Nicky Piper MBE (born 5 May 1966) is a retired Welsh

super middleweight Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, super middleweight is contested between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, in which boxers can weigh between 160 pounds ( ...

and

light heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

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 ...

from

Culverhouse Cross Culverhouse Cross () is a district straddling the boundary between Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, in the Community (Wales), community of Wenvoe. The district is centred on a major traffic roundabout that links West Cardiff to the M4 m ...

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 ...

. His career was at its peak in the 1990s; he became the Commonwealth Light-heavyweight champion in 1995. He was trained by Charlie Pearson and managed by Frank Warren. Since retiring from boxing, Piper has become a notable administrator in British boxing and currently works for The City Hospice as their Corporate Partnerships Manager.

Boxing career

Piper's first professional fight is recorded as being against fellow Welshman Kevin Roper. Piper won the match in the second round via a

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

. Piper then won nine of his next ten encounters, all scheduled for either six or eight rounds. Of the ten bouts, only one, against future British Heavyweight champion Maurice Core, went the full distance, resulting in a draw. Piper stopped his other nine opponents through retirement, knockout, or technical knockout. Piper's first professional loss was to future World Cruiserweight Champion

Carl Thompson Carl Thompson may refer to: * Carl Thompson (boxer) (born 1964), British boxer * Carl Thompson (luthier) (born 1939), American luthier * Carl Thompson (heavy person) (1981–2015), heaviest man in the United Kingdom * Carl D. Thompson (1870–1949 ...

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 ...

on 4 September 1991, Piper being stopped by technical knockout in the third round. The next month, Piper was back in the ring, beating Franky Moro in a contest at the Royal Albert Hall. He completed 1991 with a sixth-round knockout over Carlos Christie. Piper won his first three fights of 1992, all on points decisions, the first of which, over Frank Eubank, was an eliminator for the British Super Middleweight title. Another eliminator for the Super Middleweight belt saw Piper stop Johhny Melfah by technical knockout in the fifth at the

G-Mex Manchester Central Convention Complex (commonly known as Manchester Central and formerly GMEX (Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre)) is an exhibition and conference centre converted from the former Manchester Central railway station in Manch ...

centre in Manchester. Piper's next fight was against WBC Super Middleweight champion

Nigel Benn Nigel Gregory Benn (born 22 January 1964), is a former British professional boxer who competed from 1987 to 1996. A two-weight world champion, he held the WBO middleweight title in 1990 and reigned as the WBC super-middleweight champion f ...

, in a challenge for the title. The twelve-round contest was held 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 ...

in London on 12 December 1992. Benn stopped Piper in the eleventh round on a technical knockout. Despite the loss to Benn, Piper's very next match was another title fight; this time for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental light heavyweight belt. The fight against Argentinean Miguel Angel Maldonando went the distance, with Piper being given the title by unanimous points decision. Two months later, on 10 April 1993, Piper successfully defended his title against

Chris Sande Christopher Joseph Sande (born 10 February 1964) is a Kenyan former professional boxer. As an amateur, he won the bronze medal in the Middleweight division at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He shared the podium with Pakistan's Hussain Sha ...

in Swansea. Piper completed the year with a victory over Trevor Ambrose, and a drawn match with Frank Rhodes. Piper started 1994 with a challenge for the WBO Light-heavyweight title, then held by Leeonzer Barber. Piper failed in his bid when he was again stopped by technical knockout, this time in the ninth round. Piper fought twice more in 1994, a win over Charles Oliver, and a failed bid for the vacant Commonwealth Light-heavyweight title, where he was beaten by Crawford Ashley. Piper's next fight was a win in an uneven contest against American Tim Bryan in June 1995, followed by a victory over John Keeton, both fights held in

. Then, on 30 September, he faced Noel Magee for the Commonwealth Light-Heavyweight title. Held at the

Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park (), also known as The Arms Park, is primarily a rugby union stadium, and also has a bowling green. It is situated in Cardiff, Wales, next to the Millennium Stadium. The Arms Park was host to the 1958 British Empire and Common ...

, the fight lasted until the ninth round, when Magee was knocked out, giving Piper his most senior belt of his career. In 1996, Piper fought in two bouts: a win over Danny Juma in Cardiff, and a successful defence of his Commonwealth belt to Bruce Scott at

Tylorstown Tylorstown () is a village and community located in the Rhondda valley, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is neighboured by the villages of Blaenllechau, Ferndale, Penrhys, Pontygwaith and Stanleytown. History By the mi ...

. The following year saw Piper's final two fights. In June he defeated Stephane Nizard in Norwich, before a title attempt for the WBO Light-heavyweight against

Dariusz Michalczewski Dariusz Tomasz Michalczewski (born 5 May 1968) is a Polish-German professional boxer who competed from 1991 to 2005. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the WBA, IBF, WBO and lineal light heavyweight titles ...

in Hanover. Piper was retired by his corner after the seventh round and soon after retired from boxing.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 26 Wins (21 knockouts, 5 decisions), 5 Losses (4 knockouts, 1 decision), 2 Draws''

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, TKO , 7 , 4 October 1997 , align=left, ,

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, Germany , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Stephane Nizard , PTS , 8 , 28 June 1997 , align=left, ,

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bruce Scott , TKO , 7 , 30 November 1996 , align=left, ,

, Wales , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Danny Juma , TKO , 2 , 26 April 1996 , align=left,

Welsh Institute of Sport Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

, Cardiff, Wales , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Noel Magee , KO , 9 , 30 September 1995 , align=left,

, Cardiff, Wales , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John Keeton , RTD , 2 , 7 July 1995 , align=left, Wales National Ice Rink, Cardiff, Wales , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tim Bryan , TKO , 1 , 17 June 1995 , align=left, Wales National Ice Rink, Cardiff, Wales , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

Crawford Ashley Crawford "Chilling" Ashley (born Gary Crawford, 20 May 1964) is an English former professional boxer who competed from 1987 to 2001. He held the European light heavyweight title twice between 1997 and 1999, the British title twice between 1991 ...

, PTS , 12 , 19 November 1994 , align=left, Wales National Ice Rink, Cardiff, Wales , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Charles Oliver , TKO , 5 , 21 September 1994 , align=left,

Star Centre Most leisure centres in Cardiff, capital of Wales, are owned by Cardiff Council. Since 2016, the running of eight formerly Council-run leisure centres has been outsourced to Greenwich Leisure Limited, operating under their 'Better' branding. Ch ...

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Wales National Ice Rink Wales National Ice Rink (WNIR) was an ice rink in Cardiff, Wales. It had a capacity of 2,700 for ice hockey and was the former home of the Cardiff Devils ice hockey team. It was opened in September 1986, and was inaugurated by Sarah, Duchess of ...

, Cardiff, Wales , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

, TKO , 9 , 10 April 1993 , align=left,

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

, Wales , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Miguel Angel Maldonado , UD , 12 , 13 February 1993 , align=left,

Free Trade Hall The Free Trade Hall on Peter Street, Manchester, England, was constructed in 1853–56 on St Peter's Fields, the site of the Peterloo Massacre. It is now a Radisson Hotels, Radisson hotel. The hall was built to commemorate the repeal of the Corn ...

, Manchester, England , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, TKO , 11 , 12 December 1992 , align=left,

, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Johnny Melfah , TKO , 5 , 25 July 1992 , align=left, G-Mex Leisure Centre, Manchester, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Larry Prather , PTS , 8 , 16 May 1992 , align=left, Alexandra Pavilion, London, England, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ron Amundsen , PTS , 10 , 11 March 1992 , align=left, Star Centre, Cardiff, Wales , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Frank Eubank , PTS , 10 , 22 January 1992 , align=left, Star Centre, Cardiff, Wales , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Carlos Christie , KO , 6 , 20 November 1991 , align=left,

, Cardiff, Wales , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Franky Moro , TKO , 4 , 29 October 1991 , align=left,

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, TKO , 3 , 4 September 1991 , align=left,

, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Simon Harris , TKO , 1 , 3 July 1991 , align=left, ,

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of Reading built-up area, its built-up area lies within the Borough ...

, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Martin Lopez , KO , 1 , 22 May 1991 , align=left, New London Arena, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Serge Bolivard , TKO , 1 , 8 May 1991 , align=left, New London Arena, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John Held , TKO , 3 , 5 March 1991 , align=left, New London Arena, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John Ellis , KO , 1 , 12 November 1990 , align=left, s,

, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Paul McCarthy , TKO , 3 , 23 October 1990 , align=left, Granby Halls,

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, England , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Maurice Core , PTS , 6 , 22 May 1990 , align=left,

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

, Saint Albans, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Darren McKenna , RTD , 4 , 17 April 1990 , align=left, New London Arena,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Dave Owens , KO , 1 , 19 December 1989 , align=left, Ocean Rooms, Gorleston, England , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Gus Mendes , TKO , 3 , 17 October 1989 , align=left,

, Wales , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Kevin Roper , KO , 2 , 6 September 1989 , align=left,

Afan Lido Sandfields () is a mainly residential district of Port Talbot, Wales. The area is located in South Wales on a narrow coastal plain between Mynydd Dinas and the sea. The M4 motorway, A48 road, A48 trunk road and South Wales Main Line run nearby. ...

Port Talbot Port Talbot (, ) is a town and community (Wales), community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which d ...

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Personal history

After his retirement from boxing, Piper became a sports commentator, primarily working for

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...

, and in 1997 a member of the

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. ...

. Piper served as Chairman of the Professional Boxing Association, and in 2005 he was awarded the MBE for his services to the sport. Piper is a member of Mensa, and currently works for The City Hospice (formerly George Thomas Hospice Care) as their Corporate Partnership Manager.

References

External links

Audio commentary of the Nicky Piper v. Nigel Benn fight from 1992
BBC.co.uk * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Piper, Nicky 1966 births Living people Welsh male boxers Super-middleweight boxers Boxers from Cardiff Members of the Order of the British Empire Mensans