Australian Olympic boxing medals

[Trent]

I'm just curious to know, out of Australian professional boxers, has any won any medals in the amateurs from the Olympic games? If so who?

[toppity]

here is a good resourse

http://www.databaseolympics.com/sport/s ... htm?sp=BOX

[Hounddawg]

In total thier have been 4 Medals won by Australians 3 bronze, and a silver, no gold yet.

[fox]

We have won 2 silver in Snowy Baker and Spike Cheney.

[Trent]

Did these guys turn pro? or do well at profesionl boxing?

[toppity]

Did these guys turn pro? or do well at profesionl boxing?

thats what boxrec is here for. Go check their records and let us know.

http://www.boxrec.com/search.php

[fox]

Snowy won silver in 1908 so dont know much about him but i'm pretty sure he became a promotor. Spike won silver in 1988 in Korea. He had about 20 pro fights, won Aust welterwieght title over Stefan Scriggans at Jupiters on the coast. I'm sure he was world rated, lost to a russian and retired due to some medical condition. I think he lost 3 times as a pro.

[Beltane]

In 1902 Snowy Baker took up boxing and weighed 11 st. 7 lb. (73 kg). In 1905 he became New South Wales amateur middleweight champion and next year retained his title, won the same belt in Victoria, and became the heavyweight champion of both States.

In December 1906, farewelled by 1000 people in Sydney including a boatload of twenty young ladies who pursued him to the Heads, Baker left for England to compete in the Amateur Boxing Association's championships, but contracted enteric fever and pneumonia.

Later, he boxed in the 1908 Olympic tournament held in London in October, three months after the games proper. As a middleweight he won three fights in the one day, two of them by knockouts, to reach the final which he lost narrowly a red hot points decision to J. W. H. T. Douglas. This was the English Cricket Captain commonly known as "Johnny Wont Hit Today" Douglas and guess who was the referee. None other than Douglas's father, who raised his son's arm in victory. This should have been our first gold!

[Hounddawg]

Neither of these boxers are in boxrec, the only Snowy, was an Australian featherweight who fought once for a KO loss in 1933.
did these guys have proffesional fights?

[fox]

That is not the Snowy Baker we are talking about. Snowy represented Australia in 4 different sports i think and definately won silver in boxing at London olympics.

[Beltane]

The original Snowy Baker never boxed professionally but became deeply involved in promoting boxing after his return from London until leaving for the USA in 1920.

He milked Les Darcy for all his worth then stabbed Les in the back when he went to America for bouts by calling him a draft dodger and shirker in WW1 (but that's another story).

You can read a bit more about that shameless self-promotor Snowy here:

http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070152b.htm

[Brute]

Grahame 'Spike' Cheney, light welterweight silver medallist in Seoul (he beat Ike Quartey in the heats) fought professionally, with moderate success (17-3).

The only Australian boxer to win World titles in three different divisions, Jeff Fenech, should have won at least a bronze medal as a flyweight at the Los Angeles games. He won his quarter final against Redzep Redzeposki on the judges' cards but had it overturned by a "jury." The "jury" was an attempt to reform Olympic boxing, but it was a dismal failure. Redzeposki went on to win the silver medal.

Fenech KOed Steve McCrory, the flyweight Gold Medalist at LA in the 14th round of a defence of his IBF Bantamweight title in 1986.

Tony Madigan, who held the Light Heavyweight Diamond Belt (Amateur World Championship) for a while, won Bronze at Rome, losing to Cassius Clay in the semi finals. Tony never turned professional but became a successful businessman.

[Brute]

Ollie Taylor won the bantamweight bronze medal in Rome. He turned professional and between 1961 and 1963 had 11 wins and a draw, mostly at featherweight. In 1964 he was KOed in 5 by Ghanaian veteran Bob Allottey and lost a 15 round points decision to Johnny Famechon in an Australian Featherweight title fight. This was for the vacant title previously held by Ollie's brother Wally, who had won the bantamweight gold medal in the 1958 Empire Games.

The Taylor brothers were game boys, even if their parents had little imagination when it came to names.

[fox]

Hey Brute was there another Australian who won an olympic bronze medal? I always thought we won 2 silver and 3 bronze in olympic boxing.

[Hounddawg]

If you check one of the threads Topp posted here, i'm sure i counted only 1 Silver, could be wrong though.

Brute you certainly are an insightful man, good to have guys like yourself on here.

[fox]

I checked that thread and it only says 1 silver but it is wrong. Snowy Baker and Spike Cheney both won silver as a few other blokes have pointed out. I remember in Spike's olympic final against Janovski, that the comentators mentioned it was Australias first silver since Snowy Baker in 1908.