Tim Wood (10 August 1951 – September 2010) was a British

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 British

light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

champion between 1976 and 1977.

Early life

Born in

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...

, in North

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 ...

, Wood moved with his family to

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 ...

when he was 14, and joined Belgrave Amateur Boxing Club.Boxing: Tributes paid to former Leicester champion Tim Wood
, ''

Leicester Mercury The ''Leicester Mercury'' is a British regional newspaper for the city of Leicester and the neighbouring counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. The paper began in the 19th century as the ''Leicester Daily Mercury'' and later changed to its pre ...

'', 21 September 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2015New Home Proves Knock Out for City Club
, abae.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2015

Boxing career

Wood was a successful amateur boxer, winning the ABA

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

title in 1972. He wasn't selected for the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, which led to a media campaign against the decision. He turned professional and was trained by his father Arthur and Jim Knight in the gym at the Jolly Angler pub on Wharf Street in Leicester, and was managed by Johnny Griffin and later Carl Gunns. From his first nine pro fights Wood win eight and drew one. In January 1974 he met Les Stevens for the vacant

BBBofC The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom. History The British Boxing Board of Control was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff. ...

Southern Area heavyweight title, suffering his first professional defeat on points. Defeats to Eddie Neilson and Richard Dunn followed. Griffin saw Wood as a better prospect at

and encouraged him to slim down to that weight. Wood won his first four fights of 1975, including wins over Victor Attivor and Baby Boy Rolle, before losing in a final eliminator for the British light heavyweight title to Roy John by only half a point. He beat Johnny Wall in February 1976 to take the Southern Area light heavyweight title, and two months later faced Phil Martin for the vacant British title. Wood won narrowly on points to become British champion. Wood lost his title in March 1977 when he was knocked out in the first round by

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 ...

. Wood continued to fight until 1979 but never fought for another title.

Death

Tim Wood died in September 2010 after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

at the age of 59. He was survived by his widow Maureen and four children.

References

External links

Career record
at boxrec.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Tim 1951 births 2010 deaths English male boxers Heavyweight boxers Light-heavyweight boxers People from Camden Town Sportspeople from the London Borough of Camden Boxers from Leicester Boxers from Greater London England Boxing champions