Richard Kenneth Gunn (16 February 1871 – 23 June 1961) was a
British
British may refer to:
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boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
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, and is the oldest man to win an
Olympic
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boxing crown ever. He achieved this feat at the age of 37 years and 254 days.
Biography
He was born in
Charing Cross
Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and died in
Lambeth
Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...
, London.
Gunn took up boxing at the Surrey Commercial Docks Boxing Club in 1893 after joining his father's East End tailoring business. He won the 1894, 1895 and 1896
Amateur Boxing Association
England Boxing, known until 2013 as the Amateur Boxing Association of England, is the Sports governing body, governing body of amateur boxing clubs in England. There are separate organisations for Scotland and Wales with boxing in Northern Irela ...
British
featherweight title, when boxing out of the various clubs.
He was so much better than his rivals at the time that authorities asked him to retire after he won his third ABA title. Gunn did so, but in 1908, having served on the ABA council for more than ten years, he returned to win the Olympic title before hanging up his gloves for good. Gunn died in London aged 90, having only lost one fight in fifteen years.
1908 Olympic results
Below is the record of Richard Gunn, a British featherweight boxer who competed at the 1908 London Olympics:
* Quarterfinal: defeated Etienne Poillot (France) by second-round knockout
* Semifinal: defeated Thomas Ringer (Great Britain) by decision, 2-0
* Final: defeated Charles Morris (Great Britain) by decision, 2-0 (won gold medal)
References
External links
*
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1871 births
1961 deaths
Boxers from Greater London
English male boxers
Featherweight boxers
Olympic boxers for Great Britain
Boxers at the 1908 Summer Olympics
English Olympic medallists
Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain
Olympic medalists in boxing
Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics
England Boxing champions
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