Matt Skelton

Matt Skelton
Born	Matthew Skelton 23 January 1967 (1967-01-23) (age 44) Bedford, England
Other names	The Bedford Banger[1] The Bedford Bear
Residence	Bedford, England
Nationality	English
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	249 lb (113 kg; 17.8 st)
Division	Heavyweight
Style	Boxing, Kickboxing
Stance	Orthodox
Trainer	Kevin Sanders
Professional boxing record
Total	31
Wins	25
By knockout	20
Losses	6
By knockout	3
Kickboxing record
Total	71
Wins	63
By knockout	57
Losses	8
By knockout	3
Mixed martial arts record
Total	1
Wins	0
Losses	1
By submission	1
Other information
Boxing record from Boxrec
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: September 16, 2009

Matt Skelton (born 23 January 1967 in Bedford) is an English boxer who changed sports from kickboxing. He is a former English, British, Commonwealth and European Heavyweight champion. He has also held the lightly regarded WBU "World" Heavyweight title.

Biography

Skelton did not become a professional boxer until fairly late in life, his first fight being at the age of 35. Prior to this he had been a professional kickboxer.

Kickboxing

Skelton has a kickboxing/muay thai record of 63-8/57. He won an International Kickboxing Federation IKF World Title when he stopped Jeff Ford (USA) at 1:51 of the second round in Northampton, England on 26 November 2000.

In his first defense of the IKF World Title on 18 November 2001, in Northampton, England, he defeated Peter Varga (Hungary) by TKO at 53 seconds of round 3.

Skelton, in a K-1 primary tournament K-1 WORLD GP 2001 in Melbourne in Australia, 16 June 2001, knocked out Paris Vasilikos (Greece) at 2:05 of the first round in the quarter final match. And he also beat Michael McDonald (Canada) by third round decision (3-0) in the semi-final match. He was beaten, however, by Ernesto Hoost of the Netherlands by a third round decision (2-0) in the tournament final^[1].

Skelton's record in K-1 is ten wins and seven losses.

During his time as kickboxer and muay thai fighter, Skelton trained with the well known Eagles Gym under the highly regarded and respected Nigel Howlett.

Professional wrestling

Skelton has competed in one shoot-style pro-wrestling bout - a loss to Kazuo Yamazaki for Akira Maeda's Universal Wrestling Federation on 10 January 1989 at Budokan Hall, Tokyo, Japan.^[2]

Mixed martial arts

Matt Skleton has had one Mixed martial arts fight. On 3 November 2001, at a Pride FC event named PRIDE 17, he lost via choke to wrestler Tom Erikson at 1:11 of the first round.

Boxing

As a professional boxer, he was initially dismissed by purists as an unrefined slugger lacking the required skill to achieve at the very top, but his powerful style has proved extremely successful under the tutelage of renowned trainer Frank Maloney.

He turned pro aged 35 in September 2002 with a two round KO of Gifford Shillingford. From this point he was moved along quickly, in 2003 scoring stoppages of respected veterans Jacklord Jacobs, Antoine Palatis, and ex-British champ Michael Holden, among others.

In 2004, he took his first serious step up, at 11-0 taking on ex-British and Commonwealth champion Julius Francis, who he outpointed over 10 rounds. He won the British and Commonwealth titles in his next fight, stopping Michael Sprott in 12 rounds, and defending the titles against the durable Keith Long, who he stopped in 11.

In 2005, Skelton won the lowly regarded WBU belt with a 6th round knockout of Fabio Moli. Skelton soon vacated the belt, and began to enjoy a higher profile when his promoter Frank Warren took all his fighters to ITV for exposure on terrestrial free-to-air television.

Skelton was due to defend his British title against his main rival Danny Williams in July 2005, but Williams pulled out at the last minute citing a case of the flu, a decision that prompted scorn from Williams' promoter Frank Warren. Skelton stopped late sub Mark Krence in 7 rounds, and scored a 1st round knockout of John McDermott to finish the year, whereupon he vacated his British title, having defended it three times.

In February 2006, Skelton finally fought Williams, and lost on split decision handing him his first pro defeat.

In July 2006, he regained his Commonwealth title by easily outboxing Williams.

Skelton was due to defend his title against Audley Harrison in December 2006, but the fight didn't take place.

Instead, the fight against Michael Sprott for the second time was rescheduled for 14 July 2007, in which Skelton defended his title in a 12 round battle.

Matt Skelton faced WBA Heavyweight Champion Ruslan Chagaev on 19 January 2008 in Düsseldorf. Skelton fought bravely, but the superior boxing skills of his opponent were too much, and he succumbed to a unanimous points decision after 12 rounds.

Skelton fought Paolo Vidoz for the vacant European Heavyweight Title on 19 December 2008. Vidoz, exhausted, stopped fighting in round nine, but his corner refused to throw the towel. Skelton, recognizing this fact, refused to knock out the tormented Vidoz and even asked for the referee to quit the match.

Skelton chose to defend the Commonwealth title rather than the European title against undefeated brawler Martin Rogan, who had been completely unknown before upsetting Audley Harrison in his previous fight. On 28 February 2009, Rogan scored another upset by defeating Skelton by TKO11.

On 19 September 2009, Skelton challenged for the so-called EU title (not the European title) against undefeated Italian southpaw Francesco Pianeta. Skelton lost the fight after failing to come out for the 9th due to a hand injury suffered earlier in the fight. In January 2010, he lost to Bulgarian top prospect Kubrat Pulev.

In July 2010, Skelton ended his run of defeats when he knocked out journeyman Lee Swaby in round 5. Later in the year he competed in the Prizefighter series where he outpointed novice Ali Adams and Mike Tyson conqueror Kevin McBride before a split decision loss to Michael Sprott, Sprott avenging his losses to Skelton in their two previous encounters.

Vacant Title last held by Sinan Samil Sam

EBU Heavyweight Champion 19 December 2008 - 28 February 2009

Vacant Title next held by Albert Sosnowski

Professional boxing record

25 Wins (20 knockouts, 5 decisions), 6 Losses, 0 Draws[3]
Res.	Record	Opponnent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes
Lose	25-6	Michael Sprott	SD	3 (3)	2010-10-09	York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England	Prizefighter final
Win	25-5	Kevin McBride	UD	3 (3)	2010-10-09	York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England	Prizefighter semi-final
Win	24-5	Ali Adams	UD	3 (3)	2010-10-09	York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England	Prizefighter quarter-final
Win	23-5	Lee Swaby	TKO	5 (6) 1:00	2010-07-09	York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England
Lose	22-5	Kubrat Pulev	KO	4 (8) 2:14	2010-01-30	Jahnsportforum, Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Lose	22-4	Francesco Pianeta	RTD	8 (12) 3:00	2009-09-19	Jahnsportforum, Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany	Lost EBU-EU (European Union) Heavyweight Title Shot
Lose	22-3	Martin Rogan	TKO	11 (12) 1:21	2009-02-28	National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, West Midlands, England	Lost Commonwealth (British Empire) Heavyweight Title Skelton cut over the left eye in Round 5 Skelton down once in the 11th
Win	22-2	Paolo Vidoz	RTD	9 (12) 3:00	2008-12-19	PalaLido, Milan, Lombardia, Italy	Won vacant EBU (European) Heavyweight Title
Lose	21-2	Ruslan Chagaev	UD	12 (12)	2008-01-19	Burg-Waechter Castello, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany	WBA World Heavyweight Title
Win	21-1	Michael Sprott	MD	12 (12)	2007-07-14	O2 Arena, Greenwich, London, England	Retained Commonwealth (British Empire) Heavyweight Title
Win	20-1	Danny Williams	UD	12 (12)	2006-07-08	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	Won Commonwealth (British Empire) Heavyweight Title
Win	19-1	Suren Kalachyan	KO	4 (8) 0:38	2006-04-01	York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England
Lose	18-1	Danny Williams	SD	12 (12)	2006-02-25	ExCel Arena, Dockland, London, England	Lost Commonwealth (British Empire) Heavyweight Title Shot
Win	18-0	John McDermott	TKO	1 (12) 1:19	2005-12-10	ExCel Arena, Dockland, London, England	Retained BBBofC British Heavyweight Title
Win	17-0	Mark Krence	TKO	7 (12) 3:00	2005-07-16	Bolton Arena, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England	Retained BBBofC British Heavyweight Title
Win	16-0	Fabio Eduardo Moli	TKO	6 (12) 2:14	2005-02-25	Conference Centre, Wembley, London, England	Won vacant World Boxing Union Heavyweight Title Moli down once in the 1st round and down 3 times in the 6th round.
Win	15-0	Keith Long	TKO	11 (12) 2:45	2004-11-19	York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England	Retained BBBofC British Heavyweight Title Retained Commonwealth (British Empire) Heavyweight Title
Win	14-0	Bob Mirovic	TKO	4 (12)	2004-06-05	York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England	Retained Commonwealth (British Empire) Heavyweight Title Mirovic down twice.
Win	13-0	Michael Sprott	KO	12 (12)	2004-04-24	Rivermead Leisure Centre, Reading, Berkshire, England	Retained BBBofC British Heavyweight Title Won Commonwealth (British Empire) Heavyweight Title
Win	12-0	Julius Francis	Points	10 (10)	2004-02-07	York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England	Retained BBBofC British Heavyweight Title
Win	11-0	Patriche Costel	KO	1 (8)	2003-11-15	Oberfrankenhalle, Bayreuth, Bayern, Germany
Win	10-0	Ratko Draskovic	TKO	3 (8)	2003-10-25	Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland
Win	9-0	Costi Marin	TKO	1 (10)	2003-10-11	Mountbatten Centre, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Win	8-0	Mike Holden	TKO	6 (10) 0:32	2003-09-18	Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Dagenham, Essex, England	Won vacant BBBofC British Heavyweight Title
Win	7-0	Antoine Palatis	TKO	4 (6)	2003-07-17	Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Dagenham, Essex, England
Win	6-0	Dave Clarke	TKO	1 (6)	2003-05-15	Marriott Hotel, Mayfair, London, England
Win	5-0	Alexey Varakin	KO	2 (6)	2003-04-08	York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England
Win	4-0	Jacklord Jacobs	TKO	4 (6)	2003-02-18	York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England
Win	3-0	Neil Kirkwood	TKO	1 (6)	2002-12-08	York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England
Win	2-0	Alvin Miller	TKO	1 (6)	2002-10-27	Elephant & Castle Centre, Southwark, London, England
Win	1-0	Gifford Shillingford	KO	2 (6)	2002-09-22	Elephant & Castle Centre, Southwark, London, England	Professional Debut

Professional kickboxing record

63 Wins (57 knockouts, 0 submission, 6 decisions), 8 Losses, 0 Draws
Res.	Record	Opponnent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes
Win	63-8	George Arias	Decision	3 (3)	2002-08-10		Ichigelki (promoted by Kyokushin karate)
Win	62-8	Peter Varga	TKO	3 (3) 0:53	2001-11-18	Northampton, England	Retained International Kickboxing Federation PRO Muay Thai World Super Heavyweight Title
Lose	61-8	Lloyd Van Dams	Decision	1 (3)	2001-08-08	Marine Messe, Fukuoka, Japan	K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Fukuoka
Lose	61-7	Ernesto Hoost	Decision	3 (3)	2001-06-16	Vodafone Arena, Melbourne, Australia	K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Melbourne Final
Win	61-6	Michael McDonald	Decision	3 (3)	2001-06-16	Vodafone Arena, Melbourne, Australia	K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Melbourne Semi-Final
Win	60-6	Paris Vasilikos	KO	2 (3) 1:51	2001-06-16	Vodafone Arena, Melbourne, Australia	K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Melbourne Quarter-Final
Win	59-6	Jeff Ford	KO	2 (3) 1:51	2000-11-26	Northampton, England	Won International Kickboxing Federation PRO Muay Thai World Super Heavyweight Title
Lose	58-6	Francisco Filho	KO	2 (3) 2:36	2000-08-20	Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan	K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Yokohama Semi-Final
Win	58-5	Alexey Ignashov	Decision	3 (3)	2000-08-20	Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan	K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Yokohama Quarter-Final
Win	57-5	Ricky Nicklson	KO	3 (3) 1:10	2000-04-16	Aston Villa Leisure Center, Birmingham, England	K-1 UK Battle of Britain 2000 Final
Win	56-5	Mark Russell	Decision	3 (3)	2000-04-16	Aston Villa Leisure Center, Birmingham, England	K-1 UK Battle of Britain 2000 Semi-Final
Win	55-5	Gary Turner	Decision	3 (3)	2000-04-16	Aston Villa Leisure Center, Birmingham, England	K-1 UK Battle of Britain 2000 Quarter-Final
Lose	54-5	Jérôme Le Banner	KO	1 (3) 1:59	1999-08-05	Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan	K-1 World Grand Prix '99 Opening Round
Lose	54-4	Loyd Van Dams	Decision	3 (3)	1999-06-20	Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan	K-1 Braves '99 Semi-Final 1 Extra Round
Win	54-3	Jan Nortje	Decision	3 (3)	1999-06-20	Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan	K-1 Braves '99 Quarter-Final
Lose	53-3	Peter Aerts	KO	4 (5) 3:00	1999-04-25	Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan	K-1 Revenge '99
Lose	53-2	Sam Greco	Decision	5 (5)	1998-09-27	Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan	K-1 World Grand Prix '98 Opening Round
Win	53-1	Masaaki Satake	TKO	1 (3) 2:06	1998-07-18	Nagoya Dome, Nagoya, Japan	K-1 Dream '98
Win	52-1	Ray Sefo	TKO	2 (3) 3:00	1998-05-24	Marine Messe, Fukuoka, Japan	K-1 Braves '98
Win	51-1	Jan Nortje	TKO	3 (3) 0:47	1998-04-09	Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan	K-1 Kings '98

Professional MMA record

0 Wins (0 knockouts, 0 submission, 0 decisions), 1 Losses, 0 Draws[4]
Res.	Record	Opponnent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes
Lose	0-1	Tom Erikson	Submission Front Strangle Choke	1 (3) 1:51	2001-11-03	Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan	Pride 17: Championship Chaos

Career

• Kickboxing
  • IAMTF World championship Super Heavyweight winner
  • IKF-PRO World Super Heavyweight Champion
  • WKO Muay Thai World Super Heavyweight Champion
  • IKO World Heavyweight Champion
  • 2000 K-1 UK Battle of Britain winner
  • 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix in Melbourne runner up
• Boxing
  • British Heavyweight champion
  • Commonwealth (British Empire) Heavyweight champion

References

1. ^ "It's now or never for the Bedford Banger". Bedford Today. Johnston Press. 2008-01-10. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
2. ^ Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 23 January 1989
3. ^ http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=141021&cat=boxer
4. ^ http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Matt-Skelton-3156

External links

• Professional boxing record for Matt Skelton from BoxRec
• Profile at K-1
• Professional MMA record for Matt Skelton from Sherdog
• International Kickboxing Federation Official Site

Persondata
Name	Skelton, Matt
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	23 January 1967
Place of birth	Bedford, England
Date of death
Place of death