Andy Morris (boxer)
Encyclopedia
Andy Morris is an English boxer
who currently fights in the Featherweight division. He is a former holder of the English and British featherweight titles and has fought for the British super featherweight title. Morris also competed in the 2002 Commonwealth Games and won bronze fighting in the lightweight category.
boxer ensuring a record of 9-0 at the end of 2004. On 20 May 2005 Morris won the English title with a victory over Rocky Dean
at the Elephant and Castle in Southwark.
for the vacant British title at the Braehead Arena
in Glasgow
winning via unanimous decision over 12 rounds. He made a successful first defence of the title defeating the then undefeated Rendall Munroe
again in Scotland
with the location this time being in Edinburgh
. On 9 December 2006 Morris made a second defence against previous victim Simpson
and suffered his first defeat when a bad cut forced the fight to be called off handing victory to Simpson. On 7 September 2007 Morris got a chance to regain his title at the Grosvenor House in Mayfair and lost for the second time to Simpson with the fight this time being called off in the 7th round.
, Morris took some time off from the ring saying that he needed time to analyze the defeat and what he could do to change things. He eventually returned with a victory over Youssef Al Hamidi on 27 March 2009. Two more wins followed in 2009 against Jesus Garcia Simon and Pierre Francois Bonicel before being given the opportunity in 2010 to fight once more for the British title although this time up at super featherweight. His opponent for the championship bout on 5 March 2010 was Dewsbury's
Gary Sykes
who had earned the shot following an eliminator win against Manchester's Anthony Crolla
. The fight, in Huddersfield
, ended in a unanimous but very close points victory for the undefeated Sykes and a third career defeat for Morris. Reflecting on the tight nature of the contest Sykes said after the fight "It was a real close decision and a tough fight for me" Morris rebounded from the defeat with a win over Georgian
boxer Nugzar Margvelashvili on 24 May 2010, making light work of his opponent and saying that he was "hungry for another shot" at the British title.
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
who currently fights in the Featherweight division. He is a former holder of the English and British featherweight titles and has fought for the British super featherweight title. Morris also competed in the 2002 Commonwealth Games and won bronze fighting in the lightweight category.
Early Pro Career
Morris had his first professional contest in January 2003 when he scored a points win over Jason Nesbitt at the Guild Hall in Preston. Four more fights that year resulted in four more victories giving Morris an unbeaten record of 5-0 at the end of his debut year. The following year saw another four wins for the ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
boxer ensuring a record of 9-0 at the end of 2004. On 20 May 2005 Morris won the English title with a victory over Rocky Dean
Rocky Dean
Rocky Dean is a British professional boxer from Thetford in Norfolk, England. He is a former Southern Area champion at Featherweight and has twice competed for the full British title at Super Bantamweight.-Early Professional Career:...
at the Elephant and Castle in Southwark.
British Featherweight champion
On 5 November 2005 Morris challenged Scotland's John SimpsonJohn Simpson (boxer)
John Simpson , is a professional boxer. He is a featherweight, and current British Featherweight Champion. He is also the Former Commonwealth champion.-Professional career:...
for the vacant British title at the Braehead Arena
Braehead Arena
The Braehead Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Renfrewshire, Scotland, in the western part of the Glasgow conurbation. The arena was built in 1999, and is located within the Braehead Complex....
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
winning via unanimous decision over 12 rounds. He made a successful first defence of the title defeating the then undefeated Rendall Munroe
Rendall Munroe
Rendall Munroe is an English super bantamweight boxer. Munroe currently resides in Leicester and is the WBA International Super Bantamweight champion. He is also a former holder of the EBU and Commonwealth Super Bantamweight titles. His dayjob as a binman is well publicised as his nickname is 'The...
again in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
with the location this time being in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. On 9 December 2006 Morris made a second defence against previous victim Simpson
John Simpson (boxer)
John Simpson , is a professional boxer. He is a featherweight, and current British Featherweight Champion. He is also the Former Commonwealth champion.-Professional career:...
and suffered his first defeat when a bad cut forced the fight to be called off handing victory to Simpson. On 7 September 2007 Morris got a chance to regain his title at the Grosvenor House in Mayfair and lost for the second time to Simpson with the fight this time being called off in the 7th round.
Comeback and Super Featherweight challenge
Following the second defeat to SimpsonJohn Simpson (boxer)
John Simpson , is a professional boxer. He is a featherweight, and current British Featherweight Champion. He is also the Former Commonwealth champion.-Professional career:...
, Morris took some time off from the ring saying that he needed time to analyze the defeat and what he could do to change things. He eventually returned with a victory over Youssef Al Hamidi on 27 March 2009. Two more wins followed in 2009 against Jesus Garcia Simon and Pierre Francois Bonicel before being given the opportunity in 2010 to fight once more for the British title although this time up at super featherweight. His opponent for the championship bout on 5 March 2010 was Dewsbury's
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
Gary Sykes
Gary Sykes
Gary Sykes is a British super featherweight boxer. Educated at Birkdale High School he is based in Dewsbury, Yorkshire and is a former British super featherweight champion.-Amateur career:...
who had earned the shot following an eliminator win against Manchester's Anthony Crolla
Anthony Crolla
Anthony Crolla is an English boxer who has fought in the super featherweight and lightweight divisions. He won the English super featherweight title in October 2010 with a victory over Andy Morris and the British title at lightweight in February 2011 with a win against John Watson.-Early...
. The fight, in Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, ended in a unanimous but very close points victory for the undefeated Sykes and a third career defeat for Morris. Reflecting on the tight nature of the contest Sykes said after the fight "It was a real close decision and a tough fight for me" Morris rebounded from the defeat with a win over Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
boxer Nugzar Margvelashvili on 24 May 2010, making light work of his opponent and saying that he was "hungry for another shot" at the British title.