Bunce Diary: Tim Driscoll and the Swiss heist of 1991

THERE is a short list of globe title fights using spot in Switzerland. 

In 1991, just one fresh November evening, a WBO title battle took put considerably less than one mile from the Swiss border in the Italian enclave of Campione D’Italia. The location was the historic Casino di Campione, which is in the town on the shores of Lake Lugano. The town is surrounded by Switzerland. Surrounded in every single way. 

In that ring that night was Italy’s 1984 Olympic champion, Maurizio Stecca, defending his WBO featherweight title. Stecca was a good little fighter. His challenger was Tim Driscoll, a florist from Bermondsey. It was a battle that deserves to be recognised for its top quality and quirky place.  

The casino in which the struggle took spot was replaced with a large and towering eyesore in 2007 it closed in 2018 and opened again previously this yr. It has a background of secret and intrigue likely back again to the spymaster days of World War II.  

The fight was buried at the time and remains that way to this day. I watched it all over again with Italian commentary and it’s very superior. It’s bloody and really hard, but with undeniable course. The struggle is forgotten, but there was a memorable beano to that distant resort, a coach and airplane extravaganza with a wayward gang of boxing fans. 

The Driscoll vacation (I’m sure) commenced in Romford, property of Matchroom. I got there nice and early and there ended up about 30 people today on the coach – they were Tim’s loyal followers. There was a lot of Fila, white trainers and Italian denims. The Bermondsey Boys ended up going on a jolly. The battle was that night time. 

The flight went to Milan, which is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Campione D’Italia. There was yet another coach ready for the shuttle to the Lakes. We have been all remaining in a awesome motel on Lake Lugano. I had not managed to get any Italian lira. I hardly ever did it at possibly airport I in no way did it, I went the complete journey without having spending a penny. I never ever had it to spend. 

The venue was not amazing. It was about as outstanding as the previous time a Fisher boxer travelled to a casino for a earth title fight wherever he was a big underdog. That male was Lloyd Honeyghan, and we all know what took place that night time in a ballroom at Caesars Atlantic City in 1986. Denzel Bentley, from the Fisher, has the identical type of odds against him on Saturday.    

Stecca had misplaced just when in 43 fights, his gold in Los Angeles in 1984 at bantamweight was impressive. Driscoll experienced a fantastic earn above Steve Robinson, who at the time experienced a document of 4 wins and three defeats. He dropped Robinson. He experienced also experienced two ten-spherical wars with Johnny Great for the Southern Region featherweight title. It was a hazard, but a chance really worth using. The boys on the bus ended up assured. 

At the location, Nino Benvenuti was smiling his most effective Nino smile at ringside and shaking fingers. It is constantly a enjoyment to be in his corporation. He felt like real boxing royalty, and he was.  

I experienced different newspaper assignments for the night time. I believe that the Sunday Categorical had set a phone in for me. I was also undertaking about 6 other Sunday and day by day papers. It was a sensible earner, make no oversight. There was no cell cellphone motion every paper experienced a free-mobile phone amount from European countries and the United states. I was Steve Bunce in 1 or two, Steve Early, Mark Hilton, Frank Ward and Steve Royce in some others. I grew to like some of my pen names. Not one term of copy was sent by way of any variety of computer it was all phoned and dictated, and frequently it was the same particular person getting the copy. “So, who are we tonight?” I was often requested. It was a chaotic evening for me. 

There was no other boxing on in Britain on that evening, but the activity was high-profile at the time Chris Eubank experienced stopped Michael Watson just six or so months before. Watson was just out of a coma. 

At the on line casino, the struggle was stopped by Freddie King in Driscoll’s corner at the finish of the ninth round. Tim was, according to the scorecards, trailing seriously he was getting rid of 89-81 twice and 88-82. It was not that just one-sided, nowhere close to that huge. It was compelling, slick and top quality. Driscoll experienced a harmed nose and cuts in the vicinity of his appropriate eye. His experience was swollen, but even in the last seconds of round 8 he was chasing Stecca.   

Tim Driscoll was damaged in defeat. He could be very pleased of the 9 finished rounds. 

I filed my copy and by the time I had completed the spot was vacant, just a lady with a broom. There was pasta and it was fantastic and no cost I had two plates with Claude Abrams, the editor once of this journal. And then we walked again less than the stars, and I had to dive in the lake. I experienced to. It was a single of my to start with overseas fights and it meant a whole lot. I had covered Driscoll as an amateur.   

The following morning, I experienced a little sense of dread when I got on the mentor. I had been hungry following the swim, and I experienced taken the crisps from the mini bar. I experienced no lira, I never paid, and I just bought on the coach. The Driscoll devoted started to drift on, their bags usually clanking with the unmistakable sound of glass on glass. There was a little bit of murmuring and then, just as the doorways ended up about to shut, a female from the entrance desk jumped on and, as a result of a translator, began to connect with out different people from distinct rooms. When she had exhausted her record and emptied the bags belonging to the men she experienced identified as, she was standing in the center of about 100 mini-bar unique bottles of vodka, gin, scotch and wine. I escaped with my crisps. It was not specifically the Italian job, but the boys gave it a great go. I bought home late that evening and still had not put in a penny throughout my 20-hours in the Italian Las Vegas.  

Driscoll had two a lot more fights and stop and Stecca misplaced his title to Colin McMillan the following 12 months. Campione D’Italia is even now in Switzerland.