The Boxing History Blog

Since it's re-introduction in 1986, the British super-featherweight title was a difficult championship to keep hold of. It took fourteen champions and eight years for one to make a first successful defence. Here is a list of the British super-featherweight champions:- John Doherty - 16th January to 17th April 1986   Doherty didn't have the greatest start to his professional career, losing his debut to Taffy Mills in the first round on 26th May 1982. The Bradford-born Doherty then got back on track by winning his next eight and getting back-to-back draws against Ray Plant and Steve Enwright in 1983. He then lost his next bout to Anthony Brown over a six-round points decision. After two wins he ended 1983 with a seventh-round TKO defeat to Stuart Carmichael. He drew his first contest of 1984 against Les Walsh over eight rounds, then went on a winning streak of ten victories over two years, including a win over Les Walsh in a rematch. On 16th January 1986 he ...

Azumah Nelson Azumah Nelson was born in Accra, Ghana on 19th July 1958. He had an amateur record of 50-2 and picked up the featherweight gold medal at the Edmonton Commonwealth Games in Canada. He turned professional on 01st December 1979, beating fellow countryman and debutant Billy Kwame, winning a ten-round points decision.  As a professional he had a meteoric rise, winning the Ghanaian featherweight title in only his third contest, beating Henry Saddler with a ninth-round knockout. In his sixth fight, he was African champion, winning by a tenth-round TKO over Joe Skipper. He beat Australian Brian Roberts for the vacant Commonwealth featherweight crown with a fifth-round TKO in bout number ten. On 21st July 1982 at the Mecca of boxing, Madison Square Graden, New York, Nelson, in his fourteenth contest, came in as a late substitute and challenged Mexican great Salvador Sanchez for the WBC featherweight crown. Sanchez, hailing from Tianguistenco, Mexico ...

Lloyd Honeyghan Lloyd Honeyghan was born in St Elizabeth, Jamaica on 22nd April 1960. He learnt his boxing in Bermondsey’s Fisher Club, after his family moved to London as a youngster. Honeyghan represented England as an amateur and won the London championship, before turning professional under the guidance of Terry Lawless. On 08th December 1980 he outpointed Mike Sullivan, who was also making his debut, over six rounds. In January 1983 he outpointed Lloyd Hibbert over ten rounds in a British title eliminator. Two months later he picked up the Southern Area British welterweight belt, which was also a final eliminator for the British title when he knocked out Sid Smith in the fourth round. He finally challenged Cliff Gilpin for the vacant British title on 05th April 1983, winning a twelve round points decision, after suffering a knockdown in round two.  At the start of 1985 he knocked out future IBF light-middleweight champion Gianfranco Rossi...

David Haye David Haye started his amateur career at the age of ten, winning by a 12-second knockout. He claims his first five contests ended in the first round. Adam Booth started training him at the age of sixteen. His amateur record stands at 83-13 with seven of those defeats being controversial. He picked up a silver medal at the 2001 world championships. Injury to his bicep in the win over Pakistan's Shuaib Ali meant he had to withdraw from his next match against Canada's Jason Douglas at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, held in Manchester. Haye, who was born in Bermondsey, London on 13th October 1980 made his professional debut at cruiserweight on 08th December 2002, against Tony Booth. The contest took place at the famous York Hall, Bethnal Green, with Haye winning after a second-round retirement from his opponent. He won his fifth contest at the Playboy Mansion, beating Vance Win in just 54 seconds. In his eighth bout, he took his first professional t...