Augustus T. Platts (24 October 1891 – 4 December 1942) 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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

boxer who was British and European

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.

Career

Platts' first known fight was in 1910. His first defeat came in December that year to Kid Vinton. After building up an impressive record, he won the Yorkshire welterweight title in September 1911. In November that year he beat Johnny Basham on points. Undefeated in 1912, he lost in April 1913 to future World welterweight champion Tom McCormick. After a Summer fighting in the US, he fought McCormick again in September, this time winning a 20-round points decision. He travelled to Australia for a series of fights in early 1914. In May 1915 Platts, at the time a Private in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

was arrested after a match against Sergeant McCusker after absenting himself without leave to take part in the fight. In August 1915 he beat Tom Gummer and in December 1916 he drew with Basham. In November 1917 he beat Noel "Boy" McCormick after the latter broke a bone in his hand punching Platts. Platts won the European middleweight title in February 1921, beating Ercole de Balzac in the 7th round. He defended the title successfully against Gummer a month later, taking the British title in the process. He lost both titles in May that year after losing to Johnny Basham on points at the

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 ...

. He again made the trip to the US where he lost to

Mike McTigue "Bold" Mike McTigue (November 26, 1892 – August 12, 1966) was the light heavyweight boxing champion of the world from 1923 to 1925. Early years Michael Francis McTigue (Mike McTigue) was born in Lickaun, Kilnamona, in County Clare, Ireland, ...

among others. He fought Balzac again in January 1922, this time losing to the Frenchman, and continued until May that year, his last fight a defeat to Rene DeVos in

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

. Platts had a part in the 1922 film '' The Referee'' playing a boxer, credited as 'Gus Platz'. He made a comeback to boxing in 1927, winning his first fight back against fellow veteran Harry Reeve. After a loss to Con O'Kelly and a win over Rocky Knight, his final fight was a loss to future British heavyweight contender Don Shortland on 7 March. In a career of over 200 fights, Platts was never knocked out.Mullan, Harry (1997)
Boxing: From Spice Boy to man of the world
, ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', 20 April 1997. Retrieved 30 November 2014 After retiring from boxing, Platts had a successful career as a

wrestler Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves diffe ...

, his first match being in April 1932. He went on to become a boxing manager and promoter, and also a referee. Platts married Grace Gite and after retiring from boxing was a

publican The (Latin ; Greek τελώνης ''telōnēs'') were public contractors in the Roman Republic and Empire. In their official capacity, they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed the collection of port duties, and oversaw pub ...

, running a public house in Petre Street in Sheffield, before moving to

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

where he ran the White Hart Inn in Glasshouse Street. Gus Platts died on 4 December 1942 in a Nottingham hospital after a long illness;"Sheffield Telegraph Obituaries 1850 - c. 1970 Surnames P - T", sheffield.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2014 he was 51. His funeral was held at

Wilford Hill Wilford Hill is the highest point in West Bridgford, giving views of the Trent Valley as far as Newark-on-Trent. It is listed as having an elevation of 87m and a prominence of 49m. The area has historic significance due to its prominence and t ...

References

External links

Gus Platts career record
boxinghistory.org.uk
''In Training'' (1921)

British Pathé 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 cultur ...

- footage of Platts and George Cook training {{DEFAULTSORT:Platts, Gus 1891 births 1942 deaths Military personnel from Sheffield British Army personnel of World War I British Army soldiers Burials in Nottinghamshire Boxers from Sheffield English male boxers Middleweight boxers Articles containing video clips 20th-century English sportsmen