Nearing 90 years of age and after more than 60 years of close involvement with boxing, George Saintsbury, tells his story. His objective is to stress that boxing is a fun thing.
The respect for each other shown by opponents - so often stressed in SABA publications - is one of the most notable benefits of the sport: it has been known to convert erstwhile objectors into supporters. The physical demonstration of respect post-contest between boxers is something quite different from the hysterical demonstrations of footballers shown nightly on television. The latter are exhibitions of triumph by team-mates, whereas the boxers are adversaries for whom extreme hostility has engendered respect - even friendship.

In the coarse of a long life he has acquired a number of pieces of paper relating to appointments and positions, but none that gave him greater pride than the one recognising him as an Honorary Coach of the Schools ABA. The first (and so far only) cleric, and teacher from the private sector, to be twice honoured by election to the chair of SABA.

This book spans over sixty years - from 1932 - when worldwide boxing was a minute activity up to the now, two million registered boxers in the 190-odd national federations of the world but, strangely in Britain (where it all started) there is less boxing than there was then.

From the book:

The Fifties Boom
Many present-day boxers and coaches (to say nothing of ABAE officials) express disbelief that in those great bygone days - the two decades after WW2 - boys of ability had to struggle to win such modest triumphs as district and divisional titles without achieving the credit of even a national semi-final. Nor can they understand that the various championship events that a schoolboy might enter had to be strictly rationed. In those days a schoolboy might have to start by becoming champion of his own school before being entered for his county or city event; he might then have two or three bouts (perhaps more) before reaching his association final. As county champion another two or more contests might see him champion of the region after which the quarters (inter region) and semis remained to be won before he reached the national final; and most likely all these stages were passed without the benefit of walkovers. The number of stages to be negotiated varied according to the home location of the boy; some counties were stronger than others.

Take Middlesex, an area,,embracing a large part of London where boxing has always been hot and strong, as an example of a stronger county. Today an entry of 60 boxers for the whole county is considered above average, not a few of whom will become champions unopposed. Forty years ago the county embraced 11 district associations each with an average entry for its eliminating tournament of 100 plus; for the county an aggregate of more than a thousand. In this year of grace 2,OOOAD most Middlesex champions achieved the county title with no more than one bout, and a number without ever entering the ring, followed by walkovers at the ensuing region and/or quarter-final stages. Sadly, too, in these modern times it has happened that a lad has been denied his chance of becoming a national title holder by the fact that he was unopposed, ie, he was the only entrant in his weight class in the whole country - a tragic consequence of the almost total disappearance of the sport from schools.

In former times restrictions had to be imposed on the number of national championships a schoolboy might enter if he was not to be overboxed. In addition to the three principal events, Schools, Junior ABA and NABC, there were (for older schoolboys) national competitions of the Cadet bodies; Sea Cadet Corps, Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps who all staged well supported finals meetings at 9 prestigious venues in London or provincial cities. There were also, at local level, ie county or town, Boy Scout tournaments. When officiating at such shows 1 often saw boys that 1 recognised as competitors in SABA or Junior ABA championships. The attitude of the ngb towards the Scouts was curiously ambivalent over the years. In some years their tournaments were considered to be unregistered meetings when both competitors and officials might 'be threatened with suspension. In others, the ABA would sometimes appoint an official in charge who was required to submit a report on the show, although no permit was issued because the Scout Association was unaffiliated.

In 1949 the ABA actually nominated me to hold a watching brief on the Surrey County Scout Boxing Committee, but that may have been because at that time 1 held a warrant as a Scoutmaster. They also issued rules which organisers of scout tournaments were requested to observe. Throughout the boxing season (September to May) for some boys there would be inter-school and representative activity,eg (in cities like London and Liverpool) closed events such as Catholic Schools tournaments and the (national) Home Office Schools championships. Small wonder that SABA discouraged younger boys from joining clubs, in view of the amount of boxing available for them under schools auspices, and that entry to a number of championships had to be restricted. In the fifties and sixties young boxers could seldom complain of a shortage of bouts whereas in the eighties and nineties some have had difficulty in acquiring the regulation five-bout record to enable them to enter SABA championships. The following list of associations indicates that in the boom years there were plenty of opportunities for all in the amateur game.

Amateur Boxing Association (The ngb to which all were affiliated, either directly or via provincial or county associations)

London ABA (four divisions: NE, NW, SE, SW)
North East Counties ABA
North West Counties ABA
Welsh ABA Midland Counties ABA
Western Counties ABA
Southern Counties ABA
Eastern Counties ABA
Imperial Services BA (since renamed Combined Services)
Civil Service ABA
National Coal Board ABA
British Railways BA
English Schools ABA (not English Schools: membership never intended to be limited to England)
National Association of Boys' Clubs

Among directly affiliated clubs were boxing sections of multi-sport clubs of many business firms and commercial enterprises, eg, J Lyons & Co, Vauxhaul Motors, Electrolux, etc. The aggregate of boxers in membership of all these organisations must have been many thousands but until the coming of the medical scheme in the sixties with its central medical register the ABA was never able to do more than estimate the total. Most of the above associations promoted a national championship for their members as well as providing access to the ABA championships (Junior and Senior). Most prestigious of all. the Senior ABAs were well known worldwide as The Amateur Championships and were, like the LTA tournament at Wimbledon and the Royal Regatta at Henley, open to the world. The last foreigner to contest an ABA final was the French heavyweight A Mennegault who lost to the Londoner Pat Floyd in 1946. In recent times ABAE, for reasons known only to itself, has excluded even the Scots and the Welsh. Perhaps a desire, as ever, to kowtow to AIBA has something to do with it.

Inter-Nations Boys Boxing
As has been remarked already, among the greatest virtues of the game of boxing is the capacity for breaking down barriers, whether of race, nationality, ethnicity or class. In the early days of SABA the opportunity to cultivate this virtue was restricted because although boy boxers numbered many thousands they were to be found only in Great Britain. Happily, however, as numbers dwindled in this country they were increasing beyond these shores. In the first 20 years of the Schools ABA inter-nation opposition was confined to the home countries, most often Wales.

Fortunately, as numbers of juvenile competitors were declining in Britain an increase was taking place in other countries which made possible matches between county/regional teams of areas such as Lancashire, Middlesex and London and those of Ireland, Germany and parts of the USA. In 1971 came the first full-scale international when a SABA team travelled to Helsinki for a fixture against the boys of Finland. The final years of the twentieth century have seen regular meetings (home and away) between English schoolboys and those of the United States, Russia and South Africa; a Danish team has also visited this country. Other invitations have had to be refused because some European boxing organisations wish to include senior (adult) boxers on the programme - which our rules forbid. Of all opposing teams the most frequent have been those of Russia, with whom excellent relations have been established. Interestingly, the Russian contact came about almost accidentally when, while on holiday in that country, SABA treasurer, Eddie Blow, almost casually found himself in a Russian club gym. It goes without saying that the value of these ventures, educational, social and sporting, is enormous and productive of friendships for the youths of all nations concerned, as testified by former English team member Steve Hodgson, who wrote of his experiences:

'I value my English vests highly. 1 value all the great friends 1 met while travelling with the English team. 1 value highly the great Russian family 1 stayed with while in that country. 1 value the Schools ABA, without whom all these great memories would not exist, and if there were no Schools ABA no other boy would ever get any similar experiences.'

Whether home or away the costs of these enterprises are considerable and without sponsorship by generous friends who appreciate the worth of the sport to all concerned they would not be possible. Sadly, too, boys who gain the honour of representing their country abroad have to be asked to raise their own travel costs. That so many readily do says something for boxing and the calibre of the boys in the game. SABA is and always has been proud of them.

Strange, is it not, that with TV companies and viewers obsessed (as they are) by sport that it has not yet happened that events like this have featured as an occasional alternative to the big match? Those who "abhor violence" surely see far more of it in football than would ever be seen in boxing - the supreme paradox.