Patrick Cowdell
Encyclopedia
Patrick Cowdell (born 18 August 1953 in Smethwick
, Sandwell
) is a retired boxer
from Great Britain. Cowdell now lives just over the border from Smethwick in Oldbury
.
division (– 54 kg) at the 1976 Summer Olympics
in Montreal, Canada. In the semi-finals he was beaten by eventual gold medalist Gu Yong-Ju
from North Korea
.
Two years earlier Cowdell won the gold medal, at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch
, New Zealand. He was a bronze medalist at the 1975 European Amateur Boxing Championships
held in Katowice
, Poland. He was also the 1973 ABA
bantamweight champion, lightweight in 1975, and featherweight champion in 1976 and 1977.
, losing a close and hard-fought split decision in which Cowdell was dropped in round 15. In 1985 Cowdell challenged Azumah Nelson
for the WBC featherweight title, but was caught cold by a bullet of a punch and knocked out in the first round. He fought on but retired in 1988 after being stopped by Welshman
Floyd Havard
. He finished up with stats of 36-6-0 (18 KOs) that included spells as British, Commonwealth and European Champion.
He also trains/trained a band of fighters that include Bedworth's former Midland Area super-middleweight champion Neil Tidman, Leamington Spa's Richard Mazurek, and Coventry foursome Dougie Walton, Sean McKervey, Joe McCluskey and John Ruddock. Cowdell's most famous pupil, Birmingham-based gypsy Jimmy Vincent, twice challenged for the British title before retiring in 2005.
Smethwick
Smethwick is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the edge of the city of Birmingham, within the historic boundaries of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire....
, Sandwell
Sandwell
Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands with a population of around 289,100, and an area of . The borough is named after Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of both the Black Country, and the West Midlands conurbation, encompassing the urban towns of Blackheath,...
) is a retired 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 Great Britain. Cowdell now lives just over the border from Smethwick in Oldbury
Oldbury, West Midlands
Oldbury is a town in the West Midlands in England. It is a part of the Black Country and the administrative centre of the borough of Sandwell.-Local government:...
.
Amateur career
Cowdell won the bronze medal in the bantamweightBantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
division (– 54 kg) at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Boxing at the 1976 Summer Olympics
There were eleven boxing events at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Light Flyweight :-First Round:* Armando Guevara def. Eduardo Baltar , 5:0* Li Byong-Uk def. Sidney McKnight , KO-1...
in Montreal, Canada. In the semi-finals he was beaten by eventual gold medalist Gu Yong-Ju
Gu Yong-Ju
Gu Yong-Ju is a retired boxer from North Korea, who won the gold medal in the bantamweight division at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada...
from North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
.
Two years earlier Cowdell won the gold medal, at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand. He was a bronze medalist at the 1975 European Amateur Boxing Championships
1975 European Amateur Boxing Championships
The 1975 European Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Spodek, Katowice, Poland from 1 to 8 June. The 21st edition of the bi-annual competition was organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, EABA. There were 193 fighters from 23 countries participating.-Medal winners:-Medal...
held in Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, Poland. He was also the 1973 ABA
Amateur Boxing Association of England
The Amateur Boxing Association of England is the governing body of amateur boxing clubs in England. There are separate organisations for Scotland and Wales with boxing in Northern Ireland being organised on an All-Ireland basis. The Association was founded in 1880...
bantamweight champion, lightweight in 1975, and featherweight champion in 1976 and 1977.
Olympic results
- 1st round bye
- Defeated Leszek Borkowski (Poland) 5-0
- Defeated Alejandro SilvaAlejandro SilvaFor the Chilean long-distance runner with the same name see Alejandro Silva Alejandro Silva is a Chilean instrumental heavy metal guitarist, best known as the founder and lead guitarist of his band, Alejandro Silva Power Cuarteto....
(Puerto Rico) 5-0 - Defeated Reynaldo Fortaleza (Philippines) 4-1
- Lost to Gu Yong-JuGu Yong-JuGu Yong-Ju is a retired boxer from North Korea, who won the gold medal in the bantamweight division at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada...
(North Korea) 1-4
Professional career
Cowdell turned pro in 1977 and in 1981 took on WBC world featherweight champion Salvador SánchezSalvador Sánchez
Salvador Sánchez Narváez was a Mexican boxer born in the town of Santiago Tianguistenco, Estado de México. Many of his contemporaries as well as boxing writers believe that, had it not been for his premature death, Sanchez could have gone on to become the greatest Featherweight boxer of all time...
, losing a close and hard-fought split decision in which Cowdell was dropped in round 15. In 1985 Cowdell challenged Azumah Nelson
Azumah Nelson
Azumah Nelson , a native of Ghana, is a former professional boxer. He is a three-time world champion in two weight classes.Nelson is the former Lineal and two-time WBC Super Featherweight Champion...
for the WBC featherweight title, but was caught cold by a bullet of a punch and knocked out in the first round. He fought on but retired in 1988 after being stopped by Welshman
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
Floyd Havard
Floyd Havard
Floyd Havard is a Welsh former super featherweight boxer. He was twice British super featherweight champion, from 1988–1989 and 1994-1996. In 1994 he made an unsuccessful bid for the IBF super featherweight title against John John Molina....
. He finished up with stats of 36-6-0 (18 KOs) that included spells as British, Commonwealth and European Champion.
Life After Boxing
Pat runs four professional dinner shows a year at the Burlington Hotel in Birmingham's city centre. He recently (February 2007) returned to putting shows on at the Burlington after a three-year hiatus at the Holiday Inn - also in the centre of Birmingham.He also trains/trained a band of fighters that include Bedworth's former Midland Area super-middleweight champion Neil Tidman, Leamington Spa's Richard Mazurek, and Coventry foursome Dougie Walton, Sean McKervey, Joe McCluskey and John Ruddock. Cowdell's most famous pupil, Birmingham-based gypsy Jimmy Vincent, twice challenged for the British title before retiring in 2005.