Anthony Small
Encyclopedia
Anthony Small is a professional boxer
who has held both he British and Commonwealth belts at light middleweight. He goes by the alias 'Sugar Ray Clay Jones Jr.' (SRCJJ), in homage to Sugar Ray Robinson
, Sugar Ray Leonard
, Cassius Clay, and Roy Jones Jr.
Small converted to Islam at the age of 24 and is now known as Abdul-Haqq. He is a follower of Anjem Choudary
and a member of Al-Muhajiroun
/Islam4UK.
, who has seen Small to wins over former Ukrainian Light Middleweight Champion Vladimir Borovski and previously unbeaten prospect Prince Arron
. He also scored a win for the UK team in The Contender Challenge: UK vs. US on 30 March 2007, defeating Walter Wright
in the first matchup of the tournament by a close split decision. However, his World Title hopes were given a massive dent when he was beaten by a technical knockout in round seven by Bradley Pryce
whilst fighting for the Commonwealth Light-Middleweight title.
Small's boxing style is quite unorthodox. He keeps his gloves low, relying on body movement to avoid punches, rather than blocking. Due to his low hand position, he relies mainly on his natural hand speed to surprise his opponents when he punches. Additionally, he shifts from the left-foot-forward orthodox stance to the right-foot-forward southpaw stance throughout the bout.
star Freddy Curiel
with a tenth round stoppage as well as former British title challenger Steve Conway.
after overwhelming him with a vicious flurry of hooks in the 8th, which forced the referee to stop the contest. He made his first defence of both titles on 27 November 2009 in a close decision win over Thomas McDonagh over 12 rounds. Small was criticised for his performance with many believing McDonagh had won. Small chose to give up the Commonwealth title and hold on to the British belt, defending it against mandatory challenger Sam Webb
on 26 March 2010, who had also beaten McDonagh on points. The fight, which was also close, went the distance with Webb surviving a nasty cut in the fifth round to claim the judges decision on points handing a second career defeat to Small.
, East London, to protest against the British presence in the war in Afghanistan
. Small, a Muslim
, had joined with around 50 other demonstrators who called themselves 'Muslims Against Crusades
', which is a new front for al-Muhajiroun
/Islam4UK, at the march on 15 June 2010. Placards were waved during the march, aimed at the 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, saying "British soldiers go to hell" and chants such as "Murderers" and "Baby killers" were chanted by some of the protesters. Small said of the event "I'm a Muslim first and a boxer second...these people are killing my brothers and sisters." He added that "a man is not a man unless he stands up for what he believes in. In April 2011 Small denounced British Boxer Amir Khan
as being an apostate and outside the fold of Islam.
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 has held both he British and Commonwealth belts at light middleweight. He goes by the alias 'Sugar Ray Clay Jones Jr.' (SRCJJ), in homage to Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson was an African-American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson's performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create "pound for pound" rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight...
, Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...
, Cassius Clay, and Roy Jones Jr.
Roy Jones Jr.
Roy Jones, Jr. is an American boxer. As a professional he has captured numerous world titles in the middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight divisions...
Small converted to Islam at the age of 24 and is now known as Abdul-Haqq. He is a follower of Anjem Choudary
Anjem Choudary
Anjem Choudary is a British former solicitor, and, before it was proscribed, spokesman for the Islamist group Islam4UK. He is married, has four children, and lives in Ilford, London....
and a member of Al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun is a banned Islamist organisation that was based in Britain and which has been linked to international terrorism, homophobia and anti-semitism...
/Islam4UK.
Early professional career
He turned professional aged 23 in 2004 with a first-round knockout of Lance Hall. He is managed by boxing promoter Frank WarrenFrank Warren (promoter)
Frank Darren Warren is an English boxing manager and promoter.-Early life and early career:The son of a bookmaker, Warren trained as a solicitor's clerk with J Tickle & Co on Southampton Row in London....
, who has seen Small to wins over former Ukrainian Light Middleweight Champion Vladimir Borovski and previously unbeaten prospect Prince Arron
Prince Arron
Prince Arron is an English professional boxer fighting in the light middleweight division. He was the winner of the tenth Prizefighter tournament featuring boxers in the light middleweight category...
. He also scored a win for the UK team in The Contender Challenge: UK vs. US on 30 March 2007, defeating Walter Wright
Walter Wright (boxer)
Walter Wright is an American professional boxer.As an amateur, Wright amassed a 90-12 record, which led to high expectations for him as a professional. He opened his pro career by losing in his boxing debut to Matt O'Brien by knockout, despite leading on all three cards...
in the first matchup of the tournament by a close split decision. However, his World Title hopes were given a massive dent when he was beaten by a technical knockout in round seven by Bradley Pryce
Bradley Pryce
Bradley Pryce is a Welsh professional boxer. He usually fights at light middleweight or the divisions either side, is a two time challenger for the British title and is a former Commonwealth champion....
whilst fighting for the Commonwealth Light-Middleweight title.
Small's boxing style is quite unorthodox. He keeps his gloves low, relying on body movement to avoid punches, rather than blocking. Due to his low hand position, he relies mainly on his natural hand speed to surprise his opponents when he punches. Additionally, he shifts from the left-foot-forward orthodox stance to the right-foot-forward southpaw stance throughout the bout.
Route to contention
His first fight back following his defeat by Pryce was on 12 January 2008 for the Southern Area Title Light-Middleweight title when he defeated Mehrdud Takaloo by TKO after 7 rounds. On 14 June, he made his first defence, beating George Katsimpas by TKO in the 8th, flooring Katsimpas with a bodyshot. He finished a successful year by also defeating ex-contenderContender
Contender can refer to:* Contender , commonly used in books, TV shows, plays, and films* The Contender , a boxing-based reality television series or its spinoffs:** The Contender 2** The Contender Challenge: UK vs...
star Freddy Curiel
Freddy Curiel
Freddy Curiel is a professional boxer. He was a contestant on the ESPN reality show, Contender Season 2.Curiel began boxing as an amateur at age 14, and quickly turned professional at age 17...
with a tenth round stoppage as well as former British title challenger Steve Conway.
British and Commonwealth champion
On 18 July 2009, Small fought for and won both the British and Commonwealth champion with an 8th round stoppage of Manchester's Matthew HallMatthew Hall (boxer)
Matthew Hall is a retired English professional boxer who competed in the light middleweight division. He comes from Manchester, is a former Commonwealth champion and has also competed for the European light middleweight belt.-Early professional career:...
after overwhelming him with a vicious flurry of hooks in the 8th, which forced the referee to stop the contest. He made his first defence of both titles on 27 November 2009 in a close decision win over Thomas McDonagh over 12 rounds. Small was criticised for his performance with many believing McDonagh had won. Small chose to give up the Commonwealth title and hold on to the British belt, defending it against mandatory challenger Sam Webb
Sam Webb (boxer)
Sam Webb is an English professional boxer fighting in the light middleweight division. He is a former holder of the British light middleweight title.-Professional career:...
on 26 March 2010, who had also beaten McDonagh on points. The fight, which was also close, went the distance with Webb surviving a nasty cut in the fifth round to claim the judges decision on points handing a second career defeat to Small.
Protest controversy
Small attracted controversy when he took part in a march in BarkingBarking
Barking is a suburban town in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, in East London, England. A retail and commercial centre situated in the west of the borough, it lies east of Charing Cross. Barking was in the historic county of Essex until it was absorbed by Greater London. The area is...
, East London, to protest against the British presence in the war in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Small, a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, had joined with around 50 other demonstrators who called themselves 'Muslims Against Crusades
Muslims Against Crusades
Muslims Against Crusades is a banned Islamic group in the United Kingdom. The group was founded in 2010 by Abu Assadullah. Professional boxer Anthony Small and Islam4UK spokesman Anjem Choudary are associated with the group....
', which is a new front for al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun is a banned Islamist organisation that was based in Britain and which has been linked to international terrorism, homophobia and anti-semitism...
/Islam4UK, at the march on 15 June 2010. Placards were waved during the march, aimed at the 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, saying "British soldiers go to hell" and chants such as "Murderers" and "Baby killers" were chanted by some of the protesters. Small said of the event "I'm a Muslim first and a boxer second...these people are killing my brothers and sisters." He added that "a man is not a man unless he stands up for what he believes in. In April 2011 Small denounced British Boxer Amir Khan
Amir Khan (boxer)
Amir Iqbal Khan , is a British Pakistani professional boxer who is currently the unified WBA & IBF light welterweight champion....
as being an apostate and outside the fold of Islam.