What The Hell Happened To Fenech?

[Russell]

He was 28 years old when he lost to Grove, and 31 when Phillip Holiday blasted him out in 2.

Did the weight loss finally catch up to him? He looked in great shape against Holiday but his punch resistance was absolute shit.

Was his will broken and his hunger gone after he was robbed against Nelson?

[mcvey]

He was 28 years old when he lost to Grove, and 31 when Phillip Holiday blasted him out in 2.

Did the weight loss finally catch up to him? He looked in great shape against Holiday but his punch resistance was absolute shit.

Was his will broken and his hunger gone after he was robbed against Nelson?

He should have got the verdict against Azumah,but Nelson was not 100%he had a family bereavement and he was not in top shape ,he put the record straight in the rematch.
Fenech was a guy who relied on a frantic workrate ,and 100% fitness , he had brittle hands ,so allthough he threw tons of punches they were seldom devastating,such types of fighters usually have a short shelf life .imo.

[Russell]

Good stuff, thank you McVey.

Didn't Azumah have some serious illness when he stepped in against Fenech the first time as well?

[Rico Spadafora]

He was 28 years old when he lost to Grove, and 31 when Phillip Holiday blasted him out in 2.

Did the weight loss finally catch up to him? He looked in great shape against Holiday but his punch resistance was absolute shit.

Was his will broken and his hunger gone after he was robbed against Nelson?


I remember reading an interview where he blamed his losses on having sex the night before the fights. :lol::rofl:patsch

[Russell]

I remember reading an interview where he blamed his losses on having sex the night before the fights. :lol::rofl:patsch

:lol:

Didn't Ali get a blowjob in the dressing room before Frazier which has been blamed on him losing as well?

Supposedly Fenech never had his dick in his pants his entire career so I fail to see what issue it would have made.

[mcvey]

Good stuff, thank you McVey.

Didn't Azumah have some serious illness when he stepped in against Fenech the first time as well?

Yes he did, I forget what it was.

[mcvey]

:lol:

Didn't Ali get a blowjob in the dressing room before Frazier which has been blamed on him losing as well?

Supposedly Fenech never had his dick in his pants his entire career so I fail to see what issue it would have made.

The things Angelo had to do :oops::-(

[sweet_scientist]

Good stuff, thank you McVey.

Didn't Azumah have some serious illness when he stepped in against Fenech the first time as well?

Yeah he rashed up with Fenechitis. It was all over him. :good

[mcvey]

Yeah he rashed up with Fenechitis. It was all over him. :good

He must have been innoculated for the second fight ,because he didnt catch it again!:good

[GPater11093]

Good stuff, thank you McVey.

Didn't Azumah have some serious illness when he stepped in against Fenech the first time as well?

Yes he did, I forget what it was.

Malaria he said he had

The things Angelo had to do :oops::-(

:rofl:rofl

Yeah he rashed up with Fenechitis. It was all over him. :good

:rofl

[The Wanderer]

The things Angelo had to do :oops::-(

:lol:

You son of a bitch, you owe me a new keyboard. I just spit tea all over mine after reading that. :good

[WhataRock]

Dont forget Fenech was a titlist at 21 and that was at bantamweight..I think like mcvey said he was a fighter with a short shelf life, even still he was at the top for most of his 20's.

He most definitely had issues with a party boy lifestyle...Im very good friends with his first wive's neice, who would have been his neice when they were together..the one before Susie. Apparently once he got big he liked to put on parties and go to all the a-list shit, even when in training.
She says her mum, Fenech' sister in law, used to consul his wife about all the persistent rumours about him being like a rat up a drain pipe...she doesnt really know about all that 5 woman a day bullshit but he certainly was unfaithful to his first wife.

[fists of fury]

The things Angelo had to do :oops::-(

:lol::lol:

[fists of fury]

Didn't Azumah have some serious illness when he stepped in against Fenech the first time as well?

He claimed he had malaria. I doubt it though, as I've seen what malaria can do to someone.
If he had malaria, he'd barely be able to walk, let alone fight.

[doomeddisciple]

He didn't blame it on having sex the night before the fight, in his biography DVD he blames it on just having a terrible camp from start to finish which included having sex with anything with a pulse at the time.

Jeff was the first fighter became aware of and got me into the sport.

In my opinion one of the main reasons he retired was because he had TERRIBLE hands. They were always broken after fights and there is classic footage of him taking the gloves off and showing more pain than at any time in the fight.

He was an ATG at cutting the ring off and putting on yet more pressure, his condition was amazing. He won an Aussie title in like his 3rd pro fight and a world title in his 7th from memory.

[mcvey]

:lol:

You son of a bitch, you owe me a new keyboard. I just spit tea all over mine after reading that. :good

Sorry W.I'll try and give you some notice next time :good

[flamengo]

Fenech was aiming to become the youngest fighter to claim 4 titles in 4 weight classes at the time. Azumah is said to have suffered malaria for 6 months prior to the fight, and carried the illness with him. Its not a 'quick recoverery' disease. It strips a persons strength for months.

Fenech fell to pieces prior to the Azumah II fight. He always suffered from flu-like illness before most later bouts. This has been widely attributed to 'roids.

He may have been strong as a bull at Bantam, SBantam and Feather, but he definately felt the sting against less proven fighters than himself. Grove and Holiday both had Fenech in tears on the stool between rounds. Fenech clearly accepted his demise at these higher weights.

It would be fair to say that he'd burnt himself out along the way, as he was not a natural bantam, often dieting to the point of starvation. Shitting his pants in the gym was another factor in the diheurretics abuse.

Perhaps a career at more natural weight may have been beneficial. Either way, he manages to claim 3 world titles... should have been given the nod against Azumah in Vegas to tally 4 belts.

Making a tilt at Holidays belt was a shitful payday. Flogging a dead horse.

Fighting Azumah a second time last year was another joke. Azumah walked away with very little of the revenue. Fenech having this fight was a slap in the face of the Oz Hall of Fame also, having been inducted already. Much the same a Sugar Ray Leonard in the USA. The US HOF spat the dummy when SRL took on Camacho.

Fenechs got a screw loose. Great fighter, average bloke!!!!

[fists of fury]

Interesting post, Flamengo. Fenech also befriended a paraplegic called Conn if I recall, and more or less looked after the guy. Interesting character, Fenech.

[heehoo]

I am guessing Azumah broke his heart, or the draw broke his heart and he wasn't the same fighter after that.

Fenech claimed he couldn't sleep at night for many years until he fought and beat Nelson. Well now that he did, hopefully he won't feel the need to steal any more watches and can live a normal life now.

[cotto20]

does any one know the story of when some one slashed him outside a club or somethink it was about 5 years ago

[My2Sense]

He was 28 years old when he lost to Grove, and 31 when Phillip Holiday blasted him out in 2.

Did the weight loss finally catch up to him? He looked in great shape against Holiday but his punch resistance was absolute shit.

Was his will broken and his hunger gone after he was robbed against Nelson?

People offer a lot of complicated excuses for Fenech's "decline," but I think the matter was always very simply that moved up too much in weight.

He showed his best form at 118-122 IMO. Even at 126, he had lost some of his punching sharpness, but his speed, class, and ferocity was still enough to carry him through some good wins. When he fought Mario Martinez up at 130 (after coming out of retirement) it was obvious he wasn't the same fighter who had stormed through Payakaroon several years earlier; and Martinez had him down and hurt too, as I recall. I think the brutal stoppage loss to Nelson may have softened up his chin as well, but it was a combination of losing his chin and his reflexes that did him in. He wasn't rolling or slipping with punches anymore, he was walking flush into them without flinching.

Note in the Holiday fight he kept jumping back up after being dropped, but he was just a standing target for Holiday's punches.

[cotto20]

Dont forget Fenech was a titlist at 21 and that was at bantamweight..I think like mcvey said he was a fighter with a short shelf life, even still he was at the top for most of his 20's.

He most definitely had issues with a party boy lifestyle...Im very good friends with his first wive's neice, who would have been his neice when they were together..the one before Susie. Apparently once he got big he liked to put on parties and go to all the a-list shit, even when in training.
She says her mum, Fenech' sister in law, used to consul his wife about all the persistent rumours about him being like a rat up a drain pipe...she doesnt really know about all that 5 woman a day bullshit but he certainly was unfaithful to his first wife.
who is that figher in your avater?

[WhataRock]

who is that figher in your avater?


Lionel Rose buddy.

[COULDHAVEBEEN]

I am guessing Azumah broke his heart, or the draw broke his heart and he wasn't the same fighter after that...

Fenech always maintained that he was never quite the same after the draw decision in the first Nelson bout. He was certainly hard done by, and if he'd got the descision, a 4th title would have put him amongst very exclusive company, and at a very young age (he'd just turned 27).

Though he was unquestionably a great fighter, IMO Fenech was very much emotion driven. The Nelson decision being one example. Another being earlier in his career, when, a couple of years after being ripped off at the 1984 LA Olympics, he exacted 'revenge' on gold medal winner Steve McCrory.

Pity that some of the things that probably made him such a formidable person in the ring have perhaps contributed to making him less of a person in retirement.

[JohnThomas1]

Fenech always maintained that he was never quite the same after the draw decision in the first Nelson bout. He was certainly hard done by, and if he'd got the descision, a 4th title would have put him amongst very exclusive company, and at a very young age (he'd just turned 27).

Though he was unquestionably a great fighter, IMO Fenech was very much emotion driven. The Nelson decision being one example. Another being earlier in his career, when, a couple of years after being ripped off at the 1984 LA Olympics, he exacted 'revenge' on gold medal winner Steve McCrory.

Pity that some of the things that probably made him such a formidable person in the ring have perhaps contributed to making him less of a person in retirement.

This is an excellent post.

Fenech is definitely very unsavoury outside the ring. We only know half his story really, and it ain't pretty.

[Russell]

This is an excellent post.

Fenech is definitely very unsavoury outside the ring. We only know half his story really, and it ain't pretty.

What bad things did he do besides watch stelaing and the like?

[JohnThomas1]

What bad things did he do besides watch stelaing and the like?


Trust me, he's a bad bad arse Russ. Surely you heard about the underworld putting bullets into his house a few years back etc etc. Fenech was and is connected with some bad mofo's. Hell, look whose gym he trained in for the Nelson fight. Fenech was very subdued beside the man.

[flamengo]

Interesting post, Flamengo. Fenech also befriended a paraplegic called Conn if I recall, and more or less looked after the guy. Interesting character, Fenech.


Dont let the Con Spiropolous dribble convince you that Jeff's a wonderful guy. Yes, Con is mentally handicapped... he served a perfect tool for different reasons. Not necessarily compasionate reasons when the dust is wiped off.

[daz52]

Dont let the Con Spiropolous dribble convince you that Jeff's a wonderful guy. Yes, Con is mentally handicapped... he served a perfect tool for different reasons. Not necessarily compasionate reasons when the dust is wiped off.


The retarded guy he used to look after? Shit ive heard stories of Fenech taking him out to eat at restaurants, giving him extremely hot food and looking on with amusement as he burnt his tongue on the food.

Just heard some other stories may be true may not be... Not too bad just things like him carrying on like a dickhead. Pulls up outside a hot dog stand or something like that, jumps infront of everyone in line then when people complain he talks shit "ill fukin fight anyone here rah rah rah".

[WhataRock]

Trust me, he's a bad bad arse Russ. Surely you heard about the underworld putting bullets into his house a few years back etc etc. Fenech was and is connected with some bad mofo's. Hell, look whose gym he trained in for the Nelson fight. Fenech was very subdued beside the man.


They were just young wannabe gangsta arabs trying to scare Fenech off getting retaliation on them from the incident outside the restaurant in Brighton.

[Russell]

Trust me, he's a bad bad arse Russ. Surely you heard about the underworld putting bullets into his house a few years back etc etc. Fenech was and is connected with some bad mofo's. Hell, look whose gym he trained in for the Nelson fight. Fenech was very subdued beside the man.

No, I hadn't heard about that. :think

[punchy]

Wasn't it Fenech and Fenech's manager that ripped of Alex Vella, leader of the Rebel's bikie gang, of a few million dollars over fraudulent loans to banks using Vella's property assets, money which Vella was able to recoup, a couple of years ago. I don't have any inside info but shots fired at Fenech's house and having his ear almost cut off two and two equals four if you ask me.

[WhataRock]

Wasn't it Fenech and Fenech's manager that ripped of Alex Vella, leader of the Rebel's bikie gang, of a few million dollars over fraudulent loans to banks using Vella's property assets, money which Vella was able to recoup, a couple of years ago. I don't have any inside info but shots fired at Fenech's house and having his ear almost cut off two and two equals four if you ask me.


Nah that was Tony Caradonna mate..Im pretty sure he is in protective custody in jail and actually tried to avoid getting bailed.

[JohnThomas1]

They were just young wannabe gangsta arabs trying to scare Fenech off getting retaliation on them from the incident outside the restaurant in Brighton.

Are you sure that was all it was? I saw the interviews and drama's and thought it was much more, but haven't caught anything on it since TBH.

[WhataRock]

Are you sure that was all it was? I saw the interviews and drama's and thought it was much more, but haven't caught anything on it since TBH.


As I said earlier in the thread I am good friends with the niece of Fenech's first wife.

She was absolutely adamant that it was linked to the incident in Brighton..the police quietly thought so aswell.
They apparently surmised that all the talk going around about how Fenech was connected to the underworld, sorta spooked these guys into taking pre-emptive action to really shake up Fenech..when the thugs who stabbed Fenech were being bailed at a cop shop about 30 of their mates turned up prepared to brawl anyone who wanted revenge on them.

Apparantly they had recieved death threats aswell.

I cant really be 100% sure..its all unsubstaniated..but there really isnt any other evidence to support the other theories either and as I said according to my friend most of his family and friends seem to think it was because of this bullshit at Brighton.

[fists of fury]

Dont let the Con Spiropolous dribble convince you that Jeff's a wonderful guy. Yes, Con is mentally handicapped... he served a perfect tool for different reasons.

That's pretty shocking to hear...I always thought Fenech was a rough guy, but with a soft heart.

Sometimes I wonder why I still give a fuck about this sport. :-(

[JohnThomas1]

As I said earlier in the thread I am good friends with the niece of Fenech's first wife.

She was absolutely adamant that it was linked to the incident in Brighton..the police quietly thought so aswell.
They apparently surmised that all the talk going around about how Fenech was connected to the underworld, sorta spooked these guys into taking pre-emptive action to really shake up Fenech..when the thugs who stabbed Fenech were being bailed at a cop shop about 30 of their mates turned up prepared to brawl anyone who wanted revenge on them.

Apparantly they had recieved death threats aswell.

I cant really be 100% sure..its all unsubstaniated..but there really isnt any other evidence to support the other theories either and as I said according to my friend most of his family and friends seem to think it was because of this bullshit at Brighton.

Sorry mate, i didn't see your connection earlier. You'd know more than me.

Bottom line tho is that Fenech is a thug. Rough upbringing sometimes never leaves. It's most of what made him great, of course.

[My2Sense]

Bottom line tho is that Fenech is a thug. Rough upbringing sometimes never leaves.

I like how Nelson made him cry in their second fight. :lol:

[JohnThomas1]

I like how Nelson made him cry in their second fight. :lol:


I didn't enjoy it at the time, but can see the irony :lol:

Nelson and Don King made him cry after the first fight, too lol