A Boxing Memory: Alan Minter

A Boxing Memory: Alan Minter

There have been many great middleweights born on British soil, many have laid claim to the world middleweight title, even those that haven’t, tend to be remembered and thought of a little more fondly than Alan Minter. Many moons ago an American boxing publication listed Minter right at the bottom of their harsh and extremely unjust rankings of previous world middleweight title holders. Was Minter the greatest ever world middleweight champion? No. But he most certainly wasn’t the worst. And Minter was most certainly a better fighter than some of his fellow British fighters who won ‘world’ titles when the alphabet boys started to saturate the sport with their often meaningless baubles.

His reign as the undisputed middleweight champion of the world was admittedly short. Minter won his title in 1980 and lost it the very same year. He was in truth, more than a shade unlucky to fight in the same era as perhaps the greatest middleweight in boxing history. Without a certain fearsome shaved-headed American his run would have lasted a lot longer. Minter wasn’t a great middleweight by any stretch of the imagination, but he was still a very good one. There are very good names on his record, including another British fighter Kevin Finnegan who he beat three times on his way to winning the world title.

Minter was born in Kent, before moving to Crawley, West Sussex. His boxing life started when he was just 11. His schooldays ended at 14, Minter trained as a plasterer but found boxing his true calling. Over 100 amateur fights including winning the 1971 ABA title and boxing thirty times for England, shaped his future. Minter was somewhat fortunate to get selected for the 1972 Munich Olympics, Frankie Lucas beat him on cuts in the ABAs that year, but a rematch, which Minter won, sealed his ticket to Germany. Minter won bronze in Munich, it could have been more. Not for the last time, a Minter fight was judged to be controversial. This time he lost, but over the course of his career luck would even out. Finnegan especially would testify to that. Just six weeks later, Minter turned professional.

Trained by Doug Bidwell who would later manage him and become his father-in-law. Fights came thick and fast for the southpaw hopeful. A different unrelenting time. Fighters in that era didn’t just live in the gym. They lived in the ring. Minter suffered from cuts for much of his career. His early unbeaten run didn’t last long. The first defeat, after eleven wins, to Don McMillan in 1973 was quickly followed by losing three out of his next four. The fragility around his eyes looked to be a career killer. Minter had three fights with one Jan Magdziarz, he lost two fights on cuts and in a third fight in 1974 the no-nonsense referee Harry Gibbs threw them both out for a lack of action. Minter said he was frightened of being cut again, but Gibbs had seen enough. His career was already at breaking point.

But Minter was far tougher than his fragile skin, he rebuilt his career including his first win over Finnegan for the British title in 1975. It was close and Minter got the nod by the narrowest of margins. They rematched ten months later. Finnegan looked more than unlucky this time, but Minter again got the benefit of the doubt. A third fight removed all doubt.

Minter won and lost the European title, Ronnie Harris a dangerous American stopped Minter, again on cuts. But there were wins over the former world champion Emile Griffith and the former Olympic champion Sugar Ray Seales. In 1978 Minter regained his European title on a tragic night that showed the harsh realities of boxing. The Italian Angelo Jacopucci tragically lost his life after Minter had stopped him out in Italy. Minter considered retirement.

“I’m not a killer – I was there to win, not to injure,” Minter said. A tough fight, a hard uncomfortable night for all. Minter decided to fight on.

Minter finally got his chance at the world title against the tough Italian-born New Yorker Vito Antuofermo. It wasn’t pretty, and again Minter was involved in more scoring controversy. The judges were split, but Minter was the new undisputed middleweight champion of the world. A rematch the following June was much more emphatic. It ended in the 8th round, but Minter would soon have to face his nemesis.

Marvelous Marvin Hagler, had suffered, was avoided and when he finally got his chance at a world title against Antuofermo in 1979, the Las Vegas judges denied him. They scored it a draw. Hagler deserved more. His mistrust of the scoring criteria in Vegas wouldn’t end there. But against Minter, he let his fists do the talking.

Harry Carpenter said there was a rancid smell of racism in the air. He was right. Minter stoked the fire with an ill-judged comment pre-fight. “I don’t want to lose my title to a black man,” Minter said apparently angered by his challenger refusing a handshake and some of the words Hagler had used in the lead-up to the fight.

Why he said it didn’t matter, it was wrong, but some of his fans took notice, and the press hardly shied away from it. Many people were guilty of what happened after Hagler butchered a brave Minter to defeat. It was a savage brutal fight for Minter and a truly shameful night for British boxing. Hagler’s slashing fists sliced his delicate features wide open. A riot followed, and Hagler was denied his moment. British boxing was denied much more. Drunken racist yobs threw bottles and any other missile they could lay their hands on. Hagler had to flee the ring and had no intention of ever again fighting in a British ring.

The career of Minter never recovered. He went to America and lost a close decision to Mustafa Hamsho in an eliminator for the world title. Minter wasn’t ready, he’d had spells on the party circuit. he was dead at the weight, but still thought he won. He did have a point but the judges saw it differently. And when the new kid on the block, Tony Sibson stopped him in three rounds in 1981, Minter was done. Less than a year after winning a world title his career was over. The loss to Sibson was his final fight. Minter was 30 when retirement came. The love for the sport had long since gone.

Retirement wasn’t always kind, he got divorced and had a long battle with the bottle. Minter had one last fight, with cancer, but sadly died in 2020, he was 69.