BoxRec

An easy one for you lot, I suspect the answer is Henry Cooper but wondered if you could list the top half a dozen fighters with the most successful defences of a British title are.

David Starie visited the gym recently, to speak to the youngsters and stated he'd defended 7 times. A dig around shows six wins and a defeat. Still very impressive.

Which must place him fairly high.

Jamie Moore is up around that number 8 title fights, 7 wins 1 loss.

Years back Bombadier Billy Wells 16 title fights 14 wins 2 losses

Thanks Ian, I figured it would be the owd fellas who'd come into it, but Moore is an interesting one.

Just shows he's been at that level too long, IMO.

I always thought it was mean when The Board stopped awarding more than one Lonsdale Belt per weight per fighter in the early 80's, thus leaving Henry Cooper out there on his own on three. It was a bad time for the British title. Frank Bruno didn't even bother to fight for it.

Len Harvey, fought for the british title at welter, middle, light heavy and heavy. Don't think that will ever be matched

Welter 1 draw
Middle 7 wins , 1 loss
L Heavy 3 wins, 1 loss
Heavy 2 wins , 1 loss

Just shows how boxers are rushed on today most are no even interested in the British title aynmore but it's still the best belt by far not like the plastic shite of the ABC boys

bennie wrote:I always thought it was mean when The Board stopped awarding more than one Lonsdale Belt per weight per fighter in the early 80's, thus leaving Henry Cooper out there on his own on three. It was a bad time for the British title. Frank Bruno didn't even bother to fight for it.

they are bloody expensive though Ben. Or at least were, They are still gold plated aren't they? Weren't they solid gold in part before?

Gilded, hall-marked gold. But not solid gold.

Estimate £15-25k a pop?

Not sure what the difference between Gilding and plating is, but I should imagine gilding is much thicker.

I seem to recall a figure of £16,000 per belt.

Given the Boards financial woes over the years, hardly surprising they stopped short of giving you one for the first three successful title fights, and then upped the number required to retain the belt.

It looked impressive close up.

Back in the day , John L Sullivan had a belt given to him by rich fans, it was supposed to consist of 350 diamonds and 14 pounds of gold.

It whereabouts is not totally known, there is a belt that is in the Smithsonian Museum in the USA, but this could be a replica. John L Sullivan sold alot of the diamonds from the origanal, and a replica was made after this.

But what belt sits in the Museum hasn't been determined.

Close up, the belt is unbelievable. I was feet away from Carl Froch once, when he was doing an interview, and he had the belt across his lap. I swear, the belt was winking at me.

is it Fattorini Ltd that makes the Lonsdale belt?

bennie wrote:Close up, the belt is unbelievable. I was feet away from Carl Froch once, when he was doing an interview, and he had the belt across his lap. I swear, the belt was winking at me.

Stop taking the piss :-)

I was just thrilled to see it Bennie.

DavidPayne wrote:

bennie wrote:Close up, the belt is unbelievable. I was feet away from Carl Froch once, when he was doing an interview, and he had the belt across his lap. I swear, the belt was winking at me.

Stop taking the piss :-)

I was just thrilled to see it Bennie.

Not taking the piss. Close up, it makes you want to do stupid things.

I thought you were throwing me in with Spud for name dropping etc.

Paranoid, moi? Do you think so, no seriously d you think I am, be honest....you do dont you...

Hypercondriac? I haven't got that as well have I?

DavidPayne wrote:Gilded, hall-marked gold. But not solid gold.

Estimate £15-25k a pop?

I think your estimation is on the high side their David

I remember a figure much closer to £3500 - 4000 being mooted a few years back.

In the 90s I was told £3000 by John Morris he should know.

DavidPayne wrote:An easy one for you lot, I suspect the answer is Henry Cooper but wondered if you could list the top half a dozen fighters with the most successful defences of a British title are.

David Starie visited the gym recently, to speak to the youngsters and stated he'd defended 7 times. A dig around shows six wins and a defeat. Still very impressive.

Which must place him fairly high.

on here, unless im temporarily stupid, it says he had two vacant title bouts for it, lost one defence and won four defences

DavidPayne wrote:Thanks Ian, I figured it would be the owd fellas who'd come into it, but Moore is an interesting one.

Just shows he's been at that level too long, IMO.

Jamie told me himself he was gutted they stopped awarding two (or more). He also refuses to accept he lost the title against JOnes in the second fight, and thus Mr Moore has been a belt holder for 6 (??) years!

It really pisses me off the way some fighters don't respect it or try to get one, like ricky hatton pissing about with the WBO inter continental shite for ages then fighting one fight for it and going the WBU route. I would much rather see a BBBoC manditory than a WBO one most of the time.

Wales wrote:

DavidPayne wrote:Thanks Ian, I figured it would be the owd fellas who'd come into it, but Moore is an interesting one.

Just shows he's been at that level too long, IMO.

Jamie told me himself he was gutted they stopped awarding two (or more)

I agree with him. It was unfair to change history for the sake of a few extra weights. Then they went further and increased it to four notches, including a mandatory notch. I believe Matt Skelton, who made three defences of the British heavyweight title, was not awarded the belt because he didn't beat a mandatory, although I could be wrong.

Bennie, Ive had 3 lads who have won it outright and all were not Mandatory, first Ive heard on that

Scrap wrote:Bennie, Ive had 3 lads who have won it outright and all were not Mandatory, first Ive heard on that

That's good, then.

I contacted the makers of the Lonsdale belt to enquire about costs, but they said they couldn't divulge that information.