Frederick Webster (18 June 1908 – 1971) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

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 eel, ...

who was a three time British amateur champion and competed in the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

. As a professional he held the British lightweight title between 1929 and 1930.

Career

From

Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town. Less than four miles north of central London, Kentish Town has good transport connections and is situated close to the open ...

, Fred Webster was a member of the St. Pancras Boxing Club. Webster was a British amateur champion in three different weight classifications (

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. Bra ...

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, this ...

, and

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

) in successive years from 1926 to 1928, a feat not matched until

Joe Calzaghe Joseph William Calzaghe ( ; born 23 March 1972) is a Welsh former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2008. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the unified WBA (Undisputed), WBC, IBF, WBO, '' Ring'' magazi ...

won his third title in 1993. At the 1928 Summer Olympics he was eliminated in the second round of the lightweight class after losing his fight to

David Baan David ("Dave" or "Daaf") Baan (30 June 1908 – 17 July 1984) was a male lightweight boxer from the Netherlands, who, at the age of 19, represented his native country at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. He was born in Rotterdam, Netherl ...

of the Netherlands. He subsequently turned professional, winning his first pro fight against Charles Ernst in October 1928. He went on to beat George Rose and British lightweight champion

Sam Steward Sam Steward (born 1906) was a British boxer who was British lightweight champion between 1928 and 1929. Career Born in Lewisham, London, Sam Steward made his professional boxing debut in January 1922 with a decision over Rube Painter. After wi ...

in January 1929. He drew with

Jack Hyams Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...

in March before challenging for Steward's title in May, taking a points decision to become British champion in only his sixth pro fight. He defended the British title in May 1930 against

Al Foreman Al Foreman (3 November 1904 in London – 23 December 1954), was a British-born boxer of the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s who in the last four years of his career won the Canadian lightweight title, British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) Briti ...

, with the British Empire title also at stake; Foreman knocked him out in the first round to take both titles. Webster had some notable wins in the years that followed, including victories over

Harry Corbett Harry Corbett OBE (28 January 1918 – 17 August 1989) was an English magician, puppeteer and television presenter. He was best known as the creator of the glove puppet character Sooty in 1952. Biography Corbett was born in Bradford, W ...

Len "Tiger" Smith Len or LEN may refer to: People and fictional characters * Len (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lén, a character from Irish mythology * Alex Len (born 1993), Ukrainian basketball player * Mr. Len, American hip hop DJ *L ...

, Harry Mason,

Billy Bird Billy Bird (1 January 1899 – 6 February 1951) was a British professional boxer who was active from 1920 to 1948 and boxed in the welterweight division. He fought a recorded 356 times in his 28 year-career and was regarded as one of the most ...

, Rose again, and

Pat Butler Pat Butler (16 May 1913 – 7 March 2001) was a British boxer who won the British welterweight title in 1934. Career Born in Rothley, Leicestershire, Butler was a grocer's assistant before he began his professional career at the age of 18 with ...

, but never again fought for a title. A defeat to Mason in July 1933 started a run of eight fights of which he won only two, and Webster retired from boxing after losing to Johnny Rust in September 1934. Webster married Grace Lilian Hodgson in February 1932.

References

External links

Career record
at BoxingHistory.org.uk * 1908 births 1971 deaths Lightweight boxers Olympic boxers of Great Britain Boxers at the 1928 Summer Olympics English male boxers Boxers from Greater London {{England-boxing-bio-stub