[Rocco Del Sesto]

Spending a few days working on baseball league stuff and loading the many great fighters contributed recently by Lee Skye, Mark Elwood and all... I'm up to 5926 in my data base and still got about 70-75 of Mark's 80's cruiserweights to go. (I do a little editing of the bios as I add them). A lot of great work guys! Thanks!

But to get back to our 67 replay a bit....

01/16/67 Monday
Manchester, England
Barney Wilson – HW (5-3-0) vs. Obe Hepburn – HW (5-4-0)

Barney Wilson - UK (N.Ireland) Rating 1
Heavyweight 1964-68

6 wins / 5 losses / 0 draws / 5 KO

Hometown: Belfast, Northern Ireland

Rating by: Rocco Del Sesto

Won his first 4 fights in Ireland. In Manchester, England lost for the first time in Jan. 1965 to Jack Grant. Lost that same year to Ivor Evans and Gerry Hassett. In November 1966 he fought Jim Monaghan for the vacant Northern Ireland HW Title. Wilson stopped MOnaghan in the 5th round. In Jan. 1967 he lost to Obe Hepburn. One a fight later in 1967 before finishing his career in Jan. 1968 loosing to Ron Redrup. Big names yep!

Obe Hepburn - UK(Jamaica) Rating 1
Heavyweight 1965-70

10 wins / 19 losses / 2 draws / 8 KO

Hometown: Manchester, England
Birthplace: Jamaica

Rating by: Rocco Del Sesto

Decent punch but without much of a chin to take one. Stopped 12 times in his 19 losses. He started out 5-1-0 then ran into Carl Gizzi in March 1963 with Gizzi stopping Hepburn in the 4th round, the start of a 5-18-2 slide the rest of his career. Five wins against no one of much notice. Lost fights to Roger Tighe twice, a young Joe Bugner, Danny McAlinden and Richard Dunn twice.

The fight....
A couple of sluggers, one from Northern Ireland, the other from Jamaica now calling home in Manchester, England match up in this one. Neither one would appear to have been able to take punches very well. In 1967 it ended as would probably have been expected a KO with Hepburn stopping Wilson in the 7th round. In our replay, I set it for an 8 round affair. It didn’t have to be that long by any means. Wilson starts the first round getting some jabs and hooks opening up quickly a cut over Hepburn’s left eye. Meanwhile Hepburn is missing with his shots. Wilson lands a few more volleys of jabs and hooks. It’s all Wilson’s round with Hepburn shutout in trying to score anything. Round 2 starts with the fighters circling one another and leaning in on each other. The ref pulls them apart to get the action going. Wilson fires a straight right that’s blocked by Hepburn’s gloves, then after pushing Hepburn back to gain some punching room, Wilson unloads a thunderous hook that Obe steps right into and folds him up like an accordion onto the canvas. 1, 2, 3, 4…..it’s over a 2nd round KO victory for Barney Wilson at the 0:57 mark! I was expecting a KO finish in this fight, but not by Wilson!