Teddy Gardner

Teddy Gardner
Data
Birth Name
Weight class	Flyweight
nationality	British
birthday	January 27, 1922
place of birth	West Hartlepool , County Durham , United Kingdom
Date of death	1977
style	Left-hand boom
Combat Statistics
Struggles	66
Victories	55
Knockout victories	12
Defeats	8th
draw	3

Teddy Gardner (born January 27, 1922 in West Hartlepool , County Durham , United Kingdom , † 1977 ) was a British boxer . He was European champion of professional flyweight boxers .

Career

Teddy Gardner started boxing as a teenager. However, no details are known about its beginnings. At the age of 16 he became a professional boxer and remained so for the long period of 14 years. In addition, he worked as an innkeeper in West Hartlepool, since he could hardly live on his fees as a professional boxer, especially in the years up to 1950. He achieved his great sporting successes practically only in the years from 1949 to 1952.

Career as a professional boxer

Teddy Gardner played his first professional fight on May 23, 1938 in West Hartlepool and came in the flyweight to a knockout victory in the 4th round over Jack Herbert. Until 1940 he fought regularly against British opponents in West Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Newcastle. In 1941 and 1942 he was inactive and in 1943 and 1944 he only played three fights, which he won. From July to November 1945 he boxed five times in Bangalore, India, winning four fights.

In the years 1946 to 1949 he fought slowly but steadily up the British rankings and on December 13, 1949 got the chance to win the vacant British Bantamweight Title (BBBofC British Bantamweight Title) against his English compatriot Danny O'Sullivan in Kensington boxing. He was unlucky, however, because he lost this fight to a technical knockout in the 9th round, because he could no longer box because of a gaping eyebrow wound (cut).

On February 13, 1950 he boxed in Newcastle against the Canadian Fernando Gagnon for the challenge right to the Commonwealth (British Empire) champion in the bantamweight. He lost this fight but by technical knockout in the 4th round. But after that he achieved a number of important victories against strong opponents. So he defeated Dickie O'Sullivan on points in Newcastle on October 30, 1950 , on January 22, 1951 he beat the French Honore Pratesi and on February 19, 1951 his compatriot Louis Skena on points. On October 8, 1951, he beat the Scots Vic Herman in Newcastle after twelve rounds on points. This fight was about the right to challenge the Commonwealth (British Empire) flyweight champions.

Through these victories Teddy Gardner was in the boxing journal "The Ring" in the world rankings of November 1951 behind Terry Allen and in front of Vic Herman and the Australian champion Taffy Hancock in second place. Louis Skena took 7th place in this ranking. The NBA world champion at that time was the Hawaiian Dado Marino .

Teddy Gardner then got the chance on February 18, 1952 in Newcastle against Louis Skena for the EBU European flyweight title, which had become vacant due to the resignation of the previous European champion Jean Sneyers from Belgium. He won this fight by knockout in the 6th round and was thus able to celebrate as the new European champion. Four weeks later, on March 17, 1952, Teddy Gardner defended the European title at St. James Hall in Newcastle against ex-world champion Terry Allen, in a fight that also involved the British championship and the Commonwealth ( British Empire) flyweight championship went. The fight went perfectly even and the referee Peter Muir from Glasgow, who was given sole decision-making authority, decided on Teddy Gardner's victory on the points. Teddy Gardner was at the height of his sporting career at the age of 30.

On April 28, 1952, he defeated the French ex-European champion Maurice Sandeyron in Newcastle after ten rounds on points. On June 30, 1952, he successfully defended his European title against the Italian Otello Belardinelli in West Hartlepool after 15 rounds with a point win. In the world rankings of "The Ring" he was at the end of June 1952 in flyweight behind Yoshio Shirai from Japan and Tammy Campos from the Philippines in third place. Terry Allen and Vic Herman followed in the next places. World champion was still Dado Marino.

On September 8, 1952 Teddy Gardner defended the Commonwealth (British Empire) title in Newcastle against the South African Jake Tuli (Jakob N'Tuli). He lost this fight against the much younger Tuli by technical knockout in the twelfth round after he had to visit the ground several times. After this heavy defeat, he put down the British championship title and the European flyweight title shortly thereafter and ended his career.

Teddy Gardner's title fights

year	place	title	Weight class	Result
1949	Kensington, UK	British championship title	Bantam	Techn. Knockout loss to Danny O'Sullivan
1952	Newcastle, UK	EBU European championship title	To fly	Knockout victory in the 6th round over Louis Skena, France
1952	Newcastle, UK	EBU European title, Commonwealth (British Empire) title, British championship title	To fly	Points victory after 15 laps over Terry Allen
1952	West Hartlepool, UK	EBU European championship title	To fly	Points victory after 15 laps over Otello Belardinelli, Italy
1952	Newcastle, UK	Commonwealth (British Empire) title	To fly	Technical knockout loss in the 12th round

Explanations

• Left hand, the leading hand is the left hand, the striking hand is the right hand
• NBA = National Boxing Association, leading world boxing association, later split into the WBC (World Boxing Council) and the WBA (World Boxing Association)
• EBU = European Boxing Union
• UK = United Kingdom (United Kingdom)
• BBBofC = British Boxing Board of Control

literature

• Box Sport magazine
• Trade journal "The Ring"

Web links

• Teddy Gardner in the BoxRec database
• Battle of Teddy Gardner against Terry Allen in 1952