In the first of a two-part special, Adam Smith looks back on Jason Booth's troubled life out of the ring...
Part One in the life and times of Jason Booth
One of my favourite fighters - and a real little cult character of the domestic game - headlines our
Friday Fight Night this week.
There is just something about Nottingham craftsman Jason Booth that I have always liked. The 32-year-old currently reigns as the British super-bantamweight champion, is fabulous to watch - and his journey through life has already been compelling, frightening, and yet ever so endearing.
We at
Sky Sports have, in many ways, grown up with Jason Booth. From the tough Strelley area of West Nottingham, Jason began boxing at 10, when his grandfather took him to the Radford Boys Club. His 80 amateur fights included an amazing year in 1994, when he won a clean sweep of British junior titles.
I joined
Sky in 1994 and quickly heard about this young man's potential. Booth also made the European Juniors, and won National Schools, NABC and ABA youth accolades before he turned professional in June 1996.
Even though he carefully learned his trade on undercards, there was immediate interest because of his natural talent, and his cocky, confident brother Nicky, a fellow fighter starting out. Nicky '1Smooth' Booth and Jason '2Smooth' Booth - loveable fighting rogues from the Midlands - is how they first came across.
I always felt Jason had more ring ability than Nicky, even though he was the quieter personality. While Nicky was bragging about knocking out King Kong, Jason was nestling quietly in the background happy for his brother to hog the limelight, as he taught himself piano and concentrated on learning new boxing moves.
Nicky was hysterical. I remember talking to him before his big clash against Jose Sanjuanelo. I asked Nicky what he knew and feared about Sanjuanelo. "I know diddly," replied Nicky, laughing. "I'm going to knock him out in five!" Unfortunately, the Colombian southpaw was rather good, and tore Nicky apart in nine painful rounds at Wembley.
Heartbreak
Jason went about his work more subtly. He won his first 14, making good, steady progress before taking a gamble against David Guerault in a European flyweight challenge in Grande Synthe in May 1999. Booth lost the fight on points, but gave the world-class Guerault real trouble and even floored him in the seventh.
Booth returned to capture the British and Commonwealth flyweight belts in a terrific performance against Keith Knox and retained the titles with another excellent win over Ian Napa. Unfortunately two more attempts to lift the European crown ended in heartbreak; Jason was desperately unlucky not to beat Alexander Mahmutov in Spain, and on a second trip to France, he lost a technical decision after cuts to Minoun Chent.
Surely Jason Booth would have been crowned a European champion if one of those title chances had come at home. It's possible that while boxing analysts and fight promoters appreciated him, Jason just didn't possess that electricity in and out of the ring - which is always so vital in building boxing stars.
Still, along with Nottingham cab driver Jawaid Khaliq, The Booth brothers - under the guidance of the Shinfields team - rocked their home city with some atmospheric and fun nights. Jason and Nicky were also the first brothers to hold British titles at the same time, since the Feeneys.
They were the closest of brothers and the best of friends but the boys had actually become a bad influence on each other. Stories began to circulate. Jason privately admitted to us that too much partying had become a problem, and one night in 2002, after several pints, he was set upon, suffering a horrible assault. Booth was viciously attacked in an alley, and his life was beginning to spiral into a chaotic circle of drink and drugs.
Nicky's demise came quickly. The popular British bantamweight champion ended up in prison for robberies that fed his crack cocaine habit. Meanwhile, Jason was enduring his own horrendous battle with alcoholism. Drinking heavily from an early age, and in a bad relationship with a thieving crack addict, Jason was in dire straits.
Sweetest
He began to drink a bottle of sherry every morning. He hated Sundays, because he couldn't get a drink before 10am. He used to scour the streets for the dregs of cider cans. People watched his fall and the story didn't look like it was going to have a happy ending.
Big benders became a real problem, and he was even drinking heavily approaching fights. In 2004, Booth had one of his sweetest victories over Dale Robinson, but was then beaten by Damaen Kelly and his hold over British fighters was gone.
Boxing lost him for two years and Jason entered an abyss. A troubled young man, deeply affected by the tragic suicide of his eldest sister, he saw his money running out fast, blown totally on his daily drink habit.
His fiancée Saritta played a big part in saving Jason's life. She eventually encouraged him into detox which was very, very rough. Jason's body was falling apart. He had stomach ulcers, failing organs, constant shakes; hospital wards became a second home.
The other two people who helped bring Jason back from the very brink were Tony Harris, a former pro and friend, and Jimmy Gill - a local stalwart of the game. They took a risk. They wouldn't let Jason back in the gym until he turned up sober, and it was a long, long journey. It did not happen overnight.
With hard work, resolve, and dedication Jason somehow did it. He slowly started re-building his career and more importantly his life.
Read all about that in Part Two
