Paul Sykes (boxer)
| Paul Sykes | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Paul Sykes |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6′ 3″ |
| Nationality | British |
| Born |
23 May 1946 Wakefield, England |
| Died | 7 March 2007 (aged 60) Wakefield, England |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 10 |
| Wins | 6 |
| Wins by KO | 4 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Draws | 1 |
Paul Sykes (23 May 1946 – 7 March 2007) was a British heavyweight boxer, weightlifter, writer, prisoner and debt collector.
Sykes was born 23 May 1946 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire to Walter Sykes and Betty Barlow. He grew up on the Lupset council estate and boxed at the Robin Hood and Thorpe Amateur Boxing Club. He is also known to have boxed at White Rose Boxing Club, Thornes Wharfe, Wakefield where, amongst others, he dotted John Taylor.
Sykes displayed considerable talent at an early age which, with his size and ability to move, made him formidable. However, he also began drinking heavily at a young age. When he was 16 he went to Germany to fight and the night before was carried out of a bar. Unsurprisingly, he lost.
Sykes's adult life was peppered with alcohol abuse, petty robberies, violent crime and prison. Nonetheless, during a brief period of rehabilitation, he fought ten bouts as a professional boxer between 1978 and 1980. In his sixth fight, Sykes knocked American David Wilson unconscious and continued to hit him relentlessly as he draped over the ropes, before the referee managed to pull him away. Wilson was put on a life support machine and needed a month in hospital to recover
Sykes' career peaked in June 1979 when he lost a British and Commonwealth title fight to John L. Gardner at Wembley. This proved to be an evenly matched contest as it entered the sixth round, though the younger Gardner's stamina proved too much for the 33-year-old Sykes, and the fight was stopped when Sykes turned his back, clearly overwhelmed by Gardner's onslaught. Gardner was seven years younger than Sykes (Gardner referred to Sykes after the fight as "an old man"), and this was his thirty-first professional fight; in contrast, Sykes had entered the fight after just eight professional bouts. Sykes still holds the record for being the British Heavyweight title challenger with fewest professional fights, having effectively been fast tracked by people involved with the sport who had been convinced of his potential. Despite many years in prison, such was the level of interest that Sykes generated on starting his belated boxing career following his release in 1978, that he found himself in promotional photographs with Don King and Larry Holmes, and also travelled to the United States to stand in as a sparring partner for Leon Spinks. Sykes was a bodyguard to Alec Steene, and sparred the future champion David Pearce Sykes' manager, the highly respected Tommy Miller later said, "Paul could have gone right to the top, quite easily .. he impressed everybody", but "he was always in trouble one way or another, he'd always loads of worry on his mind."
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