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Joe won his first British ABA Schools final in '85 at under-15 level at the Bracknell Leisure Centre at 135 beating auburn-haired mental case Geoff McCreesh, I know Joe had six losses on his record at that point. He won the British ABA Schools at under-15 again in '86 and at under-16 level in '87 and '88, all at 135.
In '89 he won the trials for the British team at 139 and, still 17, went to Prague for the 1990 Junior European Championships where he was robbed against Romanian Adrian Opreda (who went on to win silver at the world championships the following year). He'd lost to Michael Smyth a few weeks before the robbery in Prague, at the 1990 Welsh ABA's at 147, his first senior championships, due to being over-powered by Smyth (Joe could still make 139 easily) because the 'powers-that-be' wanted Matthew Turner to represent Wales at 139 and go to the Commonwealth Games (I think Turner's dad was friendly with selectors).
Joe then filled out a lot and won the British ABA's three years in a row at three different weights: 147 in '91, 156 in '92 and 165 in '93, stopping guys like future European champion Dean Francis and future world champions Glenn Catley and Jason Matthews along the way, while struggling to make 156 and 165. He was screwed out of the Barcelona Olympics though because the 'powers-that-be' weren't friendly enough with Joe's dad Enzo and also didn't like the way Joe would drops his hands and tap opponents on the head etc (felt he was disrespectful).
Joe finished 121-9.
In '89 he won the trials for the British team at 139 and, still 17, went to Prague for the 1990 Junior European Championships where he was robbed against Romanian Adrian Opreda (who went on to win silver at the world championships the following year). He'd lost to Michael Smyth a few weeks before the robbery in Prague, at the 1990 Welsh ABA's at 147, his first senior championships, due to being over-powered by Smyth (Joe could still make 139 easily) because the 'powers-that-be' wanted Matthew Turner to represent Wales at 139 and go to the Commonwealth Games (I think Turner's dad was friendly with selectors).
Joe then filled out a lot and won the British ABA's three years in a row at three different weights: 147 in '91, 156 in '92 and 165 in '93, stopping guys like future European champion Dean Francis and future world champions Glenn Catley and Jason Matthews along the way, while struggling to make 156 and 165. He was screwed out of the Barcelona Olympics though because the 'powers-that-be' weren't friendly enough with Joe's dad Enzo and also didn't like the way Joe would drops his hands and tap opponents on the head etc (felt he was disrespectful).
Joe finished 121-9.
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