Ivan Woodham and his 1964 Tokyo Olympics cufflinks. Photographer Paul Taylor.
Ivan Woodham and his Tokyo Olympic cufflinks.
PHOTO: PAUL TAYLOR
by Brenda Vowden
brenda.vowden@nzme.co.nz
For some of us it's the athletics and for others it's the diving, but for Napier resident Ivan Woodham, the Tokyo Olympics will always be about the boxing. But we're not talking the current Tokyo Olympics — Ivan's shot at the big time was in 1964.
He began his boxing career with his first fight as a 15-year-old featherweight in 1959 at Clive Town Hall. He blames his Uncle Tom for getting him into it.
"I was still at school at Hastings Boys' High. I used to bike from Gascoigne Street to the Scout Hut in Havelock North for training."
Ivan also trained at the YMCA in Hastings and in 1960 boxed his way through "five or six" fights at the nationals in Invercargill. The following year he fought at the nationals in Gisborne and in 1963 was selected for the New Zealand team to travel to Australia. He says he had "heaps of fights" leading up to the trip, including a memorable bout in Gisborne where he was told he'd be fighting a guy from Auckland. Toro George was introduced as the three-time Auckland champ, three-time New Zealand champ, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist and South Pacific gold medallist.
"And then they announced 'in the blue corner, we have Ivan Woodham from Hawke's Bay'. I boxed the ears off him and won the fight."
Ivan went on to contest five fights in Australia, winning three and losing two.
"The highlight was we fought in the Sydney Stadium in Rushcutters Bay. World-class fights were held there."
In 1964 the Olympics were being held in Tokyo and Ivan was boxing his way towards possible selection. He fought in Greymouth, Westport, Palmerston North, New Plymouth, Hāwera and Waipukurau.
"The big one was when I fought a guy in the Wellington Town Hall. In the first round he hit me with a left hook and down I went — he put me on my backside. I got up, got stuck in and won the fight."
He says at the time, Brian O'Brien, well known sports journalist and boxing judge, described that fight as one of the three best fights he'd seen in his life.
Ivan was lucky enough to train with fellow boxer, lightweight Paddy Donovan, at his parent's home gym above a barn in Meeanee.
"He taught me a lot — we all trained together. I reckon all that sparring helped him get to the games."
Ivan was not selected for the Tokyo Olympics but Paddy was a successful contender, being one of three New Zealand boxers to compete that year. He had already competed at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 and the Commonwealth Games in both Cardiff and Perth. Although Ivan admits to feeling "cheesed off" for not making the grade, he was happy for Paddy.
"Too right. He was a clever boxer and he was tough. You had to keep your guard up all the time. I was fighting an experienced guy like that — you learned a lot. At the end of the day I wasn't good enough."
Paddy wasn't a medallist and after unsuccessfully trying out for the Commonwealth Games in Jamaica in 1966, he retired. But in Ivan's ring, all was not lost. The following year it was his 21st and he hadn't forgotten his good mate Paddy.
"He came along and gave me a pair of cufflinks from the Tokyo Olympics. I thought it was fabulous. I've kept them in a little box all these years — not many people have seen them. I felt I had helped him get to the Olympics, so it was his appreciation of that."
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