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Gordon Ferris

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Gordon Ferris
Born(1952-11-21)21 November 1952
Enniskillen, Northern Ireland
NationalityBritish, Irish
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Boxing record
Total fights26
Wins20
Wins by KO11
Losses6
Draws0

Gordon Ferris (born 21 November 1952) is a Northern Irish former heavyweight boxer who was both Irish and British champion in the early 1980s.

Career

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Born in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, and a lock-keeper by trade,[1] Ferris had a distinguished amateur career, winning a bronze medal at the 1974 Commonwealth Games and five Irish amateur titles.[2][3]

After missing out on selection for the 1976 Olympic Games, Ferris took the decision to turn professional and made his pro debut in December 1977 with a win over Keith Steve Johnson. He won 14 of his first 18 pro fights, leading to a final eliminator for the British heavyweight title in September 1980 against Tommy Kiely, with the Irish and Northern Ireland Area titles also at stake; He won on points over 12 rounds, leading to a fight with Billy Aird for the vacant British title. He won by a 15-round points decision to become British champion.[1][4] He lost the title in his first defence, against Neville Meade in October 1981, losing by a first-round knockout.[1] He attempted to get another shot at the title but was beaten in a final eliminator in June 1982 by David Pearce, after which he retired from boxing.[2]

He subsequently ran pubs in Gloucester and Stoke-on-Trent.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Jack Magowan: Great Irish heavyweights are few and far between", Belfast Telegraph, 6 December 2008. Retrieved 28 September 2014
  2. ^ a b c "'Boxing stopped me going off the rails' Archived 2014-09-28 at archive.today", The Impartial Reporter, 22 October 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2014
  3. ^ "Boxing", gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014
  4. ^ "Ferris the New Champion Heavy", Glasgow Herald, 31 March 1981, p. 28. Retrieved 28 September 2014