Richie Woodhall readies himself for next charity auction

Telford boxing legend Richie will be auctioning off a giant signed photograph showing one of British boxing's most memorable fights on Wednesday in support of a fund to bring 11-year-old Matthew Cooper home from hospital.

• Turn up on Wednesday at Halls, in Bowman Way, Battlefield Enterprise Park from 9.30am. Register at the cash office on arrival and obtain a paddle number to bid. The action starts at 10am. Richie’s lot, No. 11, is expected to go under the hammer between 10.45am and 11am.

• Make an absentee bid. Simply call Halls on (01743) 450700. Indicate the maximum you are willing to pay and the auctioneer will bid on your behalf.

• Bid live over the internet. Simply register online at www.the-saleroom.com/halls, ideally at least one day before the auction begins. All bids are subject to a premium of 20 per cent plus the hammer price.

Richie, who lives in Lightmoor, will be selling his large canvas photograph of his friend Joe Calzaghe's Judgement Day fight against Jeff Lacy, which took place 10 years ago next month in Manchester.

The picture, which has been signed by Calzaghe, was given to Richie during a sportsmen's dinner a few years ago.

Last year he revealed in the Shropshire Star that he would be selling of his large collection of boxing memorabilia to raise money for cancer sufferers as a tribute to his father Len, who died from the disease in July last year.

He said he wanted to help Matthew, from Trench, Telford, after reading in the Star how the youngster had unable to leave Birmingham Children's Hospital since August last year, when he was diagnosed with brain and spinal cancer.

An appeal has been set up to raise money for adaptations to the family home so that Matthew can return, and former world super-middleweight champion Richie said that as soon as he read about the youngster's story he wanted to help.

"I saw he needed some help so that he could come home, and wanted to do my bit," he said.

"There are a lot of people who are trying to help him, and it looks like there has been a great response.

"The great thing is it will make such a difference, it will help change his life."

Richie was given the print at a sporting dinner a few years ago, in lieu of payment for interviewing his old friend Calzaghe on stage.

The Judgement Day fight, and the MEN Arena in March 2006, was one of the highlights of the Welshman's career.

American fighter Lacy was the clear favourite, but Calzaghe took everyone by surprise with a stunning victory.

"It was thought that Joe might lose his title," recalls Richie, who first met Calzaghe when he took part in support fights at Telford Ice Rink in the mid 1990s.

"It was a massive shock in the way Joe won, he won almost every round, he really slayed him. It was probably the best fight of Joe's career."

He said there was an electric atmosphere at Manchester's MEN Arena on the night.

"It was a strange atmosphere in a way," Richie recalled.

"At the start, people weren't sure who the fight was going to go, people thought Joe was going to lose.

"But he beat him nearly every second of every round, it was such a convincing display against somebody everybody thought would win."

Richie said it was clear from the early days that Calzaghe was a very special talent, and the two became firm friends.

"He's a very nice, normal bloke, he's a family man, he's got a couple of teenage sons, and he's very approachable," he said.

"We always got on well, we both trained with our fathers, and our dads were good friends with each other as well."

Richie retired from the sport following his defeat to Calzaghe in 2000, and the Welshman went on to become the longest-reigning super-middleweight world champion in history.

Wednesday's auction will take place at Hall's auctioneers in Bowman Way, Shrewsbury, staring at 10am. Richie's lot, No. 11, is expected to go under the hammer between 10.45am and 11am.

Richie teamed up with Halls, which is foregoing its usual fee, and the Shropshire Star following the death of his father in July last year. Len, who was 75, had been fighting the disease for eight years.

He handed over a collection of boxing memorabilia to the Shropshire Star which will be sold in a series of auctions to raise money for cancer-related charities and good causes.

The first auction, held just before Christmas, saw a boxing glove signed by Mike Tyson raise £120 for the Lingen Davies Cancer Relief Fund.

Richie said: "I have been at so many events when I have seen so many of these items going for thousands of pounds. I thought it was time to do something in memory of my dad and to help raise money for cancer charities.

"These are all items I personally got from the fighters themselves. I do a lot of commentating work and meet a lot of these people.

"There are a lot of forgeries out there, but every one of these has 100 per cent provenance as I got the signatures myself."

The appeal to raise money for Matthew has been organised through Wrockwardine Wood Junior School, where the youngster is a pupil.

So far, more than £17,000 has been raised.

Headteacher Julie Henry said she was thrilled Richie had pledged his support.

"It really is amazing for such a big local name like Richie to hear about Matthew's fund, but for him wanting to help us is just incredible," she said. "I really am overwhelmed by all of the support we have had."

It will be the second auction since Richie joined forces with the Shropshire Star and Shrewsbury-based Halls auctioneers to raise money for cancer charities in memory of his father Len.