a love rival, who was later ill and committed suicide. "I have carried that with me all my life," he said. "I wondered whether that was caused by that."

The deputy mayor, Coun Trevor Holt, stood up to demolish Coun Boden's arguments.

"The scientific evidence does not exist, he is completely wrong. Let's not have this smokescreen about amateur boxing, it's the same thing."

And he added: "Boxing is the noble art of self-defence. It's a fine sport for young people to get into."

Coun Holt added: "Coun Boden plucks out a couple of names - I think of Jim Watt, Henry Cooper, Frank Bruno, great ambassadors for this country."

And deputy leader John Byrne tore into his superior, saying the council should prove its own brains were working.

"I do not support boxing, and would discourage anyone from taking it up," he said. "But that's my preference.

"Neither alcohol nor tobacco are banned in our premises, even those designed to promote health. This sets a very dangerous precedent."

And he pointed out that Bury Council gives grants to Bury Boxing Club.

"It would be hypocrisy for anyone to say that one should be banned and not the other."

Tory leader David Higgin said Bury seemed to be "on another planet" in debating boxing instead of making the borough more successful.

He added: "Big Brother Boden seeks to deprive others of pleasure because of a dogmatic whim."

Afterwards, Coun Boden justified his decision to allow amateur boxing, saying the evidence of injury was a lot less conclusive.

He said Bury would defend any legal action.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.