Bruce Woodcock (boxer)
| Bruce Woodcock | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Rated at | Light heavyweight, heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 0.5 in (184 cm) |
| Reach | 72.5 in (184 cm) |
| Nationality | British |
| Born |
18 January 1921 Doncaster, England |
| Died | 21 December 1997 (aged 76) Doncaster, England |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 39 |
| Wins | 35 |
| Wins by KO | 31 |
| Losses | 4 |
Bruce Woodcock (18 January 1921 – 21 December 1997) was an English light heavyweight and heavyweight boxer from Doncaster. He held the British and Empire heavyweight titles from 1945 to 1950, and was the European heavyweight champion 1946-1949. He fought unsuccessfully for a World title in 1950.
Born in Doncaster in 1921, and raised in Balby, Woodcock took up boxing at the age of 6, and was a schoolboy champion at the age of 12. He went on to work as a railway fitter in the L.N.E.R. loco sheds, joining the attached amateur boxing club. He was trained during his early years by his father, a former British Army lightweight champion.
In 1938/39 he won the Northern Counties light heavyweight championship, qualifying for the ABA finals at the Royal Albert Hall in 1939, which he also won, beating A. Ford in the final. He represented England at the 1939 European Amateur Boxing Championships in Dublin, losing to Franciszek Szymura of Poland in the semi-final, and to Lajos Szigeti of Hungary in the third place bout.
His railway job being deemed necessary war work, he was not called up during World War II, but in the early 1940s was redeployed to Manchester, where he worked as a maintenance engineer in a shell-making plant at Dukinfield. While in Manchester he met Tom Hurst, who became his manager, and he turned professional. He began his professional career in January 1942 with a third round knockout of Fred Clarke, winning all of his first 20 bouts, 19 by stoppage, including a third round knockout of Jack Robinson to take the BBBofC Northern Area cruiserweight title in September 1942 and a win over Canadian champion Al Delaney in October 1944. He held the Northern Area title until relinquishing in October 1944.
...
Wikipedia