Bert Gilroy

I'd be interested to know exactly how many times or for how many years Bert Gilroy was listed as the "number one contender" for British title (in any division) because I distinctly remember seeing an interview with an old-timer boxer from middleweight or light-heavy from that period who mentioned in passing that Gilroy was "always number one" and never got a chance.

I wish I could remember the name of the fighter or find the interview.
i certainly didn't get the impression that the old fighter was basing his statements on anything other that his own memory of the period in question.

 

What wins on Gilroy's resume suggests that he was better, and in most cases even as good as the following?
Tommy Farr
Eddie Thomas
Ralph Charles
Chris Finnegan
Kevin Finnegan
Tony Sibson
Ernie Roderick
Jack Hood
Tommy Milligan
Len Harvey
Nel Tarleton
Johnny King
Dave Charnley
Henry Cooper
Dai Dower
Peter Keenan
Alan Rudkin
Jock McAvoy
Ted Moore
Roland Todd
Teddy Baldock
Johnny Cuthbert
Joe Curran
Ginger Foran
Dave Green
Gary Mason
Chic Calderwood
Freddie Gilroy
Joe Erskine
Brian Curvis
Johnny Pritchett
Terry Spinks
Pat Cowdell
Johnny Caldwell
Herol Graham
Colin Jones
Gary Jacobs
Brian London
UK fighters who also never won world titles. These are gleaned from just a cursory trawl up to the 80's.

 

His Wikipedia page is a joke.

 

No doubt he was a tough guy who paid his dues in a hard era. But I just can't envision someone whose career peak was winning the Scottish light-heavyweight title and who lost by stoppage whenever he fought someone remotely well-known (Cerdan, Mills, Woodcock), as some long-lost forgotten great.

It's a mystery how he got in the Hall of Fame. Then again, if I recall the WBHOF also let in some club fighter a few years ago, so the bar isn't that high.

 

How many Scottish light heavies of any class has there been?
Chic Calderwood and--------

 

Murray Sutherland?

 

I assume Doug was joking around tbh

 

It’s literally in the boxrec post I linked. That has all the info about how long he was no.1 contender to ANYTHING.

Thistle1 or whatever he was called made it all up. He was asked to provide sources and NEVER REPLIED.

Might as well be a fantasy. Well in fact, it was!

 

Unless he's a master of subtle humour, it certainly doesn't appear so. Just looks like he's swallowed the grandson's story, hook, line and sinker.
https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/top-50-fighters-to-never-win-a-world-title.511787/

Even the cyberboxingzone have bought into it:
About the time Bert reached his peak in 1939, World War II broke out and boxing interest became secondary; Many historians feel it cost Gilroy an opportunity to win a world title !
http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/gilroy-bert

Induction into the World Boxing Hall of Fame, sounds prestigious but I've no idea who they are.

Fair play to the grandson, he's played a blinder with Bert Gilroy.

 

All these different write-ups of Gilroy read like they were written by the same person (which they probably were!)

 

Reminds me of the time Ron Lipton wrote his own wikipedia page that read like a comic book claiming he had fists of iron, was undefeated in the ring (he wasnt, hed been knocked out in fact), and had over 300 street fights winning them all by knockout. Yeah, ok.

 

The Uk's Charley Burley!


GILROY WAS HERE!
By James Glen & Ian Macfarlane



Bert Gilroy was perhaps one of the unluckiest boxers of

the first half of the last century. In 1939, just as he

was approaching his peak, the Scottish boxer, like

so many other fighting men of his era, was called

to war.

One unfortunate circumstance is that Gilroy, besides

being deprived of his opportunity at a world title, is

that his entire career seems to have been obliterated

and forgotten. Luckily, a recent book, Gilroy Was

Here corrects that unfortunate loss.

Gilroy Was Here, which was written by Gilroy's grandson

and Ian Macfarlane, is a tremendous look into the world

of pre- and postwar British boxing. Some of the internecine

political squabbles were tougher than the battles in the

ring, but through it all, Gilroy remained a dedicated,

talented performer.

Read Mike Delisa's Review


Read "Thistle in the Rose" Bert Gilroy:
The Charley Burley of the UK by James Glen

 

There's another bloke who I thought knew his stuff but he seems to have been hypnotised by the grandson's baloney as well. Embarrassing!

 

The guys at CBZ were sycophants. If you kissed their ass theyd pay you back in kind. Thats why they ended but banning everyone but about 5 guys they circle jerked with and the forum ended up being nothing but one guy posting 50 shared links a day with no responses. Thats not an exaggeration.

 

It doesn't really explain why an old fighter seemed to remember Bert Gilroy was "always number one" (or words to that effect). I'll try to find that interview.
I mean, unless thistle1 got inside the old geezer's head.

Mile Templeton wrote : "He was ranked as the number one light-heavyweight in Britain in the Boxing News rankings for Aug 6 1947 and Sept 8 1948."
He also stated, referring to 1940, "The only body in the UK that ranked boxers during the period, the National Boxing Association" .....
I didn't know the NBA did British rankings.

I can't find the mention of British Boxing Board of Control ranking or nominating their "no.1", the BBBoC who i would have thought decided who was "number one".

Whereas, on the Bert Gilroy facebook page (presumably run by thistle1/James Glen) there's at least one press clipping from a lot earlier than Aug 1947 that suggests he was already "number one" (at middleweight).
Reporting on the January 1944 win over Noel Wagener, the clipping clearly says "Bert Gilroy, middleweight champion of Scotland, who has just been acknowledge by the Board of Control as the No.1 challenger for Jock McAvoy's title"

https://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/category/Athlete/Bert-Gilroy-1933-1950-503149766487621/

This content is protected

Now, unless Gilroy's grandson is really really good at writing fake news clippings, the fact of his being ranked no.1 challenger for the British middleweight title as early as January 1944, seems to have been omitted or missed by Mr. Templeton.

Combined with the statements made in the video interview with an old fighter I unfortunately cannot recall the name of, I am tending to believe the claims about Gilroy being ranked no.1 for British titles at middle and/or light-heavy for perhaps several consecutive years in the 1940s are somewhat credible.

With all due respect to yourself and Miles Templeton.