Don Cockell
Encyclopedia
Donald John Cockell was an English boxer
. He fought for most of his career as a light-heavyweight and became the British and European champion at that weight. Later in his career he moved up to heavyweight and held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles. He is best remembered for fighting against Rocky Marciano
for the world heavyweight championship. Cockell defeated a number of top heavyweights in his career, including Roland La Starza
, Harry Matthews (twice), Tommy Farr
, Freddie Beshore, Johnny Arthur
, Johnny Williams
and Uber Bacilieri. In his earlier incarnation as a Light Heavyweight he defeated top contenders such as Nick Barone
, Albert Yvel, Lloyd Marshall
and Albert Finch
.
, London, the son of Mary Cockell, a domestic servant from Battersea
. He never knew his father. He was a blacksmith by trade, and as a result developed a strong physique. He began boxing in fairground booths and soon rose through the amateur ranks until he was ready to turn professional in 1946.
. On 17 October at Harringay Arena
he fought Mark Hart and took the title with a knockout in the fourteenth round.
Cockell fought and won two more fights before fighting the Frenchman
Albert Yvel for his European light-heavyweight title. The bout took place on 27 March 1951 at Earls Court
, London and Cockell won by a technical knockout in the sixth round.
Cockell had two more wins before defending his British and European titles against Albert Finch
, who had previously been British middleweight champion. The bout was held on 16 October 1951, at Harringay Arena
, and Cockell won by a knockout in the seventh round.
Cockell decisively lost his next fight against the American heavyweight Jimmy Slade. Fighting at Harringay Arena, Cockell was knocked down twice in the first round, once in the second, and twice more in the fourth. The referee then stopped the fight. Cockell followed this defeat with a points win against Italian light-heavyweight Renato Tontini, despite being knocked down twice in the second round.
Cockell then fought against Randolph Turpin, who the year before, had beaten Sugar Ray Robinson
to become world middleweight champion, before losing his title in the re-match. Cockell was defending his British title, and both fighters were contesting the vacant Commonwealth light-heavyweight title. The bout was at the White City Stadium
on 10 June 1952. Cockell was knocked down three times during the fight and lost on a technical knockout in the eleventh round.
One of the reasons for the defeat was the difficulty that Cockell had in making the weight for light-heavyweight fights. He therefore decided to fight subsequently as a heavyweight. His next three fights, at heavyweight, were all won by technical knockouts. The third one was against the Welshman
, Tommy Farr
, who had been an excellent heavyweight, fighting against the great Joe Louis
, but who was now at the end of his career.
The fight against Farr was a final eliminator for the British heavyweight title, and so put Cockell in line for a title challenge against the holder Johnny Williams
. The bout for the British and Commonwealth titles was held at Harringay Arena on 12 May 1953, and Cockell won on points over fifteen rounds.
Cockell then had two more wins before defending his Commonwealth title against Johnny Arthur in Johannesburg
, South Africa. He won the fight on points after fifteen rounds.
Cockell moved rapidly up the heavyweight rankings by scoring three wins against American fighters. First he beat Roland La Starza
on points at Earls Court Arena, then he had successive victories over Harry (Kid) Matthews, first at the White City Stadium and then at Sicks' Stadium, Seattle.
These victories put him in line for a title fight against the world champion Rocky Marciano
. This was the first British world title bid since Tommy Farr had fought Joe Louis in 1937.
Many boxing fans in Britain felt that Marciano employed unfair tactics, such as hitting after the bell and low punches, but although the British Boxing Board of Control
protested, Cockell himself made no complaints.
n, Nino Valdes at the White City Stadium by a technical knockout in the third round. He weighed 216 pounds for the fight. In April 1956 he was knocked out in the second round Kitione Lave, known as the “Tonga
n Terror”. That was his final fight. In May 1956 he was stripped of his Commonwealth title and in July he surrendered his British title and retired.
Cockell sued the Daily Mail
after the newspaper had described him as being ‘overweight and flabby’ for his last fight, and not giving his all. He received £7500 damages with costs.
, and running a haulage firm. By 1975 he was working as a craftsman blacksmith in the permanent way machine shops at the British Rail
Lillie Bridge Depot in London. His last job was as an emergency maintenance man. He died of cancer on 18 July 1983 at a hospital in Tooting
. He was married to Patricia Mary Cockell.
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...
. He fought for most of his career as a light-heavyweight and became the British and European champion at that weight. Later in his career he moved up to heavyweight and held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles. He is best remembered for fighting against Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano , born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was an American boxer and the heavyweight champion of the world from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only champion to hold the heavyweight title and go undefeated throughout his career. Marciano defended his title six times...
for the world heavyweight championship. Cockell defeated a number of top heavyweights in his career, including Roland La Starza
Roland La Starza
Roland La Starza was a retired American boxer and actor. Originally from the Van Nest section of the Bronx, La Starza fought 66 professional bouts from July 7, 1947 to May 8, 1961...
, Harry Matthews (twice), Tommy Farr
Tommy Farr
Thomas George Farr was one of the most famous Welsh and British boxers of all time. Born in Clydach Vale, Wales and nicknamed "the Tonypandy Terror", he became British and Empire heavyweight champion on 15 March 1937. Prior to 1936, he had boxed in the light heavyweight division in which he was...
, Freddie Beshore, Johnny Arthur
Johnny Arthur
Johnny Arthur was an American stage and motion picture actor.-Early years:Born John Lennox Arthur Williams in Scottdale, Pennsylvania, Arthur was a veteran of twenty-five years on stage before he made his screen debut in 1923's The Unknown Purple...
, Johnny Williams
Johnny Williams (boxer)
Johnny Williams was a British former professional boxer in the 1940s and 1950s and was at one time both the British and Empire heavyweight champion....
and Uber Bacilieri. In his earlier incarnation as a Light Heavyweight he defeated top contenders such as Nick Barone
Nick Barone
Carmine "Nick" Barone was an American boxer, a ranked contender in the light heavyweight division and heavyweight divisions during the late 1940s and 1950s. He was known as the "Fighting Marine." He is best known for his 1950 title fight against the world heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles...
, Albert Yvel, Lloyd Marshall
Lloyd Marshall
Lloyd Marshall was a light heavyweight boxer who was inducted posthumously into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on June 2010.-Pro career:...
and Albert Finch
Albert Finch
Albert Finch was a British boxer from Croydon in South London, who was active from 1945 to 1958. He fought as both a middleweight and light-heavyweight, becoming British middleweight champion in 1950....
.
Early life
His full name was Donald John Cockell and he was born on 22 September 1928 in BalhamBalham
Balham is a district of London, EnglandBalham can also refer to:*Balham, Ardennes, a commune in France*Balham station, railway and tube station in Balham, London*Balaam, a Biblical figure...
, London, the son of Mary Cockell, a domestic servant from Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
. He never knew his father. He was a blacksmith by trade, and as a result developed a strong physique. He began boxing in fairground booths and soon rose through the amateur ranks until he was ready to turn professional in 1946.
Professional career
Cockell had his first professional fight on 26 June 1946 against Trevor Lowder and won it by a knockout in the fifth round. He continued to build up an impressive fighting record marred by the occasional defeat. By 1950 he was ready to challenge for the vacant British light-heavyweight title recently vacated due to the retirement of Freddie MillsFreddie Mills
Freddie Mills, was an English boxer, who was the world light heavyweight boxing champion from 1948 to 1950. He was born in Poole, England.- Early life :...
. On 17 October at Harringay Arena
Harringay Arena
Harringay Arena was a sporting and events venue on Green Lanes in Harringay, North London, England. Built in 1936, it lasted as a venue until 1958.-Construction:...
he fought Mark Hart and took the title with a knockout in the fourteenth round.
Cockell fought and won two more fights before fighting the 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...
Albert Yvel for his European light-heavyweight title. The bout took place on 27 March 1951 at Earls Court
Earls Court
Earls Court is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It is an inner-city district centred on Earl's Court Road and surrounding streets, located 3.1 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It borders the sub-districts of South Kensington to the East, West...
, London and Cockell won by a technical knockout in the sixth round.
Cockell had two more wins before defending his British and European titles against Albert Finch
Albert Finch
Albert Finch was a British boxer from Croydon in South London, who was active from 1945 to 1958. He fought as both a middleweight and light-heavyweight, becoming British middleweight champion in 1950....
, who had previously been British middleweight champion. The bout was held on 16 October 1951, at Harringay Arena
Harringay Arena
Harringay Arena was a sporting and events venue on Green Lanes in Harringay, North London, England. Built in 1936, it lasted as a venue until 1958.-Construction:...
, and Cockell won by a knockout in the seventh round.
Cockell decisively lost his next fight against the American heavyweight Jimmy Slade. Fighting at Harringay Arena, Cockell was knocked down twice in the first round, once in the second, and twice more in the fourth. The referee then stopped the fight. Cockell followed this defeat with a points win against Italian light-heavyweight Renato Tontini, despite being knocked down twice in the second round.
Cockell then fought against Randolph Turpin, who the year before, had beaten 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...
to become world middleweight champion, before losing his title in the re-match. Cockell was defending his British title, and both fighters were contesting the vacant Commonwealth light-heavyweight title. The bout was at the White City Stadium
White City Stadium
White City Stadium was built in White City, London, for the 1908 Summer Olympics, often seen as the precursor to the modern seater stadium and noted for hosting the finish of the first modern distance marathon. It also hosted speedway and a match at the 1966 World Cup, before the stadium was...
on 10 June 1952. Cockell was knocked down three times during the fight and lost on a technical knockout in the eleventh round.
One of the reasons for the defeat was the difficulty that Cockell had in making the weight for light-heavyweight fights. He therefore decided to fight subsequently as a heavyweight. His next three fights, at heavyweight, were all won by technical knockouts. The third one was against the Welshman
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Tommy Farr
Tommy Farr
Thomas George Farr was one of the most famous Welsh and British boxers of all time. Born in Clydach Vale, Wales and nicknamed "the Tonypandy Terror", he became British and Empire heavyweight champion on 15 March 1937. Prior to 1936, he had boxed in the light heavyweight division in which he was...
, who had been an excellent heavyweight, fighting against the great Joe Louis
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...
, but who was now at the end of his career.
The fight against Farr was a final eliminator for the British heavyweight title, and so put Cockell in line for a title challenge against the holder Johnny Williams
Johnny Williams (boxer)
Johnny Williams was a British former professional boxer in the 1940s and 1950s and was at one time both the British and Empire heavyweight champion....
. The bout for the British and Commonwealth titles was held at Harringay Arena on 12 May 1953, and Cockell won on points over fifteen rounds.
Cockell then had two more wins before defending his Commonwealth title against Johnny Arthur in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa. He won the fight on points after fifteen rounds.
Cockell moved rapidly up the heavyweight rankings by scoring three wins against American fighters. First he beat Roland La Starza
Roland La Starza
Roland La Starza was a retired American boxer and actor. Originally from the Van Nest section of the Bronx, La Starza fought 66 professional bouts from July 7, 1947 to May 8, 1961...
on points at Earls Court Arena, then he had successive victories over Harry (Kid) Matthews, first at the White City Stadium and then at Sicks' Stadium, Seattle.
These victories put him in line for a title fight against the world champion Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano , born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was an American boxer and the heavyweight champion of the world from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only champion to hold the heavyweight title and go undefeated throughout his career. Marciano defended his title six times...
. This was the first British world title bid since Tommy Farr had fought Joe Louis in 1937.
World heavyweight title fight
On 16 May 1955, Cockell fought Marciano for the world heavyweight title at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, CA. Cockell was a 10–1 underdog and weighed 205 pounds against Marciano’s 189. For the first three rounds the fight was fairly even, but as it progressed further Cockell began to take more and more punishment, without being able to hurt Marciano at all. Cockell ended the eighth round hanging through the ropes after withstanding a terrific beating. Marciano won the fight by a technical knockout 54 seconds into round nine after Cockell had been knocked down twice, for counts of eight and seven. After the fight, Marciano stated, "He's got a lot of guts. I don't think I ever hit anyone else any more often or harder."Many boxing fans in Britain felt that Marciano employed unfair tactics, such as hitting after the bell and low punches, but although the British Boxing Board of Control
British Boxing Board of Control
The British Boxing Board of Control is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff.- Councils :...
protested, Cockell himself made no complaints.
Fight record
He had 81 official fights, winning 66, of which 38 were by knockouts, and lost 14, with one drawn fight.Aftermath
The title fight had taken much out of Cockell, and he lost his subsequent two fights. In September 1955 he lost to the CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n, Nino Valdes at the White City Stadium by a technical knockout in the third round. He weighed 216 pounds for the fight. In April 1956 he was knocked out in the second round Kitione Lave, known as the “Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
n Terror”. That was his final fight. In May 1956 he was stripped of his Commonwealth title and in July he surrendered his British title and retired.
Cockell sued the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
after the newspaper had described him as being ‘overweight and flabby’ for his last fight, and not giving his all. He received £7500 damages with costs.
Retirement
He tried various jobs including running a farm, being a publicanPublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, and running a haulage firm. By 1975 he was working as a craftsman blacksmith in the permanent way machine shops at the British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
Lillie Bridge Depot in London. His last job was as an emergency maintenance man. He died of cancer on 18 July 1983 at a hospital in Tooting
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
. He was married to Patricia Mary Cockell.
See also
Sources
- Biography, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography