Alan Minter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alan Minter
Minter in 2005
Statistics
Nickname(s)	Boom Boom, Minty
Rated at	Middleweight
Height	5’10”
Reach	71 in
Nationality	British
Born	(1951-08-17)17 August 1951 Penge, Bromley, London, England
Died	9 September 2020(2020-09-09) (aged 69) Guildford, Surrey, England
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	49
Wins	39
Wins by KO	23
Losses	9
No contests	1
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Bronze 1972 Munich Light-middleweight

Alan Sydney Minter was a famous British professional boxer. He was born on August 17, 1951, and passed away on September 9, 2020. Alan competed in boxing from 1972 to 1981. He was known as "Boom Boom" or "Minty."

In 1980, Alan Minter became the undisputed middleweight boxing champion. This means he held all the major world titles at once. Before that, he was the British middleweight champion from 1975 to 1976. He also won the European middleweight title twice. As an amateur boxer, Alan won a bronze medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics.

Growing Up: Alan Minter's Early Life

Alan Minter was born in Penge, a town in London, England. His mother, Anne, was from Germany, and his father, Syd, worked as a plasterer. His family later moved to Crawley, a town in West Sussex.

When Alan was 11, he joined the Crawley Boxing Club. He trained hard there under his coaches, John Hillier and Dougie Bidwell.

Alan Minter's Amateur Boxing Career

Alan Minter started his boxing journey as an amateur. In 1970, he competed in the European Junior Championships. He lost his first fight to Vyacheslav Lemeshev from the Soviet Union.

In 1971, Alan became the Amateur Boxing Association of England Middleweight Champion. This win helped him get chosen to represent the UK in the 1972 Olympics.

Winning an Olympic Medal

Alan Minter won a bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics. He competed in the light-middleweight category. In the semifinal, he lost a very close fight to Dieter Kottysch from West Germany. Many people thought Alan should have won. Kottysch went on to win the gold medal.

Here are Alan Minter's results from the 1972 Munich Olympics:

• Round of 64: He had a bye (didn't have to fight).
• Round of 32: He won against Reggie Ford from Guyana by knockout in the second round.
• Round of 16: He won against Valeri Tregubov from the Soviet Union by a decision of 5–0.
• Quarterfinal: He won against Loucif Hamani from Algeria by a decision of 4–1.
• Semifinal: He lost to Dieter Kottysch from West Germany by a decision of 2–3. He was still awarded a bronze medal.

Alan Minter's Professional Boxing Journey

Alan Minter turned professional in 1972. He started his professional career with an amazing 11 straight wins! His very first professional fight was on October 31, 1972, in London. He won by knockout in the sixth round against Maurice Thomas.

Alan won his first five fights by knockout. Then, on January 16, 1973, he fought Pat Dwyer and won on points. He continued to win five more fights, three of them by knockout. His first loss came when the referee stopped the fight due to cuts Alan suffered.

Ups and Downs in the Mid-1970s

The year 1974 was a mix of wins and losses for Alan. He beat Tony Byrne but lost to Ricky Torres due to cuts. He also had a fight with Jan Magdziarz that ended in a "no contest." This means the fight didn't have a winner or loser. He finished the year with a win in Germany.

In 1975, Alan won four fights in a row. By the end of the year, he challenged Kevin Finnegan for the British Middleweight title. Alan won the title after a 15-round fight.

In 1976, he won six more fights, making it ten wins in a row! He defended his British title twice against Billy Knight and Kevin Finnegan. He also beat strong opponents like Tony Licata and Olympic gold medalist Sugar Ray Seales. These wins helped Alan become one of the top ten middleweight boxers in the world.

European Title and Tough Fights

In 1977, Alan won the European Middleweight title. He beat Germano Valsecchi by knockout in Italy. However, his winning streak ended in his next fight when he lost to Ronnie Harris. Alan then bounced back by beating former world champion Emile Griffith. But he lost his European title to Gratien Tonna. He ended 1977 by beating Kevin Finnegan for the third time to keep his British title.

The year 1978 was memorable for Alan. He won all three of his fights. In February, he won his first fight in the United States by knocking out Sandy Torres. Then, he went back to Italy and won the European Middleweight title again. He beat Angelo Jacopucci in 12 rounds. Alan finished 1978 by winning against Gratien Tonna, who had beaten him before.

Becoming a World Champion

In 1979, Alan Minter won all four of his fights. On March 16, 1980, he got a chance to fight for the World Middleweight Championship. He faced Vito Antuofermo in Las Vegas. Alan won the title after a very close 15-round fight. Three months later, in London, Alan fought Antuofermo again. He successfully defended his world title.

On September 27, 1980, Alan Minter's time as world champion ended. He lost to 'Marvelous' Marvin Hagler in London. The fight was stopped in the third round because of cuts Alan had. After the decision, there was a big disagreement among the crowd.

Alan Minter fought one more time in 1981, winning against Ernie Singletary. But after losing to Mustafa Hamsho and Tony Sibson, he decided to retire from boxing.

Alan Minter finished his professional boxing career with a great record. He had 39 wins, 9 losses, and 1 no contest. Out of his wins, 23 were by knockout.

Alan Minter's Passing

Alan Minter passed away in September 2020. He was 69 years old and died from cancer in Guildford, England.

Professional Boxing Record

See Also

In Spanish: Alan Minter para niños

• List of middleweight boxing champions
• List of WBC world champions