The glory of one of the great Portsmouth sporting careers

Not just for the outstanding achievement which remains unsurpassed in the professional boxing sphere around these parts.

But for pure drama, riveting rollercoaster highs and low and a career which would give Rocky Balboa himself a run for his money.

The Life and Times of Tony Oakey is a bestseller waiting to be written.

And, two decades on from his debut, the Leigh Park Warrior is adamant the final chapter has now been penned.

It may not have quite been the finale the 42-year-old had hoped for, after tempting American superstar Jeff Lacy to the city for one last dance under the Mountbatten Centre lights a fortnight ago.

The two rounds which unfolded, however, were typical of the full-throttle action and atmosphere which has echoed down the light-heavyweight's decorated career, before Lacy's vicious punching power ended the argument - evening the score after a fifth-round Oakey win two years ago.

Now the calls from family and friends to no longer risk his health in the most unforgiving of arenas will finally be heeded.

A career which has spanned international honours, two ABA titles, area, Commonwealth, British, Prizefighter and WBU success can be happily reflected on with his own life on a positive path.

'˜It's 20 years since my first professional fight,' said Oakey as he confirmed he will never fight again.

'˜My career has had so many ups and downs.

'˜When I look back there are losses that are questionable. I've never had anything easy in my boxing career. Nothing's been given to me.

'˜I've learnt from my mistakes and I feel today I'm a much better person for it.

'˜All those experiences in and out of the ring have made me what I am today.

'˜The Dean Francis fight won fight of the year from the board of control.

'˜(Andrei) Kiarsten was voted in the top three on Sky Sports. The (Peter) Haymer rematch was on Sky's knockouts of the year.

'So I didn't do too badly!'

Out of an amateur career, where the self-confessed '˜little fat kid from Leigh Park' won national titles at cruiserweight and heavyweight, Oakey has been springing surprises.

That continued into the paid ranks where a Commonwealth belt followed and then the nights on Sky Sports which catapulted the crowd-pleaser into the national spotlight.

Boxing fans were guaranteed action when Oakey was in the ring, and, whether home or away, a raucous party to boot.

'˜From the area title fight and winning the Commonwealth title at short notice they were all memorable,' Oakey added.

'˜When I was WBU champion I beat the British champion, so I should have the Lonsdale belt outright.

'˜Chris Davies was my hardest-ever fight. People think it was the four knockdown slugfest with Andrei Kiarsten but I knew how dangerous Davies was.

'Ronnie Davies always said to me the two to look out for were Chris Davies and Peter Oboh. Then I got matched with Davies!

'He hit me so hard so many times. One minute I was one side of the ring and then the other without knowing how I'd got there!

'˜The best nights were at home at the Mountbatten Centre in front of my own crowd. You couldn't beat them.

'˜But some of the nights at the York Hall were unreal. The Portsmouth fans always travelled.

'˜The entrance music got everyone in the mood! The Oakey-Cokey always got the atmosphere going!'

A high-profile drug ban stalled Oakey's career in its pomp, prompting a period in the boxing backwater when he would've been at the peak of his powers.

He may have been out of the public consciousness but the hunger remained when the resolve was tested - and in 2007 he was back with a memorable British title win over Steve Spartacus.

Oakey said: '˜I remember sitting down with (local trainer) Michael Ballingall and my uncle Frank (Hopkins) and we said something had to change. We needed to go up another gear.

'˜So I decided to move to London and train with Johnny Eames. It was a match made in heaven.

'It kick-started me and I had a whole second career really.

'˜We all gelled and the situation gelled. We had some great nights.

'˜There was the Prizefighter and the line-up was a strong one with Courtney Fry and three unbeaten boxers.

'˜Sometimes I have to take a step back and think about all those nights I was lucky enough to have.'

It's a happy reflection on his sporting career Oakey can enjoy with his gloves finally hung up for good.

It's something he will be fortunate enough to do with his life in a good place.

Son Franklyn is the latest addition to the Oakey clan, who will enjoy the tales of his father's boxing days in all their glory with marriage to fiancee Sharon on the horizon.

The fact he can regale his family with stories of one of the city's great sporting careers is something the Portsmouth boxing legend will always remain thankful for.

'˜I've promised my missus 100 per cent I'm done with being hit in the head,' Oakey laughed.

'I will never box again. I won't do any charity matches and I won't spar.

'˜I can move forward with the rest of my life and leave it behind me.

'˜Life is good for me. I've got a new baby and will be getting married to my fiancee.

'˜I'm so thankful for my career and the support of all the fans, family and friends.

'˜Boxing is not the main thing in my life anymore, though - my missus and kids are.

'˜In the big scale of things I'm happy. I am happy in life and I'm a very lucky man.'

 

Oakey on'¦ Jeff Lacy

'˜The last thing a boxer loses is his punch.

'˜I got caught very hard by him at the end of the first round. My head never recovered.

'˜I knew then I was in trouble. My trainer, Johnny (Eames), was talking to him and I couldn't hear what he was saying. Nothing went in.

'˜My head was gone so I knew if I got caught in the second I had problems. Then I got caught with an uppercut which broke my nose.

'˜When I went down I thought rather than hold on and run it's all or nothing. That's when it became a gunfight, I went hell for leather and got caught again.

'˜I'm a champion at heart and a fighter through and through. Of course I wanted to win the last fight.

'˜But I'm old enough to understand I was in with a world champion and it's now one apiece. I can leave it at that.

'˜I'm happy with that - not as happy as if it was 2-0 to me! - but I can leave it at that.'

 

Oakey on'¦ a crazy night in London

'No one would challenge (Peter) Oboh, but the little fat kid from Leigh Park would.

'I was gloved up and ready to go out when the board official comes in and said he's not going to fight me!

'I honestly thought it was a wind-up and Jeremy Beadle was going to come through the door at any minute!

'The man everyone was scared off wasn't going to fight me! So I had to face the crowd and tell them he wasn't fighting me.

'I came home upset and down and then came the call that I was going to fight Spartacus for the vacant title, with the winner facing Brian Magee in Ireland.

'I stopped him in the 12th and then got the draw in Ireland, which no one gets.

'There's plenty of stories to tell my kids!'

 

Oakey on'¦ Influences

'My brother Chris has been like my dad.

'Geoff Western and my brother Nicky were both massive amateur influences.

'I probably should've been a middleweight. So to think I won the ABAs at cruiserweight and heavyweight!

'I fought Calvin Brock who went on to fight Wladimir Klitschko. People laugh at the photo of us side by side with his size.

'My uncle Frank (Hopkins) was a massive influence all through my pro career, but especially at the start.

'There's Ronnie Davies who turned me from a brawler to someone who could box.

'Then I went to London and Johnny (Eames) was a massive influence and I gained a second family with his wife Sharon and all those who took me in.

'They all stand out to me.'