John Caldwell

Pure Genius, Pure Class, Unsurpassed!
[from the Appletree Press title Legends of Irish Boxing published by Appletree Press]

Of all the boxers from this island who have scaled the heights of the Noble Art of boxing, one man’s name is held consistently in higher esteem than all others. That man is John Caldwell. Many followers of boxing in Ireland may argue differently but, when it comes down to sheer class and achievement, Caldwell’s name is talked about universally with hushed reverence and awe.
      Caldwell was quite simply a master of his art. A supreme boxer and fighter, his skill saw him claim, at eighteen years of age, an Olympic bronze medal in Melbourne and the world professional bantamweight crown in 1961. He enjoyed a magnificent career, as both an amateur and professional, in which he contested 275 bouts, winning on all but ten occasions. That is why he is still so revered.
      Today, he is one of only two living Belfast men to have held either a WBA or WBC professional boxing crown. His achievements, in the 1950s and early 1960s, will, in all probability, never be equalled or bettered. Boxing today is a changed sport and, undoubtedly, they do not make fighters like John Caldwell any more. He represented his club, city and country with grace, style and pride. His dedication to his sport was unquestionable and throughout his career his greatness was never, ever, in doubt.
      Born in Belfast’s Cyprus Street off the Falls Road in May 1938, Caldwell was first drawn at an early age to the now world-famous Immaculata boxing club, which was situated off the city’s Grosvenor Road. His natural talent in the ring soon came to the fore, and under the keen eye of his trainer, Jack McCusker, he came to prominence throughout Ireland.
      By 1956, with a plethora of titles to his name, the Falls Road boxer held both the junior and senior Irish flyweight crowns and a place on the Irish team at the Melbourne Olympic Games was secured. The Irish Olympic squad embarked upon a journey to Australia in late 1956 and for Caldwell the experience was a universe away from the harshness of postwar Belfast. For the so-called ‘baby’ of the squad, it was a dream come true.
      “We were away from home for six weeks and travelled to Australia by boat,” remembers Caldwell. “It was a magnificent experience for all of us and stopped off at San Francisco and then in Honolulu on the way to Australia, places which we had only heard about and seen in films up until then. I was very young at the time and, at just eighteen, I was considered to be the baby of the team, which meant that I was well looked after in some respects. The athlete Maeve Kyle was brilliant and she looked after us all and you could say that she mothered me in particular, which took care of any homesickness that I had during the visit. Everything was fabulous and the opening ceremony in the stadium stood out for me particularly.”
      Belfast’s John McNally had claimed Ireland’s first boxing medal at modern day Olympics when he took silver in 1952. For the boxers of 1956, that achievement was surpassed by the most talented fighters to have represented Ireland in a modern Olympics. The team acquitted themselves with skill and pride and surpassed all expectations, as John remembers fondly.
      “As it turned out it was the most successful set of Irish boxers ever to go to an Olympic Games as, apart from my medal, we won two bronze and one silver through Freddie Gilroy, Tony Byrne and Freddie Tiedt. But, for me personally, it was such an honour to be picked in the first place and I was so overjoyed to be representing Ireland and wearing the green vest on such a stage. Just being there at such a young age was something really special and I still find it hard to explain the feeling.”
     

Read the next part of of John Caldwell's story can be read here:
part 2 |

From the Appletree Press title: Legends of Irish Boxing by Barry Flynn.