Sammy McCarthy
| Sammy McCarthy | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) |
Featherweight Lightweight |
| Nationality | British |
| Born |
5 September 1931 Stepney, London, England |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 53 |
| Wins | 44 |
| Wins by KO | 26 |
| Losses | 8 |
| Draws | 1 |
Sammy McCarthy (born 5 September 1931) is a British former boxer who was British featherweight champion between 1954 and 1955 and also fought for the British lightweight title and the European and British Empire featherweight titles.
Born one of ten children in Stepney, London to a costermonger father, McCarthy was a boyhood friend of Terry Lawless, and had a successful amateur career fighting out of St. George's Gym in Stepney, winning 83 of 90 fights and representing England four times.
He turned professional under managers Jarvis Astaire and Ben Schmidt, and made his pro debut in April 1951 with a first round knockout of Hector Macrow. He was unbeaten in his first 28 fights, which included wins over Freddie King, Jackie Turpin, Ronnie Clayton, and Jim Kenny. In December 1952 he was chosen as the best young fighter of the year by the Boxing Writers Club. He suffered his first defeat in October 1953 when he was beaten on points at the Royal Albert Hall by future World champion Hogan "Kid" Bassey. He also lost his next fight, to former European champion Ray Famechon, before challenging for the European title himself when he faced Jean Sneyers at the Harringay Arena in February 1954. Sneyers won on points to retain the title.
McCarthy beat Teddy Peckham in April before challenging for the British title that Clayton had held for almost 7 years in June 1954 at White City Stadium. Clayton retired at the end of the eighth round due to impaired vision, giving McCarthy the title, and Clayton was forced to retire from boxing after the fight due to his injuries. McCarthy won four more fights that year, the last a points victory over Roy Ankrah in December. In January 1955 he made his first defence of the British title against Billy "Spider" Kelly, with Kelly's British Empire title also at stake. The fight went the full 15 rounds, with Kelly winning on points.
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