20/11/2014
My name is Roy Skeldon, owner of Black Country Boxing Gym and if you are thinking of coming along to my gym, you need to know who I am.
I was the undefeated Light Heavyweight champion until I retired in 1991; I also boxed for the British and commonwealth titles. If I was boxing today, my ideal weight would have been at Super Middleweight, which didn’t exist in my day; I was around 12stone but boxed opponents who were 12stone 11lbs or heavier.
I turned pro at the age of 18 without having any amateur fights and without any boxing experience. I worked for my dad who was a former undefeated pro fighter and our family business was a foundry in Walsall. It was not an easy job, very hard, dirty and hot, and after working in a foundry all day I was never really in any condition to train in the evenings but I did the best I could.
My training regime was mainly running from Tipton to Walsall in my steel toe caped boots at 5am in the morning then returning at around 5pm in the evening, with an odd trip to the gym, I was always too tired to do any quality training, hardly ideal preparation for a pro fighter, fighting the opponents I was put in with, there was no easy fights in those days and there were a lot more opponents so a lot more competition.
I liken myself to our old Olympians who in times gone by struggled to win gold medals. Sometimes Great Britain would only walk away with 2 or 3 gold medals sometimes only 1, and this was because our athletes had to do a full-time job in the day and train in their spare time. Nowadays, with government backing and lottery funding our athletes have all the facilities and time they need, and we are getting amazing results. Per capita, we are the best in the world.
I’m not making excuses for my record; it doesn’t look that good, until you look at the quality of my opponents, Glen McCory World champion, Crawford Ashley British and European champion, Guy Walters Australian and commonwealth champion, Sammy Reason British champion, most world title contenders. And every one of these fights I took on short notice, but gave them a great fight, and got standing ovations. .
What I’m trying to say is, if I had what I’m offering you, I probably could have beaten any of my opponents.
Great facilities, full time training, someone who’s been there, seen it and done it - essential.
Remember, anyone without any experience whatsoever can get you fit and tell you to do an extra 10/20 sit ups or squats, but, it takes a master to create a master piece. All I ask is for you to have the balls to be special, and I’ll do the rest.
That’s 45 years BOXING experience, so if boxing is what you seriously want to do then Black Country Boxing Club is the gym for you.
My name is Roy Skeldon ‘ The Boss’, BIN THERE AND DUNNIT AY I !!!!
