'Rosie' back in the ring to look after his boy

IN A bygone era of the sport, when it was nothing to have your Sunday evening buffet food splattered with the blood of a boxer, Alderney produced boxers who brought the house down with their skills and bravery. One such man was Paul Rose, who these days can be found passing on his vast knowledge accrued in a long and successful career as a light-heavyweight as coach to his 18-year-old son Adam.

It's a partnership that works.

Adam, a southpaw like his dad, has won the bout-of-the-night awards at the two most recent Guernsey shows he has flown down from Alderney to bolster.

His latest victory - an arguably fortunate decision over Chris Rice - was Adam's fifth in eight contests.

Compared to his father, who provided fantastic entertainment for the best part of a decade on Sarnia ABC Sunday night shows at the Carlton Hotel, he's still a novice.

Paul, who seemed to finish every bout with blood streaming from his nose regardless of his domination or otherwise, fought 70 times, winning 50.

But the opposition were no mugs as he was happy to recall in a look back at his career.

He was a schoolboy international for England, claimed a west of England title and beat Harold Hilton, a man-mountain who went on to box at Commonwealth Games level.

'Rosie,' as the booze-fuelled Carlton crowds would sing as he demolished another opponent, never seemed to have an easy bout.

He was fantastic entertainment, a 'banger' who did not know the meaning of the word retreat.

'I had my first bout in Alderney in 1973 when I was 13,' he recalled this week.

'I fought - and it's ironic I suppose - George Jennings. He was a few years older than me. I fought him four times and he beat me four times.'

But as 'Rosie' filled out into his late teens, Jennings saw the danger of taking him on any more.

'I remember him saying: ''No more Rosie, you're getting too good.''

'It doesn't hurt to lose because you often learn from it.'

By 1976 the Alderney southpaw was boxing for England schoolboys against Wales.

In the next seven years he was a crowd favourite wherever he went on the Channel Islands boxing scene, supported by his hard-hitting younger brother Nigel (now living in Leicestershire) and another skilful Ridunian youngster, Arthur Jupp, who joined the Air Force and never returned to Alderney.

The Carlton shows will forever stick in his mind.

'People still talk about it now. They were fantastic.'

But, aged 23, he packed it in.

'It was always good competition and I haven't got any regrets; I loved every minute of it.

'I got planning permission to build a house and I thought I'd give boxing a rest and never went back.'

Well, that is not entirely true.

Before too long, Rose, who also skippered the Alderney Muratti football team, was popping along to the island's boxing gym and helping out.

By the time young Adam was eight, father and son would jog down to the gym regularly to work out.

Nowadays, you can often find this father and son sparring in the ring, which does have its downsides for the 43-year-old.

Dad has to abandon his favoured southpaw style and lead with the left.

'I don't give him an inch at the moment,' says Paul, while admitting he was hurt by a recent punch in the eye which left it 'terribly inflamed.'

But the two fight only in the ring.

Adam is now living back in Alderney and enjoying a gap year on a building site having spent two years at the Grammar School.

He had hoped to join the Marines but those plans were scuppered by the fact he's an asthmatic.

Other than being another southpaw, Paul says he and Adam are two different types of boxer.

'He's his own worst critic. He always thinks he could have done better.'

Nowadays Paul is chairman of the Alderney Boxing Club and the Fort Doyle-based club recently signed a new 21-year lease to stay there.

'We have a few keen juniors,' says the chairman, one of them being the highly-promising Joel Mitton.

Just how good Adam Rose becomes time will tell, but if he's as entertaining as his dad, the crowd will go home happy.