Andy Straughn (born 25 December 1959) is a British former

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

who won three consecutive ABA titles, represented the UK at the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

and went on to a professional career which included winning the British cruiserweight title.

Amateur career

Born in

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

in 1959, Straughn moved to England with his family when he was 10.Gill, Nick (2012)
Arlesey boxer: Competing at the Olympics ‘changed my life’
, ''The Comet'', 11 August 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2015 He learned to box at the Hitchin Youth Amateur Boxing Club and went on to a successful career as an amateur, which included winning

ABA ABA may refer to: Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, United States * Asahi Broadcasting Aomori, Japanese television station * Australian Broadcasting Authority Education * Académie des Beaux- ...

light-heavyweight titles in 1979, 1980, and 1981, and representing the UK at the 1980 Summer Olympics in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

1980 Olympic results

Below is the record of Andy Straughn, a British light heavyweight boxer who competed at the 1980 Moscow Olympics: * Round of 16: lost to David Kvachadze (Soviet Union) referee stopped contest

Professional career

He turned professional in 1982 and won seven of his first eight fights, the other a draw with Ian Lazarus. He travelled to the United States in 1984 where he suffered his first defeats, to Arthel Lawhorne and Tim Bullock. Back in the UK he was unbeaten in his next eight fights, leading to a fight against

Tee Jay Taju Akay (21 January 1962 – 19 May 2006), known professionally as Tee Jay, was a Ghanaian-born British boxer. After fighting for Ghana at the 1984 Olympic Games he turned professional and went on to become British cruiserweight champion. Ca ...

in October 1986 for the British cruiserweight title vacated by Sammy Reeson. Straughn won narrowly on points to become British champion. His first defence came in February 1987 against Roy Smith, with Smith taking the title on points. Straughn then fought Glenn McCrory in an eliminator for the title, losing after a cut eye forced a stoppage in the tenth round. When McCrory vacated the title, Straughn was again matched with Tee Jay and took a points decision to become British champion for a second time in November 1988. This time his first defence was against

Johnny Nelson Ivanson Ranny "Johnny" Nelson (born 4 January 1967) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1986 to 2005, and has since worked as a boxing analyst. He is currently the longest reigning world cruiserweight champion of all time, ...

and again Straughn lost the title, Nelson stopping him in the eighth round in May 1989. In March 1990 Straughn challenged Derek Angol for the Commonwealth cruiserweight title 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 ...

;Boxing
, ''

Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...

'', 27 February 1990. Retrieved 9 March 2015 Angol stopped Straughn in the eighth round. This proved to be Straughn's final fight.

References

External links

Career record
at boxrec.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Straughn, Andy 1959 births Living people Barbadian emigrants to the United Kingdom British male boxers Sportspeople from Hitchin Cruiserweight boxers Boxers at the 1980 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers for Great Britain