Joe Bygraves boxer

Joe Bygraves boxer
bouts
72
won
42
lost
28
draw
2
Status
inactive
Division
heavyweight
Debut
1953-02-12
Height
6′ 1″/185cm
Reach
-
Age
80
Born
1931-05-26
Death
2012-01-06
Nationality
Jamaica

Joe Bygraves (26 May 1931 – 16 January 2012) was a British heavyweight boxer. Bygraves turned professional in 1953, and after an impressive early career he successfully challenged Kitione Lave for the vacant Commonwealth Heavyweight belt in 1956. Bygraves defended the title on three occasions, knocking-out Henry Cooper and holding Dick Richardson to a draw before losing the championship to Joe Erskine. Bygraves immigrated to Britain as a youth but did not take British citizenship until the end of his fighting career in 1967.Bygraves was born into a large family of 11 siblings, in Kingston, Jamaica in 1931. He immigrated to Britain at the age of 15 and settled in Liverpool. He began his amateur career at the age of 17 first as a light heavyweight and then moving up to the heavyweight division. He was successful at both weights, winning amateur county titles.Bygraves turned professional in 1953, managed by Johnny Campbell, his first paid encounter was against Don Maxwell on 12 February. The fight lasted just 65 seconds, Bygraves winning by knockout. Bygraves won the next five fights, six and eight round encounters, mainly on points decisions, but he was stopped for the first time in his professional career by Joe Crickmar in a novice heavyweight competition. Despite the loss Bygraves' career continued to impress and by the end of 1954 he had accumulated 24 wins to only 4 losses. His final fight of 1954 was a loss by points decision to Polly Smith, a fighter he had beaten just two months prior.Bygraves began 1955 in the same way he ended 1954, with a loss. After several months away from the ring, Bygraves returned to face rising British fighter Henry Cooper. The eight round scheduled fight went the distance, with Cooper given the decision. Bygraves followed this with a string of four wins, including a victory over Tongan Kitione Lave, and his first fight outside the United Kingdom, a technical knockout of Hugo Salfeld in Germany. Bygraves then travelled to Italy, for a string of three fights. He lost the first to European Boxing Champion Franco Cavicchi when he was disqualified in the eighth round, but then took two victories when he beat Aldo Pellegrini in Milan and Uber Bacilieri in Bologna.

Date Opponent Last Opponents' Results Place Result
1967-03-20 Eduardo Corletti WWWWWW Hilton Hotel (Anglo American SC), Mayfair LOST
Points
1965-12-07 George Chuvalo LWWWWL Royal Albert Hall, Kensington LOST
Points
1965-03-06 Gerhard Zech WWLWLW Neue Sporthalle, Hannover LOST
Points
1965-02-13 Albert Westphal WWWWWW Ernst Merck Halle WIN
KO
1964-01-28 Billy Walker WWWWWL Olympia, Kensington LOST
1963-11-08 Gerhard Zech WDWWWW Sportpalast, Schoeneberg LOST
Technical knockout
1963-09-13 Santo Amonti WWWWLD Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma LOST
Points
1963-08-22 Ray Shiel WLDLLL The Stadium, Liverpool LOST
1963-06-07 Franco De Piccoli WWWWWL Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma WIN
KO
1963-04-21 Bill Nielsen WWWWLW Johanneshov Ice Stadium, Stockholm LOST
Technical knockout
1963-04-08 Wim Snoek WWWLWW Rivièrahal, Rotterdam DRAW
Points
1962-11-30 Karl Mildenberger WWLWWW Festhalle, Frankfurt LOST
Points
1962-09-22 Wayne Bethea LLWLWL National Stadium, Kingston LOST
Unanimous decision
1962-02-09 Ingemar Johansson WWWWLL Maesshallen Sports Hall, Gothenburg LOST
Technical knockout
1961-12-04 Alex Barrow WLLLWW Granby Halls, Leicester WIN
KO
1961-11-03 Gerhard Zech WWWWWW Ernst Merck Halle WIN
Technical knockout
1960-06-27 Franco Cavicchi WWWWLW Bologna LOST
Points
1960-05-18 Joe Hemphill WWWWWW Chicago Stadium, Chicago LOST
Points
1959-08-25 Roy Harris WLWWW Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston LOST
Unanimous decision
1959-04-19 Giacomo Bozzano WWWWWW Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan LOST
Points
1959-03-02 Feleti Fred Kaho WWWWLW Farrer Street Stadium, Middlesbrough WIN
Technical knockout
1958-11-24 Zora Folley WWDWWL Granby Halls, Leicester LOST
Technical knockout
1958-04-21 Willie Pastrano WLWWWW Granby Halls, Leicester LOST
Points
1958-02-10 Joey Armstrong WLWWWW Leeds WIN
Technical knockout
1957-11-25 Joe Erskine WWWLWW Granby Halls, Leicester LOST
Points
1957-09-18 Kitione Lave WWLWWL Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd WIN
Points
1957-06-15 Heinz Neuhaus LWLWWW Westfalenhalle, Dortmund LOST
1957-05-27 Dick Richardson LWWWLW Maindy Stadium, Cardiff DRAW
Points
1957-02-19 Henry Cooper WLWWWL Earls Court Arena, Kensington WIN
KO
1956-11-16 Johnny Williams WLWDLL King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester WIN
Corner retirement
1956-09-24 Wayne Bethea LWWWWW St. Nicholas Arena, New York LOST
Technical knockout
1956-06-26 Kitione Lave LWLWWW Empire Pool, Wembley WIN
Points
1956-05-07 Marcel Limage WLWLLW Maindy Stadium, Cardiff WIN
Corner retirement
1956-04-24 Jack Gardner WWWWWW Earls Court Arena, Kensington WIN
Technical knockout
1956-02-24 Ingemar Johansson WWWWWW Masshallen, Gothenburg LOST
Points
1956-01-23 Uber Bacilieri WLWWLL Bologna WIN
Points
1955-12-17 Aldo Pellegrini WWWWWL Palazzo dello Sport (Pad. 3 Fiera), Milan WIN
KO
1955-10-31 Franco Cavicchi WWWWWL Palazzo Dello Sport, Bologna LOST
1955-09-19 Kitione Lave WWDLWW Perry Barr Stadium, Birmingham WIN
Points
1955-09-04 Hugo Salfeld WLWLL Westfalenhalle, Dortmund WIN
Technical knockout
1955-06-06 Peter Bates WWWLDW Ice Rink, Nottingham WIN
Points
1955-05-05 Eddie Hearn WWLWWW The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
KO
1955-04-18 Henry Cooper WWWWWW Manor Place Baths, Walworth LOST
Points
1954-11-04 Polly Smith LWLLWL The Stadium, Liverpool LOST
Points
1954-10-25 Fred Powell WLLLWW Market Hall, Carmarthen WIN
Points
1954-10-12 Polly Smith LLWLLW Royal Albert Hall, Kensington WIN
Points
1954-10-02 Paddy Slavin WLLLLL Kings Hall, Belfast WIN
Points
1954-08-19 Clair Redmond WLLLWL The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
KO
1954-07-02 Peter Bates WWWWWL King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester WIN
Points
1954-04-30 Frank Bell LLLLWL King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester WIN
Points
1954-04-15 Paddy Slavin WLWLLL The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
Points
1954-03-30 Terry O'Connor LLLWLL Earls Court Arena, Kensington WIN
Technical knockout
1954-03-18 Joe Crickmar LLWWWL The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
Points
1954-03-12 Terry McDonald WLWWWW King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester WIN
KO
1954-02-23 Albert Finch LLWDWW Royal Albert Hall, Kensington LOST
Points
1954-02-11 Paddy Slavin LWLWLL The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
Points
1953-12-18 Simon Templar WDLLLW Tower Circus, Blackpool WIN
Points
1953-11-10 Fred Powell LWWWWL Earls Court Empress Hall, Kensington WIN
Technical knockout
1953-10-29 Cliff Purnell WWLWWW The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
KO
1953-10-20 Peter Toch WWWWW Streatham Ice Rink, Streatham WIN
Technical knockout
1953-10-08 George Stern WWWLLL The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
1953-09-17 Cliff Purnell DWWLWW The Stadium, Liverpool LOST
Points
1953-09-03 Hugh Ferns WWLWWL The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
Points
1953-08-13 Alex Roman WLLWLL The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
Technical knockout
1953-07-16 Joe Crickmar WLWLLW The Stadium, Liverpool LOST
Technical knockout
1953-06-09 Joe Crickmar WWLWLL White City Stadium, White City LOST
KO
1953-05-14 Peter McMann LLLLLL The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
Technical knockout
1953-04-23 Wally Curtis WLLWLL The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
Points
1953-04-09 Ken Wyatt WLWLLW The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
Points
1953-03-26 Les Johnson WDLWLL The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
Points
1953-03-12 Hugh Ferns WWWWWW The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
Points
1953-02-12 Don Maxwell WL The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
KO