Errol Christie (29 June 1963 – 11 June 2017) was an English professional boxer and boxing trainer. He was the captain of the English amateur boxing team from 1980 to 1983 and European amateur champion in 1983. After turning professional he was a regular fixture on ITV Fight Night in the 1980s. After retiring from boxing he became a trainer in white-collar boxing.

Errol Christie
Born(1963-06-29)29 June 1963
Leicester, England
Died11 June 2017(2017-06-11) (aged 53)
London, England
NationalityEnglish
Other namesThames Barrier Warrior
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights41
Wins32
Wins by KO26
Losses8
Draws1
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  England
English National Championships
Gold medal – first place 1981 London Light-middleweight
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 1982 Schwerin Middleweight

Career

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Boxing career

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Christie was born in Leicester and raised in Radford, Coventry, one of seven brothers.[1][2] At the age of eight, he started boxing at the Standard-Triumph gym in Coventry managed by Tom McGarry.[1] Out of 80 fights in his early career, Christie lost only two and gained a reputation for early knockouts.[3] He was Warwickshire champion in 1976, schoolboy champion in 1977, NABC champion in 1979 and senior ABA champion in 1981, beating Cameron Lithgow in the final.[3] He was appointed England boxing captain from 1980 to 1983.[1] He moved to London in 1981 to further his boxing career.[2]

In 1982, he became European amateur under-19 champion after defeating Assylbek Kilimov in the semi-finals and Moe Gruciano in the finals at Schwerin in what was then East Germany.[3][4] Christie was listed in The Guinness Book of Records as the only British boxer to win all 10 amateur titles.[3][4]

After turning professional in 1982 with new manager Burt McCarthy he won his first 13 fights, 12 inside the distance, including a victory over French champion Joel Bonnetaz in February 1984.[4] He earned the right to wear the Kronk Gym golden shorts after impressing its promoter Emanuel Steward while sparring there.[3] In September 1984 Jose Seys delivered a surprise knockout which shook Christie's confidence.[4] Seven more wins followed, including a win over former Mexican champion Gonzalo Montes, before a bout with Mark Kaylor in a British middleweight title eliminator at Wembley Arena in November 1985 in which he was knocked out in the eighth round.[1]

After winning his next four fights, beating Nigerian champion Hunter Clay and former welterweight world title challenger Sean Mannion, he suffered another setback when he was stopped by Charles Boston in December 1986. He won eight of his thirteen fights between June 1987 and October 1990, and in November 1990 faced Michael Watson at the National Exhibition Centre; Watson stopped him in the third round. Christie was out of the ring for over two years, returning in March 1993 to face Trevor Ambrose, losing after being stopped in the second round of what proved to be his final fight.[4]

 
Christie with veteran boxer Henry Cooper (sitting on Christie's left-hand side).

Post-boxing career

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Christie had tried his hand at stand up comedy towards the end of his boxing career and after retiring from boxing in 1993 he worked as a market trader for six years.[5]

In 1999, Christie began teaching white-collar boxers, initially at the Real Fight Club, and from 2003 at Gymbox in Holborn, London.[1] In 2005, The Guardian and other newspapers reported an incident where one of Errol's white collar-boxing students, film distributor Simon Franks, hit Hollywood actor George Clooney at the premiere of his film Good Night, and Good Luck.[6] An argument between the two men was alleged to have got out of control. Christie was quoted in The Guardian asking whether his student, Franks, had used his left hook.[6] His students have included TV presenter Dermot O'Leary, former footballer Gianluca Vialli, musician Seal, and journalist Tony McMahon.[1][5] He also worked with children in schools and community centres.[1]

In 2010, Christie was taken on as the fight consultant to the play Sucker Punch written by Roy Williams and directed by Sacha Wares, performed at the Royal Court Theatre in Chelsea, London.[1][5][7] In March 2010, Christie published his biography No Place To Hide, about racism in both the boxing game and 1970s/1980s Britain in collaboration with McMahon.[1] The book was longlisted for the William Hill sports writer prize for 2010.[8]

Personal life

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Christie was the uncle of Cyrus Christie, a professional footballer for Hull City A.F.C. and the Irish national team.[9]

Illness and death

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In March 2015 Christie was diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer.[3][4] He died at St. Christopher's Hospice in London on 11 June 2017 of complications from the disease, aged 53.[10]

Professional boxing record

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41 fights 32 wins 8 losses
By knockout 26 7
By decision 6 1
Draws 1
Boxing record
No. Result Record Opponent Method Round Time Date Location Notes
41 Loss 32–8–1   Trevor Ambrose KO 2 (6) ? 19 Mar 1993   Free Trade Hall, Manchester, Greater Manchester, UK.
40 Loss 32–7–1   Michael Watson TKO 3 (10) ? 18 Nov 1990   National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK.
39 Draw 32–6–1   Stan King PTS 8 N/a 18 Oct 1990   Latchmere Leisure Centre, Wandsworth, London, UK.
38 Win 32–6   Karl Barwise RTD 7 (8) 3:00 22 Sep 1990   Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, UK.
37 Loss 31–6   Ian Strudwick PTS 8 N/a 20 Jun 1990   Festival Hall, Basildon, Essex, UK
36 Win 31–5   Thomas Covington RTD 4 (8) 3:00 9 May 1990   Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, UK.
35 Win 30–5   Martin Camara PTS 8 N/a 24 Oct 1989   York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, UK.
34 Loss 29–5   James Cook TKO 5 (8) ? 31 Jan 1989   York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, UK.
33 Win 29–4   Winston Burnett PTS 8 N/a 26 Oct 1988   Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, UK.
32 Win 28–4   Joe McKenzie KO 3 (8) 0:55 28 Sep 1988   Picketts Lock Stadium, Edmonton, London, UK.
31 Win 27–4   Andy Wright KO 2 (8) ? 30 Mar 1988   York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, UK.
30 Loss 26–4   Jose Quinones KO 4 (8) ? 28 Nov 1987   Blazers Night Club, Windsor, Berkshire, UK.
29 Win 26–3   Rafael Corona KO 1 (8) ? 16 Sep 1987   Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, UK.
28 Win 25–3   Tyrone McKnight TKO 5 (10) ? 17 Jun 1987   Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, UK.
27 Loss 24–3   Charles Boston KO 8 (10) 2:10 3 Dec 1986   Alexandra Pavilion, Muswell Hill, London, UK.
26 Win 24–2   Sean Mannion PTS 10 N/a 29 Oct 1986   Alexandra Pavilion, Muswell Hill, London, UK.
25 Win 23–2   Adam George PTS 10 N/a 20 Sep 1986   Shendish Leisure Centre, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK.
24 Win 22–2   Carlton Warren TKO 5 (8) ? 28 May 1986   Alexandra Pavilion, Muswell Hill, London, UK.
23 Win 21–2   Hunter Clay PTS 10 N/a 16 Apr 1986   Royalty Theatre, Holborn, London, UK.
22 Loss 20–2   Mark Kaylor KO 8 (12) 2:35 5 Nov 1985   Wembley Arena, Wembley, London, UK. Final Eliminator for BBBofC Middleweight Title
21 Win 20–1   Barry Audia TKO 2 (10) 2:34 18 Sep 1985   Alexandra Pavilion, Muswell Hill, London, UK.
20 Win 19–1   Vincent Mays TKO 1 (8) 2:34 30 May 1985   North Bridge Leisure Centre, Halifax, West Yorkshire, UK.
19 Win 18–1   Ignacio Zavala TKO 1 (10) 2:53 7 Mar 1985   Harvey Hadden Leisure Centre, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK.
18 Win 17–1   Nestor Flores KO 2 (10) 2:40 2 Feb 1985   Dolphin Centre, Darlington, County Durham, UK.
17 Win 16–1   Gonzalo Montes TKO 3 (10) ? 16 Jan 1985   Britannia Leisure Centre, Shoreditch, London, UK.
16 Win 15–1   Cecil Pettigrew TKO 1 (8) 0:36 15 Nov 1984   Stage One, Manchester, Greater Manchester, UK.
15 Win 14–1   Bobby Hoye KO 1 (10) 1:11 1 Nov 1984   North Bridge Leisure Centre, Halifax, West Yorkshire, UK.
14 Loss 13–1   Jose Seys KO 1 (8) 0:46 19 Sep 1984   Britannia Leisure Centre, Shoreditch, London, UK.
13 Win 13–0   Stan White TKO 5 (10) 1:10 15 Jun 1984   Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
12 Win 12–0   Stacy McSwain TKO 5 (10) ? 25 Apr 1984   Alexandra Pavilion, Muswell Hill, London, UK.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Arnot, Chris (2010) "'Talking to teenagers was more terrifying than boxing'", The Guardian, 12 May 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2015
  2. ^ a b Eccleston, Ben (2015) "Coventry boxing legend Errol Christie facing biggest fight of his life after being diagnosed with lung cancer", Coventry Telegraph, 20 March 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015
  3. ^ a b c d e f "As Errol Christie battles cancer, his son Louie Christie prepares for his own fight", Boxing News, 23 July 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015
  4. ^ a b c d e f Bunce, Steve (2015) "Audley Harrison's abusers forget the debt he's due, but Errol Christie will always remember what he owes the police", The Independent, 31 March 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015
  5. ^ a b c Lee, Veronica (2010) "Boxing: My weapons were my fists – now it's guns and knives", The Independent, 6 June 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2015
  6. ^ a b Marriner, Cosima (29 December 2005). "Clooney 'brawl' – the facts". The Guardian. London: Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 8 December 2007.
  7. ^ "Sucker Punch". Time Out. 23 June 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  8. ^ "From Agassi to Nazi, via "gonzo": prize's mixed bag". Sports Journalists' Association. 1 October 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  9. ^ Dutton, Tom (12 June 2017). "Nephew Cyrus Christie 'heatbroken' after former British boxer Errol Christie dies aged 53". Evening Standard. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  10. ^ "Christie dies at 53". The Times. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
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