Gary Sykes & The Lonsdale Belt Fiasco

Dewsbury super featherweight Gary Sykes hasn't had much luck as a fighter. His latest piece piece of chronic misfortune centres around the Lonsdale belt he was led to believe he'd won outright back in May (the one he wasn't informed he hadn't won outright until November).

The British Boxing Board of Control have decided that - despite winning four British title fights (over two tenures) - that he never made a mandatory defence throughout both reigns. This despite the fact that he defeated Carl Johanesson back in 2011 who was his mandatory challenger (Sykes had been scheduled to face Paul Truscott, however, Johanesson reportedly rang the board and asked them to enforce his mandatory challenger status - which they duly did).

Sykes hasn't made any money from his lifetime in boxing. As nice a guy as they come, he teaches kids at his gym in Batley each week in a bid to make ends meet. The one thing Sykes wanted out of the sport before his time as a fighter is over was to win a Lonsdale belt outright - a promise he made his daughter after he lost it to Gary Buckland. How cruel is it to fulfil your life's ambition, only to have some bugger tell you otherwise (on some spurious technicality) further down the line?

The BBBofC need to do the right thing here. If he beat his mandatory challenger, how can he not have fulfilled a mandatory defence?

hazharrison wrote: The one thing Sykes wanted out of the sport before his time as a fighter is over was to win a Lonsdale belt outright - a promise he made his daughter after he lost it to Gary Buckland. How cruel is it to fulfil your life's ambition, only to have some bugger tell you otherwise (on some spurious technicality) further down the line?

I'd have to have fulfilled my life's ambition to know...

"A promise he made his daughter"................His daughter would have preferred a promise to take her to Disneyland, I reckon !!

I have sympathy for the kid but less of the..... maudlin puke.

Standard ignorant response.

I imagine that for someone whose sporting heroes include a nefarious PED cheat and a wife beating narcisist that story must appear appallingly sentimental - which of course it isn't.

I don't get sentimental over puke like this....

You and your favorites..Dear oh dear !!

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:I don't get sentimental over puke like this....

You and your favorites..Dear oh dear !!

That's because you're a pig ignorant galoot.

He's got a point there Truss.

It's the first thing he's written...I agree with !!

Title of the thread sounds like JK Rowling is having a go at writing a boxing novel

Title of the thread sounds like JK Rowling is having a go at writing a boxing novel

Follow-up novel? "Amir Khan and the indifference of Mayweather"

Then there's "Carl Froch and the Swansong Lament"

I wasted three minutes typing all that out....

and another four hours typing out that last line

DAVE667 wrote:and another four hours typing out that last line

Thanks guys. I'm pretty sure the BBBofC will think twice about something like this in future - just from forum protests alone.

For what its worth, promises to kids or no promises to kids. The guy is a good honest pro, who always gives his best, magnanimous in defeat. A lonsdale belt was the best his ability could take him to, and probably the height of his ambitions once he'd found his level. By the sounds of things he did enough to deserve it. Hope the board of control have a rethink.

milkyboy wrote:For what its worth, promises to kids or no promises to kids. The guy is a good honest pro, who always gives his best, magnanimous in defeat. A lonsdale belt was the best his ability could take him to, and probably the height of his ambitions once he'd found his level. By the sounds of things he did enough to deserve it. Hope the board of control have a rethink.

It's completely baffling. The entire theme of the Kays fight was that it was Gary's opportunity to win the belt outright (that's how it was marketed in his home town). He was given a civic reception after he won! Why then would the board wait months before telling him it was all a misunderstanding (just before he set off to face Walsh)?

He knows he was never going to make any money out of boxing but he wanted to secure that belt.

If he told you the moon was made of cheese would you believe him ??

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:If he told you the moon was made of cheese would you believe him ??

I have no idea why you keep posting gibberish. Have you missed your medication (anti-inflammatory tablets)?

Retracted.............Uncalled for..

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:"I like Gary Sykes"......."I don't like that naughty-waughty Ray Leonard though"

He never beat anybody fairly......Because I don't like him !! so there !!...

Joke poster.

Ray Leonard was a boss.