BoxRec

I was just flicking through channels and came across Terry Marsh fighting a Japanese lad for the IBF light welterweight world title in 1987. To be honest I hadn't heard of Marsh before so checked his record and noticed he retired a few months after the fight as an unbeaten 29 year old World Champion.

Why did he retire so young and at the top of his game?

Google his name along with Fwank

He retired due to, I think, epilepsy

Deno1986 wrote:I was just flicking through channels and came across Terry Marsh fighting a Japanese lad for the IBF light welterweight world title in 1987. To be honest I hadn't heard of Marsh before so checked his record and noticed he retired a few months after the fight as an unbeaten 29 year old World Champion.

Why did he retire so young and at the top of his game?

Really? One of the most colourful stories in British boxing ever!

he had a little disagreement with frankieW after he quit.....

Epilepsy, then got accused of attempting to murder of a top promoter but got off, incidentally that Japanese boxer had the last name of Kameda always wondered if he was related to the current kamedas

mickey1975 wrote:

Deno1986 wrote:I was just flicking through channels and came across Terry Marsh fighting a Japanese lad for the IBF light welterweight world title in 1987. To be honest I hadn't heard of Marsh before so checked his record and noticed he retired a few months after the fight as an unbeaten 29 year old World Champion.

Why did he retire so young and at the top of his game?

Really? One of the most colourful stories in British boxing ever!

Yeah, it completely passed over me but it was a bit before my time. Having read the story, it's familiar now but I never put two and two together and today was the first time I seen Marsh fight. He looked a handy enough boxer.

Deno1986 wrote:

mickey1975 wrote:

Deno1986 wrote:I was just flicking through channels and came across Terry Marsh fighting a Japanese lad for the IBF light welterweight world title in 1987. To be honest I hadn't heard of Marsh before so checked his record and noticed he retired a few months after the fight as an unbeaten 29 year old World Champion.

Why did he retire so young and at the top of his game?

Really? One of the most colourful stories in British boxing ever!

Yeah, it completely passed over me but it was a bit before my time. Having read the story, it's familiar now but I never put two and two together and today was the first time I seen Marsh fight. He looked a handy enough boxer.

marsh was a nice classic boxer not a lot of power but high work rate ,he came around at a time when english world champs was a rarity and he picked up a IBF belt not as highly held as the WBC or WBA at the time . he sold his story to the Sun that he had epilepsy after signing to defend his belt with frankw which lead to law suits i think if i remember rightly

I wonder who did shoot allegedly

littlepug wrote:Epilepsy, then got accused of attempting to murder of a top promoter but got off, incidentally that Japanese boxer had the last name of Kameda always wondered if he was related to the current kamedas

He had signed to fight hector comacho then announced he was epileptic and retired,won his title in a circus tent if i remember right.

Terminator666 wrote:I wonder who did shoot allegedly

don king

I was just flicking through channels and came across Terry Marsh fighting a Japanese lad for the IBF light welterweight world title in 1987. To be honest I hadn't heard of Marsh before so checked his record and noticed he retired a few months after the fight as an unbeaten 29 year old World Champion.

Why did he retire so young and at the top of his game?

Terry was a good fighter; technically pretty sound/schooled and as fit/hard as feck having been a Royal Marine Commando and also a Fireman.
Very strong and big at the weight as well.... not an ounce of excess fat on him...and he could throw punches all night long.

He took the title of the American Joe Manley - in a circus tent of all places - and there are (credible) stories that Manley got more than a bit spooked when he first saw Marsh who was big and very ripped for a light-welter. The easy 'European job' suddenly got serious for Joe!

Marsh has had a hell of a life since the epilepsy diagnosis...politics, the murder charge and last time I heard he was chancing his arm as a city trader? There's a book there for certain!

His book is a very decent read.

The only other fight I can think of that was in a tent was Benn v Watson.

Terminator666 wrote:The only other fight I can think of that was in a tent was Benn v Watson.

Didn't Shea Neary fight in one in Liverpool too?

Sure he is Boxing/Chess champion now...

expe wrote:

Terminator666 wrote:The only other fight I can think of that was in a tent was Benn v Watson.

Didn't Shea Neary fight in one in Liverpool too?

So he did -just checked- against Andy Holligan

Marsh was probably stronger than the wba and wbc champs.i preferrred those days when a world title meant something.3 was just right.its a joke the number of british " world champs " these days and how they dont even have to fight any one decent in title defences

I was at that bill. Brilliant night. The Gypsy Collins brothers & some bloke named Nigel Benn (whom I saw a few times).

Marsh was a smart, smart bloke. He beat a very good fighter in Manley.

He retired undefeated so he was definitely better than Ray Leonard

Isn't he Terry X now? During his political career he changed his name by Deed poll as a bit of a gimmick. Vote X here.

He did an evening a few years ago, very, very interesting bloke.

When he was about 18 I happened to be sitting next to him in the balcony at York Hall watching the London ABAs. We chatted for an hour or so, whilst watching the early bouts, and he came across as a modest really nice kid. I think he went on to win the ABAs that year.
After he retired he was a decent co-commentator (on ITV?) and was back doing that recently (on Eurosport?).

I think Marsh got a good pay off from the Sun and had started doing the commentary on sky. He hoped this would be his ticket, but was suddenly replaced by McGuigan. When h turned up for his next gig, on a FW show he was denied access to the arena as he had already been replaced and wasn't working. He returned in disguise as father Xmas, and then forcibly ejected.
FW was shot at another show a week or so later, Marsh was arrested, but cleared as he said as a military man he would have been successful in Killin him. FW has since said he knows who it was

Franklyn said he knew who shot him and said sneeringly the man was a pathetic weak individual beneath contempt

mercman wrote:

Terminator666 wrote:

expe wrote: Didn't Shea Neary fight in one in Liverpool too?

So he did -just checked- against Andy Holligan

Didn't Glenn McCrory fight in a tent when he won the the world cruiserweight title as well?

Did he? The numbers are rising. Perhaps a new thread is needed on fighters who fought in tents.

I did a three parter on him in 2009. Here is the link to Pt.3. The other can be accessed through it: http://www.BS.com/terry-marsh- ... emy--22707. I think the first one was about his book, the second one about his political career and the third general boxing stuff.

The world title win was a good one, Joe Louis Manley was a good fighter as was the fighter
Manley beat, Gary Hinton.

He would have been cut to ribbons against Camacho though.