Ringside Report Looks Back at Boxer James “The Assassin” Tennyson

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

James “The Assassin” Tennyson, 28-4, 24 KOs, is a Northern Irish boxer who competed at three weight divisions – feather, super feather and light – before his retirement in 2021. His accomplishments included challenging for the IBF super featherweight title, becoming Commonwealth, European and British champion at two of those weights and his retirement, at only 28 years of age has deprived us of one of the most explosive boxers of the last 20 odd years to come out of Belfast. Tennyson was well known for having dynamite in his hands, an explosive power puncher who rarely went the full distance.

It is quirk of geography, that over a century ago an agreement between the British and the Irish Governments partitioned Ireland meaning that those in the North, who lived in a part of Britain could also compete for the South of Ireland because though the Irish, reluctantly, accepted the reality of a divided Ireland, they never lost faith that it would one day be united again. And so, people in the North could be accepted as sports stars of the South. It explains part of the Tennyson story.

Tennyson made his pro debut on the 8th of September 2012 against Fikret Remzievin Belfast – he stopped Remziev in the final round of four. Seven months later in 2013, Tennyson, became the youngest Irish super featherweight champion by beating Mickey Coveney – knocking him out in the 2nd round – on the 27th of April in St Kevin’s Hall Belfast.

It set him up for the Celtic featherweight championship – competed between Irish, Welsh and Scottish boxers under the auspices of the British Boxing Board of Control – and in 2015, on the 28th of March, in Belfast he beat Scottish boxer Kris Hughes. Hughes who was well behind on points was disqualified for persistent holding, having already been docked points for the offence! It served as a British title eliminator.

Then on the 30th of April, the following year Tennyson faced Liam Walsh for the British title at the Copper Box Arena, London. Tennyson’s battle to make weight was too much for him and he was stopped in the 5th round with body shots – he was never to compete at that weight again.

He moved up to super featherweight and in 2017, on the 10th of March, back once again in Belfast, his hometown, he beat Declan Geraghty for the Irish super featherweight title again by stoppage. 2017 was a significant years as he won the vacant WBA international super featherweight title by stopping Ryan Doyle in the 6th round in June and then defending it in October against Darren Traynor who he stopped in the 3rd round.

If 2017 was to get him noticed, 2018 was to propel him towards world level when he travelled to London to take on Martin J Ward for the Commonwealth, EBU European titles and to defend his WBA international super featherweight belt. Ward was stopped in the 5th as Tennyson upset the odds when he took on the fight, knowing that the promoter wanted a Ward win and a world title shot for their man.

He may have beat their man, but Eddie Hearn and Matchroom backed Tennyson to the hilt straight after.

His world title opportunity came on the 20th of October 2018, facing Tevin Farmer, at super featherweight in Boston. Though his opportunities were coming at that weight Tennyson was still struggling to boil down to meet the challenge of being a super featherweight. Once more body shots proved to be his undoing as he was stopped in the 5th round.

Despite being a world title challenger the one quality that Tennyson always had, according to all who met him was humility. When his retirement was announced, in one interview Tennyson remarked, “I like to stay grounded, I’m your normal Average Joe and I don’t really see myself any different than anyone else.”

Having lost at super featherweight he moved up in weight again – to lightweight.

Six straight fights, won by knockout followed, including winning the WBA international belt at lightweight on the 31st of August 2019, against Atif Shariq in the 02 Arena where he stopped Shafiq in the 2nd round.

Next was winning the British lightweight title on the 1st of August 2020 in Matchroom’s Headquarters during lockdown against Gavin Gwynne, and it meant he was on his way to another world title shot. Gwynne was stopped in the 6th round in a devastating performance of power. A fan friendly tear up, it certainly was.

And then he went in against the Mexican, Jovanni Straffon on the 1st of May in Manchester. Tennyson was stopped in the 1st round in the IBO title fight at lightweight. It came after he had beaten well regarded Josh O’Reilly, ranked in the top 10 at the time by the WBA five months beforehand. His fight with Straffon was a battle. Both came to win and traded from the first bell. Tennyson hit the floor twice before the referee as forced to step in

But he never fought professionally again.

He announced his retirement on social media and has spoken of his heart-breaking decision to journalists since then. “Having surpassed my expectations by achieving a lot more in boxing than what I could ever have imagined, starting as a young kid with a bad temper to fighting for world titles, packed arenas and winning eight titles along my journey… My advice to any young person with ambition and drive would be, you will lose one hundred per cent of the chances you don’t take in life, get a good team around you and chase your dreams.”