This is a picture of Maxie Smith and me (Alan Wilson) training in our gym at Stillington. As you may be able to see, the pad gloves I am wearing were home made as was most of our training equipment. We used to charge 10p a session for training or weights. We were more into getting kids into boxing than making money. 
We used to go around working men’s clubs to get dads to bring their sons to our gym. Max use to offer to go ‘a round’ with any dads with his hands behind his back and let the dads try and catch him, basically to show how important control and defence was, it worked and we slowly built up our young boxers to teach. One good amateur boxer we had was Tony Kelsey who used to be a butcher at Roseworth shops, does any one remember him ?
Photographs and details courtesy of Alan Wilson.
I seem to remember Maxi Smith worked the door at the Talbot in Stockton…I think its the same man, didnt know him myself however he was a good friend of Big Paul…..so he must have been a gentleman
Craig
Just wondering if you had anymore photos or newspaper reports for Maxie Smith?
Yes I have the boxing newspaper of his last fight with Steve Axcel and pictures of him when he was my best man and when he lived in Portsmouth
I know this is an old thread but I will comment and hope everyone is well and around to read it. I used to train in the Stillington gym with all mentioned, Tony, Alan and Maxie. A very enjoyable period in my life. Especially the well earned refreshments afterwards in the Vane. I saw Max out walking in Richmond a few months back and he was well and we had a brief reminiscence.
Remember you well Dave, keeping fit. I thing that the hall has been knocked down now, but living in Australia I may be wrong
I was in Maxie Smith’s corner on his last fight at Manchester, along with other people I didn’t know- I think his manager Tommy Millar wanted his sons involved- even though they had never met Max or seen him train. Not wanting to cause a problem I didn’t say anything, maybe I should have ?. The main problem as I saw it on the night was too much support for Max, he had a fight in Brighton with Sid Falconer, a tough boxer- but Max had mates from the commandos at Portsmouth come to see him box, so he tried to stop Sid – Max ended up winning on points , but badly bruised. They had a rematch at Blackpool – no supporters and Max stopped Sid in the 4th round. That is one of the main reasons Max lost. He was a thinking boxer, liked to let the opponent advance and counter punch- take his time and work out the best form of attack. But at Manchester to much support , he went on the attack too early and got caught. He should have fought his normal fight and he would have won !
I was in the Royal Marines with Maxi, we served together in Malta in the 1960. I believe that is when he started boxing. I don’t remember when I last saw him or if he would remember me but I would like to give him my best wishes. Ian (jock) Drummond
Hi Ian, I’m Maxie’s daughter.
I’ve just read your message to him and yes he does remember you, he said he hopes you’re well and thanks you for the message.
Just found this thread and noticed the former Royal Marine Ian Drummond’s email. Now there is a name from the past. We went for a drink in Malta as young Marines and nearly ended up leaving the Marines before we had completed our first year. I joined up in the Royal Marines in 1959 and went through training in the same 735 squad as Maxi. After our time in Malta and 40 Commando I next met Maxi at Eastney when I returned from the Far East in 1967/68. We bumped into each other at the training area around the football pitches in Eastney Barracks and Maxi asked me how I was getting on with my motorcycle racing. I told him considering that I had absolutely no natural ability, I was doing okay.
As a contender for the British boxing championship at the time Maxi told me something that I never forgot. He said that everything he did and achieved in the ring was trained for and constantly practised and was the result of dedication and hard work on the road and in the Gym.
I wish Maxi and Ian Drummond the best of health and would love to hear from either of them.
Best Wishes Dave (Paddy) Capper
A few pertinent comments… ‘Does anyone remember Joe Walton’s Boxing Club and gym in Lower Feversham Street, over the border? A former footballer turned boxer called Delapena used to train there, or how at Stockton Dogs the tote betting board used to register about 10 tickets after the race was over. Everyone thought it was a ‘final hiccup by the machine’ engaged on working out the last minute bets that had been put on, it wasn’t, it was the track owners slipping bets on after they knew the winning dog and result.
Does anyone recall the track champion ‘Prince Bill’, owned by Jake Jobson? from Redcar Road, Thornaby, or ‘Famous Jean’ or down Cleveland Park, ‘Blue Dusty’, ‘Red Cloak’ or ‘Fine Amethyst’.
Better still does anyone recall the man who won the pools and bought himself an bungalow and field at Carlton, and built a small greyhound schooling track for pups, which everyone visited on Sunday mornings. We walked it from Thornaby and walked back again a distance of 7 miles. No Sunday buses in those days.
If you like reading these comments about Maxie Smith, you might be interested in this post too… http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2003/04/08/jack-thomas-fought-for-ici/
Maxie has a boxing gym in Middlesbrough. He is 70 soon. He still trains as hard and as enthusiastic as anyone in the gym. Maxie is always looking for ways to improve his/our sharpness, speed and technique. LEGEND
Kev, will you be coming to his 70th? His daughter Emily.
Yes Emily I will be there along with other boxers from his gym, thanks Kev
I went to school with Tony at St Bede’s. He used to go to stockton dogs with my dad.
The Vane Arms was one of our watering holes after training at Stillington Gym. Unfortunately Tony liked his drink to much, he got to the ABA semi finals in Hull and didn’t tell me he had been in a suana the day before to make his weight and was dehydrated and had no power in his punches, but he was a very hard worker at the gym. I knew his dad, Cliff from the Mile House which was my drinking training ground, he was a good dart player with a very unusual throwing action!
A local boxer who reached the ABA middleweight final was Gary Grounds from Billingham.
I knew Tony and his family through drinking at the Vane Arms at Thorpe Theweles he also knew my father well through the butchering trade.
Yes I knew Tony quite well, he was a mate of Alan Bkackwell, who knew him from being a boy, Alan and I worked together, I thought Tony still lived in Stillington? He had a sister, Rita I think?
Tony was the son of Cliff Kelsey who was a turner and worked on a big roundabout(vertical boring machine) at Head Wrightsons Machine Shop in Thornaby with Jackie Hunter and George Outhwaite as his colleagues.
Yes, I knew Tony well. He worked at Newtown butchers when I knew him, his sisters Rita and Valerie worked on Cleveland Transit with me. Sadly Tonys not with us anymore, but he was a good lad.