Ringside Report Looks Back at Boxer Richard Gunn
By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart
1871
Europe was a very different place. Both Italy and Germany had recently unified, we still had the Hapsburgs in an Austro-Hungarian Empire, and we were yet to end up fighting over the spelling of Tsars or Czars – the imperial rulers of Russia.
It was in that year, 16th of February, to be precise, that Richard Gunn was born in the Charing Cross area of London. But his feat, in becoming the oldest man to ever win an Olympic gold medal has never been beaten. At 37 years and 254 days, he represented Britain at the 1908 London Olympics and won the Gold at featherweight.
Of course, as we believe longevity in all things has come due to the better healthcare and diet of the 20th and then 21st century it is worth reflecting that Bob Fitzsimmons who fought on till he was 51 years old was also active at this time so perhaps our overarching view of the past could do with a little revision…
Taking up boxing at the Surrey Commercial Docks Boxing Club in 1893, Gunn had recently joined the family tailoring business in the East End of London. As an amateur he came to prominence with three national titles – the Amateur Boxing Association (ABAs) – in 1894, 5 and 6. Having won the third title, the ABA asked him to give it up and retire! They asked because of his “acknowledged superiority over all comers”. Gunn was so much better than the rest and for a while he did!
But the lure of the Olympics in his home city must have been too much for him and having served on the ABA council for a whole 10 years, he donned the gloves, came back and won the damn gold medal! It was all of 14 years after winning his first ABA title, and 12 after winning his last!
It was a win that may have come with less of an international flavor than you would expect as there was only one foreign fighter in his three fight Olympic journey – he beat Etienne Poillot in the quarter final by knocking him out in the 2nd round. There were eight boxers in the featherweight competition – six from Great Britain, and two from France.
What was also unique about this tournament was that for the only time, the boxing was concluded in one day, so quarter, semi and final all in the day!
The semi-final saw him face Thomas Ringer, also of Great Britain, and defeat him by decision. Then in the final another Brit, Charles Morris of the Polytechnic BC, who, like Ringer, was beaten by decision.
In the final Gunn completely outboxed this young contender in the first of the three rounds. Morris then rallied and took the second. Balanced on a knife edge, and with the 1908 tournament adding an extra minute onto the third and final round, it was expected that Gunn would gas out. He didn’t and clearly took the third and the gold medal.
Straight afterwards he hung up his gloves having apparently lost once in fifteen years!
His connection with boxing continued and he became a referee, notably returning to the 1920 Olympiad in Belgium where he was back in the ring 4 times to referee two featherweight quarter finals and two welterweight bouts in their second round of competition.
Having been born in London, he died in 1961 in London aged 90 years old. But what a story he must have told of the time he won an Olympic medal at home, setting records still to be beaten, when he was the guy that nobody could beat!
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