Henry's proud to recount his world Whar one

'Our Henry' - as he had been dubbed by the Evening Press and regarded with affection by a legion of fans - proudly pushed through the ropes of an Earl's Court ring and into boxing history. Clad in his pristine Yorkshire white shorts, Wharton traded withering blows against fearsome world super-middleweight champion Nigel 'Dark Destroyer' Benn.

The son of York's first assault on the world title ended in defeat in a red-leather day points verdict. It was an agony-drenched 12-round outcome that was to be repeated in his two other world title shots - later in that same 1994 year against Chris Eubank and finally in 1997 against Robin Reid.

But while boxing's ultimate accolade was to elude Wharton, the pugilistic pride of York carved out a career and reputation that places him among the best protagonists of a 12-stone division then only rivalled by the heavyweights in clout and glamour.

Indeed, there's an irresistible force to the argument that with Mike Tyson, then reigning supreme among the juggernauts of the ring, the super-middleweight division was the most enthralling in world boxing.

In Britain alone the warrior class featured Benn, Eubank, Michael Watson, the upcoming Steve Collins, Crawford Ashley, Nicky Piper, Reid and 'Our Henry'. In Europe the likes of Mauro Galvano and Vincenzo Nardiello were in their pomp, while across the Atlantic America boasted Gerald McClellan - like Watson to suffer the near-fatal fate of being crippled by a battery of punches - Roy Jones junior, James Toney and Michael Nunn.

Ten years on from that epic Earl's Court encounter with Benn, Wharton is a picture of contentment. He is secure in his own thoughts that while his waist never wore a world title belt, his standing as a boxer who gave his all is without doubt.

For though the pinnacle remained out of his reach, his only reverses in his 31-fight career were those three world title shots. When he finally quit the ring in 1999 bedevilled by a weight problem that saw him move up briefly to light-heavyweight, Wharton retired as undefeated super-middleweight British, Commonwealth and European king - a record still unmatched.

Asked to recall that first world title fling, Wharton does not wince, even if many believe it to have been his best chance to win the sport's pre-eminent prize.

Had it not been for a sluggish start in which he ceded the first four rounds, Wharton would surely have ended Benn's reign as World Boxing Council king two years earlier than it finally came to pass.

Candidly the York man, now passing on his knowledge to a crop of prospects among whom number his cousins George and Reg Robshaw and Scarborough's Chris Hooper, ventured that while the 'Strictly Business' fight afforded him his best opening to rule the world, he was lacking in ringcraft for the Benn collision.

"That fight possibly came a little too soon," said Wharton.

"It's not that I wasn't old enough to win the world title. It's just that I wasn't experienced enough. Because he had the experience on me, he snitched the fight. He never beat me up or nothing.

"If I'd have put more pressure on him for those first four rounds he would have had to fight me more.

"He ran for the last few rounds and survived. I'm not saying that in a cowardly way, he just used his head to save his legs. That's where his great experience came in."

At the post-bout conference, Benn conceded he had barely any strength to go beyond the 12th round. That cruelly emphasised just how vital and decisive those opening four rounds were.

Explained Wharton: "You can always say 'blah, blah, blah - I'm going to go out and just do this'. But this was the world champion and I'd a video of him in which he had 22 fights and 22 KO's.

"I was thinking now 'if he hits me I can't win the fight looking up at the moon from the canvas'.

"I honestly didn't know I could take his punch. You can't know that 'til you get into the ring.

"So my plan was to keep in the fight and I could always win it from there. I knew I would come strong because I always had great stamina.

"It didn't bother me too much because I could still come back, but unfortunately I let those few rounds slip and then with his experience and all."

The 'all' referred partly to the 'crouch and protect' stance adopted by Benn. The champion stooped so low as to negate Wharton's venom-fisted artillery. The York ace recounted: "The ideal is that you go no lower than your waistband. But he was going below the knee.

"I could hear people shouting 'bring him up'. But bring him up from where? He was so far down it was impossible. He was world champion and because it was him it was sort of accepted.

"And there was always that danger where if you stayed too long on the ropes with Benn he had that spin from which he could really hurt you with that right hand."

Before the acclaimed fight a brush with death rattled Wharton's preparations. He and his then trainer Terry O'Neill were robbed at gun-point at their training camp in Florida.

"It's funny after that, but the world title fight was secondary," said Wharton. "It seemed like I was never bothered about fighting ever again. To have a gun in your face was such a shock to my system, because everything had been going so well.

"It was the first time I'd been away from my family. I'd never been away four days before, let alone four months as it turned out. I hated going away, hated it. It was a long, long time, but it was what was needed to win the world title and it showed how aggressive and hungry I was. I was determined.

"But that incident more than anything, showed just how important life is."

As he reflected on his dream duel a decade ago, Wharton looked back with deserved pride, but speculated that it perhaps was not the prime opportunity to dethrone the dreadnought Dark Destroyer.

"At the time it was the best chance. But if he had given me a re-match straight away, then that would have been the really, really good chance," said Wharton.

"But I know I had his best. That's the one thing I wanted - if you're going to beat me then you're going to have to be at your best. I always said if I lifted the world title I wanted to beat the men. And they (Benn and Eubank) were the men. We will maybe never see two around like that again.

"I think I got more praise for losing against them and putting on the performances that I did than winning against a lesser opponent or winning a vacant world title.

"But I get a lot of enjoyment from that. I can sleep and I can rest because I gave myself the opportunity to win."

Added Wharton: "I look at my record and everyone I boxed for titles were all named fighters, all good fighters, ex-world champions and future world champions.

"In the five years I've been retired people have said 'it's such a shame you're not around now at your peak'. But you can never look back. If you did that you'd be looking back for ever.

"I would have liked to have won the world title by beating Benn or Eubank because I believe they were the best we had. They were two of the best in the world.

"The Benn fight was the biggest night in my boxing life, a life-changing moment."

Such was the impact of February 26, 1994, that it elevated warrior Wharton smack into York sporting legend.

That was the weekend that was...

Saturday, February 26, 1994

York City beat Leyton Orient 3-0 with goals from Ian Blackstone (2) and Paul Barnes in front of a 3,414 crowd at Bootham Crescent to go ninth in Division Two.

In the FA Premiership eventual title-winners Manchester United rescued a point in a 2-2 draw at West Ham with an 87th-minute leveller from former Hammers' hero turned villain Paul Ince.

Among the teams then in the Premiership, but which are no longer there: Wimbledon, Oxford, Nottingham Forest, Coventry, Crystal Palace, Swindon, West Ham, Norwich and Sheffield Wednesday.

Scarborough's Division Three woes continued with a 3-0 defeat Carlisle United.

Yorkshire County Cricket Club's rising star Darren Gough was poised to fly out to the Caribbean to replace knee injury victim Devon Malcolm in the England attack against the West Indies.

Ukraine's Oksane Bailu won the gold medal in the women's figure skating at the Winter Olympics at Lillehammer in Norway with the sport racked by the rift between Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.

Nearly all the rugby union games in North Yorkshire were wiped out because of snow and frost.

Sunday, February 27, 1994

Ryedale-York Rugby League Club, as they were then known, came away from Hunslet with a 23-16 Second Division triumph with tries from Steve Dobson, Dave Kettlestring and debutant Anthony Simpson. Peter Lockwood kicked five goals and Dobson added a drop goal for good measure.

There were victories in the Silk Cut Challenge Cup quarter-finals for Castleford (30-6 over Widnes), Leeds (33-10 against Bradford Northern), St Helens (40-0 versus Doncaster) and Wigan (32-4 conquerors of Featherstone).

Aston Villa reached the Coca-Cola Cup semi-final after a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Tranmere Rovers. Both sides were locked at 4-4 after extra time with Villa's Mark Bosnich the hero with three penalty saves in the shoot-out.

In the FA Premiership Chelsea beat London rivals Tottenham 4-3 with goals from Mark Stein (2), John Spencer and Mal Donaghy.

Jersey Joe Walcott - the oldest man to win a heavyweight world boxing title - died in New Jersey at the age of 80.

Ripon's Charlie Payne won the Kall Kwik Forest Stages Rally held in and around North Yorkshire's Dalby Forest.

Updated: 09:28 Thursday, February 26, 2004