James T. Cable (7 September 1957
— 15 August 2020), also known by the
nickname
A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
of "Jimmy", was an
English professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...
light middleweight
Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in boxing but also may include other combat sports.
Boxing
The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the Intern ...
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 ...
. In the 1980s, Cable won the Southern (England) Area light middleweight title, the British light middleweight title, and the
EBU
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...
(European)
light middleweight title.
Background
Cable was born in
Penge
Penge () is a suburb of South East Greater London, London, England, now in the London Borough of Bromley, west of Bromley, north east of Croydon and south east of Charing Cross.
Etymology
The name ''Penge'' is first attested in charter of ...
. During his professional boxing career he worked as a
painter and decorator
A house painter and decorator is a tradesperson responsible for the painting and decorating of buildings, and is also known as a decorator, or house painter.''The Modern Painter and Decorator'' volume 1 1921 Caxton The purpose of painting is t ...
.
Boxing career
Amateur
Cable first starting boxing for Orpington & District ABC, before moving to Fitzroy lodge as a senior.
Cable was the president of Orpington & District ABC until 1995
Professional
Early career
Cable began his professional career on 18 November 1980, when he outpointed Mick Miller over six rounds at the
York Hall
The York Hall, officially known as York Hall Leisure Centre, is a multi-purpose indoor arena and leisure centre in Bethnal Green, London. The building opened in 1929 and it is most famous as an international boxing venue with the first nights o ...
,
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common la ...
. He won his next thirteen contests, including a win over
Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, silent screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...
, before being knocked out in two rounds by the
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
n-born,
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
-based veteran Horace McKenzie 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 ...
on 17 March 1982. He recovered to win his next four contests before being narrowly outpointed by the former British light-middleweight champion
Jimmy Batten at the Albert Hall in February 1983. He then won his next six contests including 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
Nick Wilshire in May 1983 when he had recovered from two knockdowns to win on points.
British and European championships
Cable won the vacant British Light-Middleweight title in February 1984 by outpointing Nick Wilshire over twelve rounds by 118
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 ...
to 117 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 ...
. The ''
Glasgow Herald
''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...
's'' correspondent described it as a victory for the "
rapier
A rapier () is a type of sword originally used in Spain (known as ' -) and Italy (known as '' spada da lato a striscia''). The name designates a sword with a straight, slender and sharply pointed two-edged long blade wielded in one hand. It wa ...
" over the "bludgeon".
A month after winning the British title at the Albert Hall, Cable was matched against the American
Buster Drayton
Moses Buster Drayton (March 2, 1952 – November 20, 2022) was an American boxer who won the IBF world title at light middleweight (154 lb). Drayton turned pro in 1978 and won the vacant IBF light middleweight title with a decision win over Ca ...
at the same venue. Drayton, who had been acting as a sparring partner to
Marvin Hagler
Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler; May 23, 1954 – March 13, 2021) was an American professional boxer. He competed in boxing from 1973 to 1987 and reigned as the undisputed champion of the middleweight division from 1980 t ...
knocked Cable down in 45 seconds of the first round and ended the fight with a "sweeping"
left hook 40 seconds later to inflict the third defeat of Cable's career. Drayton later won the
IBF championship at the same weight.
In May Cable travelled to
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
in France to challenge for the
EBU
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...
light middleweight title against
Said "Freddy" Skouma. Cable won the title by knocking out his French opponent in the eleventh round. Cable reign as European champion lasted just over four months: on 28 September he was outpointed over twelve rounds by
Georg Steinherr in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
.
Cable successfully defended his remaining championship belt in February 1985 at the
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is an entertainment and sports venue in North London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. A listed building, Grade II listed building, it is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and th ...
, outpointing Gary Cooper, a
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
boxer who went on to win the same title in 1988.
Three months later, Cable defended his British title against the former champion
Prince Rodney at
Hastings
Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...
Pier Ballroom. Cable lost his title and was knocked out in less than two minutes of the first round.
Later career
After the loss of his titles, Cable continued to box under a
British Boxing Board of Control
The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom.
History
The British Boxing Board of Control was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff. ...
license until 1988, recording three wins, two draws and four defeats.
Unlicensed boxing
After his retirement from professional boxing, Cable had some success as an
unlicensed boxer. He claimed to have earned more money winning an unlicensed bout in
Streatham
Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth.
Streatham was in Surrey ...
in 1993 than he had done in winning the British championship against Wilshire.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cable, Jimmy
1957 births
2020 deaths
English male boxers
Light-middleweight boxers
People from Penge
Boxers from the London Borough of Bromley