BoxRec

Lenny wrote:

Syntax Error wrote:Nicky Piper - I'm not sure about his education, but he is known for his intelligence & high IQ.

Fuck knows why

Also intelligence and being a yuppie certainly don't go hand in hand.

Chris Eubank is a close to a yuppie as you're gonna find I reckon

Depends what you mean by yuppie.

If it means middle class background (which is what the OP said) Eubank doesn't fit it at all. He grew up in Jamacia, Hackney and Peckham, made a living shoplifting and learnt to fight sweeping up in a gym in the South Bronx. The suits, brogues and accent all came later.

The origin of the term was "Young and upwardly mobile professional".

I think the question is probably better framed as "which boxers came from an [upper] middle class (or higher) background".

Of course, what is middle class is a different debate but it's fairly obvious what working class is.

[quote="Coco"]I went to a grammar school, university and my dad was a headmaster, I believe Robert Harper was privately educated[/quote]

It was wasted on him

Greg Pickin is a pro from Swansea. He is also a bank manager. Not sure he'd be happy to be described as a yuppie though! Also, Darryn Bushbye from Swansea was an Insurance Manager, but also an ex Para.

CharlesListon wrote:Greg Pickin is a pro from Swansea. He is also a bank manager. Not sure he'd be happy to be described as a yuppie though! Also, Darryn Bushbye from Swansea was an Insurance Manager, but also an ex Para.

Did you see that recent american TV show where the main man was a brain surgeon by day and an absolute nutcase at night?

MA Barrera was supposedly from a middle class background and Gene Tunney was portayed as being middle class despite being the son of Irish famine immigrants.

Karl Domonkos from Doncaster had a pro fight and his father had a mink farm among other interests; Joey Peters was on the 'Fighters' documentary and had a lovely rural upbringing, I think his family were farmers - the rest of the lads in the documentary came from Canning Town, more as you'd expect. There was a solicitor that won the ABAs at heavyweight and turned pro - I think it was Keith Inglis; Scott Welch was a wealthy man from nursing homes and boxed to a very high standard.

Tor hamer - ivy league educated whose parents were also professional people

columbo wrote:

@matt___s wrote:Barrera's family were moderately well to do, AFAIK. Pretty sure I read somewhere that part of the Barrera-Morales rivalry was because Morales' family were dirt-poor and he resented that Barrera had chosen to box when he didn't have to, and Morales had had no choice.

Yeah I remember that too! Wasnt Barrera a trained lawyer aswell?

Julio Diaz I think is one too. Calvin Brock I think used to be a banker.

palooka wrote:

Coco wrote:I went to a grammar school, university and my dad was a headmaster, I believe Robert Harper was privately educated[/quote]

It was wasted on him

I was expelled from Eton for squashing David Camerons's top hat and setting fire to his frock coat.

Wally Swift Jnr.

His old man was a hard as nails quality pro but Wally jnr was, I think, an accountant from Solihull.

Chris eubank jr. Privately educated, upper class background 100%. Frank buglongi parents well off.

Barrera was middle class in Mexico, which I guess is equal to working class in England.

onlyme wrote:Tor hamer - ivy league educated whose parents were also professional people

Interesting. Good shout.

DazBoxingFan wrote:Chris eubank jr. Privately educated, upper class background 100%. Frank buglongi parents well off.

Barrera was middle class in Mexico, which I guess is equal to working class in England.

Chris and Karen were only upper class in Chris's head! Chris junior will have been surrounded by them at school though.

J-C wrote:

onlyme wrote:Tor hamer - ivy league educated whose parents were also professional people

Interesting. Good shout.

Possibly the first boxer to be sacked via Twitter.

Teddy's Toupee wrote:

palooka wrote:

Coco wrote:I went to a grammar school, university and my dad was a headmaster, I believe Robert Harper was privately educated[/quote]

It was wasted on him

I was expelled from Eton for squashing David Camerons's top hat and setting fire to his frock coat.

If you'd have waited a year or 2 they'd have let you in the Bullingdon Club for japes like that.

TerribleTerry wrote:Wally Swift Jnr.

His old man was a hard as nails quality pro but Wally jnr was, I think, an accountant from Solihull.

I think Wally Swift Snr opened a string of betting shops and moved his family to Solihull; I remember reading somewhere that Wally Jnr ran some door work in the area and trained in MMA, he may be an accountant but I think you may have mixed it up with Turf Accountant, I don't know what his brother Tony is doing - he was a lovely, neat boxer but not as physically hard as Wally Jnr - he was a game man.

banjo wrote:I think background is overrated, money can't buy talent.

It can't but it can make talent comfortable enough not to put the hard work in.

freddydoesdallas wrote:

banjo wrote:I think background is overrated, money can't buy talent.

It can't but it can make talent comfortable enough not to put the hard work in.

"it's hard to get out of bed early when you're wearing silk pyjamas"

slapbangwhallop wrote:

freddydoesdallas wrote:

banjo wrote:I think background is overrated, money can't buy talent.

It can't but it can make talent comfortable enough not to put the hard work in.

"it's hard to get out of bed early when you're wearing silk pyjamas"

I think it's pretty hard to get out of bed in any case.

Someone with plenty of money has fewer problems than someone without; you could argue that a boxer who knew the bills were paid, decent food in the cupboard, a holiday booked and paid for and a family well provided for had fewer mental distractions than someone living in a dump, working full time in a crap job for crap money and training after work and worrying about the kids school uniforms or money for school trips.

Coco wrote:I went to a grammar school, university and my dad was a headmaster, I believe Robert Harper was privately educated

He went as a choirist scholar, he had a beautiful falsetto, then his voice broke; he told me that half an hour after lights out he looked like a plasterers radio, every night for 6 years; it left him with a hatred of the upper classes and work in general.

Yeah me! Put 'em up yah!

Canape anyone?

GreedyG wrote:I don't know about filthy rich, but didn't Billy Schwer make a ton of money in the property game while he was fighting?

Also I think Scott Welch was in the property business too. Didn't he own some care homes?

Sure as hell not a Yuppie Schwer - his accent is broader than broadway.

Done allright for himself though I think, nice bloke, met him at a few shows, friendly, but did always have that mad look in his eye.

palooka wrote:

Coco wrote:I went to a grammar school, university and my dad was a headmaster, I believe Robert Harper was privately educated

He went as a choirist scholar, he had a beautiful falsetto, then his voice broke; he told me that half an hour after lights out he looked like a plasterers radio, every night for 6 years; it left him with a hatred of the upper classes and work in general.

"Not all Conservatives are stupid people, but all stupid people are Conservatives." A private education provides one with a veritable cornucopia of high-brow quotes with which to impress and intimidate the quotidian hoi-polloi.

Teddy's Toupee wrote:

palooka wrote:

Coco wrote:I went to a grammar school, university and my dad was a headmaster, I believe Robert Harper was privately educated

He went as a choirist scholar, he had a beautiful falsetto, then his voice broke; he told me that half an hour after lights out he looked like a plasterers radio, every night for 6 years; it left him with a hatred of the upper classes and work in general.

"Not all Conservatives are stupid people, but all stupid people are Conservatives." A private education provides one with a veritable cornucopia of high-brow quotes with which to impress and intimidate the quotidian hoi-polloi.

You've just got an oedipus complex because your father had interests in minerals, especially coal; when you realise it's ok to be born with a silver spoon then you'll be happier with your lot. It wasn't your fault you were born into wealth, just enjoy it