Abe Ginsberg v Pete Curry
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Hard-hitting heavyweight Pete Curry only ever had one televised win to his credit. But his opponents numbered all the top-name heavyweights including Rocky Wall, Gwyn Davies, Kendo Nagasaki end even being entrusted to face the Battling Guardsman, Shirley Crabtree, when he first appeared on television in 1972. These were the signs of a professional trusted by the promoters to do an important job believably and well.
Abe Ginsberg had been a tv regular since as early as 1961, with scarcely a year going by without a singles bout of his being aired. He of course also appeared in plenty of televised tag matches as one half of the Black Diamonds. But in Abe’s case we can trace perhaps that results mattered far more to him. Whenever he lost to fellow mid-heavyweights, such as Mike Marino or Andy Robin, it was by the disqualification route. But when he won, and he included scalps such as those of Steve Haggetty and Johnny Kwango on his list of conquests, he tended to wrestle clean.
We have noted a number of these utility wrestlers who would wrestle clean or dirty. Prince Kumali, John Kowalski, Romany Riley and Zoltan Boscik spring to mind. But their style of wrestling in each bout was professionally selected strictly to accommodate their opponent. So Prince Kumali could be the villain against Steve Viedor on a Monday and then wrestle clean against Bruno Elrington on a Tuesday.
In the case of Ginsberg, we can detect that his style of wrestling was shaped according to the booked result, perhaps with an intention to show that he would not be outwrestled.
Just consider Kent Walton’s comment early in this bout: “Ginsberg is probably THE most disqualified wrestler in the country”. He proceeded in this bout to wrestle clean throughout, with handshakes all round, starting in Round One.
In fact, he even did the perfectly unthinkable, in removing his leather helmet after only the very slightest of objections from his opponent at the beginning of Round Three. At the end of the previous round he had remained in hold, and claimed not to have heard the bell.
This was a dour scrap, with very little showmanship. Curry’s 25lb weight advantage was a fascinating and balancing factor, as Ginsberg displayed a proportionately greater level of aerial moves, most notably the flying head scissors, which he performed several times, pretty good going for a mid-heavyweight. Moves were applied with apparent force so as to hurt.
Ginsberg was most definitely up for it. He wanted to showcase his skills as a wrestler, and, with miraculously restored hearing, seemed genuinely peeved when a loudmouth from the audience made a challenge to him. Ginsberg invited him to step into the ring, and Kent Walton was on hand as ever to explain that the spectator in questioned had cowered out. In defence of the loudmouth in question, these were just the types of fan we needed at our local halls. They entered into the spirit of things, issuing brave challenges from safe distances. Whilst many a challenge of this kind was issued tongue-in-cheek, it was always enthralling to see wrestlers like Ginsberg here genuinely riled by them. The most appropriate proverb springs to mind: Empty Vessels Make the Most Noise. And so it always seemed to be with wrestling audiences, to their eternal credit.
Ginsberg really did display a range of techniques. He opened the scoring at the start of the third round with this double leg nelson, equalised in the following round by the Salfordian’s crotch hold and slam.
We enjoyed seeing these seasoned pros upping the tempo considerably in the fourth round, with forearm smashes, aggro, but still lots of handshakes from the now unhelmeted Mancunian. Ginsberg took a posting aerial-style, face on, à la Rocco, bringing gasps of excitement from ladies at ringside.
So who do you think gained the verdict in the sixth round?
Yes, Abe Ginsberg. The final shock change of pace in the bout saw him suddenly apply a Three-in-One arm lever submission, Zoltan Boscik style, to which the Salfordian quickly submitted.
Ken Lazenby refereed impeccably as ever, but caught the commentator out quite correctly at one point. Curry was in a painful armlock but near enough to the ropes to touch out if necessary. Kent Walton assured us he could but wouldn’t do this. He immediately tried, and instantly had his hand slapped away by the referee.
Having been received with boos from all corners of the arena, Ginsberg’s victory was met with unanimous applause.
We always like surprises and this bout was a little gem and serves as our lasting, if not representative, memory of Abe Ginsberg. The only de-helmeting we can recall and right up there with the televised unmaskings of Kung Fu and Kendo Nagasaki.
Pete Curry’s fifth child had just been born so, Claire Louise, we hope you’re reading this – but we’re afraid everyone now knows how old you are!
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