Bobby Arthur (25 July 1947 – 27 July 2023) was a British boxer who was national welterweight champion between 1972 and 1973.

Career

From Coventry, Bobby Arthur had a successful amateur career, including representing England and winning a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

at welterweight at the

1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Kingston, Jamaica, from 4 to 13 August 1966. This was the first time that the Games had been held outside the so-called White Dominions. They were followed by the 1966 Commonwealth P ...

, in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Jamaica. He made his professional debut in March 1967 with a win over Pat Walsh. He won his first 14 fights, before suffering his first defeat in November 1969 to former British lightweight champion Maurice Cullen. He won only two of seven fights in 1970 but a win over Ernest Musso in May 1971 started a run of three wins which led to a fight against

John H. Stracey John Henry Stracey MBE (born 22 September 1950) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1969 to 1978. He is a former welterweight world champion, having held the WBC and lineal welterweight titles between 1975 and 1976. At regi ...

in October 1972 for the vacant British welterweight title at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. Stracey was disqualified in the seventh round for punching after the referee had called a break, giving Arthur the title. Arthur and Stracey met again for the title at the same venue in June 1973; This time Stracey was the winner via a fourth-round knockout. Arthur then moved up to

light middleweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the IBF or super welterweight in the WBA an ...

to face

Larry Paul Larry Paul (19 April 1952 – 9 October 2017) was a British boxer who was the first to hold the British light middleweight title, holding it between September 1973 and November 1974. Career Born in Liverpool in 1952 to a White Irish Mother and Tr ...

for the newly created British title in September 1973. Paul knocked Arthur out in the tenth round to take the title. Arthur was out of the ring for over a year, returning with a loss to Jeff Gale in December 1974. He continued until late 1976 but only won three more fights.

Death

Bobby Arthur died from lung cancer in Coventry on 27 July 2023, just after his 76th birthday.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur, Bobby 1947 births 2023 deaths English male boxers Welterweight boxers Light-middleweight boxers Sportspeople from Coventry Boxers at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Commonwealth Games medallists in boxing Medallists at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games