Richard Dunn (born 19 January 1945) is an English former heavyweight boxer who was 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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

(1975–76), European (1976) and Commonwealth (1975–76) Champion. He unsuccessfully challenged

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

for the world heavyweight title in 1976.

Early life

Richard Dunn was born in Halifax,

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

on 19 January 1945. He played rugby in his teens and early 20s. Starting boxing as an amateur in the early 1960s, he turned professional in his mid-20s whilst continuing to work as a scaffolder, living in

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

. He was unable to afford the expense of

sparring Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. It can encompass a range of activities and techniques such as punching, kicking, grappling, throwing, wrestling or submission work dependent on style. Although the precise form varies, ...

partners to train with for most of his career, and his coach was his father-in-law. He was a soldier in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, serving as a

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

with 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment in the 1960s-70s, being awarded the Corps' Fishmongers' Trophy in 1974.

Boxing career

A southpaw, Dunn's professional career began with a win over

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

fighter Del Phillips in a heavyweight eliminator competition in

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

, London in July 1969. His second fight was on the same day in the semi-final. It was a first-round defeat against Danny McAlinden, who dispatched all three of his opponents in under three rounds to win the competition. However, in May 1973, Dunn defeated Billy Aird on points in an eliminator for the British Heavyweight Championship at Grosvenor House in London. He lost the final eliminator against Bunny Johnson, in October, after a tenth-round knockout at the King's Hall in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. However, when he faced the same opponent at the Empire Pool at Wembley for both the British and Commonwealth titles in September 1975, he prevailed on points, after 15 rounds.

British title

Dunn made his first defence against McAlinden two months later. However, this time it was Dunn that won with a knockout after McAlinden went down three times in the second round. On 6 April 1976 Dunn won the European Heavyweight Title by a third-round TKO of the German boxer Bernd August at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

in London.

Title shot

On 24 May 1976 Dunn was given the chance of fighting for the WBC and WBA titles against the American champion

at the Olympic Hall in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Dunn, despite fighting in a spirited fashion, found himself seriously outmatched by Ali in power and technique, being knocked down several times by the American champion, who clearly realized the un-equalness of the competition in his favour and began to land carefully timed and weighted punches to stun Dunn but minimize the chance of physical injury to him as the fight went on. At the 2:05 minute mark in the fifth round Dunn went to the canvas for the final time and the referee stopped the match in a technical knock-out, with Ali playing to the crowd comically windmilling a punch that was coming that would be overwhelming, and to encourage the referee to end the match as having run its course. (This was to be the last knockout Ali achieved in his professional career.)

Aftermath

Dunn lost his next fight in London five months later with Joe Bugner, surrendering all his titles in a first-round knock-out. His final fight was a fifth-round knock-out defeat to the South African boxer Kallie Knoetze at the Ellis Park Tennis Stadium in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

on 10 September 1977, after which Dunn retired from the sport. Dunn was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' in 1976 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews just ahead of his fight with

Post-career civic honours

The 'Richard Dunn Sports Centre' was opened by Bradford Council in Dunn's home town in 1978, named in honour of his sporting achievements. The facility was closed in November 2019, and was due to be demolished in 2020, with the Council announcing the intention to name a new road on the site after Dunn in the future. However the future of the unused leisure centre is now in doubt, after Historic England granted the building Grade II listed status, following an appeal by the Twentieth Century Society.

Later life

After his sports career, having lost money in a failed hotel venture, Dunn lived in

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

with his wife Janet and three children, returning to work as a scaffolder. He was seriously injured in 1989 on an oil rig in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

after a 40 ft fall which broke both of his legs. In retirement he lives in Scarborough, where he has been associated with charity work for Parkinson's UK and is the honorary president of the town's amateur boxing club. Dunn has

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

and

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 33 Wins (16 knockouts, 17 decisions), 12 Losses (11 knockouts, 1 decision) , - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , -align=center , Loss , , align=left, Kallie Knoetze , KO , 5 , 10 Sep 1977 , align=left, Ellis Park Tennis Stadium,

, South Africa , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Joe Bugner , KO , 1 , 12 Oct 1976 , align=left, Empire Pool, London, England , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, TKO , 5 , 24 May 1976 , align=left, Olympiahalle,

, Germany , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bernd August , TKO , 3 , 6 Apr 1976 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Terry Krueger , TKO , 3 , 25 Nov 1975 , align=left,

, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Danny McAlinden , KO , 2 , 4 Nov 1975 , align=left, Empire Pool, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bunny Johnson , PTS , 15 , 30 Sep 1975 , align=left, Empire Pool, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Rocky Campbell , TKO , 7 , 7 May 1975 , align=left, Solihull Civic Hall, Solihull, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Neville Meade , TKO , 4 , 17 Feb 1975 , align=left, Grosvenor House, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tim Wood , PTS , 8 , 9 Sep 1974 , align=left, Grosvenor House, London, England , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Jose Manuel Urtain , KO , 4 , 22 May 1974 , align=left,

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, Spain , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Ngozika Ekwelum , KO , 7 , 11 Apr 1974 , align=left,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Jimmy Young , TKO , 8 , 18 Feb 1974 , align=left, Mayfair Sporting Club, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Obie English , TKO , 10 , 14 Jan 1974 , align=left, Grosvenor House, London, England , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Bunny Johnson , KO , 10 , 11 Oct 1973 , align=left, King's Hall, Manchester, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Larry Beilfuss , TKO , 4 , 9 Jul 1973 , align=left, Grosvenor House, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Billy Aird , PTS , 10 , 14 May 1973 , align=left, Grosvenor House, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Johnny Griffin , KO , 3 , 15 Mar 1973 , align=left, Grosvenor House, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Rufus Brassell , DQ , 3 , 13 Feb 1973 , align=left, Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Roy Williams , PTS , 8 , 15 Jan 1973 , align=left, Grosvenor House, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ray Patterson , PTS , 8 , 20 Nov 1972 , align=left, Grosvenor House, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Larry Renaud , KO , 1 , 16 Oct 1972 , align=left, Grosvenor House, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Roger Tighe , PTS , 10 , 21 Mar 1972 , align=left, Midland Hotel, Bradford, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ron Oliver , KO , 1 , 21 Feb 1972 , align=left, Mayfair Sporting Club, London, England , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Rocky Campbell , TKO , 1 , 9 Dec 1971 , align=left, Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Cliff Field , TKO , 4 , 24 Nov 1971 , align=left, Nottingham Ice Stadium, Nottingham, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Carl Gizzi , PTS , 8 , 22 Sep 1971 , align=left, Solihull Civic Hall,

Solihull Solihull ( ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe in the Arden, Warwickshire, Forest of Arden ar ...

, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Dennis Forbes , PTS , 8 , 22 Jun 1971 , align=left, Cafe Royal, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bunny Johnson , PTS , 8 , 13 Apr 1971 , align=left, Wolverhampton Civic Hall,

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Brian Jewitt , PTS , 8 , 25 Jan 1971 , align=left, National Sporting Club, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Dennis Forbes , KO , 1 , 14 Dec 1970 , align=left, National Sporting Club, London, England , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, George Dulaire , TKO , 1 , 2 Nov 1970 , align=left, County Hotel, Bedford, England , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Billy Aird , TKO , 6 , 7 Sep 1970 , align=left, Hotel Piccadilly, Manchester, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Obe Hepburn , TKO , 5 , 21 May 1970 , align=left, Anglo-American Sporting Club, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Billy Wynter , PTS , 6 , 4 May 1970 , align=left, Bedford, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Obe Hepburn , PTS , 6 , 31 Mar 1970 , align=left, York Hall, London, England , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Billy Aird , PTS , 8 , 23 Feb 1970 , align=left, Grosvenor House, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Lloyd Walford , PTS , 6 , 25 Nov 1969 , align=left,

Leeds Town Hall Leeds Town Hall is a 19th-century municipal building on The Headrow (formerly Park Lane), Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Planned to include law courts, a council chamber, offices, a public hall, and a suite of ceremonial rooms, it was built be ...

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, George Dulaire , TKO , 2 , 3 Nov 1969 , align=left, County Hotel, Bedford, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John Cullen , PTS , 3 , 3 Nov 1969 , align=left, County Hotel, Bedford, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Billy Aird , PTS , 3 , 3 Nov 1969 , align=left, County Hotel,

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jack Cotes , TKO , 3 , 13 Oct 1969 , align=left, Nottingham Ice Stadium,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jack Cotes , TKO , 2 , 8 Sep 1969 , align=left, Hotel Piccadilly,

, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Del Phillips , PTS , 3 , 7 Jul 1969 , align=left, London, England , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Danny McAlinden , KO , 1 , 7 Jul 1969 , align=left,

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Richard 1945 births Living people English male boxers Heavyweight boxers Boxers from Bradford European Boxing Union champions Sportspeople from Halifax, West Yorkshire Sportspeople from Scarborough, North Yorkshire British Parachute Regiment soldiers Military personnel from Halifax, West Yorkshire 20th-century British Army personnel