Sad News re Errol Christie

[Thomastearns]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-co ... e-40245865

I always thought Errol was, alongside Roy Gumbs, the most talented British boxer in recent memory.
Deserved better.

[Bricks]

RIP

This forum seems very quiet in regards to Christie. V suprising considering he was a big name in the 80s.

[boxingknockout]

RIP

This forum seems very quiet in regards to Christie. V suprising considering he was a big name in the 80s.

There's more in Brit forum

[Noxy]

Sad news indeed. I remember him well. RIP Errol

[candyslim]

Terribly sad news. He was part of a golden age of British Middleweights. RIP Errol.

[G.McClellan]

Sorry to hear about his passing. Just as depressing is the fact he seems to have left boxing penniless.

Very few get to walk away with the riches they earned\deserved.

[bennie]

Errol Christie's rapid boxing decline is still a mystery to those who watched him mop up title after title as an amateur; the middleweight sensation from Coventry continued to roll over everyone in the pro ranks until a stupid catchweight match cost him his unbeaten record. Christie conceded eight pounds to Belgian light-heavyweight Jose Seys and lost in less than a minute but he bounced back with seven straight wins (all early) before taking on Mark Kaylor at Wembley in November 1985 in one of those 'natural' showdowns that nobody could call beforehand. On the night, and fittingly it was staged on Bonfire Night, Kaylor climbed off the canvas twice to outlast Christie in eight thrilling rounds. For the fearless Kaylor there were big paydays ahead; for the humbled Christie, that was it. At the age of 22, the man was through.
Unsurprisingly I hold to the theory that the Kaylor war ruined Christie, taking much of his power and almost all his punch resistance. I also believe that Errol had too many bouts as an amateur, and by bouts I mean title bouts. He won national titles every year for eight years (from the age of 11 to 18) and then picked up gold in the European Juniors as a 19-year-old, after which he went pro. That's a lot of titles, a lot of training, a lot of physical strain. Throw in the Kaylor factor, a long, hard, punishing, draining defeat, and the upshot is a finished fighter.
Errol persevered in the vain hope that he could turn it around but he went down every time he was caught by a good one, which explains why he was able to outpoint decent Irishman Sean Mannion in October 1986 because Mannion couldn't break an egg. Just six weeks later Christie was down four times at the hands of southpaw American Charlie Boston in London, losing in the eighth round. Then a flat-nosed Puerto Rican overwhelmed Christie in four in Windsor in 1987. James Cook and Michael Watson also turned the trick.
Nevertheless, nobody can take away what he achieved as an amateur and nobody can say he didn't try as a pro. Above all, he kept a cheery attitude right up to the very end, the undeserving end. Win or lose, Errol Christie beamed that smile.

[northern]

One of the best amateur boxer's Britain has seen for a lot of years, was all before my time when I got into boxing but seeing the highlights after he passed away makes the message clear he could have done a lot more had things worked out for him.

Also any Middlesbrough, Coventry or Derby fans or even any Irish fans out there who recognise the name Cyrus Christie, give a little respect for the family of one of your players.

God bless and rest in peace Errol Christie.

Check out his record here:
http://boxrec.com/boxer/17926