Terry Marsh (boxer)
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Terry Marsh (born 7 February 1958) is an English former professional boxer who was an undefeated world champion 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. Marsh was a three-time
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senior
amateur champion An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History Hist ...
who went on to become the British,
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and
IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
light welterweight world champion as a professional. He was the second European boxer to retire as an undefeated
World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, after Jack McAuliffe, a feat later equalled by
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
Michael Loewe, Germany's Sven Ottke and Welshman
Joe Calzaghe Joseph William Calzaghe ( ; born 23 March 1972) is a Welsh former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2008. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the unified WBA (Undisputed), WBC, IBF, WBO, ''Ring'' magazine ...
. Marsh was charged with the
attempted murder Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions. Canada Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seven ye ...
of his former manager, the
boxing promoter A promoter works with event production and entertainment industries to promote their productions, including in music and sports. Promoters are individuals or organizations engaged in the business of marketing and promoting live, or pay-per-view ...
, Frank Warren following Warren's shooting in London in 1989. Marsh spent 10 months on remand before he was released after being acquitted at trial. Marsh changed his name by
deed poll A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding on a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an intention or create an obligation. It is a deed, and not a contract because it binds only one party (law), party. Et ...
to "None Of The Above X" and stood in the
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and
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UK general elections as an
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
candidate in protest against there being no option to vote for "
none of the above "None of the above" (NOTA), or none for short, also known as "against all" or a "scratch" vote, is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of the candidates in a voting system. ...
".


Early life

Marsh was born in Stepney, East London, where he grew up in a small terraced house with his parents and three brothers. Marsh, who was a junior
chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
champion, began boxing as a youth at the St George's Club in Stepney before the family moved to Basildon in
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
. Marsh attended Westminster City School between 1969 -1971. Before he became a professional boxer, Marsh was a Royal Marine who served in Cyprus and in
Crossmaglen Crossmaglen (, ) is a village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,610 in the 2011 Census and is the largest village in South Armagh. The village centre is the site of a large Police Service of Northern Irel ...
in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
during
the Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...
. He later became a firefighter with the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, serving on White Watch, Tilbury.


Amateur career

As an amateur Marsh was a National schoolboy champion, NABC champion and twice junior ABA champion before going on to win three senior national titles whilst representing the Royal Navy boxing team. Marsh's first title came in 1978 in the
lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...
division beating Edmund Gajny in the final. The following year Marsh moved up to the light welterweight division and again reached the final but was this time defeated by Eddie Copeland. In 1980, Marsh again moved up a weight, to welterweight, and again reached the final, defeating Edward Byrne. 1981 saw Marsh's final year as an amateur: this year he remained at welterweight and again reached the final, his fourth in a row. In the 67 kg final, he defeated the future British, Commonwealth and WBO champion
Chris Pyatt Chris Pyatt (born 1963 in Islington) is a former world middleweight champion boxer from Leicester, England. Boxing career Amateur He represented England and won a gold medal in the welterweight division, at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Br ...
to win his third senior title. He also won a multi-nations gold medal representing England in the Philippines in 1981 capping an unbeaten international amateur record.


Professional career

He had his first professional fight in October 1981, defeating Andrew DaCosta on points over six rounds, in
Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...
, London. In his thirteenth fight he won the vacant Southern Area Light-Welterweight Title, defeating Vernon Vanriel on points over ten rounds, at
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 inter ...
in
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 common land, Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heat ...
. In September 1984, he defeated
Clinton McKenzie Clinton McKenzie (born 15 September 1955) is a former British professional boxer. He fought in the light welterweight division and became the British light welterweight title holder and briefly held the European title. Background McKenzie was ...
to take the British Light-Welterweight Title. The fight was at the Britannia Leisure Centre,
Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...
, and Marsh won on points over twelve rounds. In October 1985, he fought the Italian, Alessandro Scapecchi for the vacant European Light-Welterweight Title. The bout was held in
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and Marsh won by a knock out in the seventh round. He successfully defended his European title against Tusikoleta Nkalankete (French) in January 1986, and Francesco Prezioso (Italy) in April 1986. On 4 March 1987, he fought the American,
Joe Manley Joe Louis Manley Jr. (born June 11, 1959) is an American former boxer who fought at light welterweight. Amateur career Manley qualified as a lightweight for the 1980 United States Olympic team, defeating Frankie Randall on his way to earning ...
for the
International Boxing Federation The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
(IBF) World Light-Welterweight title. The fight was at his home town of Basildon, and Marsh won on a technical knockout in the tenth round. On 1 July 1987, he defended his IBF title against Japanese fighter, Akio Kameda at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
,
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. Insisting it would be his last fight Marsh won, by a technical knockout in the seventh round. He then retired as undefeated IBF world champion. In September 1987 he announced that he had
epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...
. He took up chessboxing at the age 56 winning the World Chessboxing Association welterweight title against Dymer Agasaryan from Armenia.


The shooting of Frank Warren

On 30 November 1989, Warren was to attend one of his
boxing promotion A promoter works with event production and entertainment industries to promote their productions, including in music and sports. Promoters are individuals or organizations engaged in the business of marketing and promoting live, or pay-per-view ...
s at
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theatre in Barking which featured
Colin McMillan Colin McMillan (born 12 February 1966) is an English former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 1997. He fought his way to the British featherweight title in 1991. After successfully defending his British title, he added the Commonwe ...
. As he arrived at the venue he was approached by a masked gunman who appeared from the crowd and shot him twice in the chest with .22 bullets from a Luger pistol at close range. The gunman fled and Warren was taken to hospital. Warren lost half a lung and was in great pain after the shooting. The business style of Warren had made him enemies, and following his shooting there were a number of suspects. The ongoing
libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
case between Marsh and Warren led police to believe Marsh had a strong personal motive to undertake the attack due to the bad blood between the pair. During a search of Marsh's home police found ammunition in his possession, but this was explained by Marsh's previous career as a Marine and it did not match the bullets used in the attack. Two months after the shooting and despite the lack of forensic evidence, any confession or identification Marsh was charged with the attempted murder of Frank Warren and was remanded in custody. During the trial a prison confession was used against Marsh. Marsh did not appear in the witness box to give evidence. He was subsequently acquitted. The outstanding libel case was subsequently contested by the two protagonists and the jury found in favour of Marsh.


Personal

Marsh retired in December 1987 after he was diagnosed as having
epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...
. In the late 1980s, the Terry Marsh Leisure Centre in Pitsea,
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
was named in his honour. However, subsequent squabbles between local councillors have seen this renamed the Eversley Leisure Centre, although the plaque bearing his image remains. Since then, Marsh has attempted to enter politics, first for the Labour Party. However, when Labour announced they would have a female-only short-list for Basildon, he stood for the Liberal Democrats at the 1997 General Election, but was forced to withdraw from the contest, as he was charged with fraud and deception for allegedly having fraudulently claimed two student grants after going back to the then London Guildhall University at the end of his boxing career. He was later cleared of the offence. In 2009, he set up a new political party, NOTA, which stands for "None of the Above". He had an acting role in the 1989 film ''
Tank Malling ''Tank Malling'' (re-released as ''Beyond Soho'' in the UK and ''Crossfire'' in America) is a 1989 British thriller film directed by James Marcus and starring Ray Winstone. The film was written by James Marcus and Mick Southworth. The film wa ...
'', and has since written and published his autobiography, ''Undefeated''. Following his retirement from boxing Marsh became a
stockbroker A stockbroker is a regulated broker, broker-dealer, or registered investment adviser (in the United States) who may provide financial advisory and investment management services and execute transactions such as the purchase or sale of stocks an ...
.


Political campaigning

Marsh stood in the 2010 general election in the seat of South Basildon and East Thurrock as an
independent candidate An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views th ...
. He changed his name by deed poll to "None Of The Above X" as a protest against there being no facility to select "
none of the above "None of the above" (NOTA), or none for short, also known as "against all" or a "scratch" vote, is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of the candidates in a voting system. ...
" as an option on the ballot paper. Under UK law, a political party cannot call itself "None of the Above", but this restriction does not apply to candidate names. His chosen surname of "X" meant that he was likely to be the last entry on the ballot paper. He said that if he won he would not take his seat. He received 125 votes, placing last out of six candidates. In the same election a candidate who changed his name to "None of the Above Zero" stood in Filton and Bradley Stoke. Marsh stood again as "None Of The Above X" in
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
, this time receiving 253 votes and placing sixth of seven candidates. In other UK elections Marsh has symbolically voted for none of the above by leaving the polling station carrying his uncast ballot paper.


Amateur achievements

*1973 Junior ABA champion *1974 Junior ABA champion *1974 National schoolboy champion *1976 NABC champion *1978 ABA Lightweight champion *1980 ABA Welterweight champion *1981 ABA Welterweight champion *1981 Multi-Nations Gold Medalist - Manila


Professional boxing record


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marsh, Terry Living people 1958 births English male boxers People with epilepsy Sportspeople from Basildon People from Stepney Royal Marines ranks International Boxing Federation champions Independent politicians in England England Boxing champions Boxers from Greater London Undefeated world boxing champions Light-welterweight boxers British military personnel of The Troubles (Northern Ireland)