Glenn McCrory, the North East’s first world boxing champ

Glenn McCrory was our guest speaker on June 5 at Bishop Auckland’s Heritage Park, and he told us how he was born in his grandparents’ home in Burnhope on September 23, 1964, but lived in Annfield Plain all his youth.

Frank Storr a former Crook Town footballer, Glenn McCrory, Stephen Burke and John Phelan at the Sporting Memories meeting. Picture: Peter JacksonHe said: “Although the North East is generally known for its football clubs there was boxing in our family. Dad had boxed in the Army and his father was an Army champion. Dad’s brother, my uncle, Jim McCrory, boxed professionally under the name Jim Palmer and had over a hundred fights, which included a fight with British and Empire champion Jim ‘Spider’ Kelly.”

As a youngster, Glenn’s heroes were Muhammad Ali and George Best, as much for their personalities as their twinkling hands and feet.

Growing up in North West Durham, Glenn found the area rather dark and depressing with all the pits and Consett steelworks spewing out a red dust now and again. One day he looked inside an Amateur boxing gym at Consett leisure centre and was taken by the colourful shorts and tops, and thought: “This is for me.”

Glenn said: “Coach Johnny Cuthbert taught me the basics about boxing, and he did a good job because as an amateur I won 56 out of 64 contests, took a national title and boxed for England!

“I turned pro in 1984 aged 19 with Doug Bidwell as my manager – he was the manager and father-in-law of Alan Minter, the undisputed British middleweight champion in 1980, but Doug never hired a trainer for me.

“Father Noel Phelan, who originated from Kilkenny in southern Ireland, was a mentor of mine.”

Glenn McCroryEarly in his professional career, Glenn fought at the Grosvenor Hotel in Mayfair where Muhammad Ali was a guest. Ali was so impressed he asked Glenn to visit his room after his fight. Glenn obliged, and when Ali saw him coming, he shouted out: “Get me a photographer – this guy’s prettier than me.”

Glenn’s first professional fight in February 1984 resulted in a first round knock out over Barry Ellis. Over the next 15 months he fought a further 12 times, winning on each occasion, before suffering his first defeat against John Westgarth in September 1985.

He then lost four of his next five fights.

In November 1986 that run came to an end when a visit to Louisville Kentucky resulted in him getting back to winning ways against the inexperienced Joe Adams. This fight was a springboard for a run of form which would take Glenn to the Commonwealth and British cruiserweight titles.

He took the Commonwealth title with a points decision over Chisanda Mutti even though he had just recovered from a dislocated thumb. He then flew to Philadelphia to spar with Tyson before his fight with Tyrell Biggs.

Glenn said Tyson was unbelievably friendly, a real polite nice kid, until they climbed into the ring and then he snarled: “I’m gonna kill you, I’m gonna rip your effin head off.”

However, Glenn did well and whacked him with some jabs as Tyson could not nail him down and completed four rounds with him.

Tyson won his fight with Biggs. He complemented Glenn because he had a similar style to Biggs.

Glenn then signed up to fight Tee Jay for the British cruiserweight title in Wandsworth before flying back to the US to rejoin the Tyson camp in preparation for his fight with Larry Holmes.

He was paid $1,500 a week, which he wasn’t even getting for fights at that time.

He beat Tee Jay quite comfortably and.defended both titles against Lou Gent in 1988 before he challenged Patrick “Killer” Lumumba from Kenya for the vacant IBF cruiserweight title.

Boxing correspondent Colin Hart, a friend of Glenn’s, previewed the fight in The Sun newspaper under the headline: “Glenn’s a Goner”. Hart said if ever a boxer were to be judged by his nickname, “Killer” was that boxer.

The fight was on home turf at Stanley leisure centre, and the crowd safety limit might have been compromised to honour the occasion.

Halfway through, members of the crowd stamped their feet in unison to create a war-like, drumming sound and Glenn said: “How could I lose in front of a crowd like that?”

There is also a story that in a clinch on the ropes with Lumumba he spotted his adopted brother David, wheelchair bound with a muscle wasting disease that would eventually claim his life, and his eyes were glistening with pride. At that moment, he knew he was not going to lose.

Glenn McCrory pictured after winning world cruiserweight title in 1989 He won on a unanimous points decision and became the North East’s first boxing world champion. In his victory speech, he said: “Stanley dole office, I’m not coming back.” This was because the purses from his previous fights had been so small his income was being supplemented by benefits.

He made one defence of the belt against Siza Makathini in October 1989 before facing Jeff Lampkin in March 1990.

Glenn’s manager, Beau Williford, brought the date forward and then boiled Glenn like a sausage so that he made the weight.

This left Glenn was in no fit state to fight and lost by a knock-out. He even wrote goodbye letters to his wife and daughter as he felt so ill.

To add insult to injury, Williford went off with Glenn’s wages and was never seen again.

Glenn decided to retire at only 25 years of age but a tax bill for £90,000 made him challenge the future world champion Lennox Lewis for his British and European heavyweight titles.

Glenn’s purse was £90,000, the most he had ever fought for in his whole career, but again he was in no fit state, in mind or body, to fight and he suffered a second round KO.

Two victories and a draw followed the Lewis defeat before a trip to Moscow in July 1993 resulted in an unsuccessful attempt to win back his IBF belt, losing over 12 rounds to reigning champion Alfred Cole.

This was his last fight and he left the sport with a professional record of 30 wins, eight defeats and one draw.

Since then he has pioneered Sky Television’s boxing coverage, auditioned for the roles of Ivan Drago and James Bond, and made occasional appearances as an actor on television and stage.

• Thanks to Glenn and to Peter Jackson for the photograph.