Errol Christie

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Errol Christie

Errol Christie in 2007
Statistics
Real name Errol Christie
Nickname(s) Thames Barrier Warrior
Rated at Middleweight
Nationality Flag of the United Kingdom British
Birth date 29 June 1963 (1963-06-29) (age 44)
Birth place Leicester, England
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 41
Wins 32
Wins by KO 26
Losses 8
Draws 1
No contests 0

Errol Christie (born 29 June 1963) is a former professional British boxer and currently a boxing trainer. He was the captain of the English boxing team from 1980 to 1983 and European champion in 1983.

Christie, born in Leicester and raised in Radford, Coventry, was a regular fixture on ITV Fight Night in the eighties. He earned the right to wear the Kronk Gym golden shorts after impressing its promoter Emanuel Steward. Christie won the overwhelming majority of his amateur and professional bouts up to 1985 when he was defeated by Mark Kaylor. After that his career went in to a tailspin until he hung up his gloves in 1993 after an eminently forgettable fight with Trevor Ambrose. He has since become a trainer to City executives engaged in the current craze for White Collar Boxing. One of his regular students is TV presenter Dermot O'Leary.

Christie is now writing a book, No Place To Hide, about racism in both the boxing game and seventies/eighties Britain in collaboration with former BBC TV producer, Tony McMahon. Both are registered with the Blake Friedmann literary agency.[1]

Contents

[edit] Amateur boxing career

At the age of eight, Errol Christie started boxing at the Standard Triumph gym in Coventry managed by Tom McGarry. Out of eighty fights in his early career, Christie lost only two and gained a reputation for early knockouts. He was Warwickshire champion in 1976, schoolboy champion in 1977, NABC champion in 1979 and senior ABA (Amateur Boxing Association of England) champion in 1981. Shortly after this, he won the European champion title and then turned professional.

Christie and boxer Lloyd Honeyghan
Christie and boxer Lloyd Honeyghan

[edit] Professional boxing career

A series of seemingly effortless wins followed Christie's decision to go professional in 1981 with new manager Burt McCarthy. He triumphed against Terry Matthews, Jimmy Ellis, Harlen Holden, Sam Leonard, Lino Cajinas, Vince Gajny, Robert Thomas, Fred Reed, Doug James, Joel Bonnetaz, Dexter Bowman, Stacy McSwain and Stan White. But in September, 1984 - Jose Seys delivered a surprise knockout which shook the young man's confidence. Seven more wins followed however before a disastrous bout with Mark Kaylor in November, 1985.

Errol Christie with veteran boxer Henry Cooper
Errol Christie with veteran boxer Henry Cooper

[edit] White collar boxing

Christie now teaches white collar boxers at Gym Box in Holborn, London. He recently coached Hugh Van Cutsem to victory at the Boodle's Boxing Ball, an event attended by Prince William and Prince Harry who The Sun and other newspapers reported were cheering on their good friend Van Cutsem - who adopted the name Hunter Van Cutsem for the night. In 2005, The Guardian and other newspapers reported an incident where another of Errol's white collar boxing students, film distributor Simon Franks, hit Hollywood actor George Clooney at the premiere of his film Good Night, and Good Luck.[2][3][4] An argument between the two men was alleged to have got out of control. Christie was quoted in The Guardian asking whether his student, Franks, had used his left hook.[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Book Clients: Errol Christie. Blake Friedmann. Retrieved on 8 December 2007.
  2. ^ Clooney is a box office hit. The Sun (2005-11-05). Retrieved on 8 December 2007.
  3. ^ Marriner, Cosima. Clooney brawl - the facts. George Clooney. Retrieved on 8 December 2007.
  4. ^ a b Marriner, Cosima (2005-12-29). Clooney 'brawl' - the facts. Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved on 8 December 2007.

[edit] External links