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Grant Foderingham’s gym could certainly turn them out and Miles Platting’s Alec Burton was another clever middleweight who entertained fans from his 1966 debut until his premature retirement due to a serious injury sustained in the ring.
With an interest in judo Alec made his transition into the pro wrestling ring thanks to another Manchester wrestler, Lord Bertie Topham. Alec started as one of Lord Bertie Topham’s valets, enduring the taunts (and worse) of the fans as he performed his duties serving his master, which routinely ended in him taking a battering.
It didn’t take long for Alec to decide if he was to take a beating he would do it as a wrestler, enrolling at Foderingham’s Black Panther Gym in preparation for his wrestling debut. It was here that he made long lasting friendships with Eddie Rose, Pete Lindberg, and Ian Wilson. He was twenty-one when he made his debut and soon proved himself a solid craftsman in the ring who occasionally resorted to Martial Arts skills. For professional purposes Alec dropped his family name, Bowen, and used his mother’s maiden name, Burton.
Alec wrestled almost exclusively for independent promoters in the North and Midlands and appeared in Scotland periodically. Memorable bouts included those against Al Marquette, Jim Moser, Peter Lindberg, Ian St John, Brendan Moriarty and Ian ‘Mad Dog’ Wilson.
In the late 1960s with Eddie Rose they appeared as the Masked Barons and, for several months had the services of a masked valet, who was none other than Jack Mawdesley, the referee and secretary of the I.W.S.C. Fan Club.
Eddie Rose told us, “It was always a treat to travel to shows with Alec as every journey began at his house where his mum, Edie, always provided bacon sandwiches for the lads. He was a man with a good sense of fun and always with a laugh and a ‘story’ to entertain.”
Alec’s ring career ended abruptly one Bank Holiday Monday in the early 1980s with a serious injury during a contest at Orrell Rugby League ground. Eddie Rose recalled “You could see his shin bone bulging through his wrestling boot.” Taken to Wigan Infirmary there were no X Ray facilities available due to the Holiday. Alec wouldn’t entertain the suggestion that Eddie drove him to the hospital in Manchester and insisted on driving himself. ” The plan was for him to drive slowly the twenty-odd miles back and I would drive in front of him at about thirty miles an hour to keep my eye on him. I can’t remember if his car was an automatic but it as was agonising hour’s drive back with his white and pained face staring into my rear view mirror. He managed to get to Crumpsall hospital where he was found to have a compound fracture of fibula and tibia. He never recovered enough to wrestle again.”
Unable to wrestle Alec purchased a couple of rings and became a regular provider of good, reliable rings at both boxing and wrestling shows.
Tragedy struck in October, 1992. Alec was taking his ring to a show in Yorkshire when a tyre blew out on his lorry. Alec was killed by his own ring van when the jack collapsed and the front wheels crashed down on him at the M62 Birch Services near Rochdale. His funeral at Southern Cemetery was attended by hundreds of boxers, wrestlers and fans who paid their respects in the pouring rain to a good professional.
Alec Burton, born 1945, died 31st October, 1992.
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