Controversial decisions seem to be quite common in boxing these days. This is hardly surprising since almost every high-profile competition can be watched live and its results debated on any social media platform. Referees and judges have never been more closely monitored than they are today.
Fifty years ago, television had a lot less boxing, and what was shown were often edited highlights of a boxing match that took place the night, or even a week before. Some decisions, however, caused an uproar, and none more so than the 1971 Henry Cooper v Joe Bugner contest. Another decision that stood out in this era was the 1972 Olympic semi-final contest between Alan Minter and the West German, Dieter Kottysch. The match was shown live in the UK and the ruling in Kottysch’s favor caused an absolute stench, both here and in Germany.
I remember these Olympics so vividly that, sadly, they were overshadowed by the killing of Israeli athletes. The track and field events were exceptional, as was the performance of US swimmer Mark Spitz. Great Britain won 18 medals at the Olympics, but three of them, all bronze, went to boxers. Like Minter, both George Turpin and Ralph Evans were eliminated in the semifinals but still took home medals. There’s no arguing with two of these losses, but Minter’s verdict is a bad one.
Alan is one of three medal hopes identified by BN in their preview the week before the Olympics. Along with Maurice Hope and Neville Cole, Minter was chosen because he is “an expert on the international circuit. A great player, and he has the right hardline. His commands are respected even at the highest level. If he’s not tagged, then he could make it to the semi-finals. Other members of the nine-man team included Billy Knight, Billy Taylor, and the great Graham Moughton. The BN The reporter scored against the Crawley-based light-medium boxer, but Minter didn’t deserve to be disqualified when he did.
Alan started the event brilliantly, stopping Guyanese boxer Reginald Ford for two rounds. BN reports that, “With the support of professional managers, Southpaw Minter put on one of his most impressive performances to go all out and eventually crush Ford with a knockout. .” This is the same Reggie Ford, who beat both Dave Boy Green and Kirkland Laing in matches at the Royal Albert Hall in the early 1980s.
In the next round, Minter was paired with Russian, Valery Tregubov, a man 9 years older than Minter and with a lot of experience. Alan disrespects him and wins the streets. His next match was against Algerian Loucif Hanmani, and once again Alan overpowered his opponent in a tough match, beating his opponent to a decisive 4-1 victory. in “one of those snarling, hard-hitting performances we’ve come to expect from the age of 21.” The stage was now ready for the semi-final, and Alan was up against Kottysch, of the host country.
The German is another southern player and he also looked impressive as he made it to the final four. He is well known to fighting fans in the UK, has beaten Tom Imrie and Johnny Whitehorn in international matches and he is a very experienced amateur who has never competed professionally. He was born in Poland but has settled in Hamburg. BN described the contest as a “tense, intense battle” in which Kottysch was booed by a partisan crowd.
Minter had to withstand some tough and precise hits throughout, but he gave more than he got and when it finally came, each boxer amassed two votes from the four judges, who each amassed two votes. Thursday will decide the outcome. He scored in the half, but he voted for Kottysch with an advantage.
Alan couldn’t get any closer to an Olympic final, but he more than made up for his disappointment as a pro.
