South Yorkshire Times June 12, 1965
All-Expenses-Paid Trip to the ’States for Denaby Lightweight
Delighted millionaire’s offer to Pat O’Rourke
The ring talent of Denaby’s hard-hitting lightweight, Pat O’Rourke, has earned him a trip to America with all expenses paid. O’Rourke’s performance at a recent boxing show at the New Hilton Sporting Club in London, delighted an American millionaire, and he is inviting O’Rourke, and his opponent, London’s Alan Wheeler, to the ’States for a fortnight’s holiday.
At the moment, however, O’Rourke is out of action because of a hand injury sustained at work at Denaby Main, but his manager, Retford’s Ken Richardson – who is making a name for himself as one of the North’s rising boxing men – is planning the details of O’Rourke’s American trip.
“I have heard from London about the offer and we are delighted,” he said. “The American sponsor was very impressed with Pat’s performance as a welter weight at the Hilton has offered to pay for a trip to America for O’Rourke and Wheeler.
“However, when Pat fights again he will fight as a lightweight. He has been giving far too much away as a welter and I am sure he will do well in the lightweight ranks,” he added.
Richardson has South Yorkshire’s top quartet in his stable – welterweight Fred Powney from Doncaster, Wombwell’s promising bantamweight Terry Halpin, the former Scottish international middleweight George Aitken of Hemsworth, and O’Rourke – and Halpin will soon have another date at the Hilton with Coventry’s former A.B.A. champion Tommy Riley, the man who beat him by a narrow margin recently.
Eliminator
Powney fights Brian McCaffery at the Hilton for what will probably be a title eliminator and Powney, Halpin and Aitken are lined up for an international bill in Glasgow within the next two months.
Scottish promoter Peter Keenan has watched all three men in action in London and Manchester and has promised that they will be included in the next big bill he promotes.
“They are all doing very well indeed and I am sure they will go a long way,” said Ken.
He is looking forward to the opening of the gym at the Thurnscoe Station Hotel, which the licensee, former heavyweight Terry McDonald, plans to open shortly.
“It will be a great boon for the South Yorkshire area,” he said. “A training headquarters is essential in that area with all the young lads coming on.”