Ernest Alfred Izzard (25 February 1905 – December 1970) was a British

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 was British

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

champion between 1924 and 1925 and went on to fight for European and British Empire titles.

Career

Born in

Herne Hill Herne Hill () is a district in South London, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Camberwell, Dulwich, and Tulse Hill. It sits to the north and east of Brockwell Park and straddles the boundary between the London ...

, Izzard was nicknamed "The Herne Hill Hairpin" and began his professional career in 1920. Initially a

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

, he was a contender for the British title at that weight and beat Jack Alexander in a title eliminator in February 1924. He moved up to lightweight and, after beating Tommy McInnes and Alf Mancini, fought

Jack Kirk Jack Kirk (February 19, 1895 – September 13, 1948) was an American film actor from Missoula, Montana who had roles in over 300 films, mostly B-westerns, from 1926 and 1954. He is interred in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles ...

in November 1924 for the vacant British title, winning on points over twenty rounds. He successfully defended the title in April 1925 against Teddy Baker, and two months later faced Harry Mason with Izzard's British and Mason's European lightweight titles at stake; Izzard retired at the start of the ninth round, giving Mason both titles. He had three further fights that year - wins over Belgian champion Henri Dupont and Rene Kelly and a loss by fourth-round knockout to

Ernie Rice John Tomasso (17 November 1896 – 1979), better known as Ernie Rice, was a British boxer who was British and European lightweight champion between 1921 and 1922. After retiring from boxing he became an actor, appearing in several films and tel ...

. Izzard appeared in newspaper advertisements endorsing Virol (a bone-marrow preparation) in the mid 1920s, stating that having been born with a weight of only 3lbs and 2oz, taking the product had turned him into a championship boxer. In 1928 he travelled to Australia for a series of fights starting with a draw with Charlie Purdy in January, a win over Irishman Bob Miller in April, and a win over Purdy in May. In June he challenged Tommy Fairhall for the British Empire lightweight title at the

Sydney Stadium The Sydney Stadium was a sporting and entertainment venue in Sydney, which formerly stood on the corner of New South Head Road and Neild Avenue, Rushcutters Bay. Built in 1908, it was demolished in 1970 to make way for the construction of ...

, losing on points over fifteen rounds. Izzard continued to fight regularly until the end of 1930. He had one drawn fight in 1931, four fights in 1932, then was out of the ring for three years before returning for two fights in 1935 before retiring. In a career in which he had at least 126 fights, he won 95, 31 by knockout. In 1932 he was appointed to the position of boxing coach for the

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

Boxing Club. Ernie Izzard died in December 1970, aged 65.

References

External links

Career record
at boxrec.com
Career record
at boxinghistory.org.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Izzard, Ernie 1905 births 1970 deaths English male boxers Featherweight boxers Lightweight boxers People from Herne Hill Boxers from the London Borough of Southwark 20th-century English sportsmen