Gordon Ferris (born 21 November 1952) is a
Northern Irish
The people of Northern Ireland are all people born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British Nationality Law, British citizen, an Irish nationality law, Irish citizen or is otherwis ...
former
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 ...
boxer who was both Irish and British champion in the early 1980s.
Career
Born in
Enniskillen
Enniskillen ( , from , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 14,086 at the 2011 censu ...
, Northern Ireland, and a
lock-keeper
A lock keeper, lock tender, or lock operator looks after a canal or river lock (water transport), lock, operating it and if necessary maintaining it or organizing its maintenance. Traditionally, lock keepers lived on-site, often in small purpose-b ...
by trade,
[Jack Magowan: Great Irish heavyweights are few and far between]
, ''Belfast Telegraph
The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media, which also publishes the Irish Independent, the Sunday Independent and various other newspapers and magazines in Ireland. Its e ...
'', 6 December 2008. Retrieved 28 September 2014 Ferris had a distinguished amateur career, winning a bronze medal at the
1974 Commonwealth Games and five Irish amateur titles.
['Boxing stopped me going off the rails']
", '' The Impartial Reporter'', 22 October 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2014
After missing out on selection for the
1976 Olympic Games, Ferris took the decision to turn professional and made his pro debut in December 1977 with a win over Keith Steve Johnson. He won 14 of his first 18 pro fights, leading to a final eliminator for the British heavyweight title in September 1980 against
Tommy Kiely, with the Irish and Northern Ireland Area titles also at stake; He won on points over 12 rounds, leading to a fight with
Billy Aird for the vacant British title. He won by a 15-round points decision to become British champion.
[Ferris the New Champion Heavy]
, '' Glasgow Herald'', 31 March 1981, p. 28. Retrieved 28 September 2014 He lost the title in his first defence, against
Neville Meade in October 1981, losing by a first-round knockout.
He attempted to get another shot at the title but was beaten in a final eliminator in June 1982 by
David Pearce, after which he retired from boxing.
He subsequently ran pubs in
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
and
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferris, Gordon
1952 births
Living people
Male boxers from Northern Ireland
Heavyweight boxers
Sportspeople from Enniskillen
Boxers at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Northern Ireland
Medallists at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games
Boxers from County Fermanagh
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in boxing