Graham Earl
Encyclopedia
Graham Earl is a retired English
lightweight
boxer
from Luton
, England
. He is a former British
and Commonwealth
lightweight champion.
, London
.
He won his first eighteen fights before challenging Bobby Vanzie for the British lightweight title. The fight was held in Dagenham
in July 2003 and Earl won on points over twelve rounds.
The pair fought again for the British lightweight title in June 2004. They met in Bethnal Green
, and Earl again won on points.
In June 2005, Earl fought Kevin Bennett, holder of the Commonwealth lightweight title, so that both the British and Commonwealth titles were at stake. The fight was at Bethnal Green, and Earl won when the fight was stopped in the ninth. Earl had been down in the sixth but continued fighting.
In 2006 Earl relinquished his British lightweight title, and the vacant title was won by Lee Meager
.
In October 2006, he won the vacant WBU
lightweight title when he beat the Argentine
, Angel Hugo Ramirez via a unanimous decision after twelve rounds. The fight was in Bethnal Green.
In February 2007, Earl fought for the vacant WBO
lightweight title at the Wembley Arena
against undefeated Australian Michael Katsidis
, in what was described by many as one of the fights of the year. Earl was knocked down in the first, but recovered from a further knock-down in the second to send Katsidis to the canvas, despite Earl's corner throwing in the towel. Earl was cut to the eye during the fourth and his corner retired him at the end of the fifth, following a barrage of punches from Katsidis in the third and fourth rounds. Earl's resilience to Katsidis's powerful and quick jabs, often trading back counter-punches rather than avoid the onslaght, led to many plaudits for both boxers.
In December 2007, Earl defended his Commonwealth lightweight title against the promising young boxer, Amir Khan
, in Khan’s hometown of Bolton
. Khan caught Earl in the first round and put him down and he was given an eight count. However on the resumption he was again in trouble and the referee stopped the fight after only 72 seconds.
On 28 July 2009, he announced his retirement from professional boxing.
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...
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....
boxer
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...
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....
, 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...
. He is a former British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
lightweight champion.
Professional career
He had his first professional fight in September 1997, when he beat Mark O’Callaghan on a second-round stoppage in SouthwarkSouthwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
, 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...
.
He won his first eighteen fights before challenging Bobby Vanzie for the British lightweight title. The fight was held in Dagenham
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
in July 2003 and Earl won on points over twelve rounds.
The pair fought again for the British lightweight title in June 2004. They met in 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,...
, and Earl again won on points.
In June 2005, Earl fought Kevin Bennett, holder of the Commonwealth lightweight title, so that both the British and Commonwealth titles were at stake. The fight was at Bethnal Green, and Earl won when the fight was stopped in the ninth. Earl had been down in the sixth but continued fighting.
In 2006 Earl relinquished his British lightweight title, and the vacant title was won by Lee Meager
Lee Meager
Lee Meager is an English lightweight boxer from Salford, England. He is a former British lightweight champion.-Professional career:...
.
In October 2006, he won the vacant WBU
World Boxing Union
The World Boxing Union is a boxing sanctioning body.Until recently it was fully recognised by the British Boxing Board of Control as a legitimate sanctioning body.WBU titles were particularly well recognised in Europe and Africa....
lightweight title when he beat the Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Angel Hugo Ramirez via a unanimous decision after twelve rounds. The fight was in Bethnal Green.
In February 2007, Earl fought for the vacant WBO
World Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. The organization is recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the IBHOF alongside the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the...
lightweight title at the Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
against undefeated Australian Michael Katsidis
Michael Katsidis
Michael Alan Katsidis is an Australian professional boxer of Greek descent. He is a former two-time WBO interim lightweight titleholder whose crowd-pleasing, all-action fighting style has often drawn comparisons with the late Arturo Gatti.-Amateur career:In an amateur career which began at the...
, in what was described by many as one of the fights of the year. Earl was knocked down in the first, but recovered from a further knock-down in the second to send Katsidis to the canvas, despite Earl's corner throwing in the towel. Earl was cut to the eye during the fourth and his corner retired him at the end of the fifth, following a barrage of punches from Katsidis in the third and fourth rounds. Earl's resilience to Katsidis's powerful and quick jabs, often trading back counter-punches rather than avoid the onslaght, led to many plaudits for both boxers.
In December 2007, Earl defended his Commonwealth lightweight title against the promising young 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....
, in Khan’s hometown of Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
. Khan caught Earl in the first round and put him down and he was given an eight count. However on the resumption he was again in trouble and the referee stopped the fight after only 72 seconds.
On 28 July 2009, he announced his retirement from professional boxing.
External links
- Profile at BritishBoxing.net