2023 gone but not Forgotten

Remembering those from the boxing fraternity who passed away in 2023

In alphabetical order: Ricco Acevedo (pro heavyweight); Angelo Aleo (amateur lightweight); Daniel Alicea (featherweight contender); Nelson Alvarez (pro lightweight); Peter Anderson (pro welterweight); Augie Angeles (pro bantamweight); Patrice Aouissi (European cruiserweight champion); Jerry Armstrong (1960 Olympian, referee); Francisco Arroyo (bantamweight contender); Pertti Augustin (Finnish Professional Boxing Association Secretary General); Gordon Barnard (pro middleweight); Carmen Bartolomeo (pro welterweight); Ernie Bigney (pro lightweight); Jeremiah Black (pro welterweight); Kenny Bogner (lightweight contender); Jacob Bonas (pro welterweight); Lee Boyd (pro flyweight); Joseph Brady (super-welterweight contender); Tom Brown (pro middleweight); Ken Buchanan (world lightweight champion); Paddy Byrne (manager/ promoter); Leroy Caldwell (heavyweight contender); Johnny Carroll (welterweight contender); Terry Carson (Merseyside & Wirral Former Boxing Association Secretary); Anthony Castrejohn (pro lightweight); Bob Chambers (pro light-heavyweight); Darrell Chambers (middleweight contender); Johnny Cheshire (lightweight contender); Choi Sunkap (middleweight contender); Lonnie Christopher (pro heavyweight); Pierre Cochard (welterweight contender); Gerrie Coetzee (WBA heavyweight belt-holder); Ron Cooper (1948 Olympian and pro featherweight); Miguel Corea (pro featherweight); Aldo Consentino (amateur bantamweight); Johnny Cousina (pro heavyweight); Jack Cowen (matchmaker, promoter, and judge); Franz Csandl (middleweight contender); Conrad Daoust (pro light-heavyweight); Alonzo Davis (pro lightweight); Larry Davis (pro light-heavyweight); Johnny Devison (Canadian bantamweight champion); Dick Devito (pro lightweight); Randy Donley (pro super-lightweight); Frank Draper (pro heavyweight); Junior Depree (pro light-heavyweight); John Earleywine (Judge); Floyd East (lightweight contender); Antwun Echols (middle/ super-middleweight contender); Kenneth Egano (pro bantamweight); Mike England (judge and referee); Yoryi Estrella (pro lightheavyweight); Terry Feeley (pro heavyweight); Wilfried Florentin (pro cruiserweight); Sammy Fuentez (pro featherweight); Jose Luis Garcia (heavyweight contender); Juan Francisco Garcia (pro featherweight); Nel Girard (pro featherweight); Lahouari Godhi (French lightweight champion); Tony Gonzalez (middleweight contender); Darren Goodall (pro light-heavyweight); Bobby Goodman (matchmaker and promoter); Jimmy Gradson (pro light-heavyweight); John Gray (amateur trainer); Skippy Gray (pro light-heavyweight); Ernie Green (judge and referee); Eric Griffin (1992 Olympian, light-flyweight contender); George Grivas (pro welterweight); Eric Guy (videographer); Gualberto Gutiérrez (1960 Olympian, pro lightweight); Maksym Halinichev (amateur flyweight); Ernest Hall (pro featherweight); Roy Harris (heavyweight contender); Marvin Hart (pro welterweight); Peter Heath (pro welterweight); Max Hebeisen (welterweight contender); Ricky Henderson (pro super-lightweight); Tommy Hicks (pro light-heavyweight and judge); Dario Hidalgo (welterweight contender); Diego Hidalgo (pro welterweight); Dave Hilton Sr (super-welterweight contender); Bob Hinds (pro heavyweight); Steve Hiser (pro super-welterweight and amateur trainer); Alan Hubbard (journalist); Eddie Izzo (pro lightweight); Ezell Jackson (pro light-heavyweight); Gustavo Jarquin (judge); Mike Jarrell (pro middleweight and promoter); Maurice Jones (pro heavyweight); Al Karpuk (pro welterweight); Richie Kates (light-heavyweight contender); Karel Klijnoot (judge and referee); Tommy Kristian (pro welterweight, judge and referee); Pat La Cassa (pro and amateur coach); Primo Lacassa (pro featherweight and trainer); Joe Lee (amateur trainer ); Willie Lee( super welterweight contender); Ron Lewis (journalist); Frankie Lucas (1974 Commonwealth gold medal list and Southern Area middleweight champion); Chris Lopresto (pro light-heavyweight); Jim Macdonald (light-heavyweight contender); Jim Mccourt (1964 Olympic bronze medallist and 1968 Olympian); Al Meier (inspector and supervisor); Benito Mendoza (pro lightweight); Hector Merced (pro heavyweight); Juan Meza (super-bantamweight contender); Karl Milligan (judge and referee); Luigi Minchillo (super-welterweight contender); Hubert Minn (judge); Ray Minus (bantamweight contender); Irving Mitchell (featherweight contender); Tony Montano (middleweight contender); Jude Moore (National amateur champion) Norris Morgan (pro heavyweight); Junior Moses (pro welterweight); Xavier Moya (middleweight contender); Bob Murdoch (middleweight contender); Terrence Murphy (middleweight contender); Ibrahim

Najma (pro super-lightweight); Christian Nava (pro middleweight); Carlos Horacio Nevarez (pro middleweight); Claude Noel (WBA lightweight belt- holder); Jerry Okorodudu (1984 Olympian and pro middleweight); Tyrone Oliver (pro welterweight); Lou Otto (pro light-heavyweight); Antonio Pascua (amateur middleweight); Fernando Perez (Spanish superlightweight champion); Mike Perkins (pro heavyweight); Edgar Perreault (pro lightweight); Mike Picciotti (super-welterweight contender); Jose Luis Pimentel (featherweight contender); Dinny Powell (pro heavyweight); Tommy Proffitt (1948 Olympian and bantamweight contender); Robert Provost (amateur featherweight); Percy Reed (pro welterweight); Howard Rainey (Sheffield trainer); Hector Roca (trainer); Mariano Rodriguez (Spanish featherweight champion); Roy Rogers (pro heavyweight); Al Romano (welterweight contender); Deshawn Ross (pro cruiserweight); Tony Rowan (pro cruiserweight); Remigio Ruggeri (judge and referee); Hugh Russell (1980 Olympic bronze medallist, British bantamweight and flyweight champion); Chris Saavedra (pro featherweight); Julien Marie Sainte (middleweight contender); James Salava (pro super-lightweight); Henry Salcido (pro super-lightweight); Andres Salgado (Colombian lightweight champion); Bob Samples (amateur welterweight); Fernando Sanchez (European super-lightweight champion); Herb Santos (judge); ‘Colonel’ Bob Sheridan (commentator); Jim Silver (judge); Dwaine Simpson (welterweight contender); Grzegorz Skrzecz (1980 Olympian); Len Slater (pro featherweight); Jerry Sorrells (pro middleweight); Anthony Spain (pro cruiserweight); John Spensley (pro heavyweight and promoter); Tank Strickland (promoter); Samuel Teah (super-lightweight contender); Johnny Thomas (pro lightweight); Ken Thompson (promoter); Pete Thomson (pro middleweight); Dayton Titus (pro welterweight); Tyrone Trice (welterweight contender); Ricky Uzzel (amateur super-lightweight); Manuel Vazquez (bantamweight contender); Tony Ventura (heavyweight contender); Eugene Volk (pro featherweight); Leroy Walker (pro superlightweight); Seth Walker (pro middleweight); Johnny Wall (Welsh lightweight champion); Joe Wallace (pro super-lightweight); Tony Webster (pro lightweight); René Weller (1976 Olympian and European lightweight champion); Ray Wheatley (pro heavyweight, judge and referee); Arthur Williams (IBF cruiserweight belt-holder); Reuben Wilson (pro heavyweight); Anwar Wingate (pro super-welterweight); Martin Wright (pro welterweight); Andrew Wyper (Scottish welterweight champion); Kenji Yonekura (1956 Olympian and bantamweight contender); Karl Zurheide (light-heavyweight contender); Dave Zyglewicz (heavyweight contender and referee).

NATIONAL TREASURES: The great Ken Buchanan [above] and London 1948 Olympians Ronnie Cooper [below, right] and Tommy Parfitt

TOMMY EASTWOOD: Former Southern Area cruiserweight champion Tommy Eastwood, 13-3 (2), passed away on December 8. From Epsom, Surrey, Eastwood won his title in 2006, knocking out Junior Macdonald in two rounds, and he twice challenged for the English championship. A mark of his ability came in one of those challenges, when he lost a tight decision to the excellent Dean Francis. The other English title setback came in his final bout, an eighth-round loss to Rob Norton. That 2007 contest also doubled as an eliminator for the British title. Eastwood was a popular figure on the circuit and sparred the likes of David Haye, Audley Harrison and Michael Sprott. Eastwood, who outpointed Ovill Mckenzie in 2004, was described by his former manager Mickey Helliet as ‘a lovely man with a heart of gold’.

JOHN SPENSLEY: Born in 1939, Middlesbrough’s Spensley, who was a sparring partner of Henry Cooper, boxed at heavyweight between 1962 and 1964. He remained in the sport and, in 1977, took out his promoter’s licence. His early shows, though well-matched, were poorly attended and he questioned the wisdom of his new venture. Thankfully, he persevered until 2001, during which time he promoted future British champions such as John and George Feeney and held events all over the North East. His greatest achievement was staging Glenn Mccrory-patrick Lumumba, won by the former, for the IBF cruiserweight title in Stanley. BN’S Miles Templeton said, ‘John did so much for boxing in the North East. He’ll be greatly missed.’ He passed away on December 3.