- Errol Christie
Infobox_Boxer|name=Errol Christie
realname=Errol Christie
caption= Errol Christie, 2007
nickname="Thames Barrier Warrior"
weight=Middleweight
height=
reach=
nationality= flagicon|UK British
birth_date=Birth date and age|1963|6|29|df=y
death_date=
birth_place=Leicester ,England
home=Lewisham, England
style=Orthodox
total=41
wins=32
KO=26
losses=8
draws=1
no contests=0|Errol Christie (born
29 June 1963 ) is a former professional British boxer and currently a boxing trainer. He was the captain of the Englishboxing team from 1980 to 1983 andEurope an champion in 1983.Christie, born in
Leicester and raised inRadford, Coventry , was a regular fixture on "ITV Fight Night" in theeighties . He earned the right to wear theKronk Gym golden shorts after impressing its promoterEmanuel Steward . Christie won the overwhelming majority of his amateur and professional bouts up to 1985 when he was defeated by Mark Kaylor. After that his career went in to a tailspin until he hung up his gloves in 1993 after an eminently forgettable fight with Trevor Ambrose. He has since become a trainer to City executives engaged in the current craze forWhite Collar Boxing . One of his regular students is TV presenterDermot O'Leary .Christie is now writing a book, "No Place To Hide", about
racism in both the boxing game andseventies /eighties Britain in collaboration with formerBBC TV producer, Tony McMahon. Both are registered with the Blake Friedmann literary agency. [cite web |url= http://www.blakefriedmann.co.uk/bookClients/_348/|publisher = Blake Friedmann |title = Book Clients: Errol Christie|date = | accessdaymonth = 8 December |accessyear = 2007]Amateur boxing career
At the age of eight, Errol Christie started boxing at the Standard Triumph gym in
Coventry managed by Tom McGarry. Out of eighty fights in his early career, Christie lost only two and gained a reputation for early knockouts. He wasWarwickshire champion in 1976, schoolboy champion in 1977, NABC champion in 1979 and senior ABA (Amateur Boxing Association of England ) champion in 1981. Shortly after this, he won the European champion title and then turned professional.Professional boxing career
A series of seemingly effortless wins followed Christie's decision to go professional in 1981 with new manager Burt McCarthy. He triumphed against Terry Matthews, Jimmy Ellis, Harlen Holden, Sam Leonard, Lino Cajinas, Vince Gajny, Robert Thomas, Fred Reed, Doug James, Joel Bonnetaz, Dexter Bowman, Stacy McSwain and Stan White. But in September, 1984 - Jose Seys delivered a surprise knockout which shook the young man's confidence. Seven more wins followed however before a disastrous bout with Mark Kaylor in November, 1985.
White collar boxing
Christie now teaches white collar boxers at Gym Box in
Holborn ,London . He recently coached Hugh Van Cutsem to victory at theBoodle's Boxing Ball, an event attended byPrince William andPrince Harry whoThe Sun and other newspapers reported were cheering on their good friend Van Cutsem - who adopted the name Hunter Van Cutsem for the night. In 2005,The Guardian and other newspapers reported an incident where another of Errol's white collar boxing students, film distributor Simon Franks, hit Hollywood actorGeorge Clooney at the premiere of his filmGood Night, and Good Luck . [cite web |url= http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article191047.ece|publisher =The Sun |title = Clooney is a box office hit|date = 2005-11-05| accessdaymonth = 8 December |accessyear = 2007] [cite web |url= http://www.maxboxing.com/Groves/Groves081506.asp|publisher =George Clooney | first = Cosima |last = Marriner|title = Clooney brawl - the facts|date = | accessdaymonth = 8 December |accessyear = 2007] cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2005/dec/29/3 |publisher =Guardian Unlimited |title = Clooney 'brawl' - the facts |date = 2005-12-29| first = Cosima |last = Marriner|accessdaymonth = 8 December |accessyear = 2007] An argument between the two men was alleged to have got out of control. Christie was quoted in The Guardian asking whether his student, Franks, had used his left hook.References
External links
* [http://errolchristie.co.uk Christie's official website]
*
*More information on Errol Christie at the British boxing website [http://www.britishboxing.net/boxers_21709-Errol-Christie.html]
*Christie v Kaylor fight - more details on the Max Boxing site [http://www.maxboxing.com/Groves/Groves081506.asp]
*Video promo for Errol's new book onYouTube [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ5iWjKLdI0]
* [http://www.abae.co.uk/honour/junior/junior/1970/index.asp ABA National Junior Championships]
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