Dennis Avoth (born 25 October 1947) is a retired

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

-born heavyweight

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. Avoth was a promising amateur boxer who turned professional in 1967. He held the Welsh Heavyweight Championship title from 1971 to 1973. He is the brother of

Eddie Avoth Eddie Avoth (born 2 May 1945) is a former boxer and actor. He was British and Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion, with a record of 44 wins (20 by knockout) from 53 fights. History Avoth was born in Cardiff, Wales. He was a product ...

, who was also a boxer and who became British, and Commonwealth Light-heavyweight champion, and European Light-heavyweight challenger.

Boxing career

Avoth boxed out of the Victoria Park boxing club as a youth, and whilst still a teenager, he won the Welsh Amateur Boxing Association title, beating Del Phillips, who at 6 ft 5ins was seven inches taller than Avoth.Jones (2009), p.1 The Welsh title allowed Avoth to enter the European championships, but was forced to retire after a torn rib ligament. Avoth turned professional in 1967 and like Eddie Avoth, his older brother before him, he joined the stable of

Merthyr Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...

based trainer, Eddie Thomas. Avoth's first professional bout was against London-based fighter Doyley Brown at

Grosvenor House Grosvenor House was one of the largest townhouses in London, home of the Grosvenor family (better known as the Dukes of Westminster) for more than a century. Their original London residence was on Millbank, but after the family had developed ...

in Mayfair, an undercard to a

Ken Buchanan Ken Buchanan Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 28 June 1945) is a Scottish retired professional boxer from Edinburgh and the former List of undisputed boxing champions, undisputed world lightweight champion.Reg Gutteridge, Gutteridge, Reg" ...

match. Avoth stopped his opponent via

technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

in the fifth of the six round fight. This was the first in a string of seven unbeaten fights, including a victory over Paul Brown at the

National Sporting Club The National Sporting Club was a club founded in London in 1891, which did more to establish the sport of boxing in Great Britain than any other organisation. Origins The club was founded on 5 March 1891 as a private club. Its premises were at ...

in January 1968. Despite this promising start, his allusions of following his brother as a major contender were broken by four straight loses. Avoth was back to winning ways in the first half of 1969, remaining unbeaten in six fights, though all were through

points decision A points decision is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking. Unlike normal decisions where there are three judges that agree on whic ...

. His run was broken in May when he faced future British heavyweight champion

Bunny Johnson Bunny Johnson (born 10 May 1947 in Jamaica) is a Jamaican-born former boxer who was The British heavyweight Champion in 1975 beating Danny McAlinden by knockout. He also Competed in the light heavyweight division and won a Lonsdale belt. He fin ...

at the Midlands Sporting Club in Solihull. The eight round fight went the full distance, with the bout being awarded to Johnson. This was followed by a draw against his amateur title opponent Del Phillips, before Avoth again faced a future British heavyweight champion,

Danny McAlinden Danny McAlinden (1 June 1947 – 8 March 2021) was a heavyweight boxer from Northern Ireland who was British and Commonwealth champion in 1972 when he defeated Jack Bodell in two rounds at the Aston Villa football ground. McAlinden nick named "D ...

. The fight against McAlinden was part of a national heavyweight competition held in Mayfair, London for a prize of £1,000. The eight-man knockout contest was scheduled for three rounds per bout and Avoth faced Manchester-based fighter Obe Hepburn in the quarter-finals. After beating Hepburn on points, he then beat Billy Wynter by the same decision in the semi-final. The other semi-final was between McAlinden and another future champion, Richard Dunn. McAlinden knocked out Dunn in the first round, and then managed to stop Avoth in the final again in the first round, but this time via technical knockout. Avoth fought once more in 1969, a loss to Central Area champion, Billy Aird, before readjusting his sights on a new challenge, the Welsh heavyweight title, held by North Walian Carl Gizzi. 1970 began with mixed results for Avoth. He lost to Charlie White, a fighter he had faced four times previously as a professional, before he recorded a win over Terry Feeley at the National Sporting Club. He then lost to Cliff Field before a Wales heavyweight title eliminator with Del Phillips was arranged. The fight was arranged as the

top billing Billing is a performing arts term used in referring to the order and other aspects of how credits are presented for plays, films, television, or other creative works. Information given in billing usually consists of the companies, actors, directo ...

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

's Top Rank Suite on 22 June 1970. The night started poorly for the Avoth family when younger brother Leslie was beaten by Santos Martins on the

undercard In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

, and Avoth's ambitions to become Welsh heavyweight were dented after Phillips was given the decision by referee Adrian Morgan after the match went the full ten rounds. Avoth finished 1970 with another two losses; to Peter Boddington in London and then to Bunny Johnson in Aberavon, both on points decision. In 1971, and now managed by his father Jack, Avoth got his shot at the Welsh heavyweight title, which was still held by Carl Gizzi and had now been undefended in the six years since Gizzi won the title. The title fight was taken out of Wales and was staged at the National Sporting Club in London. The fight went the full ten rounds and Avoth was given the decision, making him the new Wales heavyweight champion. 1971 ended with two more wins, over Guinea Roger and Brian Jewitt; but 1972 began with two loses, which included the first time he had ever lost a professional fight by knockout when Roger Tighe stopped him in the sixth round of an eight-round contest. In April 1972, Avoth defended his Welsh title for the first time when he again faced Del Phillips. The two met in Swansea and again the fight went the distance, but this time referee Adrian Morgan gave the fight to Avoth. Avoth defended his title just once more when he beat Gene Innocent in Swansea in June 1973. Avoth was to fight just once more, a home bout in

Sophia Gardens Pavilion Sophia Gardens Pavilion was a performance venue located in Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, Wales. It was built in 1951 for the Festival of Britain and was the boxing and wrestling venue for the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. History T ...

in his home town of Cardiff. His challenger, Phil Matthew, knocked Avoth out in the first round, and Avoth retired from the sport soon after.Jones (2009), p.2

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 22 Wins (4 knockouts, 18 decisions), 20 Losses (6 knockouts, 14 decisions), 3 Draws''

, - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , -align=center , Loss , , align=left, Phil Matthews , KO , 1 , 1 August 1973 , align=left,

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Gene Innocent , PTS , 10 , 27 June 1973 , align=left, Top Rank Suite,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Eddie Neilson , PTS , 8 , 30 April 1973 , align=left,

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Tim "Fire" Wood , PTS , 8 , 19 April 1973 , align=left,

Wolverhampton Civic Hall The Halls Wolverhampton, formally known as Wolverhampton Civic Halls is a music venue in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It has been one of the most notable live music venues in the county for several decades. It is part of a complex als ...

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

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Top Rank Suite Top Rank Suite was the name given to a chain of nightclubs in the United Kingdom owned by the Rank Organisation. They were sometimes known as Top Rank Ballrooms. Venues Brighton The Brighton Top Rank Suite opened in October 1965. It was rebrande ...

, Swansea, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Eddie Nielson , PTS , 8 , 27 November 1972 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Frank "The Tank" Carpenter , PTS , 8 , 24 October 1972 , align=left, Bull Ring Sporting Club,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Frank "The Tank" Carpenter , PTS , 8 , 27 June 1972 , align=left,

Villa Park Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway stations ...

, Birmingham, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Del Phillips , PTS , 10 , 24 April 1972 , align=left, Swansea Cwmfelin,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Les "Is More" Stevens , TKO , 6 , 27 March 1972 , align=left, Top Rank Suite,

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Roger Tighe , KO , 6 , 14 February 1972 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Brian Jewitt , PTS , 8 , 29 November 1971 , align=left, West of England Sporting Club,

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Guinea Roger , TKO , 5 , 9 November 1971 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Carl Gizzi , PTS , 10 , 11 October 1971 , align=left,

Cafe Royal A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

, PTS , 8 , 22 September 1971 , align=left, Midlands Sporting Club,

Solihull Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe i ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Brian "City" Hall , PTS , 6 , 5 July 1971 , align=left,

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, PTS , 10 , 19 October 1970 , align=left,

Aberavon Aberavon ( cy, Aberafan) is a town and community in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The town derived its name from being near the mouth of the river Afan, which also gave its name to a medieval lordship. Today it is essentially a distri ...

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Peter Boddington Peter Boddington (1 October 1942 – 19 December 2020) was a British boxer. He was the Amateur Boxing Association 1967 heavyweight champion and subsequently a professional boxer. Boddington was member of his local boxing club, Rootes ABC. He ...

, PTS , 8 , 8 September 1970 , align=left, Empire Pool,

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Del Phillips , PTS , 10 , 22 June 1970 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Cliff Field , TKO , 7 , 9 March 1970 , align=left, Centre Hotel,

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Terry Feeley , TKO , 4 , 10 February 1970 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Charlie "Wizzer" White , PTS , 8 , 12 January 1970 , align=left, Mayfair Sporting Club,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Billy Aird , PTS , 6 , 29 September 1969 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, TKO , 1 , 7 July 1969 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Billy Wynter , PTS , 3 , 7 July 1969 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Obe Hepburn , PTS , 3 , 7 July 1969 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Del Phillips , PTS , 8 , 2 July 1969 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, PTS , 8 , 7 May 1969 , align=left, Midlands Sporting Club,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jack Cotes , PTS , 6 , 28 April 1969 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, George Dulaire , PTS , 6 , 24 March 1969 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jack Cotes , PTS , 6 , 10 March 1969 , align=left,

Colston Hall Bristol Beacon, previously known as Colston Hall, is a concert hall and Grade II listed building on Colston Street, Bristol, England. It is owned by Bristol City Council. Since 2011, management of the hall has been the direct responsibility of ...

, Bristol, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Obe Hepburn , PTS , 8 , 24 February 1969 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, George Dulaire , PTS , 8 , 3 February 1969 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Charlie "Wizzer" White , PTS , 8 , 23 January 1969 , align=left,

Dunstable Dunstable ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, east of the Chiltern Hills, north of London. There are several steep chalk escarpments, most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Charlie "Wizzer" White , PTS , 6 , 27 November 1968 , align=left, Sophia Gardens Cricket Ground, Cardiff, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, "Crown" Vic Moore , TKO , 7 , 12 May 1968 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Terry Daly , PTS , 6 , 9 April 1968 , align=left, Empire Pool,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Charlie "Wizzer" White , PTS , 8 , 27 February 1968 , align=left, Drill Hall,

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Terry Feeley , PTS , 6 , 12 February 1968 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Paul "Cleveland" Brown , PTS , 8 , 22 January 1968 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Charlie "Wizzer" White , PTS , 6 , 11 December 1967 , align=left, Raynors Sporting Club,

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, "Boxing" Bert Johnson , PTS , 6 , 28 November 1967 , align=left,

Afan Lido Sandfields (Welsh: ''Traethmelyn'') is a mainly residential district of Port Talbot, Wales. The area is located in South Wales on a narrow coastal plain between Mynydd Dinas and the sea. The M4 motorway, A48 road, A48 trunk road and South Wales M ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Paul "Cleveland" Brown , TKO , 5 , 22 October 1967 , align=left, Hotel Metropole Sporting Club,

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Barry Rodney , PTS , 6 , 9 October 1967 , align=left, Raynors Sporting Club,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Doyley Brown , TKO , 5 , 14 September 1967 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left,

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Avoth, Dennis 1947 births Living people Welsh male boxers Heavyweight boxers Boxers from Cardiff Egyptian emigrants to the United Kingdom