Erroll Christie has passed away

[nobleart1978]

Just read it in the Daily Mail.

Shame.

[thepocketrocket]

Errol was before my time. I keep reading he was a British boxing legend but when you look at it, he didn't seem capable of winning anything.

Does anyone have a synopsis of his career from a contemporary point of view? Maybe that can help the younger ones understand why he is so revered.

RIP BTW, the day we are able to cure cancer will be a great day.

[spudder56]

RIP Errol and thanks for the memories

[Tomasino]

Errol was before my time. I keep reading he was a British boxing legend but when you look at it, he didn't seem capable of winning anything.

Does anyone have a synopsis of his career from a contemporary point of view? Maybe that can help the younger ones understand why he is so revered.

RIP BTW, the day we are able to cure cancer will be a great day.

We are able to cure it. It's just making it profitable is more important to big Pharma and the Governments.

[GlobalBox]

RIP Champ, God bless.

My thoughts are with family and friends.

[boxingknockout]

I remember the first Christie-Kaylor fight when I was young. Wasn't yet into boxing seriously, but it was a big story at the time and they scrapped in the street.

Errol also trained me for a few months before I joined an amateur club.

I always remember his big toothy smile, and he had a great sense of humour, always laughing at things....

What a shame.... Rest in Peace champ

[Mimmy]

Errol was before my time. I keep reading he was a British boxing legend but when you look at it, he didn't seem capable of winning anything.

Does anyone have a synopsis of his career from a contemporary point of view? Maybe that can help the younger ones understand why he is so revered.

RIP BTW, the day we are able to cure cancer will be a great day.

I dont think Errol won any title as a professional. He was beat in a eliminator by Mark Kaylor. I dont think Errol got much tv coverage to be honest but I maybe wrong. I think I saw him fight on tv 3 or 4 times. Errol just seemed to be a decent boxer and a decent human being but when he took the next level up he fell short. Errol boxed on the undercard of Hearns v Duran in Vegas, again not sure if he went there alone or if he was training in the states at the time. Michael Watson beat him (I have that fight on dvd) Charlie Boston beat him too after coming to the UK after he was beat by Nunn and a few other famous names, Herol Graham incidentally beat Boston which was his last fight. The up and down James Cook also beat Errol too.

His record proberly doesnt suggest much but I genually think Errol Christie was just a decent man.

[Bricks]

mimmy down here in London Christie was a huge star on the boxing scene...even as an amateur. I recall seeing him on tv as a pro 6-7 times before his first loss.

It was a tougher era to be a pro but errol fell apart at a lower level......jose reyes and kaylor......than world top ten at the time....

He did have a few resurrections such as the good Sean Mannion win in front of Angelo Dundee commentating. That was probably the point he should have just gone to the USA permanently and done an Andries and joined either the kronk or eddie futch........

A very good man by all accounts.......but could it be (and I may be wrong) all the accolades as an amateur and the early ITV exposure and fame in London have possibly dulled his training and hunger??........I don't know....he was hungry enough in the kaylor fight getting off the floor twice......

In reality if his career had gone as planned he should have been in the mix with Benn/eubanks/Watson in the very late 80s and early 90s.

RIP

[dapug]

Our greatest ever amateur, RIP.

[dr_devious]

RIP champ

[olij999]

Very sorry to hear this. RIP, Errol.

[Syntax Error]

Sad to hear.

I still remember the hullabaloo around his fight with Kaylor in '85 & although he lost, he fought his heart out.

RIP Errol & bless you.

[bigjack]

Sad to hear.

I still remember the hullabaloo around his fight with Kaylor in '85 & although he lost, he fought his heart out.

RIP Errol & bless you.

One of the most exciting fights i've ever seen.

[Truthseeker]

A very good man by all accounts.......but could it be (and I may be wrong) all the accolades as an amateur and the early ITV exposure and fame in London have possibly dulled his training and hunger??........I don't know

t

I'm sure he mentioned in his bio, that in retrospect, he felt his amateur career was too long and contributed to his physical decline at pro.

[boxingknockout]

A very good man by all accounts.......but could it be (and I may be wrong) all the accolades as an amateur and the early ITV exposure and fame in London have possibly dulled his training and hunger??........I don't know

t

I'm sure he mentioned in his bio, that in retrospect, he felt his amateur career was too long and contributed to his physical decline at pro.

Misread this, sorry. How many fights did he have as an amateur? He turned over young didn't he!

[rd350lc]

Sad news . R.I.P Erroll ,
Do I remember rightly that the fight with him and Kaylor was on a wednesday night and shown on sportsnight on the beeb with the great Harry Carpenter ?

[bigjack]

Sad news . R.I.P Erroll ,
Do I remember rightly that the fight with him and Kaylor was on a wednesday night and shown on sportsnight on the beeb with the great Harry Carpenter ?

Yes that's correct Bonfire night it was,could have even been a Tuesday.

[Bricks]

The tribute by Errols nephew the international footballer was very very moving...and says a lot about how loved and stoic Errol was.... it was along the lines of " R.i.p uncle your not in pain anymore".

[MightyWarrior]

Errol was a legendary talent in the amateurs, touted as a mythical once in a generation fighter, and coveted by every UK manager in the game.
Eventually he turned pro with an unknown business man with big bucks, while a young f***k warren was so desperate to be involved he signed on as his co-promoter ( or promoter for hire, something like that ) allowing Errol to appear on his mid week ITV shows.

As soon as Errol turned pro he started lighting up the UK boxing scene with a series of eye popping KO's - big time power coupled with blurring hand speed, he seemed a talent not seen in the UK for years. And at the time, the UK had a red hot middleweight scene, with ex world champ Alan Minter just bowing out, and world title contenders like Sibson, Graham & Roy Gumbs looming large, and hot shot prospects like Jimmy Price and Mark Kaylor vying for top spot - but Errol seemed the best of the lot.

Even Emmanuel Steward boarded the hype train, saying Christie looked like a young Sugar Ray Leonard, and the old maestro convinced Errol to come over and train at the Kronk, and he then appeared on a few US shows as well, wearing the famous Kronk colours.

But it seems all was not well in the background, with Frank coming out this week and saying he advised Errol not to go to the Kronk, because of the gym wars he knew went on there, hinting Errol may have been thrown in deep...he said when Christie came back, he was no longer the same fighter.

And sure enough, his next fight was against an unknown but bigger heavy hitting light heavy called Jose Seys. The Belgium remarked at the weigh in, "Why are they matching me with this little boy?"
Shockingly, in front of a huge ITV audience, poor Errol was walloped and stunningly despatched in a matter of seconds. No one could believe what they had just seen. Photographers ring side were openly laughing at the great talent brought crashing back to earth. It bordered on the tragic.

All that talent, all that potential, all that hope, suddenly undermined by an insurmountable weakness.

Errol was never the same again, but even so, came back with a couple of impressive 1 round blast outs, then a year later stepped up for the big throw of the dice, the notorious explosive British title clash with Mark Kaylor, fittingly held on Bonfire night.
But it wasn't to be; even though they put on a fight for the ages, Errol was knocked down and nearly stopped inside the first round, only to return the favour, dropping Kaylor as fire works exploded inside the Albert Hall..but he was eventually ground down and stopped in the 8th, even then crawling across the ring to try and right himself with the help of the ropes.

I followed his career closely, hoping against hope he could somehow turn in around, but for every big win there was another set back, and it was a long slow path for Errol before those close to him eventually persuaded him to retire. He just had a huge heart, and never stopped trying.

RIP Champ

[Bricks]

nice post mighty warrior........I agree with the kronk thing....but at the same time....I think the Jose Seys matchup was ridiculous....a big hard hitting Light HW who was fighting cruisers....

[boxingknockout]

Errol was a legendary talent in the amateurs, touted as a mythical once in a generation fighter, and coveted by every UK manager in the game.
Eventually he turned pro with an unknown business man with big bucks, while a young f***k warren was so desperate to be involved he signed on as his co-promoter ( or promoter for hire, something like that ) allowing Errol to appear on his mid week ITV shows.

As soon as Errol turned pro he started lighting up the UK boxing scene with a series of eye popping KO's - big time power coupled with blurring hand speed, he seemed a talent not seen in the UK for years. And at the time, the UK had a red hot middleweight scene, with ex world champ Alan Minter just bowing out, and world title contenders like Sibson, Graham & Roy Gumbs looming large, and hot shot prospects like Jimmy Price and Mark Kaylor vying for top spot - but Errol seemed the best of the lot.

Even Emmanuel Steward boarded the hype train, saying Christie looked like a young Sugar Ray Leonard, and the old maestro convinced Errol to come over and train at the Kronk, and he then appeared on a few US shows as well, wearing the famous Kronk colours.

But it seems all was not well in the background, with Frank coming out this week and saying he advised Errol not to go to the Kronk, because of the gym wars he knew went on there, hinting Errol may have been thrown in deep...he said when Christie came back, he was no longer the same fighter.

And sure enough, his next fight was against an unknown but bigger heavy hitting light heavy called Jose Seys. The Belgium remarked at the weigh in, "Why are they matching me with this little boy?"
Shockingly, in front of a huge ITV audience, poor Errol was walloped and stunningly despatched in a matter of seconds. No one could believe what they had just seen. Photographers ring side were openly laughing at the great talent brought crashing back to earth. It bordered on the tragic.

All that talent, all that potential, all that hope, suddenly undermined by an insurmountable weakness.

Errol was never the same again, but even so, came back with a couple of impressive 1 round blast outs, then a year later stepped up for the big throw of the dice, the notorious explosive British title clash with Mark Kaylor, fittingly held on Bonfire night.
But it wasn't to be; even though they put on a fight for the ages, Errol was knocked down and nearly stopped inside the first round, only to return the favour, dropping Kaylor as fire works exploded inside the Albert Hall..but he was eventually ground down and stopped in the 8th, even then crawling across the ring to try and right himself with the help of the ropes.

I followed his career closely, hoping against hope he could somehow turn in around, but for every big win there was another set back, and it was a long slow path for Errol before those close to him eventually persuaded him to retire. He just had a huge heart, and never stopped trying.

RIP Champ

Great post - I always wondered whether the Kronk escapade ruined him.... what did Errol himself say about that time? It's likely loads of the toughest Detroit fighters saw him as an outsider and took liberties.

I even heard an odd story about Steward blindfolding Errol and making him spar. Sounds unlikely....but who knows.

Unfortunately it may be that Errol wasn't sturdy enough for the pro game. There are plenty of severely successful amateurs touted for big things as a pro but they end up disappointing. Off the top of my head - Paul Gonzales, Mark Breland, Audley, George Collins etc

[Mimmy]

Errol was a legendary talent in the amateurs, touted as a mythical once in a generation fighter, and coveted by every UK manager in the game.
Eventually he turned pro with an unknown business man with big bucks, while a young f***k warren was so desperate to be involved he signed on as his co-promoter ( or promoter for hire, something like that ) allowing Errol to appear on his mid week ITV shows.

As soon as Errol turned pro he started lighting up the UK boxing scene with a series of eye popping KO's - big time power coupled with blurring hand speed, he seemed a talent not seen in the UK for years. And at the time, the UK had a red hot middleweight scene, with ex world champ Alan Minter just bowing out, and world title contenders like Sibson, Graham & Roy Gumbs looming large, and hot shot prospects like Jimmy Price and Mark Kaylor vying for top spot - but Errol seemed the best of the lot.

Even Emmanuel Steward boarded the hype train, saying Christie looked like a young Sugar Ray Leonard, and the old maestro convinced Errol to come over and train at the Kronk, and he then appeared on a few US shows as well, wearing the famous Kronk colours.

But it seems all was not well in the background, with Frank coming out this week and saying he advised Errol not to go to the Kronk, because of the gym wars he knew went on there, hinting Errol may have been thrown in deep...he said when Christie came back, he was no longer the same fighter.

And sure enough, his next fight was against an unknown but bigger heavy hitting light heavy called Jose Seys. The Belgium remarked at the weigh in, "Why are they matching me with this little boy?"
Shockingly, in front of a huge ITV audience, poor Errol was walloped and stunningly despatched in a matter of seconds. No one could believe what they had just seen. Photographers ring side were openly laughing at the great talent brought crashing back to earth. It bordered on the tragic.

All that talent, all that potential, all that hope, suddenly undermined by an insurmountable weakness.

Errol was never the same again, but even so, came back with a couple of impressive 1 round blast outs, then a year later stepped up for the big throw of the dice, the notorious explosive British title clash with Mark Kaylor, fittingly held on Bonfire night.
But it wasn't to be; even though they put on a fight for the ages, Errol was knocked down and nearly stopped inside the first round, only to return the favour, dropping Kaylor as fire works exploded inside the Albert Hall..but he was eventually ground down and stopped in the 8th, even then crawling across the ring to try and right himself with the help of the ropes.

I followed his career closely, hoping against hope he could somehow turn in around, but for every big win there was another set back, and it was a long slow path for Errol before those close to him eventually persuaded him to retire. He just had a huge heart, and never stopped trying.

RIP Champ

Great read up that.

[AGM]

R.I.P

[bennie]

Errol Christie passed away last Sunday with a few throwaway lines in the media and a few shrugs from boxing fans who knew the name but not the story. “...keep reading he was a British boxing legend but when you look at it, he didn't seem capable of winning anything”, cracked one who was absolutely right: Errol won nothing in the pro ranks, not even an eliminator.
It was in the amateurs where the Christie legend was born many moons ago when he smashed his way to every domestic honour for the Triumph club in Coventry before striking gold for England in the European juniors in 1982. He should have stayed amateur for the Los Angeles Olympics but inevitable comparisons to Randolph Turpin, also a middleweight, also from Warwickshire, also one of a fighting family, also ABA champ at 17, also destructive, were irresistable to the promoters and managers of the day and Burt McCarthy forked out a fortune to secure Christie's signature ahead of the rest. So, what went wrong?
Christie had racked up an impressive 13 wins (12 early) when he was thrown in with a plodding southpaw light-heavyweight from Belgium who blew him away in 46 seconds. It was a shock but people put it down to the weigh disparity as Christie began racking up the middleweight wins again. Trouble was, the bar had been lowered and Errol needed just 11 rounds to dispose of seven opponents leading up to his biggest test against the rugged, skilled, superfit, supergame Mark Kaylor at Wembley in November 1985.
Errol had him down but Kaylor clambered up and kept on coming and Christie had nothing left after the early rounds. He took a beating which finished him, in my opinion, but dabbled with the light-middleweights afterwards, taking a decent win over Ireland's Sean Mannion (who couldn't break an egg), but for every win there were defeats, stoppage defeats, and he wound up as virtual fodder for the likes of Michael Watson and James Cook.
“A star is Born” crowed the front cover of Boxing News after Christie had outscored Cameron Lithgow in a thrilling ABA final in 1981. Sadly for Errol, it would never get better than that.

[Truthseeker]

Great post - I always wondered whether the Kronk escapade ruined him.... what did Errol himself say about that time? It's likely loads of the toughest Detroit fighters saw him as an outsider and took liberties.

He mentions in his book that he regrets not staying there permanently. There's no mention of gym wars or unfair treatment , although its clear he did plenty of sparring including with Thomas Hearns. I also think its likely the regulars went hard on him - to see if the outsider is worthy of respect. That happens everywhere.

What he does mention is that non-boxing related - knocks from Coventry street fights / overtraining - injuries started niggling him around 1984/85.