Lloyd Honeyghan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lloyd Honeyghan
Statistics
Nickname(s)	Raggamuffin
Rated at	Welterweight Light-middleweight
Height	5 ft 9 in
Reach	68 in
Nationality	British
Born	(1960-04-22) 22 April 1960 (age 65) Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	48
Wins	43
Wins by KO	30
Losses	5

Lloyd Honeyghan (born 22 April 1960) is a famous British former professional boxer. He competed from 1980 to 1995. Lloyd was known as the "Raggamuffin" because of his tough, streetwise style. He became the undisputed welterweight champion in 1986. This means he held all the major world titles in his weight class at the same time. He also won the WBC and The Ring magazine welterweight titles. Before becoming a world champion, he held British, European, and Commonwealth welterweight titles.

Early Life and Boxing Start

Lloyd Honeyghan was born in Jamaica. He moved to England when he was nine years old. He joined his parents in Bermondsey, London. Lloyd started boxing at age 11 with the Fisher Amateur Boxing club. He was a good amateur boxer. He even boxed for England. In 1980, he decided to become a professional boxer.

Becoming a Professional Boxer

Lloyd Honeyghan started his professional boxing journey in 1980. His first fight was a win against Mike Sullivan. He won his first 13 fights in a row! This showed everyone he was a rising star. In 1983, he won an important fight against Lloyd Hibbert. This set him up to challenge for the British welterweight title. Soon after, he won the Southern Area welterweight title. He knocked out Sid Smith in the fourth round.

Winning the British Welterweight Title

On April 5, 1983, Lloyd Honeyghan won the British welterweight title. He beat Cliff Gilpin in a tough 12-round fight. Lloyd said this was one of his hardest fights. He stayed very busy that year. He fought in the United States and beat Kevin Austin. He also defeated Harold Brazier in London. He ended 1983 by beating Cliff Gilpin again.

In 1984, Lloyd only fought once. He beat Roberto Mendez. During this time, he had to have surgery on his hand.

Becoming European Champion

On January 5, 1985, Lloyd won the European welterweight title. He achieved this by knocking out Gianfranco Rosi in Italy. This was a big win because it's hard for a foreign boxer to win in Italy. Lloyd then beat R W Smith. He had a very busy year in 1985. He defeated three American boxers: Roger Stafford, Danny Paul, and Ralph Twinning.

Lloyd later changed managers. He started working with Mickey Duff. He also got a new trainer, Bobby Neill. Lloyd finished 1985 by winning the British, European, and Commonwealth welterweight titles. He beat Sylvester Mittee in a big fight.

In May 1986, Lloyd stopped Horace Shufford in eight rounds. This win earned him a chance to fight for the world title. He was set to face the unbeaten world champion, Donald Curry.

Becoming Undisputed World Champion

On September 27, 1986, Lloyd Honeyghan fought Donald Curry. This fight was for the undisputed welterweight title. It took place in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA. Most people thought Curry would win easily. He was considered one of the best boxers in the world. But Lloyd Honeyghan caused a huge upset!

Lloyd dominated the fight. He almost knocked Curry down in the second round. Curry's face was badly cut and his nose was broken. Curry's team stopped the fight at the end of the sixth round. Lloyd Honeyghan became the new undisputed welterweight champion!

Before the fight, Curry had called Lloyd a "ragamuffin." This was because Lloyd came to the press conference in casual clothes. Lloyd liked the name and used it as his nickname. It meant he was a tough, streetwise fighter.

After winning the world title, Lloyd decided not to keep one of the belts. He disagreed with the WBA's rules. They allowed fights in South Africa, which had unfair laws at the time. Lloyd famously threw the WBA belt into a trash can in London. This was a strong statement. Soon after, the WBA stopped allowing fights in South Africa.

Defending His Titles

After becoming world champion, Lloyd changed his fighting style. He became known for attacking his opponents right from the start. He wanted to knock them out quickly! He once said, "You don't get paid for overtime in this business."

In his first title defense, he fought Johnny Bumphus. Lloyd tried to hit Bumphus right when the second round started. He missed, but the force of his arm knocked Bumphus down. Lloyd had a point taken away, but he still won the fight. After this, boxing rules were changed. Now, the referee stands in the middle of the ring at the start of each round. This makes sure both fighters are ready before punches are thrown.

In his second defense, Lloyd beat the unbeaten Maurice Blocker. Lloyd became a fan favorite with his exciting style. He also had one of the fastest world title wins ever. He knocked out Gene Hatcher in just 45 seconds! His manager, Mickey Duff, praised him, saying Lloyd was one of the most dedicated fighters he had ever worked with.

Losing and Regaining the Titles

In 1987, Lloyd controversially lost his WBC title to Jorge Vaca. The fight was stopped because Vaca got a cut from an accidental clash of heads. The rules at the time led to Vaca winning. Many fans felt the decision was unfair.

But Lloyd made history! He became only the second British boxer ever to regain a world title. In a rematch with Jorge Vaca, Lloyd knocked him out in the third round. He won back his WBC welterweight title!

Lloyd then defended his title against Yung-Kil Chung. He won in five rounds in July 1988.

In February 1989, Lloyd lost his WBC title again. He fought Marlon Starling, a tough opponent. Lloyd was stopped in the ninth round after a difficult fight. He continued to box, but he was not as strong as before.

In 1990, he fought Mark Breland for the WBA title. Lloyd was stopped in the third round.

Later Career and Retirement

In 1991, Lloyd moved up to a heavier weight class called super-welterweight. He won six fights in a row. In 1993, he won the Commonwealth super-welterweight title. He beat Mickey Hughes. However, he was stopped by former world champion Vinny Pazienza later that year.

Lloyd continued to fight until 1995. He retired after a fight against Adrian Dodson. This fight was on the same night as a very famous match between Nigel Benn and Gerald McClellan.

Life Outside the Ring

Before becoming a full-time boxer, Lloyd Honeyghan worked as an apprentice printer. He worked on Fleet Street, where national newspapers were printed.

Lloyd was friends with famous American boxer Mike Tyson. When Tyson visited England, Lloyd showed him around. Tyson was impressed by Lloyd's fighting style. He said Lloyd was "mean and nasty" and didn't fight like other British boxers.

In 2014, there was a small incident at a boxing dinner. Lloyd had a disagreement with his former friend, Errol Christie. Frank Bruno had to step in to calm things down.

A block of flats in Southwark, London, was named after Lloyd Honeyghan. This was to honor his achievements in boxing.

In recent years, Lloyd has faced health challenges. In 2017, he had a heart attack. In 2020, he suffered a blood clot on his lung. Due to a car accident, Lloyd now uses a wheelchair.

Business Ventures

Towards the end of his boxing career, Lloyd got involved in the music business. He produced two CDs featuring reggae artists.

Like many boxers, Lloyd faced financial difficulties after his career. He had owned expensive cars and properties. However, he was declared bankrupt in 1994.

After retiring from boxing, he tried being a boxing manager and promoter. He put on some boxing shows in South London. But it was hard to make money without TV support. He eventually stopped promoting fights.

Professional Boxing Record

See also

• List of welterweight boxing champions
• List of WBA world champions
• List of WBC world champions
• List of IBF world champions
• List of The Ring world champions
• List of undisputed boxing champions