Bill Beynon (8 April 1891 – 20 July 1932) was a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
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 fought professionally between 1909 and 1931. He is most notable for winning the British and Empire bantamweight boxing championship in 1913.
Boxing career
Beynon was a collier from the South Wales coalfield who supplemented his wages by taking up boxing while still a teenager. One of Beynon's first professional bouts was a loss against George Dando of Merthyr Tydfil, before Beynon entered one of the more successful phases of his career in the first three years as a professional fighter. On 2 June 1913, Beynon faced
Digger Stanley
George 'Digger' Stanley (28 February 1876 – 7 March 1919) was an English boxer who was British and European bantamweight boxing champion.
Early life
Stanley was a gypsy, and was born in a caravan at Kingston-upon-Thames. He could not read or ...
at The Ring, in
Blackfriars, London
Blackfriars is in central London, specifically the south-west corner of the City of London.
Blackfriars Priory
The name is first visible today in records of 1317 in many orthographies. Friar evolved from la, frater as french: frère has, mea ...
. Stanley was the reigning British and Empire bantamweight champion and was favourite to win the bout and retain his belt. Beynon won the fight by points over twenty rounds becoming the second officially recognised holder of the title.
Beynon's term as the bantam weight title holder was short lived, as after a win over Frenchman Robert Dastillon, he failed in his first defence of the belt, against Digger Stanley; losing in the same way as he won, by points over 20 rounds. Beynon's later career never reflected the success of his early career, losing the majority of his challenges. Beynon faced several notable fighters, included a win over past British flyweight champion
Joe Symonds in 1921 and two knockout losses to
Charles Ledoux
Charles Ledoux (27 October 1892 – 21 May 1967) was a French bantamweight boxer who was active from 1909 to 1926. While never capturing a world title, he squared off against the best opposition available to him both nationally and internation ...
, European bantamweight champion. When Beynon first faced Ledoux, it was for the European bantamweight championship title, and he lost the fight after being forced to retire in the eighth round after his eyebrow was split. The second challenge against Ledoux was far more clear cut, with the Frenchman outboxing Beynon at close-quarters, and won the contest by knockout in the eighth.
Beynon retired from the boxing ring at the age of 39. He died two years later in 1932 in a colliery accident.
[Holt, Richard ''Sport and the working class in modern Britain'', Manchester University Press, page 199, ]
See also
*
List of British bantamweight boxing champions
The following is a table showing the boxers who have won the British bantamweight title. The title has been sanctioned by the National Sporting Club since 1909, and later by its replacement British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) since 1929.
A ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beynon, Ben
1891 births
1932 deaths
Welsh male boxers
Sportspeople from Neath Port Talbot
Bantamweight boxers
Welsh miners
Industrial accident deaths
Accidental deaths in Wales