Reginald Meen (20 November 1907 – 1984) was a British boxer, who won the British heavyweight title in 1931.

Career

Reggie Meen was born in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

in 1907 and grew up in

Desborough Desborough is a town in Northamptonshire, England, lying in the Ise Valley between Market Harborough and Kettering. It was an industrial centre for weaving and shoe-making in the 19th century and had a long association with the Co-operative ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

, where he was originally a bootmaker by profession. Meen's boxing career began in August 1927, and after mixed results initially went on to win eight consecutive fights between 1928 and 1929. He fought

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at the Royal Albert Hall in front of a crowd of 10,000 in December 1930, losing in two rounds. After another period of mixed results he hit another winning streak in 1931, including a victory against French champion Maurice Griselle, leading to a fight for the vacant BBBofC heavyweight title against

Charley Smith Charles William Smith (September 15, 1937 – November 29, 1994) was an American Major League Baseball third baseman. Brooklyn Dodgers signee Smith was one of the last players to sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers before their move to Los Angeles. ...

in November, which he won on points despite a cut over his left eye sustained in the second round. His next fight was a challenge for the EBU heavyweight title against Hein Müller in January 1932, which he lost by a fourth-round knockout. He fought Australian champion George Cook in March in an eliminator for a British Empire championship fight, losing on points. Meen was due to have his first fight outside England in May 1932, but after travelling to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

to fight Salah El Din, the two were unable to agree terms and he returned home. Meen held the British title until July 1932, when he was beaten by Jack Petersen by a second-round knockout. In September 1932 he indicated that he was considering retirement from boxing, after defeat to

Don McCorkindale Donald Dinnie McCorkindale (16 August 1904 – 11 August 1970) was a South African boxer who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics. He fought as Don McCorkindale. Biography He was born in Pretoria, Transvaal Colony The Transvaal Col ...

, but returned two months later with a win over Bob Carvill. Meen fought

Larry Gains Lawrence Samuel "Larry" Gains (12 December 1900 – 26 July 1983) was a Black Canadian heavyweight boxer who was champion of Canada and the British Empire. One of the top heavyweights of his era, he was denied the opportunity to become World Ch ...

in February 1933, losing after being disqualified for holding. He fought Petersen again in February 1934 in front of 10,000 people at the

Granby Halls Granby Halls was a popular live music, exhibition and sports arena in Leicester, England, also notable as the long serving home of professional basketball team, the Leicester Riders, from 1980 until 1999. It was located in a triangle of prime ...

and again lost in two rounds, although Meen's supporters suspected a low blow had ended the fight, leading to fighting at ringside, and spectators smashed windows to get more air. In October 1934 he suffered a broken arm during a crash in which his car overturned, requiring a second operation in December to remove splinters of bone, and it was ten months before he returned to boxing, although he took up all-in wrestling, winning his first contest in March 1935. In September 1935 he suffered head injuries and concussion after slipping while walking through Covent Garden, and caused concern when he went missing from his home; He was found by police in

Leyton Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...

, unable to recall the events of the past two days. He recovered sufficiently to resume wrestling the following week. Meen returned to boxing and continued to fight until 1938, his final fight a defeat to Tony Arpino, also continuing to wrestle into the late 1930s. In the late 1930s Meen turned to promotion, including a bill at the Melton Carnival. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Meen served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

, and in 1945 was stationed in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. Meen married Winifred Ada Littlewood at Oadby Parish Church on 13 April 1936. In October 1952 they emigrated to

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 tot ...

References

External links

Career Record
at boxrec.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Meen, Reggie 1907 births 1984 deaths English male boxers Heavyweight boxers People from Desborough Sportspeople from Northamptonshire