Desmond Rea (8 January 1944 – 21 July 2016) was a Northern Irish

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 ...

who was the first holder of the British

junior welterweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...

title and went on to fight for the European title before moving up to

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

at which he won the Irish title. He was the first man in his weight group to be awarded the Lonsdale Belt.

Career

Born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

and raised in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, former cost accountant (for English Electric) Rea made his professional debut in November 1964 with a fifth round stoppage of Ken Hinds. He won eight of his first nine fights before beating Bob Sempey in September 1965 to take the vacant BBBofC Northern Ireland Area welterweight title. Over the next two years he had mixed results, winning five times but losing to Shaun Doyle, José Stable,

Brian Curvis Brian Nancurvis (14 August 1937 – 9 January 2012), who fought under the name Brian Curvis as a professional, was a boxer from Swansea, Wales who was active from 1959 to 1966. He fought as a Welterweight, becoming British welterweight cha ...

an
Peter Cobblah
In February 1968 he faced

Vic Andreetti Vic Andreetti (29 January 1942 – 21 February 2018) was a British former boxer who won the British junior welterweight title in 1969. Career Born in Hoxton, London, Andreetti won ABA national schoolboy titles in 1955, 1956, and 1957, and won th ...

for the newly created British light welterweight title at the

York Hall The York Hall, officially known as York Hall Leisure Centre, is a multi-purpose indoor arena and leisure complex in Bethnal Green, London, and is situated on Old Ford Road. The building opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200 and is now an inter ...

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common land, Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heat ...

; Rea took a points decision to become British champion. In August 1968 he unsuccessfully challenged for Bruno Arcari's European title in

Sanremo Sanremo (; lij, Sanrémmo(ro) or , ) or San Remo is a city and comune on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination on the Italian Rivie ...

, Italy, Arcari stopping him in the sixth round. In November 1968 he travelled to the United States to face

José Nápoles José Ángel Nápoles, nicknamed ''Mantequilla'' ("Butter", referring to his smooth boxing style), (April 13, 1940 – August 16, 2019) was a Cuban-born Mexican professional boxer and a World Welterweight Champion. He is frequently ranked as one ...

in a World title eliminator, losing via a fifth-round TKO. He defended his British title in February 1969 against Andreetti at the Nottingham Ice Rink; The fight again went the distance but Andreetti this time took the decision. The two met a third time eight months later, Andreetti this time retaining the title with a fourth round stoppage. Rea moved up to welterweight and challenged for Gus Farrell's Irish title in February 1970, taking the title after knocking Farrell out in the eleventh round. Rea continued until 1974, having a further 39 fights but never again challenged for a title. Rea was associated with the

Kray twins Ronald Kray (24 October 193317 March 1995) and Reginald Kray (24 October 19331 October 2000) were identical twin brothers, gangsters and convicted criminals. They were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in the East End of London, Engl ...

, whom he first met in 1967 and who he claims told him they would get him a British title fight, a European title fight and a world title eliminator, all of which later happened.

Death

Rea died on 21 July 2016 at the age of 72.

References

External links

*
Profile
boxinghistory.org.uk
Obituary
liverpoolecho.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Rea, Des 1944 births 2016 deaths Light-welterweight boxers Welterweight boxers Boxers from Liverpool Boxers from Belfast British people of Irish descent Male boxers from Northern Ireland