Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Kerr’s boxing career suffered after death of his brother Alex
GEORGE Kerr’s boxing career had its highs and lows.
From shocking the world of boxing with his victory over previously undefeated Terry Smith at the Royal Albert Hall, to the downfall of his career following the death of his brother, it was a topsy-turvy time in the life of one of Dundee’s most infamous men.
Kerr had been well thought of in an amateur career that saw him compete in more than 400 fights in the late 1970s as part of the Dundee Camperdown club.
But when he turned professional, it was a mixed bag of results with 11 defeats and eight victories.
Kerr admitted the death of brother Alex, who died after being electrocuted on a building site on North Isla Street in 1979, impacted on his career.
After dealing with the painful loss, Kerr struggled to find the motivation for boxing with a life of crime, booze and women taking precedent. He guzzled beer before stepping into the ring for his last fight in Dundee.
Kerr said: “I fought light welterweight at first and then I moved up to welterweight.
“If I’d been boxing today I could have been a wor ld champion.
“My last professional fight was in the De Stihls nightclub in 1989.
“Boxing by that point was definitely not a priority for me, I’m sure I was drinking Budweiser before the bout.
“I’d fought around the world representing my country but regardless of the bouts it seemed fitting my career ended back in my home city with a victory in the ring.
“In those days I didn’t make that much money from fighting in the ring, probably all in all it’s only equated to about 10 grand.”
The Kerr family had a proud boxing history in the city with Alex also touted for great things within the squared-circle. But the family’s world was rocked following the shock death of Alex and Kerr admits he struggled to recover.
He added: “Alex was a fantastic boxer, he had been an up-and-coming amateur boxer and was regarded by many in the boxing circles as a fighter who was going places. I don’t think my focus was ever in boxing the way it had been before Alex had passed away. “I was only 19 when he died. “Before Alex passed we use to fight against the Kirkton Huns, I was always mindful of Alex in those days making sure he didn’t get hurt but after he died I didn’t care what happened to me.”
Kerr admits he could have lost his boxing licence while working and competing in illegal bouts in Lewisham, South London.
But it was another fight in the UK capital where Kerr made his name, as he rubbed shoulders with Frank Bruno on the card at the Royal Albert Hall. He also knocked out Smith and shocked the boxing world, which proved to be the highlight of his career.
Despite Kerr’s own nonchalant perceptions, the five-foot-ten boxer had appeared in a number of memorable bouts including a televised fight which he lost against George Collins on points.
He said: “The bout was on ITV, I fought him in the Town Hall in Leeds, and I remember Jim Watt saying ‘Collins is going to be in a fight against Kerr’.
“Frank Warren had backed Collins with some serious investment, I think it was more than £100,000 he spent on training.
“I knew win, lose or draw I was going to pocket about £2,000 – and I went on to lose on points.
“In all my amateur days I never really reall got any black eyes but the professional bouts were longer and were more demanding on the body.
“Before the fight there was always the nerves of waiting around depending on where I was on the card. But as soon as I got into the ring the nerves were gone.
“I still spar now, but I do miss the edge to competing in the ring, it was different then to what it is now.”
Tomorrow: George Kerr on the murder trial of Jamie Cumming.