"Best" British Heavyweights who never fought for a title

[Caractacus]

including the British HW Title.

[Flump]

It's a good question, and I'm sure the likes of Miles and bennie will have much better in mind, but to start the ball rolling...

Noel Quarless, who was very inconsistent but had wins over John L Gardner, John Tate and Anders Eklund, I don't think he ever boxed for any title, even an area title.

[Controversial]

You mean any title such as area titles or just the main British, Commonwealth, Euro or world titles?

I was thinking Wayne Llewellyn, went 16-0 at start of his career, beat Derek Williams and Sprott but he fought in a British title eliminator (lost) and for the southern area title (lost).

Good shout re Quarless, he was a decent puncher

[Controversial]

Rudi Pika (13-0), decent amateur too.

[Caractacus]

I was thinking for the British Heavyweight title.
or maybe someone who fought for that title but who came up short 9injured themselves in the ring)or was robbed of a deciscion or knock out.
BTW What World Heavyweight Champions had never even fought a British fighter ?
( I can't remember Larry Holmes ever haven fought a British fighter off hand
except maybe Trevor Berbick (?)).

[Flump]

I was thinking for the British Heavyweight title.
or maybe someone who fought for that title but who came up short 9injured themselves in the ring)or was robbed of a deciscion or knock out.
BTW What World Heavyweight Champions had never even fought a British fighter ?
( I can't remember Larry Holmes ever haven fought a British fighter off hand
except maybe Trevor Berbick (?)).

You've changed the goalposts on us Caractacus, the original question was fine.

Holmes didn't fight a Brit, neither did Ken Norton or Jersey Joe Walcott as far as I know. And I'm not sure when Trevor Berbick became a Brit.

[AntonioMartin]

John L. Garder had a win over Ossie Ocasio..

Bruce Woodcock never fought for a real title (though I think he fought for the "duration" title?)

[evrenb]

including the British HW Title.

Frank Bruno never fought for the British title or commonwealth....

[Onetimeonly]

I was thinking for the British Heavyweight title.
or maybe someone who fought for that title but who came up short 9injured themselves in the ring)or was robbed of a deciscion or knock out.
BTW What World Heavyweight Champions had never even fought a British fighter ?
( I can't remember Larry Holmes ever haven fought a British fighter off hand
except maybe Trevor Berbick (?)).

Larry had evangelista, zanon & Rodriguez. Can't really think of a Brit then that came close.

[Caractacus]

well, this sort of a "Question whithin a Qustion" I guess
my question that I was wondering originally to myself is did Britain ever had some Earnie Shavers-esqe type of fighter over the last 120 years or so,
who had a lot of knock-outs but also had bad stamina, a weak chin and a leaky defense
that prevented them from becoming an upper tier fighter there in Britain?
maybe a British verrsion of American Mike DeJohn comes to mind.

[Caractacus]

however returning to my original question
How about this dude ?

https://www.boxrec.com/en/proboxer/64636

Con O'Kelly ?
he was 6 ft 3 " tall, 16 stone (224 lbs) and had a 50 inch chest.
He was also an Olympic Gold Medal Winner
(as a Wrestler )
also he was a former Police Constable in Hull England
He was originally scheduled to fight Bombardier Billy Wells in late 1914
but the outbreak of World War I put a halt to it.

Here is a link to a rare photograph of him
(He looks like a big late 19th Century "Copper" too. can almost hear him saying
,"What's All This Then ?"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Con_O%27Kelly

[Boxing187]

Neville Mead?

[Caractacus]

what about Tom Cowler "The Northumbrian Giant" ?

https://www.boxrec.com/en/proboxer/11652

https://www.boxrec.com/media/index.php/Tom_Cowler

[Caractacus]

here is what "Gentleman" Jim J. Corbett had said of Tom Cowler when he came to fight in Canada in early 1915

"The Fellow has something these other alleged heavyweights didn't have"
"He's got the best left jab I ever saw and felt,also dodged,quite a few".
(Beloit (WI)Daily News 23.July.1915)
which was just a few days with his ND fight with Gunboat Smith

[Bodyshot3]

Big Adam Fogerty must be worth a shout......

... he was a Lawless-Duff project and he seems to have wrapped things up as an 18-1 fighter and went back to Rugby League and then a pretty successful career as a character actor in films and TV. Good rugby player by all accounts.

Adam was supposed to be pretty handy - big, mobile guy with a punch - and he was making good progress domestically.

Still not sure why he called it quits but I guess he was a Halifax lad and maybe the Lawless-Duff "London thing" did not appeal and a more regular payday playing League was a better offer?

[Counter-puncher]

Big Adam Fogerty must be worth a shout......

... he was a Lawless-Duff project and he seems to have wrapped things up as an 18-1 fighter and went back to Rugby League and then a pretty successful career as a character actor in films and TV. Good rugby player by all accounts.

Adam was supposed to be pretty handy - big, mobile guy with a punch - and he was making good progress domestically.

Still not sure why he called it quits but I guess he was a Halifax lad and maybe the Lawless-Duff "London thing" did not appeal and a more regular payday playing League was a better offer?

Unless you’re actually going to be heavyweight champion of the world I’d say you’re better off playing rugby

[Caractacus]

[JC]

Different Adam Fogerty https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/41436 was a pro in the 80s/90s. Fought the current WBC champ's Dad.

[Caractacus]

thought for a second that that was Nicholi Valeuv hitting the pads in the there.

[Counter-puncher]

Big Adam Fogerty must be worth a shout......

... he was a Lawless-Duff project and he seems to have wrapped things up as an 18-1 fighter and went back to Rugby League and then a pretty successful career as a character actor in films and TV. Good rugby player by all accounts.

Adam was supposed to be pretty handy - big, mobile guy with a punch - and he was making good progress domestically.

Still not sure why he called it quits but I guess he was a Halifax lad and maybe the Lawless-Duff "London thing" did not appeal and a more regular payday playing League was a better offer?

Adam Fogerty really looked the part and built a good record but honestly, hand on heart, he wasn't that good. Fogerty had the basics but I wouldn't say he was that talented. His main problem, however, was that he was really S-L-O-W.

I remember seeing an 18-year-old Fogerty beat - and nearly stop - John Fury but he never really kicked on and the fact he lost to the fairly limited Paul Lister probably showed Fogerty's limitations.

i suspect Fogerty would have been found out (perhaps quite badly) had he tried to step up a level. Remember the likes of Gary Mason were still around at British level back then. Maybe he realised that.

a nice gentle game of rugby seems like just the ticket, eh

[littlepug]

I’m from the same town as Fogarty he’s actually just bought a chippy a couple of miles from me, from what I can gather it was down to money and he deemed the money wasn’t worth fighting for, if I remember rightly I think he was no1 contender for Mason at the time he packed it in, first fight I ever saw in the flesh was I think his rematch against Lister in Halifax when I was 14 and snuck into the hall after my karate class to see what was going on, my only time meeting him would be 9 years later when he came into the dressing room before my pro debut in the same hall to wish me luck. On a side note if you thought Adam was big you should see his brother Jason, he’s a former basketball ball player and is HUGE!!!

[Bodyshot3]

I’m from the same town as Fogarty he’s actually just bought a chippy a couple of miles from me, from what I can gather it was down to money and he deemed the money wasn’t worth fighting for, if I remember rightly I think he was no1 contender for Mason at the time he packed it in, first fight I ever saw in the flesh was I think his rematch against Lister in Halifax when I was 14 and snuck into the hall after my karate class to see what was going on, my only time meeting him would be 9 years later when he came into the dressing room before my pro debut in the same hall to wish me luck. On a side note if you thought Adam was big you should see his brother Jason, he’s a former basketball ball player and is HUGE!!!

Cheers Littlepug.....good information

I might be wrong because I don't follow League religiously......but he was supposed to be a tidy player and there was the suggestion he could have gone a whole lot further.

Duff and Lawless did also bring their prospects on slowly and sitting behind Mason and Bruno in the cab rank and not really getting paid much must have been a big influence.

[Caractacus]

how close did Gary Mason get the oppertunity to fight for one of the many "World Heavyweight title" belts back then ?
what was his highest ranking in the top ten's ?

[Fray Bentos]

how close did Gary Mason get the oppertunity to fight for one of the many "World Heavyweight title" belts back then ?
what was his highest ranking in the top ten's ?

No-one ever talked up a world title shot for Mason - he was a stablemate of Bruno's and he was the cash cow.

Mason nearly fought for the vacant EBU title against the Spanish champion Toyi Castro but it was shelved, that was 1989, that was the highest regards titles he was pencilled in for. He fought Lewis not long after. He was always just outside the top ten though maybe one of the alphabet boys would have had him inside the top ten.

[Fray Bentos]

Didn't Fogarty turn pro in Australia?

Let's think... British heavyweights who never fought for the title

Billy Gray of Walsall

https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/24803

Ron Gray of Walsall, a future BBB of C ref and might have been the brother of big Bill

Peter Bates who beat Henry Cooper

https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/21302

Ray Shiel of St Helens

https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/28312

But the best British heavyweight never to fight for a major domestic title was Cheshire heavyweight Ray Wilding who campaigned in The States.

https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/70572