Jimmy Revie Explained

Jimmy Revie
Weight:Super featherweight, featherweight
Nationality:British
Birth Date:1947 7, df=yes
Birth Place:Stockwell, London, England
Style:Southpaw
Total:48
Wins:38
Ko:23
Losses:9
Draws:1

Jimmy Revie (born 8 July 1947) is a British former boxer, who held the British featherweight title between 1969 and 1971, and unsuccessfully challenged for the European title in 1971.

Career

Born in Stockwell, London, Revie made his professional debut with fifth round stoppage of Brian Gullefer in September 1966.

In November 1967 he stopped Hugh Baxter in an eliminator for the British junior lightweight title, going on to challenge champion Jimmy Anderson in February 1968. Having won all his previous 13 fights inside the distance, Revie suffered his first defeat to Anderson, being stopped in the ninth round.[1]

Revie dropped down to featherweight,[2] and won his next six fights, setting up a shot at the British title vacated by Howard Winstone against former British Empire champion John O'Brien.[3] The fight, in March 1969, ended in Revie's favour when the referee stopped it at the end of the fifth round due to injuries to O'Brien's eyes.[4] He was considered a contender for Johnny Famechon's world title, but never got the chance to fight for it.[5] [6] Revie had five non-title fights before his first defence. In October 1969 he beat European champion Tommaso Galli via a points decision, winning by half a point. Despite suffering a cut above his eye in the Galli fight, he followed this with a points win by the same margin over Ecuadorian champion Miguel Herrera 12 days later, which saw him booed out of the ring by an unimpressed crowd at the Royal Albert Hall,[7] and a third half-point win over Algerian Ould Makloufi in November. He suffered his second professional defeat in April 1970 when he was stopped in the second round by Tunisian Tahar Ben Hassen.

Revie's first defence of the British title came in September 1970, beating Alan Rudkin at the Empire Pool, Wembley, the margin again just half a point.

In January 1971, Revie challenged for José Legra's European title at the Anglo-American Sporting Club in Piccadilly.[8] The fight went the full 15 rounds, with Legra retaining the belt by unanimous decision.[9]

In July 1971, Revie made the second defence of his British title against Evan Armstrong at Grosvenor House, Mayfair; With Revie well ahead on points, Armstrong knocked him out in the twelfth round to take the title.[10]

Revie won his next seven fights before defeating Vernon Sollas in a British title eliminator in March 1974.[11] After Armstrong had vacated, Revie faced Sollas again in March 1975 at the Royal Albert Hall for the vacant title;[12] Sollas controversially stopped Revie towards the end of the fourth round, Sollas having hit Revie while he was down.[13] Revie fought six more times, winning only twice, his last two fights defeats at the hands of Jim Watt in March 1976, and Charlie Nash two months later.

Revie had an acting role in Jim Goddard's 1980 film King Billy, playing Leon Cole.[14]

Notes and References

  1. News: Big Chance for Revie . Coventry Evening Telegraph . 20 February 1968 . 23 December 2017 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  2. News: Revie, Cullen Seek Titles . Birmingham Daily Post . 5 April 1968 . 23 December 2017 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  3. News: Youthful Revie Can Take Vacant Crown . Coventry Evening Telegraph . 24 March 1969 . 23 December 2017 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  4. News: Revie New British Champion . Birmingham Daily Post . 25 March 1969 . 23 December 2017 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  5. News: This Fight Would Cause an Uproar . Coventry Evening Telegraph . 26 April 1969 . 23 December 2017 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  6. News: Let's Have Less of the Ballyhoo! . Sports Argus . 16 August 1969 . 23 December 2017 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  7. News: Revie is Booed Out of Ring After Points Win . Birmingham Daily Post . 15 October 1969 . 23 December 2017 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  8. News: Revie Can Take Title From Legra . Aberdeen Evening Express . 23 January 1971 . 23 December 2017 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  9. Bunce, Steve (2017) Bunce's Big Fat Short History of British Boxing (Kindle edition), Transworld Digital, ASIN B01KUHG9R0
  10. Donald, Brian (2017) "Evan Armstrong", The Herald, 11 July 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017 via pressreader.com
  11. News: Just How Good Is Sollas? . Sports Argus . 24 August 1974 . 23 December 2017 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  12. News: British Title Chance for Sollas . Aberdeen Evening Express . 24 March 1975 . 23 December 2017 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  13. Boxing News, 4 April 1975. Retrieved 23 December 2017
  14. "King Billy (1980)", British Film Institute. Retrieved 23 December 2017