Terry Allen (8 June 1924 – 8 April 1987) was an English

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of b ...

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 eel, ...

. During his career, he became British, Commonwealth, European and World flyweight champion.

Family

Born in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...

, London, Allen's father was a professional boxer. His mother died when he was two, and he was raised by his grandmother. Six of his cousins were also professional boxers.

Amateur career

He started boxing when he was nine and won a schoolboy championship. During his amateur career, he won 102 out of 107 contests.

Professional career

Managed by Johnny Sharpe, Allen had his first professional fight in September 1942, at the age of eighteen. He beat Jim Thomas on points over six rounds at Caledonian Road Baths, Islington. He then proceeded to win his first thirty-two fights. In 1942, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

, and while stationed at

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandr ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

, he fought and won fifteen bouts, between May 1944 and December 1945. By late 1945, he was considered chief flyweight contender by ''Ring'' magazine. His first defeat was in May 1946, against Alex Murphy by a knockout, in the sixth round at

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 ...

. He suffered a second defeat in March 1947, when he was knocked out in the first round by

Rinty Monaghan John Joseph Monaghan (21 August 1918 – 3 March 1984) was a world flyweight boxing champion from Belfast. He became famous in the post-war period, eventually rising to become undisputed world champion and a hero to many people in his home cit ...

. In March 1948, Allen beat Dickie O'Sullivan on a disqualification to take the

BBBofC 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 ...

South East Area flyweight title. In his next fight he was beaten on points by Jackie Bryce. In February he beat Monaghan over 8 rounds, and in June 1949 beat Norman Tennant in an eliminator to get a shot in September at Monaghan's British title, with the European, Empire and world titles also at stake. They fought in Monaghan’s home town of

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

, and the result after fifteen rounds was a draw. Shortly after this fight, Monaghan retired, relinquishing his titles, and in April 1950, Allen fought Honore Pratesi of France for the vacant European and World flyweight titles. The fight was held at Harringay Arena and Allen won on points over fifteen rounds to gain both titles. In August 1950, he defended his World title against

Dado Marino Salvador "Dado" Marino (1915-1989) was a flyweight boxer from Honolulu, Hawaii, who became World flyweight champion in 1950. He also boxed as a bantamweight, and unsuccessfully fought for the World bantamweight title. Professional career He ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. The fight was held in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the islan ...

and Marino won a unanimous points decision to take the title. In October 1950, Allen lost his European title when he defended it in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

against Jan Sneyers of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. Sneyers won on points, but the British crowd thought that Allen had won, and booed the decision. In June 1951, Allen fought Vic Herman for the British flyweight title vacated by Rinty Monaghan. The fight was in Leicester and Allen won on points. In November 1951, Allen had a re-match with Dado Marino for the World flyweight title. The fight was in Honolulu, and Marino won again by a unanimous decision. In March 1952, he fought against Teddy Gardner for the British, Commonwealth and European flyweight titles. The fight was held in

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the la ...

, and Gardner won on points to take all three titles. Shortly afterwards Gardner retired leaving the titles vacant. In October 1952, Allen fought for the vacant British flyweight title, against Eric Marsden. He won the title when the fight was stopped in the sixth after Marsden collapsed. In October 1953, he had another shot at a World title when he fought

Yoshio Shirai was a professional boxer from Tokyo, Japan. He won the world flyweight title in 1952, becoming the first Japanese boxer to win a world title. Childhood and early career Shirai first boxed in elementary school, during a mock match-up against a ...

, in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. Unfortunately for Allen, the Japanese won a unanimous decision. In February 1954, Allen defended his British title against Eric Marsden, who he had beaten previously. He won again, this time on a disqualification in the fifth round. Allen was knocked out in the second round by the unbeaten

Dai Dower David William "Dai" Dower MBE (20 June 1933 – 1 August 2016), was a Welsh professional boxer who was a British, Empire and European Flyweight boxing champion, and is considered by fans and critics alike as one of the most successful Welsh bo ...

in March, and his last fight was an unsuccessful challenge for the vacant European flyweight title. He fought Nazzareno Giannelli, in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, but the Italian won on points. He was set to defend his British title against Marsden in November, but on 30 September 1954 announced his retirement from boxing.

Retirement

Allen had worked as a

barrow boy ''Barrow boy'' is a British expression with two meanings, occupational and social. Street traders since the 19th century (and perhaps earlier) sold seasonal goods (especially vegetables) from two-wheeled barrows. London street traders were called c ...

at the beginning of his boxing career, and after retiring, he was able to open his own vegetable business in Islington market.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

* * Maurice Golesworthy, Encyclopaedia of Boxing (Eighth Edition) (1988), Robert Hale Limited,
Terry Allen - CBZ Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Terry 1924 births 1987 deaths English male boxers Flyweight boxers People from Islington (district) World boxing champions Royal Navy personnel of World War II Boxers from Greater London