Lloyd Honeyghan


Lloyd Honeyghan is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1995. He reigned as the undisputed welterweight champion from 1986 to 1987; and held the WBC, Ring magazine and lineal welterweight titles twice between 1986 and 1989. At regional level he held the British, European, and Commonwealth welterweight titles between 1983 and 1985, as well as the Commonwealth super-welterweight title from 1993 to 1994.

Early life and amateur career

Honeyghan was born in Jamaica and spent his early years there. He came to England at the age of nine to join his parents who had settled in Bermondsey. He took up boxing at the age of 11 with the Fisher Amateur Boxing club. He was a good, rather than an outstanding amateur boxer. He boxed for England but never won an ABA title being beaten in the English semi-finals by Joey Frost in 1979.

Professional career

Honeyghan turned professional with Terry Lawless in 1980. He debuted with a six-round points decision victory over fellow novice Mike Sullivan. He won his first 13 fights, including a victory over the tough Kostas Petrou. Before positioning himself for an eliminator against the capable Lloyd Hibbert for the British welterweight title on 18 January 1983. Honeyghan outpointed the future British super-welterweight champion over ten rounds. He followed this by capturing the Southern Area welterweight title with a fourth-round knockout over the dangerous Sid Smith in March 1983.

British welterweight champion

Honeyghan captured the British welterweight title via a twelve-round points decision against the tough Cliff Gilpin on 5 April 1983, after suffering the first knockdown of his career in the second round. Honeyghan later stated that Gilpin gave him one of his hardest fights.
He remained busy throughout 1983, travelling to the United States to defeat Kevin Austin, then outpointing US contender Harold Brazier in London before rounding off the year with a clear points victory in a British title rematch with Cliff Gilpin.
In 1984 Honeyghan fought only once, defeating Roberto Mendez. He suffered a broken thumb and had to have a pin inserted into his left hand to keep the bone in place.

European welterweight champion

On 5 January 1985 he captured the European welterweight title with a highly impressive third-round knockout of future two time super-welterweight world champion Gianfranco Rosi in Perugia, Italy. Following this, Honeyghan defeated R W Smith who is the current General Secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control in six rounds. He kept extremely busy during 1985, defeating three US contenders in world title challenger Roger Stafford, followed by Danny Paul and Ralph Twinning.
Honeyghan and Lawless parted company because Honeyghan believed that Lawless was spending too much time on the career of Frank Bruno and not enough on his career. As such the two couldn't get on and things came to a head following an altercation between Honeyghan and his trainer in the Royal Oak gym run by Lawless. Following the incident Lawless banned Honeyghan from his gym and he promptly signed with Mickey Duff.
Honeyghan appointed former British featherweight champion Bobby Neill as his new trainer and closed out 1985 with a stoppage victory over fellow world rated Briton and former stablemate Sylvester Mittee, for the British, European, and Commonwealth welterweight titles.
On 20 May 1986 Honeyghan stopped top US contender Horace Shufford in eight rounds in London, earning him a title shot against the unbeaten and undisputed welterweight world champion Donald Curry of the US.

Undisputed welterweight champion

On 27 September 1986, Honeyghan defeated Curry for the undisputed welterweight title. The fight took place in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and was televised by Showtime.
At the time Curry was considered to be one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world with his only possible rival being Marvin Hagler. Honeyghan was given little chance by the majority of the media. However, there were rumours that Curry was having difficulty making the welterweight limit and that this would be his last fight at the weight. The betting odds prior to the fight were 6–1 against Honeyghan and he placed a bet of $5,000 on himself to win the fight. He caused a major upset by dominating the fight, nearly dropping Curry in the second round, before Curry retired at the end of round six. Curry suffered a broken nose along with cuts to his lip and above his eye, which required 20 stitches. As a result of his bet Honeyghan earned an additional $30,000.
At the press conference before the fight Curry had dismissed his little known and lightly taken British opponent, asking "Who is this ragamuffin?" Because Honeyghan had come to the press conference in casual clothes. Honeyghan thereafter adopted the title 'Raggamuffin' with relish. Embracing his Jamaican heritage where a raggamuffin is a streetwise tough guy.
The fight had taken place one night after another "expert shocker", when Edwin Rosario knocked out Livingstone Bramble in two rounds to claim the WBA lightweight title, and one week after Honeyghan's win, Ring magazine mentioned his victory on their "Weekend of shockers!" issue's cover..

WBA title vacated

Honeyghan disagreed with the WBA's rules that allowed fights to take place in apartheid South Africa, so he publicly and controversially dumped the WBA welterweight title into a London trash bin soon after winning it, relinquishing the title rather than defending it against South African Harold Volbrecht. This move would prove significant, as soon after, the WBA stopped sanctioning fights held in South Africa. The vacant title was won by Mark Breland following a seventh-round stoppage of Volbrecht.

Continued title defences

After winning the world title he changed his boxer-puncher style to that of more of a brawler. He became known for his full frontal assault on opponents. Most boxers would spend the early rounds boxing cautiously until they had figured out their opponent's style of fighting. Honeyghan went for a knockout from the opening bell. Asked why he had changed his fighting style Honeyghan quipped "You don't get paid for overtime in this business."
In his first defence, after dominating and flooring his opponent in the first round. He caused controversy by racing across the ring and trying to hit his opponent, former super-lightweight world champion Johnny Bumphus, as soon as the bell sounded to start the second round. Honeyghan threw a left hook which missed but the momentum from his forearm knocked an unsteady Bumphus to the canvas. Honeyghan had a point deducted from his score and Bumphus was given time to recover. However, the fight had already been knocked out of him and he did not last much longer. Asked why he had done this Honeyghan stated "The bell went ding and I went dong." The rules were changed following this incident so that at the beginning of each round the referee stands in the middle of the ring. Instead of in a neutral corner, as it had previously been, to prevent punches being thrown until both fighters are ready.
In his second defence of the title, Honeyghan defeated the then unbeaten future world champion Maurice Blocker on points. He became a crowd pleaser with his all action style of fighting and recorded one of the fastest wins in a world title fight with a 45 second blow-out of former Super-lightweight champion Gene Hatcher of the US.

Losing the titles

He controversially lost his WBC title to Jorge Vaca in 1987 when a clash of heads meant that the fight had to be stopped due to a cut sustained by Vaca. Honeyghan had a point deducted from his score even though the clash of heads had been deemed accidental and the round had not been completed. Without the point deduction the fight would have been a draw meaning that Honeyghan would have retained his title. After the point deduction the scorecards favoured Vaca and he became the new champion. The fight was not for the IBF title which was declared vacant and was subsequently won by Simon Brown.
Honeyghan became only the second British boxer in history to regain a world title, when he knocked Vaca out in a return fight for the WBC title in the third round. The first being Ted "Kid" Lewis earlier in the 20th century. In the post-fight press conference Honeyghan expressed his views on Mickey Duff, stating "Mickey and I don't mix outside of boxing, he looks at me as a pawn, a commodity. I don't like him." This elicited a memorable response from Duff who stated "Fortunately, there is nothing in our contract that says we have to like each other."
Honeyghan next defended against tough South Korean Yung-Kil Chung, halting him in five rounds in July 1988 when the Korean refused to get up after being hit with an accidental low blow. In February 1989 Honeyghan lost his WBC title to former Don Curry victim and arch-rival Marlon Starling. There was bad blood between the two fighters and Honeyghan boxed wildly against the defensively excellent Starling. He was stopped in the ninth round after taking heavy punishment throughout the fight. Honeyghan returned later in the year, labouring to a points decision over Delfino Marin in Florida, however he appeared to be a fading force.
He had to apologise to the WBA for his previous actions in order to fight for the WBA title in 1990 against Mark Breland. By this time Honeyghan was past his best and was stopped by Breland in three rounds after being knocked down six times.

Later career at super-welterweight

In 1991, he resumed his career at super-welterweight having outgrown the welterweight division. During 1991 and 1992 he won six consecutive fights against relatively modest opposition in Mario Olmedo, John Welters, Darryl Anthony, Alfredo Ramirez, Mickey Duncan and Carlo Colarusso. In early 1993 he was still good enough to win the Commonwealth super-welterweight title by defeating the useful Mickey Hughes. However, in June of that year he was stopped in ten rounds by former world champion Vinny Pazienza in a contest made at middleweight. Victories over Steve Goodwin and in 1994 Kevin Adamson followed, with Honeyghan retaining the Commonwealth title in the latter fight. He did not fight for another year and retired after he was stopped in a bout by fellow Briton Adrian Dodson in three rounds in 1995, on the undercard of Nigel Benn vs. Gerald McClellan.

Doping allegations

Lloyd Honeyghan always had trouble with his hands and tested positive for a painkilling drug after his fight against Marlon Starling. He was fined $1,500 by the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Personal life

On leaving school Honeyghan became an apprentice printer and he continued in this trade until he became a full time professional boxer.
In his younger days Honeyghan developed a reputation for being a flashy dresser and a ladies man. The tabloid newspapers had a field day when he became a world champion and revealed that he had fathered five children with three different women, none of whom he had married.
He had a block of flats named after him in Southwark to mark his achievements.

Business dealings

Towards the end of his boxing career Honeyghan got involved in the music business. He produced two CD's featuring various reggae artists.
Following his retirement he tried his hand as a boxing manager and promoter. He promoted a few boxing shows in London. However, without the backing of a television company it was difficult to make money as a small promoter.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
48Loss43–5Adrian DodsonTKO3, 2:2425 Feb 1995London Arena, London, England
47Win43–4Kevin AdamsonTKO6 26 Feb 1994Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, EnglandRetained Commonwealth super-welterweight title
46Win42–4Steve GoodwinKO6 2 Nov 1993Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, London, England
45Loss41–4Vinny PazienzaTKO10, 0:5626 Jun 1993Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
44Win41–3Mickey HughesTKO5, 1:0030 Jan 1993International Centre, Brentwood, EnglandWon Commonwealth super-welterweight title
43Win40–3Carlo ColarussoKO6 28 Oct 1992Royal Albert Hall, London, England
42Win39–3Mickey DuncanRTD2, 3:0013 May 1992Royal Albert Hall, London, England
41Win38–3Alfredo RamirezPTS822 Apr 1992Wembley Arena, London, England
40Win37–3Darryl AnthonyKO2 8 May 1991Royal Albert Hall, London, England
39Win36–3John WeltersKO1 12 Feb 1991Festival Hall, Basildon, England
38Win35–3Mario OlmedoTKO4 10 Jan 1991Latchmere Leisure Centre, London, England
37Loss34–3Mark BrelandTKO3 3 Mar 1990Wembley Arena, London, EnglandFor WBA welterweight title
36Win34–2Delfino MarinUD1024 Aug 1989Hyatt Regency, Tampa, Florida, US
35Loss33–2Marlon StarlingTKO9, 1:194 Feb 1989Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, USLost WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles
34Win33–1Yung-Kil ChungTKO5, 0:4229 Jul 1988Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USRetained WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles
33Win32–1Jorge VacaKO3, 2:5829 Mar 1988Wembley Arena, London, EnglandWon WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles
32Loss31–1Jorge Vaca8 28 Oct 1987Wembley Conference Centre, London, EnglandLost WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles;
Split TD after Vaca cut from accidental head clash
31Win31–0Gene HatcherTKO1, 0:4530 Aug 1987Plaza de Toros de Nueva Andalucía, Marbella, SpainRetained WBC, IBF, and The Ring welterweight titles
30Win30–0Maurice BlockerUD1218 Apr 1987Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandRetained WBC, IBF, and The Ring welterweight titles
29Win29–0Johnny BumphusTKO2, 0:5522 Feb 1987Wembley Conference Centre, London, EnglandRetained WBC, IBF, and The Ring welterweight titles
28Win28–0Donald CurryRTD6, 3:0027 Sep 1986Circus Maximus Showroom, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USWon WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring welterweight titles
27Win27–0Horace ShuffordTKO8 20 May 1986Wembley Arena, London, England
26Win26–0Sylvester MitteeTKO8, 1:3927 Nov 1985Alexandra Palace, London, EnglandRetained European welterweight title;
Won British and Commonwealth welterweight titles
25Win25–0Ralph TwinningTKO4, 1:001 Oct 1985Wembley Arena, London, England
24Win24–0Danny Paul1030 Aug 1985Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
23Win23–0Roger StaffordTKO9, 2:586 Mar 1985Royal Albert Hall, London, England
22Win22–0R W Smith6, 3:0012 Feb 1985Royal Albert Hall, London, England
21Win21–0Gianfranco RosiKO3, 0:595 Jan 1985PalaEvangelisti, Perugia, ItalyWon European welterweight title
20Win20–0Roberto MendezPTS86 Jun 1984Royal Albert Hall, London, England
19Win19–0Cliff GilpinPTS126 Dec 1983Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandRetained British welterweight title
18Win18–0Harold BrazierPTS1024 Oct 1983Grosvenor House Hotel, London, England
17Win17–0Kevin AustinTKO10 9 Jul 1983DaVinci Manor, Chicago, Illinois, US
16Win16–0Cliff GilpinPTS125 Apr 1983Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandWon vacant British welterweight title
15Win15–0Sid SmithKO4, 2:051 Mar 1983Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandWon Southern Area welterweight title
14Win14–0Lloyd HibbertPTS1018 Jan 1983Royal Albert Hall, London, England
13Win13–0Frank McCordKO1, 2:1222 Nov 1982Hilton on Park Lane, London, England
12Win12–0Ian Kid MurrayTKO3, 1:2022 Sep 1982Hilton on Park Lane, London, England
11Win11–0Kostas PetrouPTS818 May 1982York Hall, London, England
10Win10–0Dave SullivanTKO3, 1:3423 Mar 1982York Hall, London, England
9Win9–0Derek McKenzieTKO6, 1:3515 Mar 1982Hilton on Park Lane, London, England
8Win8–0Tommy McCallumPTS62 Mar 1982Royal Albert Hall, London, England
7Win7–0Granville AllenTKO5, 1:259 Feb 1982Royal Albert Hall, London, England
6Win6–0Dave Finigan2 25 Jan 1982Hilton on Park Lane, London, England
5Win5–0Alan CooperTKO4, 1:0824 Nov 1981Wembley Arena, London, England
4Win4–0Dave FiniganTKO1, 1:3616 Nov 1981Hilton on Park Lane, London, England
3Win3–0Dave SullivanPTS610 Feb 1981York Hall, London, England
2Win2–0Dai Davies5 20 Jan 1981York Hall, London, England
1Win1–0Mike Sullivan68 Dec 1980Royal Albert Hall, London, England