John Caldwell

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

In the opening round of the flyweight division, Caldwell was afforded a bye. His first opponent, Yai Shwe of Burma, fell victim to John’s unique style of working inside with quick punches and then switching his attacks from body to head. Yai Shwe was duly knocked out in the third round.
      In the quarterfinal, Caldwell upset the legions of local Melbourne fans when he beat their local hero, Warren Batchelor, on points. The Australian had been the favourite to win the division and Caldwell’s success put him in pole position for the gold medal.
      However, it was not to be as, in the semi-final Caldwell lost out to the crack Romanian Mircea Dobrescu and had to content himself with a bronze medal. The Romanian, in turn, lost out to the legendary British fighter Terry Spinks in the final and he claimed the gold medal.
      Whilst Ronnie Delaney had crowned the Irish squad’s achievement with a gold medal in the 1500 metres, the boxing squad’s achievements represented the greatest display from any set of pugilists ever to have worn the green vest at the Olympics.
      On their return, the team were held in the greatest esteem as rapturous receptions were followed by numerous civic ceremonies across the country. John Caldwell was feted in Dublin, Belfast and most warmly in his own Cyprus Street as an all-conquering hero. He recalled the experience with pride.
      “The whole of Cyprus Street and most of the Falls Road was out to cheer me on my return to Belfast. When I recall the feeling I had inside and I just think of standing there on that podium in Melbourne with my medal it just makes me so proud,” said John. “It was a dream come true for me and sometimes I have to pinch myself and question whether it really happened.”
      With the Melbourne Olympics behind him, John continued with his amateur career and found himself a trade as a pipe fitter. He was now operating at the top of the game and with the experience of winning an Olympic medal so young he saw his career in boxing moving towards a different sphere. Naturally, the calling to the paid ranks was not far off and in January 1958, he fought his last unpaid fight in Belfast’s St Mary’s Hall.
      It is said that there was an audible gasp among the crowd in the Bank Street venue that night when it was announced from the ring that Caldwell had worn a vest for the last time. As a boxer, he was cherished in his hometown. Given the fact that he had now turned professional – and given John’s talent and the state of professional boxing in the City at the time – the prospect of spectators seeing Caldwell fight out of Belfast became a distant hope.
      Family life and John’s career soon coincided. John married his childhood sweetheart Bridget and made the decision to start his career in the paid ranks and base his family in Scotland. Glasgow was to be the base from where Caldwell, under the management of Sammy Docherty, set out on a new era. The 1950s were an era when professional boxing was flourishing in Britain, and Caldwell’s professional career was soon underway. In his first bout, a two-round stoppage of Englishman Billy Downer signalled the start of John’s rise through the ranks. As he recalled, the training regime he followed required discipline, self-control and dedication.
      “In Glasgow, I attended mass at half-six every morning. After that, I would take to the hills outside the city for the running and stamina training. I had to watch my diet and keep myself right that it was really tough going. My exercise routines were so varied and beneficial that the then Glasgow Celtic manager Jimmy McGrory asked me to go along and help the team out. I showed the players the range of exercises that I did to get fit and we all became very friendly. As a lover of football, I jumped at the chance of mixing with the Celtic players and remember playing in many practice matches with them. The one thing I remember about those training games is that none of the Celtic players were allowed to tackle me as I was in training for fights, so it was a strange experience to be able to run rings around them. Without exaggeration, I can say that I was supremely fit at the time but it took real discipline and an awful lot out of me both physically and mentally. My trainer at the time knew me inside out and he could tell exactly what stage I was at and how I was shaping up in the run up to a bout. He always cautioned me against being overly fit and he sensed just by my mood when I had reached perfect fitness; after that it was a case of no more physical work as he was sure I was ready.”
     

The previous part of John Caldwell's story can be read here:
part 1 |

Read the next part of John Caldwell's story here:
part 3 |

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