ALTHOUGH JIMMY VINCENT ISN'T
A COVENTRY BOXER, HE COMES UP TO THE GYM AND TRAINS
WITH ONE OF HIS BEST FRIENDS
ANDY HALDER. JUST TO MEET JIMMY AND WATCH HIM TRAIN AND SPAR IS A
GREAT EXPERIENCE. CALL JIMMY WHAT YOU LIKE JACK THE LAD THE BAD BOY
STREETFIGHTER ALL THESE NAMES AND MORE HE HAS HAD THROWN AT HIM IN THE
PAST FEW YEARS. BUT NOBODY CAN TAKE IT AWAY FROM HIM THAT HE IS ONE
OF THE BEST WELTERWEIGHTS IN THE COUNTRY.
WHEN JIMMY STEPPED INTO THE
RING AT THE GORESBROOK LEISURE CENTRE DAGENHAM. WHAT DAVID BARNES
MUST HAVE BEEN THINKING WHEN HE FINALLY CAME FACE TO FACE WITH JIMMY AFTER
KEEPING HIM WAITING FOR A GOOD THREE OR FOUR MINUTES BEFORE HIS ENTRY,
JIMMY LOOKED AS HARD AS NAILS
AND THE STARE FROM HIS EYES MUST HAVE WENT INTO BARNE'S BRAIN, BARNES LOOKED
A NERVOUS WRECK WHEN HE MET JIMMY IN THE CENTRE OF THE RING.
STRAIGHT FROM THE FIRST BELL
JIMMY FOUGHT THE ONLY WAY HE KNOWS SEEK AND HURT NEVER TAKING A BACKWARD
STEP, THIS WAS THE STORY FOR THE FIRST SEVEN ROUNDS AND I DONT THINK THERE
WAS ANY DOUBT THAT JIMMY WON SIX OF THESE. WHEN BARNES CAME OUT FOR
THE EIGHTH ROUND HIS CORNER TEAM TOLD HIM IT WAS TO BE HIS LAST ROUND IF
HE DIDNT START TO DO SOME THING, BARNES DID IMPROVE BUT JIMMY KEPT COMING
FORWARD AND WON AT LEAST TWO OF THE LAST FIVE ROUNDS TO GIVE HIMSELF
A COMFORTABLE WIN OR SO WE THOUGHT.
IN THE WORDS OF THE GREAT MAN
AT RINGSIDE JIM WATT WHO SAID THE REFEREE MUST BE THE ONLY MAN IN THE HALL
WHO THOUGHT BARNES HAD WON EVEN BARNES WAS SURPRISED AND EMBARASSED WHEN
HE WAS GIVEN THE VERDICT.
JIMMY YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE THE
BELT BUT YOU KNOW AND I KNOW AND EVERYONE WHO WATCHED THIS FIGHT KNOWS
THAT YOU WON IT EASY.