Ringside Report Looks Back at Tough Boxer George Feeney

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

Hartlepool is not an English town to which I would flock in a desire to holiday. It does not feature in my top 10 destinations of places I want to visit before I die, but the town does have a number of sporting connections that make the name ring in my mind. It was the very first managerial home of soccer legend Brian Clough and also took Scottish soccer manager John Hughes down a few years back. To a Scottish sporting mind, it therefore has resonance.

It was not however high in my mind for the sweet science.

Until now.

George Feeney, 19-10, 8 KO’s, is a former British lightweight champion, most notable in the early 1980s who hails from the town and made his name well enough known 30 plus years ago. One of two brothers who fought professionally – his younger brother John, was a British bantamweight champion from 1983 to 1984, he was a professional from 1977 until enforced retiral in 198X.
His debut on the 22nd of August 1977 was at the Club Fiesta in Stockton on Tees, where he stopped Eric Wood in the 4th round of a scheduled 6.

Thereafter, he managed a 10-fight winning streak to begin his career, out of 16 which again shows not that he was limited but that he took on tough opponents.

Those defeats included one against the British legend Clinton McKenzie on April Fool’s Day 1980 in Wembley, so getting a British title eliminator in October 1980, against Ricky Beaumont was clearly his entitlement. Unfortunately, he was to lose narrowly at the City Hall in Hull, Yorkshire on the 2nd of October 1980 to Beaumont and his first chance to fight for a British title was to elude him.

That was to be reversed in another British title eliminator on the 31st of March 1981 in Wembley, when he stopped Winston Spencer to progress to a title fight for the Lonsdale Belt.
I should however, have remembered his name as he was the guy who retired Scottish boxing legend Ken Buchanan in January 1982, which brought him such prominence that he was able to go into the October British title opportunity with some confidence. Beating Buchanan at the National Sporting Club in Piccadilly was, however tinged with sadness for the Scottish boxing fan as Buchanan, in his 68th professional fight, was already very much down on his luck. Desperate for cash, Buchanan was a shell and fighting for the money. It is a great name to have on your record, but we were already thinking of past glories rather than current opportunities with our legend. Ironically the fight was in the very place Buchanan began his professional career and having taken the scrap at 3 days notice performed exactly as was expected – losing on points over 8 rounds, 79 ½ to 78 on Burns Night – the 25th of January – 1982, by referee Harry Gibbs’ points total.
Feeney then faced reigning champion, Ray Catthouse at the iconic Royal Albert Hall. Catthouse was stopped in the 14th round, giving Feeney the belt.

This was a fight that got shown on primetime BBC and made the top 50 fights of all time in a British ring. It was his finest hour. It shows especially how we see boxers domestically as well as internationally as a domestic title fight was seen so reverentially – it got the 5th place slot in British Boxing bible, Boxing News. That it beat other big nights such as Anthony Joshua’s win over Wladimir Klitschko shows just how warmly it was seen by those in the business.

A key fight that cemented his legendary status, Catthouse had to be rescued by the referee Harry Gibbs as he was battered from one end of the ring to the other by Feeney. It brought Feeney into our living rooms but also into our fighting hearts.

In 1983 he was to travel to Italy and face Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini in a non-title fight and took his opponent the full distance of 10 rounds. Mancini was to win but the respect Feeney got in the ring followed him out afterwards and they have apparently kept in touch since.

His first defense of his British title came in December 1983, and he was to stop Tony Willis at the Regents Cress Hotel in Marylebone, London on the 3rd of December 1983, in the very first round before then defending his title a second time on the 10th of February 1984, beating Paul Chance and winning the Lonsdale belt outright in the Town Hall, Dudley.

The 5th of October 1984 saw him in Frankfurt, Germany as he sought to add the European title to his collection. Rene Weller was the champ, and the fight went the distance, but, as well as suffering a detached retina, Feeney was to lose his attempt to bring home the European title. It was to be his final fight.

Feeney has continued to live in his hometown and is still there in his 60’s battling away no doubt with some very cherished memories – we certainly share them too!

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