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Nigel Wright (boxer)
Encyclopedia
Nigel Wright is a professional boxer
, fighting out of Crook, England
. He is a southpaw fighter standing at 175 centimetres (68.9 in), with a record of 22-6-1, with 9 KOs and is a three-time English light welterweight champion and a two-time challenger for both the British and the Commonwealth titles.
. He won his next four fights establishing an unbeaten record of 5-0 before suffering a first career defeat at the hands of future British champion Kevin McIntyre
. Wright rebounded from the setback to score a string of seven further victories and so setting up a challenge for the English light welterweight title having established a record of 12-1.
on 27 May 2005 and this was followed up by a revenge win over Scotsman Kevin McIntyre
on 5 November 2005, stopping him in the first round.
One more win followed before Wright challenged Lenny Daws
for the vacant British title on 12 May 2006 at the York Hall
in Bethnal Green. The challenge was to end in disappointment with Wright suffering a second career defeat, losing over 12 rounds. Compensation for the defeat came in his very next fight on 4 November 2006, picking up the now vacant English belt, beating Gary Reid to become a two-time English champion.
at the Metro Arena in Newcastle
and then fought former British champion Lenny Daws
for his English belt, this time keeping hold of the belt by scoring a draw. On 8 February 2008 he challenged Ajose Olusegun
for the Commonwealth belt only to lose for the third time in his career. A further defeat followed in his very next fight, travelling to Limerick and losing to Paul McCloskey
over 10 rounds.
On 24 October 2008, Wright moved up a weight division to take part in the Prizefighter tournament
featuring the welterweights. He defeated another former English champion, Ross Minter
, in the quarter finals only to lose to eventual tournament winner Michael Lomax
in a controversial semi. Wright rebounded from the defeat to Lomax with a victory over journeyman Arek Malek. The fight set him up for a further crack at the British and Commonwealth titles now both held by former opponent Ajose Olusegun
on 12 June 2009 at the Olympia in Liverpool
, only to lose once again via a points decision.
in an 8 round points decision. The fight, on the undercard of Amir Khan's
WBA world title defence against Dmitriy Salita was a step up for Wright who rose to the challenge to cause a major upset and have Arthur questioning his future in the sport. On 23 July 2010 Wright claimed the English title, for the third time beating Dean Harrison over 10 rounds and despite being given a count in the 7th round after touching down. Wright had stated before the fight that should he win the contest with Harrison, another shot at the British title would be his main aim, a title which at the time was held by old rival Lenny Daws
. On 12 February 2011 Wright beat the undefeated Jamie Speight in a six round contest at the Olympia in Liverpool, winning by stoppage in the 5th round.
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...
, fighting out of Crook, England
Crook, England
Crook, England may refer to:*Crook, County Durham*Crook, Cumbria*Crook, Devon...
. He is a southpaw fighter standing at 175 centimetres (68.9 in), with a record of 22-6-1, with 9 KOs and is a three-time English light welterweight champion and a two-time challenger for both the British and the Commonwealth titles.
Early professional career
Nigel made his professional debut on 10 February 2001 defeating Keith Jones at the Kingway Leisure Centre in WidnesWidnes
Widnes is an industrial town within the borough of Halton, in Cheshire, England, with an urban area population of 57,663 in 2004. It is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn...
. He won his next four fights establishing an unbeaten record of 5-0 before suffering a first career defeat at the hands of future British champion Kevin McIntyre
Kevin McIntyre (boxer)
Kevin McIntyre is a British professional boxer who fights in the welterweight division. he is a former British champion at welterweight.-Early professional career:...
. Wright rebounded from the setback to score a string of seven further victories and so setting up a challenge for the English light welterweight title having established a record of 12-1.
English champion
The fight for the English belt on 11 March 2005 took place at the Doncaster Dome and saw the unbeaten Dean Hickman (12-0) in the opposite corner. Wright won the contest with a knock out in the 7th round and so claimed a first career title. One successful defence followed against Alan BosworthAlan Bosworth
Alan Bosworth , is a professional boxer, using the nickname "Bozzy". He is a light welterweight, and a former British and European title challenger at the weight....
on 27 May 2005 and this was followed up by a revenge win over Scotsman Kevin McIntyre
Kevin McIntyre (boxer)
Kevin McIntyre is a British professional boxer who fights in the welterweight division. he is a former British champion at welterweight.-Early professional career:...
on 5 November 2005, stopping him in the first round.
One more win followed before Wright challenged Lenny Daws
Lenny Daws
Lenny Daws is a professional boxer, fighting out of Morden, England. He is a former two time British light welterweight champion and a former English light welterweight champion.-Early professional career:...
for the vacant British title on 12 May 2006 at the York Hall
York Hall
The York Hall is a health and leisure centre and one of Britain's best known boxing venues.The venue is situated on Old Ford Road in Bethnal Green, London, England. The hall, opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200, stages boxing as well as providing a gymnasium and swimming pool.The hall is owned...
in Bethnal Green. The challenge was to end in disappointment with Wright suffering a second career defeat, losing over 12 rounds. Compensation for the defeat came in his very next fight on 4 November 2006, picking up the now vacant English belt, beating Gary Reid to become a two-time English champion.
Tournaments
Wright followed up the Reid win with a victory over American Jonathon Nelson as part of the UK vs USA Contender challengeThe Contender Challenge: UK vs. USA
The Contender Challenge: UK vs. USA was a series of boxing matches on March 30, 2007, held at Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, England, featuring 6 boxers from the US reality television shows The Contender and The Contender 2. The Contenders, in a team coached by Sugar Ray Leonard, took on 6 boxers...
at the Metro Arena in Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
and then fought former British champion Lenny Daws
Lenny Daws
Lenny Daws is a professional boxer, fighting out of Morden, England. He is a former two time British light welterweight champion and a former English light welterweight champion.-Early professional career:...
for his English belt, this time keeping hold of the belt by scoring a draw. On 8 February 2008 he challenged Ajose Olusegun
Ajose Olusegun
Ajose Olusegun is a Nigerian-born British professional boxer. He competed for Nigeria at the 2000 Sydney Olympics Games reaching the 2nd round. As a professional he is unbeaten and is the former British and current Commonwealth light welterweight champion....
for the Commonwealth belt only to lose for the third time in his career. A further defeat followed in his very next fight, travelling to Limerick and losing to Paul McCloskey
Paul McCloskey
Paul McCloskey is an Irish southpaw professional boxer who fights in the light welterweight division....
over 10 rounds.
On 24 October 2008, Wright moved up a weight division to take part in the Prizefighter tournament
Prizefighter series
The Prizefighter series is a knock out boxing tournament created by boxing promoter Barry Hearn and aired on Sky Sports. The format has an initial eight fighters, who compete in four quarter-finals of 3 x 3 minute rounds followed by two semi-finals and one final all on the same night...
featuring the welterweights. He defeated another former English champion, Ross Minter
Ross Minter
Ross Minter is a professional boxer.Ross Minter is the son of Alan Minter, the former World Middleweight Champion....
, in the quarter finals only to lose to eventual tournament winner Michael Lomax
Michael Lomax
Dr. Michael Lucius Lomax is, since 2004, the president and chief executive officer of the United Negro College Fund of the United States. Lomax is the son of Lucius W. Lomax, Jr...
in a controversial semi. Wright rebounded from the defeat to Lomax with a victory over journeyman Arek Malek. The fight set him up for a further crack at the British and Commonwealth titles now both held by former opponent Ajose Olusegun
Ajose Olusegun
Ajose Olusegun is a Nigerian-born British professional boxer. He competed for Nigeria at the 2000 Sydney Olympics Games reaching the 2nd round. As a professional he is unbeaten and is the former British and current Commonwealth light welterweight champion....
on 12 June 2009 at the Olympia in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, only to lose once again via a points decision.
Win against Arthur and English title
On 5 December 2009 Wright returned to action and bounced back from the defeat to Olusegan with his biggest win to date, beating former WBO super-featherweight champion Alex ArthurAlex Arthur
Alex Arthur, nicknamed "Amazing" Alex Arthur, is a professional boxer from Edinburgh in Scotland.Arthur is a former British, Commonwealth, European Boxing Union and WBO super featherweight champion...
in an 8 round points decision. The fight, on the undercard of Amir Khan's
Amir Khan (boxer)
Amir Iqbal Khan , is a British Pakistani professional boxer who is currently the unified WBA & IBF light welterweight champion....
WBA world title defence against Dmitriy Salita was a step up for Wright who rose to the challenge to cause a major upset and have Arthur questioning his future in the sport. On 23 July 2010 Wright claimed the English title, for the third time beating Dean Harrison over 10 rounds and despite being given a count in the 7th round after touching down. Wright had stated before the fight that should he win the contest with Harrison, another shot at the British title would be his main aim, a title which at the time was held by old rival Lenny Daws
Lenny Daws
Lenny Daws is a professional boxer, fighting out of Morden, England. He is a former two time British light welterweight champion and a former English light welterweight champion.-Early professional career:...
. On 12 February 2011 Wright beat the undefeated Jamie Speight in a six round contest at the Olympia in Liverpool, winning by stoppage in the 5th round.