Gordon Ferris (born 21 November 1952) is

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

former heavyweight boxer who was both Irish and British champion in the early 1980s.

Career

Born in

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 a ...

, Northern Ireland, and a

lock-keeper A lock keeper, lock tender, or lock operator looks after a canal or river lock, operating it and if necessary maintaining it or organizing its maintenance. Traditionally, lock keepers lived on-site, often in small purpose-built cottages. A lock ke ...

by trade,Jack Magowan: Great Irish heavyweights are few and far between
, '' Belfast Telegraph'', 6 December 2008. Retrieved 28 September 2014 Ferris had a distinguished amateur career, winning a bronze medal at the 1974 Commonwealth Games and five Irish amateur titles.'Boxing stopped me going off the rails'
", ''

The Impartial Reporter The ''Impartial Reporter'' is a newspaper based in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland which is circulated in Fermanagh, South Tyrone and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland. It is the 3rd-oldest newspaper in Ireland, an ...

'', 22 October 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2014 After missing out on selection for the 1976 Olympic Games, Ferris took the decision to turn professional and made his pro debut in December 1977 with a win over Keith Steve Johnson. He won 14 of his first 18 pro fights, leading to a final eliminator for the British heavyweight title in September 1980 against Tommy Kiely, with the Irish and Northern Ireland Area titles also at stake; He won on points over 12 rounds, leading to a fight with Billy Aird for the vacant British title. He won by a 15-round points decision to become British champion.Ferris the New Champion Heavy
, ''

Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...

'', 31 March 1981, p. 28. Retrieved 28 September 2014 He lost the title in his first defence, against

Neville Meade Neville Meade (12 September 1948 – 13 March 2010) was a British boxer from Swansea. Born in Montserrat, he moved to Wales at the age of nine. He rose to prominence when he won the gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 1974 Commonweal ...

in October 1981, losing by a first-round knockout. He attempted to get another shot at the title but was beaten in a final eliminator in June 1982 by David Pearce, after which he retired from boxing. He subsequently ran pubs in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

and Stoke-on-Trent.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferris, Gordon 1952 births Living people Male boxers from Northern Ireland Heavyweight boxers People from Enniskillen Boxers at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games medallists in boxing