Personalities

RONNIE BUTLER

Every gym has it’s characters and while Spaniorum Farm Gym is mostly known for it’s professional boxers, those active and those who have visited, there are certain personalities in the gym who bring alive and help maintain the convivial atmosphere.

Perhaps the main contributor to the often earthy repartee that takes place is RONNIE BUTLER, who despite his advancing years still trains harder and longer than most of the others in the gym.

Ronnie, renowned for his charity work, raising money for deserving causes as well as his awesome presence working on the doors of various Bristol night clubs, spends most of his training time in the boxing ring. Stripped to the waist in all weathers, he displays a body, that despite it’s advancing years and gradually gathering superfluous flesh, withstands all the pummelling he allows his sparring partners to apply before they tire from the equivalent of knocking on a barn door.

The atmosphere becomes more verbal when gym owner, Tex Woodward, casts an amused eye over the scene as strong men try to make an impression on the ever ready abdominal area presented to them.

Tex starts the repartee, ”Good evening Mr Butler. Glad to see you are enjoying your playtime!” Ronnie takes a sideways look, ignoring the gloved fists being hammered into his body. “ ‘Ullo Tex, how’s the man?” “Very well, thank you, Mr Butler. I see that you are in fine form this evening, perhaps you would like to do a couple of rounds on the pads with me?” “F--- off Tex, you know what you can do with those pads! Do you want the ring?”

Ronnie and his body-beaters move to another ring and are replaced by the gym’s professional boxers, including Ronnie’s son Danny, a quietly spoken polite young man, the winner of all his four professional fights. Gym lore has it that Danny takes after his mother!

As the take-over by the professionals occurs the repartee becomes magnified as Jane Couch makes her contribution in four letter words that earn her a sharp rebuke from her trainer. Ronnie Butler makes some reference to ‘a cow’. Tex Woodward decrees that work should start and another serious training session is under way.

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