JOHNNY TAPIA, Mikkel Kessler, Tim Bradley, Sergey Kovalev, Terence Crawford, Gennady Golovkin… these a just a few of the biggest names to have fought in Britain in recent years.
But if you delve deeper into British boxing’s rich history you’ll find some of the very best have plied their trade on these shores.
Going right back to 1927 and when the ‘Toy Bulldog’ Mickey Walker knocked out Scotland’s European champion, Tommy Milligan, in 10 rounds at Kensington’s Olympia, in the first defence of the world middleweight title he had controversially won from Tiger Flowers.
The great Ezzard Charles was disqualified in only the second round against Dick Richardson in 1956 at the famous Harringay Arena.
And in 1936 the brilliant Tommy Loughran dropped a decision to Tommy Farr at the Royal Albert Hall.
Here are 12 other greats to have battled in the arenas up and down Great Britain.
12. Marco Antonio Barrera
Super-bantamweight/lightweight, Mexico
A RUTHLESS Barrera defended his WBO super-bantam crown inside a round against Paul Lloyd at the Royal Albert Hall in 1999. The Merseyside fighter was down and cut inside three minutes.
It was the 35-year-old Barrera’s turn to suffer a laceration – this time a decade later against Amir Khan at Manchester’s MEN Arena. Khan’s bright start was enough to see him take a technical decision against the Mexican great after five rounds. The manner of victory wasn’t entirely satisfactory, but it was a hugely notable scalp for the 22-year-old Bolton star.
11. Kostya Tszyu
Super-lightweight, Australia/Russia
ALTHOUGH the Sydney-based Russian was 35 years old and had recently been dogged with injuries, he was coming off a stunning stoppage of Sharmba Mitchell and many gave Manchester’s Ricky Hatton little chance against the greatest 10-stoner of recent years at the MEN Arena back in June of 2005.
But in front of 22,000 passionate supporters, the local lad out-fought and out-hustled Tszyu to a shocking 11th round retirement victory. It was the finest night of Hatton’s glorious career and Tszyu would never box again.
10 Alexis Arguello
Lightweight, Nicaragua
AS a former world champ at feather (WBA) and super-feather (WBC), the classy Arguello was favourite to relieve Glasgow southpaw Jim Watt of the WBC lightweight crown at Wembley Arena on June 20, 1981.
And he did just that, winning unanimously after a 15-rounder that never really caught fire.
Watt never boxed again.
9 Marcel Cerdan
Middleweight, France
IT was at the Regents Crest Hotel in London’s Marylebone in February 1947 that the Frenchman knocked out Scottish-Italian Bert Gilroy in four rounds.
Boxing just nine days after winning the vacant European middleweight title with a one round knockout of Leon Fouquet in Paris, Cerdan dropped Gilroy seven times with BN calling him, “a really smashing fighter”.
Two years later Marcel was world middleweight champion when he knocked out Dick Turpin (seven rounds) in a non-title bout at Earls Court.
8 Jack Johnson
Heavyweight, USA
JOHNSON had two fights in England prior to beating Tommy Burns for the title in Sydney, Australia in 1908.
In June that year he outpointed Al McNamara over four in Plymouth and at the same location in July he knocked out Ben Taylor in eight.
7 Thomas Hearns
Lightweight/cruiserweight, USA
AS a gangling amateur Hearns outpointed (by controversial majority) George Gilbody at Wembley in a 1976 GB v USA match. Some 23 years later, towards the end of his pro career, he was brought back, to Manchester, where it was unedifying seeing a 40-year-old “Hitman” going through the motions at the MEN Arena against Nate Miller for the vacant IBO cruiser title. Hearns won on points, but many of the crowd had walked out before the end.
6 Jose Napoles
Welterweight, Mexico
“ODDS stacked against British champ Charles” was the headline above BN’s preview when Napoles defended against Ralph Charles at Wembley Empire Pool in March 1972. And it proved that way, with the Cuban-born champ comfortably outboxing the West Ham man before knocking him out in round seven.
But Charles’ trainer Terry Lawless put the experience to good use – in 1975 another boxer he coached, John H Stracey, would famously dethrone Jose in Mexico.
5 Archie Moore
Light-heavyweight, USA
MOORE was either 39 or 42 when at London’s Harringay Arena in June 1956 he met Trinidad’s Yolande Pompey in his final world 12st 7lbs title defence.
BN reported Moore started so slowly that in round two referee Jack Hart asked him for more action, and that Archie was “trailing a good way behind” after eight rounds. But he found the punches to cut Pompey’s left eye and floor him three times for the end in round 10.
4 Marvin Hagler
Middleweight, USA
FAMOUSLY, the “Marvelous” one started his near-seven-year reign as world middleweight champ at Wembley in 1980, when he stopped a bloodied Alan Minter in three.
Hagler’s celebrations were cut short when angry fans bombarded the ring with bottles. Hagler had to be shielded and quickly rushed to his changing room. He vowed never to come back (to fight), saying it was too dangerous.
3 Henry Armstrong
Welterweight, USA
“HOMICIDE HANK” held the world titles at both lightweight and welter when he defended the latter against Ernie Roderick at Harringay Arena on May 25, 1939.
On the lightweight limit at 9st 9lbs, Armstrong conceded 10 3/4lbs but won so clearly that Roderick was praised for merely lasting the distance. The BBC televised live, with BN helpfully pointing out in its preview issue that, “as a Armstrong is a coloured boxer [Ernie was white], there should be no difficulty distinguishing the two men in the ring.”
2 Muhammad Ali
Heavyweight, USA
“THE Greatest” had three pro fights in the UK (leaving aside an embarrassing “exhibition” at the Royal Albert Hall in May 1979).
In June 1963 he was still a rising star when he got off the deck to stop Henry Cooper on cuts in five at Wembley Stadium. Three years later Ali was world champion when he made back-to-back defences in London, stopping Cooper on a cut in six at Arsenal’s Highbury Stadium (now demolished) and knocking out Brian London in three at Earls Court.
1 Sugar Ray Robinson
Middleweight, USA
EVERYONE knows how Randy Turpin shocked the boxing world by taking the world middleweight title from Robinson at Earls Court on July 10, 1951. But the Sugarman made three more appearances in the UK.
He was outpointed over 10 rounds by both Terry Downes at Wembley Empire Pool in September 1962 and Irish-born Mick Leahy at Paisley Ice Rink in September 1964, but did stop Nigerian Johnny Angel in six at Mayfair’s Hilton Hotel in October 1964. He was then 43.
