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[EXCLUSIVE] Legendary Terry Lawless has died in the early hrs of Xmas eve
Manager Lawless dies, 76
Boxing legend passes away after long illness
Legendary British boxing manager Terry Lawless has died in the early hours of Christmas Eve.
Lawless, who steered Frank Bruno to a world title challenge against Mike Tyson, had been suffering ill health for several years after moving with his wife, Sylvia, to Marbella.
He died in hospital in Spain following a gall bladder operation. He was 76.
Lawless managed more than 50 boxers and guided John H. Stracey, Maurice Hope, Jim Watt and Charlie Magri to versions of world titles.
Throughout his managing career, Lawless was based at the Royal Oak gym in the Canning Town district of London close to where he was born.
He worked closely with promoters Mickey Duff, Jarvis Astaire, Harry Levene and Mike Barrett when they were the powers in British boxing throughout the sixties and into the 1980s.
Compassionate
Lawless was a walking record book on boxing, and a fitness fanatic who was best man at the wedding of his boyhood friend Sammy McCarthy, a British featherweight champion in the 1950s. It was this friendship that led him into first training and then managing fighters.
He was famous for looking after his fighters like a father rather than a manager and did not want to expose his boxers to unnecessary dangers.
After retiring to live in Spain in the 1990s, Lawless often said that he was happy to be remembered as the manager who did not want his boxers hurt.
Lawless' early stable of local boxers included former London amateur stars Stan Kennedy, Johnny Caiger, Jimmy Tibbs, Silvester Mittee and Jimmy Anderson.
He hired George Wiggs and Frank Black as his training assistants, both of whom stayed with him for more than 10 years.
Tibbs later rejoined Lawless as a trainer, as did George Francis, who later formed a winning team with Frank Bruno.
Revitalised
Jim Watt, one of six Lawless-trained-and-managed boxers who went on to win world titles (including Bruno, and Joe Calzaghe under different management), said: "I had a great association with Terry.
"My career wasn't really going anywhere and I had split with my Scottish manager. Terry called me and at that time he had John H Stracey who had just won the world title a couple of months before in Mexico.
"He said to me he'd always felt I could have achieved more than I had done and reckoned if I signed up with him, we could maybe put that right. But I didn't ever think it was going to go as far as it did.
"That one phone call just completely changed my life. If Terry hadn't picked up the phone that day, I'm not under any illusions, I would never have been world champion and would never have had the life that I've enjoyed ever since."
Tibbs, who now trains Beijing Olympian Billy Joe Saunders and world lightweight title contender Kevin Mitchell and was quick to pay tribute to his mentor.
"I'm dumbstruck and so sad," he said. "I've been in the training business for 30-odd years now.
"I started off with Terry Lawless in at the deep end because they were all champions. But we succeeded with Terry, myself and Frank Black and we had a lot of success at that wonderful gym, the Royal Oak.
"We had champions through the Southern Area, British, Commonwealth, European and world level and everyone did their jobs.
"Terry Lawless was one of the top managers in the world, probably, and I'm very sad to hear this news."
Boxing legend passes away after long illness
Legendary British boxing manager Terry Lawless has died in the early hours of Christmas Eve.
Lawless, who steered Frank Bruno to a world title challenge against Mike Tyson, had been suffering ill health for several years after moving with his wife, Sylvia, to Marbella.
He died in hospital in Spain following a gall bladder operation. He was 76.
Lawless managed more than 50 boxers and guided John H. Stracey, Maurice Hope, Jim Watt and Charlie Magri to versions of world titles.
Throughout his managing career, Lawless was based at the Royal Oak gym in the Canning Town district of London close to where he was born.
He worked closely with promoters Mickey Duff, Jarvis Astaire, Harry Levene and Mike Barrett when they were the powers in British boxing throughout the sixties and into the 1980s.
Compassionate
Lawless was a walking record book on boxing, and a fitness fanatic who was best man at the wedding of his boyhood friend Sammy McCarthy, a British featherweight champion in the 1950s. It was this friendship that led him into first training and then managing fighters.
He was famous for looking after his fighters like a father rather than a manager and did not want to expose his boxers to unnecessary dangers.
After retiring to live in Spain in the 1990s, Lawless often said that he was happy to be remembered as the manager who did not want his boxers hurt.
Lawless' early stable of local boxers included former London amateur stars Stan Kennedy, Johnny Caiger, Jimmy Tibbs, Silvester Mittee and Jimmy Anderson.
He hired George Wiggs and Frank Black as his training assistants, both of whom stayed with him for more than 10 years.
Tibbs later rejoined Lawless as a trainer, as did George Francis, who later formed a winning team with Frank Bruno.
Revitalised
Jim Watt, one of six Lawless-trained-and-managed boxers who went on to win world titles (including Bruno, and Joe Calzaghe under different management), said: "I had a great association with Terry.
"My career wasn't really going anywhere and I had split with my Scottish manager. Terry called me and at that time he had John H Stracey who had just won the world title a couple of months before in Mexico.
"He said to me he'd always felt I could have achieved more than I had done and reckoned if I signed up with him, we could maybe put that right. But I didn't ever think it was going to go as far as it did.
"That one phone call just completely changed my life. If Terry hadn't picked up the phone that day, I'm not under any illusions, I would never have been world champion and would never have had the life that I've enjoyed ever since."
Tibbs, who now trains Beijing Olympian Billy Joe Saunders and world lightweight title contender Kevin Mitchell and was quick to pay tribute to his mentor.
"I'm dumbstruck and so sad," he said. "I've been in the training business for 30-odd years now.
"I started off with Terry Lawless in at the deep end because they were all champions. But we succeeded with Terry, myself and Frank Black and we had a lot of success at that wonderful gym, the Royal Oak.
"We had champions through the Southern Area, British, Commonwealth, European and world level and everyone did their jobs.
"Terry Lawless was one of the top managers in the world, probably, and I'm very sad to hear this news."
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