Ernest "Ernie" Field (6 February 1943 – 2 May 2013) was an English

Amateur Boxing Association of England England Boxing, known until 2013 as the Amateur Boxing Association of England, is the leading Sports governing body, governing body of amateur boxing clubs in England. There are separate organisations for Scotland and Wales with boxing in North ...

amateur

middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

and professional light heavy/ cruiserweight

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 ...

and

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer who played in the 1960s. He played at club level for

Stanley Rangers Stanley Rangers (founded 1919) is an amateur rugby league club situated in the village of Stanley, West Yorkshire, Stanley near Wakefield. They are in Division One of the National Conference League. Players range from 8-years old and receive t ...

ARLFC, Wakefield Trinity ( A-Team) and Bramley, as a , or .

Background

Ernie Field was born in

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

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 ...

, England, he initially lived at Bottomboat, near

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

, later moving to Outwood, and he studied at Stanley Secondary Modern. He died at Snapethorpe Hall Care Home, Wakefield from

throat cancer Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips ( oral cancer), voice box ( laryngeal), throat ( nasopharyngeal, orophar ...

(Oropharyngeal cancer) having developed

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 ...

. Outside boxing he worked initially as a

Motor mechanic An auto mechanic is a mechanic who services and repairs automobiles, sometimes specializing in one or more automobile brands or sometimes working with any brand. In fixing cars, their main role is to diagnose and repair the problem accuratelS ...

, then as a Fitter for the

National Coal Board The National Coal Board (NCB) was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the United Kingdom's collieries on "ve ...

at Lofthouse Colliery (Wakefield),

Bouncer A bouncer (also known as a door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at licensed or sanctioned venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, strip clubs and casinos. A bouncer's duties are to provide security, to check legal ag ...

, Paviour (Paver), and general

construction worker A construction worker is a person employed in the physical construction of the built environment and its infrastructure. Definitions By some definitions, construction workers may be engaged in manual labour as unskilled or semi-skilled workers ...

Boxing career

Amateur

Ernie Field trained at the

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

& Thorpe Amateur Boxing Club (ABC), he was the

British

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

Champion, he fought internationally for the

; Sampson, David (30 Aug 2012). ''Dark Side of Shangri-la''. Format: Kindle Edition. ASIN: B008TSWAV2 including against

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

with a

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

victory over Hungarian amateur middleweight () champion Tibor Borda (born circa-1939), of

Bonyhád Bonyhád () is a town in Tolna County in Southwestern Hungary. History The area around Bonyhád has been inhabited since ancient times, primarily by Celts. The modern town can trace its history back to 14th century. The town was briefly uninhab ...

i Spartacus, at King's Hall,

Belle Vue, Manchester Belle Vue is an area of Manchester, England, sited east of the city centre; it is bordered by the Hope Valley line to the east and the Glossop line to the west. It is part of the electoral ward of Longsight. History In 1897, the machine tool ...

on Monday 11 November 1963, and fought overseas; including a tournament in

Castrop-Rauxel Castrop-Rauxel (), often simply referred to as Castrop by locals, is a former coal mining city in the eastern part of the Ruhr Area within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. Geography Castrop-Rauxel is located in Germany between Dort ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

Professional

Ernie Field's professional fighting weight varied from , i.e.

Light heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

to , i.e. Cruiserweight, managed by

Tommy Miller Thomas William Miller (born 8 January 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He was most recently the assistant manager of National League North club South Shields. He has previously played for Hartlepoo ...

, Ernie Field's first professional boxing bout took place against Louis Samuels on Monday 7 March 1966, he built-up an initial record of six wins (4

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

s), five defeats by

, and one draw by March 1967, including; a points victory over Tony Moore on the

undercard In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

of the

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 ...

versus

Henry Cooper Sir Henry Cooper (3 May 19341 May 2011) was a British heavyweight boxer. He was undefeated in British and Commonwealth heavyweight championship contests for twelve years and held the European heavyweight title for three years. In a 1963 fi ...

bout for the Heavyweight Championship of the World in front of a crowd of 46,000 at

Arsenal Stadium Arsenal Stadium was a Association football, football stadium in Highbury, London, which was the home of Arsenal F.C., Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006. It was popularly known as "Highbury" from the name of the di ...

Highbury Highbury is an area of North London, England, in the London Borough of Islington. Highbury Manor Highbury was once owned by Ranulf, brother of Ilger, and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor hou ...

on Saturday 21 May 1966, and a second-round

technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

of future

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 ...

and

British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire The B ...

light-heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

Champion

Eddie Avoth Eddie Avoth (born 2 May 1945) is a Welsh former boxer and actor. He was British and Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion, with a record of 44 wins (20 by knockout) from 53 fights. History Avoth was born in Cardiff, Wales. He was a p ...

at Wyvern Sporting Club (Midland Hotel), Manchester on Monday 30 January 1967,Boxing News (30 May 2013 Page-38). ''Boxing News – Reaching out for Wright''. Boxing News. ISBN n/a despite initially being a

, he began to be matched against

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

s, e.g. Rocky Campbell and Peter Boddington, and this resulted in a downturn in his career, losing his last seven bouts, with five by points decisions, of which four were by narrow margins, including a bout outside of the United Kingdom, against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Champion Jan Happy Pieterse at

Johannesburg City Hall Johannesburg City Hall is an Edwardian building constructed in 1914 by the Hawkey and McKinley construction company. The plan for the building was drawn in 1910 and construction was started in 1913 and finished in 1914. The Gauteng Provincial Le ...

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 ...

, South Africa on Monday 18 March 1968, his final professional bout took place against Gene Innocent on Monday 13 May 1968. Ernie Field was scheduled to compete with Ray Ako for the vacant Central (England) Area light heavyweight title at

Liverpool Stadium Liverpool Stadium was a 3,700 capacity boxing arena on St Paul's Square, Bixteth Street, Liverpool, England. It was the UK's first purpose built boxing arena. The foundation stone was laid by the Earl of Lonsdale on 22 July 1932, and it was op ...

, Liverpool on Tuesday 17 September 1968, however Ernie Field was forced to withdraw before the bout, and was replaced by Shaun Dolan, Ray Ako beat Shaun Dolan with a third-round knockout.Boxing News (13 September 1968 Page-2). ''Boxing News – Mersey Men Battle For Title Chance''. Boxing News. ISBN n/a

Amateur boxing record (incomplete)

, - , align="center" colspan=8, x Wins (x knockouts, x decisions), x Losses (x knockouts, x decisions) , - , 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=left , Win , , align=left, Tibor Borda , PTS , 3 , 11 November 1963 , align=left, King's Hall,

, Lancashire , align=left, , -

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=9, 6 Wins (4 knockouts, 2 decisions), 12 Losses (1 knockouts, 11 decisions) , - , 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", Weight Class , 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=left , Loss , , align=left, Gene Innocent , Cruiserweight , RTD , 2 of 8 , 13 May 1968 , align=left, King's Hall,

, Lancashire , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Peter Boddington ,

, TKO , 7 of 8 , 9 April 1968 , align=left, Empire Pool,

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...

, London , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Jan Happy Pieterse , Cruiserweight , PTS , 10 , 18 March 1968 , align=left,

, Gauteng, South Africa , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Des Cox , Cruiserweight , , PTS , 8 , 13 February 1968 , align=left, East India Hall,

Poplar, London Poplar is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is located five miles (8 km) east of Charing Cross and lies on the western bank of the River Lea. Poplar is identified as a major district centre in the London Plan, with its ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Rocky Campbell ,

, PTS , 8 , 15 January 1968 , align=left, Raynors Sporting Club (

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, Leicestershire , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Johnny Hendrickson , Cruiserweight , PTS , 8 , 7 May 1967 , align=left, World Sporting Club (

Grosvenor House Hotel ] JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, formerly the Grosvenor House Hotel, is a luxury hotel that opened in 1929 in the Mayfair area of London, England. Across from Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, the hotel is built on the former site of the 19th ...

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 , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Leweni Waqa , Cruiserweight , PTS , 10 , 27 April 1967 , align=left,

Colston Hall Bristol Beacon, previously Colston Hall, is a concert hall and Grade II listed building on Colston Street, Bristol, England. It is owned by Bristol City Council. Since 2011, it has been managed by Bristol Music Trust. The hall opened as a con ...

, Bristol,

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Charlie Wilson , Cruiserweight , PTS , 8 , 29 March 1967 , align=left, Manor Suite,

Porthcawl Porthcawl () is a town and community in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales. It is located on the south coast, west of Cardiff and south-east of Swansea. Historically part of Glamorgan and situated on a low limestone headland on the South ...

, Wales , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Lloyd Walford , Cruiserweight , PTS , 8 , 7 March 1967 , align=left,

Free Trade Hall The Free Trade Hall on Peter Street, Manchester, England, was constructed in 1853–56 on St Peter's Fields, the site of the Peterloo Massacre. It is now a Radisson Hotels, Radisson hotel. The hall was built to commemorate the repeal of the Corn ...

, Manchester, Lancashire , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

, Cruiserweight , TKO , 2 of 8 , 30 January 1967 , align=left, Wyvern Sporting Club (Midland Hotel), Manchester, Lancashire , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

Dave Barber David Raymond Barber (April 25, 1955 – July 4, 2015) was an American talk radio and television personality from Flint, Michigan. Born to parents of Croatian descent, Barber attended Central Michigan University. In the 1970s, Barber started his ...

, Cruiserweight , PTS , 8 , 29 November 1966 , 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 ...

, Yorkshire , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Jimmy Tibbs , Cruiserweight , PTS , 8 , 25 October 1966 , align=left,

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 ...

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, London , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Vernon Allen ,

, KO , 6 of 8 , 10 October 1966 , align=left,

, Manchester, Lancashire , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, PTS , 8 , 19 September 1966 , align=left, Wyvern Sporting Club (Midland Hotel), Manchester, Lancashire , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, PTS , 6 , 6 September 1966 , align=left, Empire Pool,

, London , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tony Moore ,

, PTS , 6 , 21 May 1966 , align=left,

, London , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Tom Calderwood ,

, PTS , 6 , 25 April 1966 , align=left, New St James Hall,

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

, Northumberland , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tom Calderwood ,

, TKO , 5 of 6 , 22 March 1966 , align=left,

Tower Circus Blackpool Tower is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. When it opened, Blackpool Tower was the tallest man-made structure in the British Empire. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in P ...

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

, Lancashire , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Louis Samuels ,

, TKO , 4 of 6 , 7 March 1966 , align=left,

Sheffield City Hall Sheffield City Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Sheffield, England in Barker's Pool, one of the city's central squares. It was built and is owned by Sheffield City Council. History The building was designed in 1920 by E. Vincent Harr ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

, align=left,

Genealogical information

Ernie Field was the son of Harry Field, and Florence 'Flo'/'Florrie' "Queenie" (née Smith), and the older brother of Richard Field, and Douglas Edward "Tiny" Field.

Funeral

Ernie Field's funeral took place at

Crematorium,

Crigglestone Crigglestone is a village and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is recorded as "Crigeston" (along with neighbouring "Orberie") in the Domesday Book. The civil parish had a population of 9,271 at the 2011 Census ...

at 1pm on Monday 20 May 2013, and was attended by family and friends, including; rugby league footballers Dave Sampson (who read the eulogy), Dean Sampson, Avis Sampson (wife of Malcolm Sampson), and Melvin Castle (husband of

Denise Castle Denise Castle (née Mellor; born 24 October 1971) is an English professional boxer and Muay Thai fighter. In Muay Thai, she has won the mini flyweight international and world titles under the WBC Muaythai banner. In boxing, she has held the WI ...

), and boxers Alan Richardson, Keith Tate, Steve Butler, and White Rose Boxing Clubhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/White-Rose-Boxing-Club/243188927925 trainer

John Hall John Hall may refer to: Academics * John Hall (NYU President) (fl. c. 1890), American academic * John A. Hall (born 1949), sociology professor at McGill University, Montreal * John F. Hall (1951–2023), professor of classics at Brigham Young Univ ...

, the funeral's entrance music was

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

In My Life "In My Life" is a song by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles, released on their 1965 studio album, ''Rubber Soul''. Credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership, the song is one of only a few in which there is dispute ...

, and the exit music was

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...

's version of

Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (or "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)") is a ballad by American rock band Green Day, released in December 1997 as the second single from their fifth studio album, ''Nimrod'' (1997). It is one of their most po ...

References

External links

*
Tributes to middleweight boxing champion Ernie Field

Ernie Field at facebook.com

Search for "Ernie Field" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

Search for "Ernie Fields" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

Search for "Ernest Field" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

Search for "Ernest Fields" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Field, Ernest 1943 births 2013 deaths Bramley R.L.F.C. players Cruiserweight boxers English male boxers English rugby league players Light-heavyweight boxers Middleweight boxers Rugby league centres Rugby league locks Rugby league players from Wakefield Sportspeople from Wakefield 20th-century English sportsmen