William Schwer more commonly known as Billy Schwer, is a former professional

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...

 boxer from Luton

Luton

Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....

 in Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

For the majority of his professional career, Schwer fought in the lightweight

Lightweight

Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....

 division but also competed in the light welterweight

Light welterweight

-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...

 division.

He is the former British, Commonwealth

Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....

 and European lightweight and the IBO

International Boxing Organization

The International Boxing Organization is a for-profit organization that sanctions professional boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships.- Origins :...

 light welterweight title holder.

Background

Schwer's father was the Irish amateur title

International Boxing Association

The International Boxing Association is a for-profit organization that sanctions professional boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships.- Origins :...

 holder in the 1960s before he emigrated to England.

Amateur career

Schwer is a former nationals schoolboy title holder and represented England at youth and senior level.

At the 1990 ABA

Amateur Boxing Association of England

The Amateur Boxing Association of England is the governing body of amateur boxing clubs in England. There are separate organisations for Scotland and Wales with boxing in Northern Ireland being organised on an All-Ireland basis. The Association was founded in 1880...

 National Championships held at the Royal Albert Hall

Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, Schwer represent the Luton Irish Boxing Club and was runner up to PJ Gallagher, in the lightweight (60 kg], the same PJ Gallagher was known as Patrick Gallagher when billy lost in the final of the aba, and Patrick Joseph become the galeforce PJ Gallagher, A professional British super feather weight champion in 1996 to 1997.

Professional career

Schwer was trained by Jack Lindsay and fought out of his Luton base north of London. He was a popular fighter and attracted a large following amongst the Luton and Luton Irish communities.

Debut

Schwer had his first professional fight in October 1990. His first fight took place at the York Hall

York Hall

The York Hall is a health and leisure centre and one of Britain's best known boxing venues.The venue is situated on Old Ford Road in Bethnal Green, London, England. The hall, opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200, stages boxing as well as providing a gymnasium and swimming pool.The hall is owned...

, Bethnal Green

Bethnal Green

Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...

, London. In this fight Schwer beat Frenchman

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 Pierre Conan with a first round knockout

Knockout

A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...

.

British and Commonwealth lightweight title

Schwer's first title fight came in 1992 against Carl Crook.

External links

• http://www.britishboxing.net/boxers_9916-Billy-Schwer.html
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/972684.stm
• http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=006575