Five boxing greats in the West Midlands

Fight fans have jumped at the chance to get up close and personal with their heroes, most of whom are normally only visible on their televisions.

The old fist up happy snap with a pugilist adorns many a photo frame in their homes, along with the signed glove or other memorabilia that fetches silly money at auction.

With superstar Floyd Mayweather Jnr tweeting he's coming to Walsall, our boxing correspondent Craig Birch looks back at the legends on our turf that preceded him. And he's been at most of them.

1, Mike Tyson, Wolverhampton Civic Hall, 4 November 2009.

'Tyson farce' adorned the headline of the front page of the Express & Star the day after 'the baddest man on the planet' was centre stage for an even worse evening of festivities.

Most of the sell-out crowd at Wolverhampton Civic Hall were about ready for bed when 'Iron Mike' came out to do his speech just after 11pm, despite being at the venue from 7.30pm.

Dinner turned into supper as the food for VIP guests wasn't served until after midnight, when most of the spectators just wanted to go home.

No blame could really be brought to Tyson's door for this, as he simply did what he was told. Now the promoter on the other hand...

2, 'Sugar' Ray Leonard, Bar Sport, Cannock, 27 March 2014.

Now here's how you do it as the affable and hugely respected 'Sugar' Ray Leonard came to Scott Murray's place in Cannock Town Centre, for what proved to be a knockout night.

The 59-year-old is in complete control of all of his faculties and looks well, despite some legendary wars in the ring during the 'four kings' era.

Bar Sport only need Marvin Hagler to come to them and they've completed the set after Leonard, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns visited.

And the questions were posed by Telford's Richie Woodhall, a fellow former world champion and a real student of the sport. It's a formula which really couldn't go wrong.

3, Evander Holyfield, Holiday Inn Queensway, Birmingham 2 October 2013.

It was 'the Real Deal' when promoter Ken Purchase brought one of Tyson's conquerors to the second city on a fun-filled Wednesday evening.

Holyfield is doing the circuit and attracting good numbers, as he's able to stake a genuine claim to be up there with the best heavyweights of all time.

He had Tyson's number on two occasions and lost a portion of his ear in the second 'bite fight,' which saw his opponent disqualified among scenes of sheer bedlam.

And his own telling of exactly why Tyson did what he did is well worth listening to. We always did wonder what possessed him.

4, Muhammad Ali, Wolverhampton and then Coventry, August 1983.

What does the man formerly known as Cassius Clay and the West Midlands have in common? 'Ali mania' well and truly swept through the region in 1983.

You certainly couldn't say that 'the Greatest,' who'd only retired two years previously, didn't do as the romans did, firstly when he turned up at a pub in Wolverhampton.

Licensees Neville and Verna Warren arranged from him to be at the Sheraton on Raglan Street, before he headed off for his next stop in Coventry.

Emerging from a golden Rolls Royce, he took in such sights as the Unit Sales DIY store after lunch at the Royal Court Hotel, but it was the last stop that was the most typical.

What could be more English than a fish'n'chip shop and this particular plaice to be was run by fellow former heavyweight Jack Bodell.

5, Joe Bugner and Earnie Shavers, Novotel, Wolverhampton, 17 May 2014.

Gary Bate put on this night for us as two formidable big men came to the Black Country to go through their life and times, for as many people as the function room would hold.

The two arrived early that Saturday and passed some time visiting Wolverhampton Boxing Club, where Bate is a trustee, which was a real treat for their members.

Bugner took a right good hiding during a two-round bloodbath with Shavers in 1982 but, in the true nature of the sport, there's no hard feelings.

But it was the now 'Aussie Joe' who took most of centre stage here, with most of the talk about his very real views on the late Henry Cooper. That really set the cat among the pigeons.