How good was Kevin Finnegan

[kovit]

Tell me I would like to know how good was Kevin Finnegan the British Middleweight contender who is the brother of Chris Finnegan? Is he the southpaw like his brother? How tall was Kevin Finnegan in height?

[bennie]

Marvin Hagler said Finnegan gave him his toughest ever fight (their first one). Finnegan was brilliant against southpaws.

[knockout artist]

Marvin Hagler said Finnegan gave him his toughest ever fight (the first one). Finnegan was brilliant against southpaws.

Marvelous fighter Finnegan and very very well conditioned. Could do 15 rounds like a walk in the park.

Saw him train (when I was a young kid) at the late great Freddie Hill's gym in Battersea.

Apart from Hopkins, he'd hammer the other Middleweights today.

I'd also take him to beat Clazaghe at 12st (over 15 rounds), but thats another story.

[silkov]

Kevin was a brilliant fighter indeed, strangely never got the plaudits that he should have I think... probably due to him being around at the same time as Alan Minter... with whom he had 3 classic fights, which although he lost all three on points, were all wafer close. Like his brother Kevin was a real character, its a shame that he didn't write a book like Chris, it would have been very interesting!. He gave Marvin Hagler 2 excellent fights but was stopped on cuts each time. Like chris I believe Kevin retired with an eye injury. His only real flaws as a fighter was a tendency to cut and a lack of a big punch at world class.... he'd definately be a world champ if he was active today.
Does anyone know what Kevin is doing these days?....

[bennie]

He turned up at a couple of Hagler celebrations in England, looking okay. Marvin respects him greatly.
Finnegan beat Jean-Claude Bouttier, Bunny Sterling, Tony Sibson, Frankie Lucas and was robbed in the second fight with Alan Minter (he had Minter out on his feet in the ninth and 15th rounds).
At the top of his game, he suffered a broken jaw in a non-title win over Frank Reiche in the mid-70's (yes, he refused to quit and won on points), which cost him a shot at the legendary Carlos Monzon. That would have been a very interesting fight indeed. As he showed later against Marvin in Boston, Finnegan was world class. He had the Irish Bostonians raising the roof that night.
Kevin was a true character. When his famous brother Chris was robbed in the 1966 ABA middleweight final, Kevin jumped into the ring wearing a blonde wig! He was banned sine die from the amateur sport for that gesture.

[silkov]

I remember Harry Carpenters commentary during the 2nd or 3rd Minter vs Finnegan match when he mentions the broken jaw and says that in his opinion Kevin had never been quite as good a fighter since... obviously Kevin had a lot of success after breaking his jaw ...including the great wins over Lucas and Sibson, but Crapenter was a good judge of boxing so perhaps there was something in what he said.... an injury like that must have some effect.
I ve always liked the story of how after Finnegan after beating Sibbo pursuaded his manager Sam Burns to take Tony on... a nice touch I think.
Kevin definately was worth a world title shot... I'd have given him a good chance of beating Vito Anterfirmo... he was just unlucky to be around at a time when there was a golden age of talent in just about every division.
I look at boxing today and can't believe what I see... it seems to be dying in every division above Light-middle in terms of talent!
A few years ago I bumped into Kevins brother Chris at a boxing card in Brentford ...wanted to go up and say hello but chickened out.... Chris's book is one of the best boxing biographies I've read!.....

[bennie]

Yes, that's a book that rarely gets a mention when the best boxing books are discussed, but Wally Bartleman did a great job. The story about the British Olympic team being gathered to have a chat with Prince Phillip is a classic. Finnegan said all the boxers were placed at the back discreetly, and after Prince Phillip had said there was no need to worry about the altitude in Mexico City because he had played polo there with no problems, Finnegan stood up and said "Try telling the bleedin' horses that!"
The place erupted.
Finnegan won an Olympic gold medal on sheer cockney southpaw grit. One of his victims was Mate Parlov.

[silkov]

I have a tape of Chris' fight with Bob Foster... great fight, he really gave it his all... like Kevin he was a little unlucky to be around when there was so much talent about... though on the other hand it was a great time to be a fighter and given a choice I'd rather have been around in the 70s than today.... how many of todays 'champions' will be remembered in 30, 20 or even 10 years time?.... in the 70s the British champions were nearly all house hold names... every title fight would be printed in the papers... now people are probably hard pressed to name more than a handful of world champions never mind the British champs.
I liked the way Chris nick-named John Conteh 'pickle-head' in his book hahaha!... ...I ve got Conteh's biography too and thats another excellent book, very candid and insightful, which I don't hear people mention much!.

[bennie]

Conteh butted Finnegan mercilessly in both their fights.

[silkov]

I think I recall a quote of Chris saying something like he didn't know why Conteh wasn't allowed to wear a glove on his head in the ring as he used it (the head) so much!... Chris certainly got a raw deal in their 2nd fight when I think he was actually getting the better of things till he was badly cut by a butt!... I do like Conteh though...

[kovit]

Silkov, was Kevin Finnegan standing at 6 feet tall or over like his brother in height? How tall was Kevin in height?

[bennie]

Silkov, was Kevin Finnegan standing at 6 feet tall or over like his brother in height? How tall was Kevin in height?

I think you've got more than enough info on the man.

[silkov]

I'd say Kevin was about 5 feet 9... he was a touch shorter than Alan Minter who was 5 foot 10 and a half....

[silkov]

Sorry Kovit, after looking through my records I ve seen that Alan Minter was actually 5 feet 9.. . that puts Kevin Finnegan at about 5 feet 8 or 8 and a half.. ...... must stop trying to remember these things :x off the top of my head!!!

[knockout artist]

Sorry Kovit, after looking through my records I ve seen that Alan Minter was actually 5 feet 9.. . that puts Kevin Finnegan at about 5 feet 8 or 8 and a half.. ...... must stop trying to remember these things :x off the top of my head!!!

Minter was 5'11.

If he was 5'9 he would have been shorter than Hagler, which he wasnt

[Matt]

According to the 1978 Pugilato, Finnegan was 175 centimeters tall

[silkov]

According to both my Ring Record book and also the boxing Rec stats Alan Minter was 5feet 9 ...Kevin Finnegan is also listed by boxing rec as being 5 feet 9 though I thought he was a bit shorter than Minter.
Marvin Hagler is listed as being 5 feet 9 by Boxing rec but 5 feet 9 and a half in my Ring Record book... I go with the 5 feet 9 and a half!....
heights can very... I ve seen Ali listed between 6 feet 2 and a half and six feet 4!!.... he was 6 feet 3 I believe....

[kovit]

Thanks you guys for telling me the answer, but I have seen the video and Minter is taller than Hagler when they were in the fighting stance. By the way how tall is Bunny Sterling in height?

[Bladder]

By the way how tall is Bunny Sterling in height?

Before he was champ Bunny appeared on UK talent show Opportunity Knocks. He was able to play tunes on unusual instruments.

He would take the sprinkler bit off a watering can, then play "Build me up Buttercup" down the spout. He also played "With a little help from my friends" on a comb wrapped in tracing paper and finished with "God save the Queen" on one of those long flexible wood saws.

According to the book "Strange fight facts you never knew", he scored 73 on the studio Clap-O-Meter but didn't receive enough viewer votes to return the following week.

As for his height, he was taller than Hughie Green.

Hope that helps.

[Giancarlo]

Classic!