Ron Barton (25 February 1933 – 4 June 2018) was a British
boxer who was British
light-heavyweight
Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional
In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiser ...
champion in 1956 and also fought for the commonwealth title.
Career
Born in
West Ham
West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham.
The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancient ...
, London, Barton served in the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
and worked at
Smithfield Market
Smithfield, properly known as West Smithfield, is a district located in Central London, part of Farringdon Without, the most westerly ward of the City of London, England.
Smithfield is home to a number of City institutions, such as St Barth ...
, and was
ABA
ABA may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
Broadcasting
* Alabama Broadcasters Association, United States
* Asahi Broadcasting Aomori, Japanese television station
* Australian Broadcasting Authority
Education
* Académie des Beaux- ...
middleweight champion as an amateur, also representing Britain at the 1953 European Boxing Championships in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...
.
He began his professional career in February 1954 and won all twelve of his fights that year. In January 1955 he beat
Arthur Howard in an eliminator for the British light-heavyweight title at the
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
.
He also won his next six fights, including victories over former Spanish champion
Ramon Martinez and Canadian champion
Yvon Durelle
Yvon Durelle (October 14, 1929 – January 6, 2007), was a Canadian champion boxer. He was of Acadian descent.
Early life
From a family of fourteen children, Yvon Durelle grew up in Baie-Ste-Anne, a small Acadian fishing village on Miramich ...
, before suffering his first defeat in November 1955 to Italian middleweight champion
Alessandro D'Ottavio on points. He fought D'Ottavio again in January 1956, this time taking the points decision.
In March 1956 he faced
Albert Finch for the British light-heavyweight title at the
Harringay Arena
Harringay Arena was a sporting and events venue on Green Lanes in Harringay, North London, England. Built in 1936, it lasted as a venue until 1958.
Construction
Harringay Arena was built and owned by Brigadier-General Alfred Critchley under ...
, stopping the defending champion in the eighth round. Three months later he fought
Gordon Wallace for the commonwealth title vacated by
Randolph Turpin
Randolph Adolphus Turpin (7 June 1928 – 17 May 1966), better known as Randy Turpin, was a British boxer in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1951 he became world middleweight champion when he defeated Sugar Ray Robinson. He was inducted into the Inter ...
at
Clapton Greyhound Track Clapton may refer to:
People
* Clapton (surname)
* Eric Clapton (born 1945), English blues rock guitarist
Places
*Clapton, London, an area of East London, closely analogous to the E5 (Clapton) postcode district of the E postcode area divided int ...
; Barton was knocked down four times but the fight went the full 15-round distance, with Wallace winning on points. Barton announced his retirement from boxing after the fight.
Barton went on to work at
Smithfield Market
Smithfield, properly known as West Smithfield, is a district located in Central London, part of Farringdon Without, the most westerly ward of the City of London, England.
Smithfield is home to a number of City institutions, such as St Barth ...
.
[Batchelor, Kevin (2019) "Ron Barton, a Belated Epilogue", ''Boxing News'', 9 July 2019, p. 12]
In February 1958 Barton was seriously injured in a car crash in which one person was killed.
[Barton's Birthday]
, ''Singapore Free Press
''The Singapore Free Press'' was an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore.
History
The paper was founded as Singapore's second English-language newspaper by William Napier, Edward Boustead, Walter Scott Lorrain and ...
'', 12 March 1958, p. 14. Retrieved 12 March 2015
Three years after his defeat to Wallace, Barton returned to the ring. He won his first four fights in 1959 but lost three of his last four before retiring in 1961. He won 26 and lost 5 of his 31 fights.
In 1983, Barton suffered a brain haemorrhage, leaving him with short term memory problems, but after 15 months off work he returned to his market job, until finally retiring aged 63.
He died on 4 June 2018, aged 85.
References
External links
*
Career recordat boxinghistory.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barton, Ron
1933 births
2018 deaths
English male boxers
Boxers from Greater London
Light-heavyweight boxers