Former middleweight boxing champion

Born: May 9, 1936;

Died: October 6, 2017

TERRY Downes, who has died aged 81, was a former middleweight boxing champion who is most remembered among older Scottish boxing fans for losing his British middleweight crown to Maryhill southpaw John ''Cowboy'' McCormack despite dumping the latter onto the canvas ten times.

Born in Paddington, London, Downes - who was as brash and flamboyant inside the ropes as outside - first learned to box as a youth for local clubs. He then boxed for the London Pembroke club where he reached the English ABA senior championships while laying down the benchmarks of the style that would make him one of the most popular boxers of the 1950s and 60s.

However, it was when Downes moved to America that his boxing career really took off. Downes's sister Sophie had been badly injured performing in an American circus in the 1950s, and the entire family went to the USA to be near to her.

There, in Baltimore, Maryland, Downes won the Baltimore State novice title in 1952 before excelling against the US Marine Corps boxing team - indeed, he was so impressive that he joined the Marines and won a clutch of Marine boxing titles. There were even attempts to give him a trial for the US boxing team for the 1956 Olympics, although in the end his British nationality prevented this from happening

On being demobbed from the Marines, Downes returned home to London, where after a brief interlude with London's Fisher ABC, he joined the paid boxing ranks under the management of two of Britain's greatest 20th century boxing kingmakers, Jarvis Astaire and Sam Burns.

After an impressive professional debut, Downes was mismatched with a then unknown Nigerian opponent called Dick Tiger. This was the same Dick Tiger who would later win world middleweight and light heavyweight titles in the 1960s. Tiger both floored and stopped Downes inside the distance in London in what was his very first loss - a setback which prompted Downes to make one of those comments for which he was so celebrated. When a journalist asked Downes who he would like to fight next after the Nigerian, the battered and chastened Londoner replied: "The so-and-so who matched me with Dick Tiger!''

Despite his rumbustious style, Downes was prone to cuts and, although this accounted for a couple of further setbacks, the man they called The Paddington Express blasted his way into a British title fight in 1958 in which he defeated the clever boxing Welshman Phil Edwards, grabbing the British middleweight crown and Lonsdale Belt in 1958.

There was then talk of him fighting for a world title, but it proved premature when he was badly mismatched against former American Olympic boxing star Ellsworth ''Spider'' Webb who stopped Downes after eight torrid rounds.

In September 1959, Downes defended his British 11stone 6lbs crown against John McCormack but it resulted in pure farce. McCormack could not live with Downes' body punches and was floored ten times before the referee disqualified Downes for punching low in round eight, so making McCormack the winner. Just 49 days later, Downes - despite a closed eye and a split nose - decked McCormack eight times and took back his middleweight title.

Downes then went on an unbeaten run after beating McCormack which propelled the Londoner into a January 1961 world title challenge against Massachusetts fireman, Paul Pender in Boston. The old cuts bogey saw Downes stopped after a dull anti-climatic bout against the American champion.

However, six months later, Downes became a world champion when Pender mysteriously quit on his stool at Wembley, in July 1961 in round nine, the American fighter citing breathing problems.

Away from the ring, Downes cemented his place as one of Britain's most popular fighters by his tireless work for the Sunshine Coaches charity for disabled children. He personally raised over £100,000 for the cause.

Downes, with his thick, unsophisticated London accent burnished with a pronounced nasal twang, was easy to misjudge as being just another dense boxer. In fact, he had a shrewd business brain and made a fortune from opening a chain of bookies in the 1960s which allowed him to live in a large townhouse in London while educating his four children privately.

Downes eventually lost his world title in January 1962 over 15 rounds in Boston against Paul Pender in another dull, undistinguished bout.

Still, Downes went on to register two good points wins in London against 'Sugar' Ray Robinson in 1962 and Joey Giardello in 1963, although both were non -title clashes.

Downes's last bout of note was against the American world light heavyweight champion, Willie Pastrano on November 30 1964. Pastrano almost lost to Downes who was leading by the proverbial mile on points when the referee ended the bout after Downes was decked twice in the 11th round.

It was the final bout in a 44-fight career that saw Downes win 35, with nine defeats. But boxing was not finished with Downes, who, despite his millionaire status, never lost his common touch, attending most major boxing events in London while working tirelessly for his favourite charities.

He is survived by his wife Barbara, three sons and a daughter.

BRIAN DONALD