Like most 17-year-olds, Rocky Brass was frequently in trouble for several reasons. “My father, Dion Brass, was a police constable, and he wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing anything foolish. Although he was not a boxer himself, he thought that the sport would give me discipline; so he started the Crusaders Boxing Club,” says Rocky. That’s what set the amateur boxer on a path that would lead to one of the highlights of his career: sparring with Muhammad Ali.
The scene is best described in Rocky’s words: “There was an event where Ali was to spar with Jimmy Ellis at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Madras in 1980. I was the bantamweight champion of the State at the time. It was chaotic, with the then Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran also making an appearance at the venue. Being the brash 22-year-old I was back then, I put up my hand when Ali asked the crowd if anyone wanted to get into the ring with him. He immediately asked me to come up. I can still recall every moment of that bout. Seeing the way he moved up close — he really does float like a butterfly and sting like a bee! I ducked one blow, but I can still hear the whoosh of that punch as it passed by my ear. Of course, he did knock me out, but it was worth it.”
Less than a minute in the ring with one of the greatest boxers of all time changed Rocky’s life. It helped that Ali mentioned in his speech that he was a promising talent.
He was offered a job under the sports quota in Southern Railways as a khalasi; today, after 36 years of service, he is a mail express guard.
Memories of that day — a photo of him sparring with Ali, another of him with MGR, and the most precious of them all – a glove given to him by Ali. “We have shifted several houses over the past three decades, and all of this has been carefully taken with us wherever we’ve gone,” laughs Rocky, as he flips through a file of photos and certificates from his boxing days. He has passed on his love for boxing to both his sons, Ricardo and Gerard, who have bagged several titles themselves.
As we chat in his Perambur apartment, the 58-year-old shows no signs of fatigue, although he returned to Chennai from Renigunta only at 4.30 a.m. He recalls how in the pre-Internet era, he would depend on the occasional The Ring magazine his aunt would send from abroad to read about the international stars.
“With no YouTube, we had to wait till someone brought along tapes of matches, so we could watch and learn. It was a different time, and we could devote all our energy and concentration to boxing. Today, there are enough and more distractions for youngsters, so they aren’t able or willing to do the same,” says Rocky.
He admits that the current situation for boxing is less than desirable, with politics in the governing bodies of the sport.
His son Ricardo explains, “There were some issues in the State Boxing Association, which resulted in it splitting in two. Only one team from each State can participate at the National level. This can get frustrating for the others who train and then can’t compete.”
It’s only when this situation is clarified and there is additional support in terms of finances, competitions and training infrastructure provided by the Government that the sport will be able to really flourish, adds Rocky. In spite of this, there are many who are passionate about boxing, and continue to pursue it.
With 17 months left to go before he retires, Rocky is already planning to get back to the sport; this time, as a trainer.
“I definitely want to start a boxing school for those who are passionate about the sport and are willing to learn. If a small state like Manipur can produce a Mary Kom, why can’t Tamil Nadu?” he asks.
As for protective parents who are worried about the physically demanding nature of boxing, he says, “It’s more than just that. It teaches discipline, hard work, and like it did for me, can change one’s life for the better.”
