Bruce Wells

Infobox_Boxer


name=Bruce Wells
imagesize=
realname=Bruce Wells
nickname=
weight=Welterweight
nationality= Flagicon|England English|
birth_date=birth date and age|1933|7|7
birth_place=Harlesden, London
style=Orthodox
total=388
wins=385
losses=3

Bruce Albert Wells (7 July1933 - present )was born in Harlesden, London.He is an amateur boxer.

His career win count is 385 - 3.

After moving to Reading as a boy, he joined the local Reading Aero Boxing Club and readily took to the game. He went on to win Junior ABA Welterweight titles in 1949 and 1950, and also claimed the Gold Star beating the late, great Joe Erskine.

In 1951 he made his international debut at Belle Vue against the USA, completely outplaying New Yorker, Randy Sandy and dominating the proceedings with his long left lead.

Wells started 1953 in fine style, chalking up a victory against Ireland at the Royal Albert Hall, following two successes in Denmark, before he attempted to win the ABA Championships.

On 24th April he outscored Scotland's Len Mullen in a semi final at Wembley, and later that evening was crowned ABA light Middleweight champion, outpointing Brixton eel-dresser Roy Francis, who was to become one of Britain's best known referees.

Fortified by ABA success, Wells, along with six other ABA champions, which included a young Henry Cooper, headed for the European Amateur Boxing Championships in Warsaw, and eventually clinched Gold, beating Polish National Hero Zbigniew Pietrzykowski,who was himself to go on and win a total of four European titles.

1953 was also a great year outside the ring, as on 10th December, Wells was honoured as one of the Sport Writers Association, Sportsman of the year, along with Don Cockell, Sir Stanley Matthews, Alec Bedser, Jim Peters and Mike Hawthrown. In 1954 Wells went on to retain his ABA Crown outpointing Irishman Andy Keogh in the final at Wembley, before captaining the European team in the prestigious International Golden Gloves matches in the USA , outclassing Art Glass and Leslie Temple in Chicago and St Louis respectively.

At the end of July, Bruce flew to Vancouver for 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, reaching the semi final. A horrendous head on clash after only two minutes and ten seconds of the bout ruled both men out of the championships, although Wells gained the verdict and the Bronze medal, by reason of majority point decision. Wells eye injury later required eight stitches and was forced to withdraw from the tournament.

Plagued by weight problems and difficulties outside the ring, Wells suffered his third and final reverse to West Germany's Hans Reinhart in an International match at Wembley.

After stepping up to Middleweight, his last major bout was to be against the formidable Olympic and European Champion, Stalingrad's Gennadiy Shatkov. Although the Great Britain team was drubbed 8-2 in the International competition, Wells won his bout, outpounting Schatkov over three rounds.

After retiring from competitive boxing, Wells became a stunt artist, working on various films and TV productions, although in 1977 he participated in a charity boxing exhibition bout with the Great Muhammad Ali, during a visit to South Shields, UK.

TV/Film credits

*"Doctor Who" "Day of the Daleks"
*"The Wrong Arm of the Law"
*"The Criminal"
*"Minder" "Rocky Eight and a Half"

References

*Chris Kempson - "Bruce Wells still walking tall" Boxing Monthly, March 1991(Volume 2, issue 11).
*Chris Kempson - "Golden Greats" Amateur Boxing Scene - May 1992.
*Michael Tanner - Ali In Britain.
*Ivan Berenyi - "Bruce Wells Story" - Amateur Boxing - April 1982 - Vol 2.
*Wilfred Smith - Chicago Daily Tribune - 20th May 1954 / 22nd May 1954.

External links

* [http://www.eaba.ru/results/?PHPSESSID=4ce28a4aecb663d4e4edb880549c0f40 European Amateur Boxing Records]
* [http://www.abae.co.uk/Honour/Senior/national/index.asp National ABA Boxing Records]
* [http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=9cc65173-37ad-47c1-ab84-818c54513c45 Footage of 1977 Exhibition Bout with Ali in South Shields]