Terry Downes

Terry Downes, BEM
Terry Downes, BEM
Born	9 May 1936; Paddington, London, England
Died	6 October 2017 (aged 81); London, England
Nationality	British citizenship
Other names	Paddington Express
	Statistics
Weight(s)	Middleweight, light heavyweight
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Reach	69 in (175 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
	Boxing record
Total fights	44
Wins	35
Wins by KO	28
Losses	9
Draws	0

Terry Downes, BEM (9 May 1936 – 6 October 2017) was a British middleweight boxer,^[1] occasional film actor, and businessman. He was nicknamed the "Paddington Express" for his aggressive fighting style.^[2]

At the time of his death, Downes was Britain's oldest surviving former world champion. He held the world middleweight title (the version recognised by Europe, New York, and Massachusetts) for ten months from 1961-62.^[3]

Early life

Terry Downes was born in Paddington, London. His father Richard worked as a mechanic, and his mother Hilda in a department store.^[4] Downes boxed as a junior for the Fisher ABC.^[5]

He moved with his parents to the United States in 1952, while still a teenager, to live with his trapeze artist sister Sylvia, who had lost an arm in a traffic accident, going on to serve in the US Marine Corps from 1954–56, being recruited after boxing against them for the YMCA.^[5]^[6] In the Marines he won several amateur trophies, including the all-services championship and the Amateur Golden Gloves.^[5]

He missed out on selection for the US Olympic team, being ruled ineligible on residence grounds, and after his term of service, he returned to London and turned professional.^[5]^[2]^[7]

Professional boxing career

Managed by Sam Burns, Downes won his first two pro fights before a defeat to future world champion Dick Tiger.^[5] After building up a record of 16 wins and 3 defeats, Downes won the British middleweight title, vacated by Pat McAteer's retirement, by beating Phil Edwards on 30 September 1958 at the Harringay Arena, London. In 1959, Downes lost and won back the title from John "Cowboy" McCormack. On 5 July 1960, Downes successfully defended the title against Edwards again.

Downes lost his first World Title shot to Paul Pender in Boston in January 1961.^[5] The following July, however, Downes fought Pender again, this time in London, and defeated the American in front of a raucous Wembley crowd, with Pender retiring at the end of the ninth round with cuts over both eyes.^[5]^[8]^[9] Downes was recognised as world champion by The Ring magazine in August 1961,^[10] and was named Sports Writers' Association Sportsman of the Year later that year.^[11] Pender won the title back the following year, defeating Downes in Boston once more, this time on points.^[5]

Downes responded to the loss of his title by winning his next seven bouts, including a win over Sugar Ray Robinson in September 1962.^[5] Robinson was, however, 41 at the time, and when asked after the fight how it felt to beat a boxer of such esteem, Downes famously replied, "I didn't beat Sugar Ray, I beat his ghost."^[4] Downes moved up to light heavyweight in 1963,^[12] winning his first three fights at the weight before facing Willie Pastrano for the world title in Manchester on 30 November 1964. Downes was knocked down twice in the 11th round, while reportedly well ahead on points, and Pastrano retained his title when referee Andrew Smyth controversially waved it off – it was to be Downes' last fight.^[5]^[13]

Downes was famous for a number of quips. After a particularly brutal fight early in his career against Dick Tiger, Downes was asked who he wanted to fight next. He replied, "The bastard who made this match", in reference to Mickey Duff.^[7]

Downes fought six world champions and beat three: Robinson, Pender and Joey Giardello. His record was: 44 fights, 35 wins (28 KOs), 9 losses.

Acting career

Post-boxing, Downes acted occasionally between 1965 and 1990, usually appearing as a thug, villain or bodyguard. One of his more prominent roles was in Roman Polanski's 1967 film The Fearless Vampire Killers, in which he played "Koukol", a hunchbacked servant.^[4]^[14] His other film credits included appearances in A Study in Terror (1965), Five Ashore in Singapore (1967), The Golden Lady (1979), If You Go Down in the Woods Today (1981), and the Derek Jarman film Caravaggio (1986).^[4]^[14]

Films

A Study in Terror (1965) - Chunky
The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) - Koukol, the Servant
Five Ashore in Singapore (1967) - Sgt. Gruber
The Golden Lady (1979) - Trainer
If You Go Down in the Woods Today (1981) - Woodsman
Caravaggio (1986) - Bodyguard

Other business interests

After his retirement, Downes owned a nightclub.^[4] and worked as a boxing manager, working with British title challenger Colin Lake in the late 1960s.^[15]

Personal life

Downes and his wife Barbara (nee Clarke) were married from 1958^[16] until his death in 2017. They had four children and eight grandchildren, one of whom includes prominent football writer and comedian James McNicholas.^[5] They lived for many years in a large detached house in Milespit Hill, Mill Hill, London NW7.

Downes was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2012 Birthday Honours, in recognition of his sporting achievements and charity work.^[4] He died on 6 October 2017, aged 81.^[5]^[17]

Professional boxing record

44 fights	35 wins	9 losses
By knockout	28	6
By decision	7	2
By disqualification	0	1

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
44	Loss	35–9	Willie Pastrano	TKO	11 (15)	Nov 30, 1964	King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, Lancashire, England, U.K.	For WBA, WBC, and The Ring light heavyweight titles
43	Win	35–8	Ed Zaremba	PTS	10	May 28, 1964	Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.
42	Win	34–8	Mike Pusateri	TKO	5 (10)	Nov 25, 1963	King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, Lancashire, England, U.K.
41	Win	33–8	Rudolf Nehring	KO	3 (10)	Oct 8, 1963	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, U.K.
40	Win	32–8	Jimmy Beecham	TKO	9 (10)	Mar 5, 1963	Seymour Hall, Marylebone, London, England, U.K.
39	Win	31–8	Phil Moyer	TKO	9 (10)	Nov 13, 1963	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K.
38	Win	30–8	Sugar Ray Robinson	PTS	10	Sep 25, 1962	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K.
37	Win	29–8	Don Fullmer	PTS	10	May 22, 1962	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K.
36	Loss	28–8	Paul Pender	UD	15	Apr 7, 1962	Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.	Lost NYSAC and The Ring middleweight titles
35	Win	28–7	Paul Pender	RTD	9 (15)	Jul 11, 1961	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K.	Won NYSAC and The Ring middleweight titles
34	Win	27–7	Tony Montano	RTD	5 (10)	May 2, 1961	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K.
33	Win	26–7	Willie Greene	TKO	3 (10)	Mar 7, 1961	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K.
32	Loss	25–7	Paul Pender	TKO	7 (15)	Jan 14, 1961	Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.	For NYSAC and The Ring middleweight titles
31	Win	25–6	Joey Giardello	PTS	10	Oct 11, 1960	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K.
30	Win	24–6	Phil Edwards	RTD	12 (15)	Jul 5, 1960	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K.	Retained BBBofC British and Commonwealth middleweight titles
29	Win	23–6	Richard Bouchez	KO	2 (10)	Jun 9, 1960	King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, Lancashire, England, U.K.
28	Win	22–6	Orlando DePietro	KO	4 (10)	Mar 24, 1960	The Stadium, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, U.K.
27	Win	21–6	Carlos Vanneste	TKO	4 (10)	Mar 8, 1960	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K.
26	Win	20–6	John McCormack	TKO	8 (15)	Nov 3, 1959	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K.	Won BBBofC British and Commonwealth middleweight titles
25	Loss	19–6	John McCormack	DQ	8 (15)	Sep 15, 1959	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K.	Lost BBBofC British middleweight title; For vacant Commonwealth middleweight title
24	Win	19–5	Andre Davier	KO	7 (10)	Jul 7, 1959	Streatham Ice Rink, Streatham, London, England, U.K.
23	Loss	18–5	Michel Diouf	TKO	5 (10)	Feb 24, 1959	Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London, England, U.K.
22	Loss	18–4	Ellsworth Webb	TKO	8 (10)	Dec 9, 1958	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, U.K.
21	Win	18–3	Mohammed Ben Taibi	KO	3 (10)	Nov 4, 1958	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London, England, U.K.
20	Win	17–3	Phil Edwards	TKO	13 (15)	Sep 30, 1958	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London, England, U.K.	Won vacant BBBofC British middleweight title
19	Win	16–3	Constant Alcantara	TKO	3 (10)	Jul 15, 1958	Streatham Ice Rink, Streatham, London, England, U.K.
18	Win	15–3	Pat McAteer	PTS	8	Jun 3, 1958	White City Stadium, White City, London, England, U.K.
17	Win	14–3	Tuzo Portuguez	PTS	8	Apr 15, 1958	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London, England, U.K.
16	Win	13–3	Salah Ben Fahrat	TKO	4 (8)	Mar 17, 1958	Leyton Baths, Leyton, London, England, U.K.
15	Win	12–3	Dennis Booty	TKO	3 (8)	Feb 25, 1958	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London, England, U.K.
14	Loss	11–3	Freddie Cross	TKO	6 (10)	Jan 28, 1958	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London, England, U.K.
13	Win	11–2	Serge Leveque	TKO	4 (8)	Jan 7, 1958	Town Hall, Shoreditch, London, England, U.K.
12	Win	10–2	Hamouda Bouraoui	RTD	4 (8)	Dec 19, 1957	Town Hall, Shoreditch, London, England, U.K.
11	Win	9–2	George Lavery	KO	5 (8)	Dec 10, 1957	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London, England, U.K.
10	Loss	8–2	Les Allen	PTS	8	Nov 19, 1957	Earls Court Empress Hall, Kensington, London, England, U.K.
9	Win	8–1	Eddie Phillips	TKO	3 (8)	Oct 28, 1957	Leyton Baths, Leyton, London, England, U.K.
8	Win	7–1	Derek Liversidge	TKO	2 (8)	Oct 1, 1957	Shoreditch Town Hall, Shoreditch, London, England, U.K.
7	Win	6–1	Lew Lazar	PTS	8	Sep 17, 1957	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London, England, U.K.
6	Win	5–1	John Woolard	TKO	7 (8)	Jun 25, 1957	Town Hall, Shoreditch, London, England, U.K.
5	Win	4–1	Sammy Hamilton	TKO	3 (8)	Jun 18, 1957	Streatham Ice Rink, Streatham, London, England, U.K.
4	Win	3–1	Alan Dean	TKO	4 (8)	Jun 4, 1957	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London, England, U.K.
3	Loss	2–1	Dick Tiger	TKO	5 (8)	May 14, 1957	Town Hall, Shoreditch, London, England, U.K.
2	Win	2–0	Jimmy Lynas	TKO	3 (6)	Apr 30, 1957	Manor Place Baths, Walworth, London, England, U.K.
1	Win	1–0	Peter Longo	KO	1 (6)	Apr 9, 1957	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London, England, U.K.

References

^ "Terry Downes". Cyber Boxing Zone. 9 May 1936. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
^ ^a ^b Deane McGowen (14 January 1961). "Pender Favored to Retain Middleweight Title in Fight With Downes Tonight - RIVALS HELD FIT FOR BOSTON BOUT Pender 8-5 Choice to Beat Challenger in 15-Rounder but Briton Is Confident". Select.nytimes.com. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
^ "The Lineal Middleweight Champions". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Maume, Chris (2017) "Terry Downes: The ‘whirlwind’ boxer who was king for a day and retired aged 28", The Independent, 13 October 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Rawling, John (2017) "Terry Downed Obituary", The Guardian, 8 October 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017
^ "Downes: The English U.S. Marine". Boxing.com. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Tiger fight night memories prompt tears in Truro". Sportsjournalists.co.uk. 3 October 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
^ "Try, Try Again Pays Off for Terry Downes". Aberdeen Evening Express. 12 July 1961. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ "Paul Pender: The Middleweight Champion Time Forgot". Eastsideboxing.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
^ "Terry Downes Recognised". Aberdeen Evening Express. 2 August 1961. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ "Terry Downes and Angela Mortimer Voted Top Stars". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 7 November 1961. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ "Terry Downes' Future is in the Balance". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 8 October 1963. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ "Referee Made Mistake Says Terry Downes". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 1 December 1964. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ ^a ^b "Terry Downes". IMDb. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
^ "Ex-Jockey Out to Win". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 5 February 1969. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ "Sugar Ray to Defend Title", The Age, 23 December 1958.
^ Sandomir, Richard (2017) "Terry Downes Dies at 81; Middleweight Champion Was Britain’s Pride", The New York Times, 13 October 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017

External links

Boxing record for Terry Downes from BoxRec (registration required)
"The Fighter at Home with Yogi Bear", Sports Illustrated profile from 1962

Achievements
Preceded by Paul Pender	World Middleweight Champion 11 July 1961 – 7 April 1962	Succeeded by Paul Pender
Sporting positions
Previous: Peter Kane	Oldest Living British World Champion 23 July 1991 – 6 October 2017	Next: Ken Buchanan
Previous: Jake LaMotta	Oldest Living Middleweight Champion 19 September 2017 – 6 October 2017	Next: Nino Benvenuti

[cyberboxing-1] "Terry Downes". Cyber Boxing Zone. 9 May 1936. Retrieved 13 August 2012.

[penderfavorite-2] Deane McGowen (14 January 1961). "Pender Favored to Retain Middleweight Title in Fight With Downes Tonight - RIVALS HELD FIT FOR BOSTON BOUT Pender 8-5 Choice to Beat Challenger in 15-Rounder but Briton Is Confident". Select.nytimes.com. Retrieved 13 August 2012.

[3] "The Lineal Middleweight Champions". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia. Retrieved 6 October 2017.

[Maume-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Maume, Chris (2017) "Terry Downes: The ‘whirlwind’ boxer who was king for a day and retired aged 28", The Independent, 13 October 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017

[Rawling-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Rawling, John (2017) "Terry Downed Obituary", The Guardian, 8 October 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017

[6] "Downes: The English U.S. Marine". Boxing.com. Retrieved 6 October 2017.

[sportsjournalists-7] "Tiger fight night memories prompt tears in Truro". Sportsjournalists.co.uk. 3 October 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2012.

[8] "Try, Try Again Pays Off for Terry Downes". Aberdeen Evening Express. 12 July 1961. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[9] "Paul Pender: The Middleweight Champion Time Forgot". Eastsideboxing.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.

[10] "Terry Downes Recognised". Aberdeen Evening Express. 2 August 1961. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[11] "Terry Downes and Angela Mortimer Voted Top Stars". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 7 November 1961. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[12] "Terry Downes' Future is in the Balance". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 8 October 1963. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[13] "Referee Made Mistake Says Terry Downes". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 1 December 1964. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[imdb-14] "Terry Downes". IMDb. Retrieved 6 October 2017.

[15] "Ex-Jockey Out to Win". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 5 February 1969. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[16] "Sugar Ray to Defend Title", The Age, 23 December 1958.

[17] Sandomir, Richard (2017) "Terry Downes Dies at 81; Middleweight Champion Was Britain’s Pride", The New York Times, 13 October 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

Terry Downes

Early life

Professional boxing career

Acting career

Films

Other business interests

Personal life

Professional boxing record

See also

References

External links

Read other articles:

Jabes Gaghana

Annapolis, Maryland

Paus Severinus

Macan Asia Timur

عنصر تقليدي

Thierry Aubin

217 Eudora

Remingtonocetus

List of battles involving the Republic of Venice

استخدام النباتات الفطرية التحولية في الدفاع

西遊記大結局之仙履奇緣

對習近平的負面稱呼

Ruksamin

Sir Justinian Isham, 4th Baronet

Robert Novak

The Association for Science Education

Zongzi

St.-Johannis-Schule

Brasil Ladies Cup de 2023

Fulvio Tomizza