Clinton McKenzie (born 15 September 1955) is a former British

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

. He fought in the

light 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, ...

division and became the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

light welterweight title holder and briefly held the European title.

Background

McKenzie was born in

Clarendon, Jamaica Clarendon is a parish in Jamaica. It is located on the south of the island, roughly halfway between the island's eastern and western ends. Located in the county of Middlesex, it is bordered by Manchester on the west, Saint Catherine in the eas ...

, the oldest of seven children. The McKenzie family emigrated to England when Clinton was nine years of age. He is the brother of former three-weight world champion boxer

Duke McKenzie Duke McKenzie (born 5 May 1963) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1998.. Retrieved 13 December 2016. He is a three-weight world champion, having held the IBF flyweight title from 1988 to 1989; the WBO bantamwei ...

and former amateur boxer and politician

Winston McKenzie Winston Truman McKenzie (born 23 October 1953) is a British political activist and perennial candidate for public office. He is currently a founder and leader of the Unity in Action Party. He has been a member of every major UK political party, a ...

, father of footballer-turn boxer Leon McKenzie and adoptive father to professional boxer and Big Brother UK 2009 housemate, Angel McKenzie.

Amateur career

McKenzie represented

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

throughout his amateur career which culminated in representing Great Britain at the 1976 Olympics in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. McKenzie won his first two fights before losing to eventual gold medal winner

Sugar Ray Leonard Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professional ...

. He won the 1976

Amateur Boxing Association England Boxing, known until 2013 as the Amateur Boxing Association of England, is the governing body of amateur boxing clubs in England. There are separate organisations for Scotland and Wales with boxing in Northern Ireland being organised on ...

British light-welterweight title, when boxing out of the Sir Philip Game ABC.

Olympic results

1976 (as a light welterweight) *Defeated Daniele Zappaterra (ITA), 5:0 *Defeated

Ismael Martínez Ismael Martínez (born 27 May 1956) is a Puerto Rican boxer. He competed in the men's light welterweight event at the 1976 Summer Olympics. At the 1976 Summer Olympics, he defeated Siergot Sully of Haiti before losing to Clinton McKenzie C ...

(PUR), 3:2 *Lost to

Ray Leonard Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professional ...

(USA), 5:0

Professional career

Following the publicity of the Olympic Games, McKenzie left

amateur boxing Amateur boxing is a variant of boxing practiced at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games, as well as many associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration, comprising three rounds of three ...

to turn professional in October 1976, winning his first fight 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 inte ...

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 Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heath Road. By ...

, London, in which McKenzie beat Jimmy King on points over eight rounds. McKenzie fought for his first title belt, the vacant British light welterweight title, in October 1978 which he won with a ten-round knockout win over Jim Montague in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The following year, McKenzie lost the title at the

Wembley Conference Centre Wembley Conference Centre was a conference centre in Wembley Park, London, England, that existed from 1977 to 2006, located next to Wembley Arena. History In the later 1970s, modern multi-purpose halls began opening in British towns and cities. ...

Colin Powers Colin Powers (born 2 February 1956) is a British former boxer who was British light welterweight champion between 1977 and 1979 and European champion in 1978. Career Born in London, Colin Powers made his professional debut in June 1975 with a wi ...

on points but later that year defeated Powers at the same venue to regain the title.

References

External links

* 1974 births Living people English male boxers English people of Jamaican descent Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom People from Clarendon Parish, Jamaica People from Croydon Olympic boxers of Great Britain Boxers at the 1976 Summer Olympics Boxers from Greater London Light-welterweight boxers {{England-boxing-bio-stub