Ground Breaking Boxers

Larry Paul

At the age of 14 years a young black lad from Liverpool 8 embarked on the road to an illustrious boxing career by starting out at the Florence Institute (The Florrie), a well reknowned boxing club in South Liverpool. Larry Paul, born on the 19th April 1952, to an Irish mother and Trinidadian father. One of four children, he attended St James SM School, in the South End of Liverpool, where he was introduced to the noble art of boxing. After leaving school at fifteen, he entered the amateur ranks. Of his 110 amateur fights he won 100. During this period, he won the National Association of Schoolboys title, and at junior and senior ABA level. He also represented England on numerous occasions at international boxing tournaments around the world. At 20 years old, Larry Paul left Liverpool. Like so many scousers he had to leave his home town to seek his fame and fortune by moving to Wolverhampton. Like those other famous scousers, he found it by turning professional. His first professional fight against Lesley Avoth at the Bedfordshire Sporting Club on the 29th January 1973 was to eventually lead him to becoming the first British boxer to attain the newly created weight division of ‘light middleweight champion’ in September 1973. He achieved this feat by knocking out, his opponent, Bobby Arthur, in the tenth round at the Civic Hall (South Staffordshire Sporting Club) Wolverhampton. He went on to successfully defend his title against Kevin White before losing it in his second defence against Maurice Hope. Throughout his career he contested forty bouts, winning thirty of them. Larry Paul was described as a formidable boxer and inspired many young boxers to realise their professional ambitions. After retiring from boxing, he became a legendary fundraiser for many a good cause in his adopted home town of Croydon.