Boxing's Forgotten Hero: John McNally (chapter 3)

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[from the Appletree Press title John McNally - Boxing's Forgotten Hero published by Appletree Press]

STEPPING UP TO THE MARK

Make your hay before the fine weather leaves you.
– Proverb

Not that getting to the Olympic Games was going to be easy. However, the key for John McNally was that he began to peak at the right time. More importantly, he came to prominence in the right arena – the National Stadium in Dublin. From 1949, juvenile and then Ulster senior crowns came McNally’s way with consummate ease. Significantly, in 1951, McNally took the Ulster – beating Paddy Graham in the final – and Irish junior flyweight crowns. Most notably, he recorded a victory over the British ABA flyweight champion, Welshman Ritchie Jenkins, in a tournament at the Ulster Hall. People were beginning to take notice of the White City boxer, however a trip to an Olympic Games was still a total long shot.
In January 1952 John won the Ulster Senior title at his first attempt, by defeating George O’Neill of the St George’s Club at the Ulster Hall. In what was described as the ‘surprise of the night’ by the Belfast Telegraph, McNally’s win was reported also as ‘brilliant’. Ulster titles were fine and well, but held little clout on the all-Ireland stage. Therefore, the problem for John was to make a mark in the National Stadium in Dublin, where the hometown favourites held sway. One of those favourites was an excellent boxer from the St Francis’ Club by the name of Benny Carabini. Among the highlights of the boxing calendar in Dublin was the annual Polikoff’s Tournament. Sponsored by the men’s outfitters, the crowd attending the National Stadium were assured always that the cream of Irish amateur boxing would be on show.
As reigning Ulster senior champion at bantamweight, McNally was invited as a guest to take part in the tournament against the skilful Carabini. The Dubliner was aiming to establish his credentials as a contender for the Helsinki Games and McNally was seen as a good – but not too difficult – test of his ability. That evening in the arena, a cold Friday night in February, the papers reported that there was almost a revolt among the crowd, but this had nothing to do with the boxing on show. The fact was that the heating had broken down and the punters were literally freezing. Stamping of feet and demands for refunds permeated the smoky and cold air inside the Stadium. Worried officials and members of the Polikoff firm did their best to subdue the cold fans, but it was a most unsatisfactory state of affairs. Eventually, Carabini entered the ring to warm – or should that be cold? – applause. Now was the perfect time for McNally to make his mark by beating a former Irish champion on his home turf: he duly obliged. The Irish Press reported on the victory:

‘The Belfast-man showed exceptional skill in gaining a well-deserved win, for he had a grand right hand and was a much faster puncher…and was on target with every blow.’

In his next Dublin outing, the Arbour Hill tournament in March, John McNally was matched with Paddy Kelty, a short-reach boxer who was favourite to land the bantamweight ticket to Helsinki. Kelty was the reigning Irish champion and had recently dispatched England’s Tommy Nicholls with style in an international at the Stadium. He was a seasoned amateur, but McNally had come like a steam train out of the blue, and Kelty was wary of the Ulsterman. Since this contest was seen as a dress rehearsal for the Irish senior final, there was a lot at stake. As it turned out, the fight was a personal triumph for Kelty, but his victory raised more questions about his ability than it answered.
Whilst being awarded the contest, the journalists at ringside considered Kelty as most fortunate. For most of the bout he was forced to stay at the end of McNally’s jab and had to employ rushing tactics to score. Under the headline ‘Short-reach boxer was lucky to win’ the Irish Independent’s observer ended his report with a suggestion that a return match would see McNally victorious. Perhaps, with this in mind, Kelty chose to opt out of the Irish Senior Championships in the belief that his initial victory over McNally would put him in the prime spot for the Olympics.
In mid-March, at the finals of the senior championships, the papers were reporting the triumph of McNally and touting him – and featherweight Harry Perry – as future household names. The Belfastman came up against Sandymount’s Mick Towers at bantamweight and made short work of the Dubliner. Towers was no pushover – he had beaten some of the top boxers in Ireland – but he had no answer for the speed and power of McNally. Towers (‘wisely’, according to the Irish Times) retired before the end of the second round, and the cup was going north. In the featherweight bout Harry Perry, a seventeen-year-old Terenure schoolboy, beat Tommy Reddy with a display of ‘delightful youthful ambition’.
Soon after, Harry Perry was told by officials that he was considered too young to go to the Olympics, and Reddy went in his place. Nineteen-year-old John McNally faced a similar battle. The man who had beaten him a month previously, Paddy Kelty, held all the aces. Despite the result of the Irish final, nothing was resolved as the Games drew near.

Read the previous Chapters :
Chapter 1
Chapter 2

From the Appletree Press title: John McNally - Boxing's Forgotten Hero by Barry Flynn.

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