Gary Mason (15 December 1962 – 6 January 2011) was a British professional boxer who was based in Chatham, Kent, England. He was born in Jamaica.[1] Mason fought at the heavyweight level and became the British heavyweight champion in 1989. Mason was a top ten contender, his main strengths being his punching power and physical strength.
Gary Mason | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gary Anthony Mason 15 December 1962 Jamaica |
| Died | 6 January 2011 (aged 48) Wallington, London, England |
| Nationality |
|
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 1+3⁄4 in (1.87 m) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 38 |
| Wins | 37 |
| Wins by KO | 34 |
| Losses | 1 |
Mason died on 6 January 2011 in a cycling accident in South London.
Pro boxing career edit
Mason fought 38 times as a professional in a career that spanned 10 years from 1984 to 1994, with 37 wins (34 by knockout) and only one loss, that being to Lennox Lewis when he challenged for the European title in 1991. Mason gave Lewis his hardest fight up to that point in his career.[citation needed]
Mason defeated a number of well known heavyweights, including Tyrell Biggs, James Tillis, Alfonzo Ratliff, Ricky Parkey, James Pritchard, Louis Pergaud, Hughroy Currie and David Jaco.
Mason sparred with the former WBA World cruiserweight number one and British heavyweight champion David Pearce. Pearce helped him with sparring in preparation for Mason's title fights, he praised Pearce and said he was instrumental in his helping his career.
He suffered a detached retina in a bout with Everett Martin in 1990. After a short retirement he staged a comeback, which ended with a TKO defeat by Lennox Lewis, which aggravated Mason's eye injury. He came back once again, but after winning two fights in the US he retired for good.
Professional boxing record edit
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 37–1 |  Martin Foster
|
TKO | 3 | 10 September 1994 | Laughlin, Nevada, United States
|
|
| Win | 36–1 | Kevin P Porter
|
TKO | 2 | 29 January 1994 | Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States
|
Referee stopped the bout at 2:58 of the second round. |
| Loss | 35–1 |  Lennox Lewis
|
TKO | 7 | 6 March 1991 | Wembley, London
|
BBBofC British/EBU Heavyweight Titles. Referee stopped the bout at 0:44 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 35–0 | James Pritchard
|
TKO | 9 | 12 December 1990 | Kensington, London
|
Referee stopped the bout at 2:09 of the ninth round. |
| Win | 34–0 | Everett Martin
|
PTS | 10 | 14 March 1990 | Kensington, London
|
98.5–97. |
| Win | 33–0 | Mark Anthony Wills
|
PTS | 10 | 6 December 1989 | Wembley, London
|
98.5–97. |
| Win | 32–0 | Tyrell Biggs
|
KO | 7 | 4 October 1989 | Kensington, London
|
|
| Win | 31–0 | Jess Harding
|
TKO | 2 | 28 June 1989 | Brentwood, Essex
|
BBBofC British Heavyweight Title. |
| Win | 30–0 | "Scary" Terry Armstrong
|
TKO | 3 | 29 March 1989 | Wembley, London
|
|
| Win | 29–0 | Hughroy Currie
|
KO | 4 | 18 January 1989 | Kensington, London
|
BBBofC British Heavyweight Title. Currie knocked out at 3:00 of the fourth round. |
| Win | 28–0 | James "Quick" Tillis
|
TKO | 5 | 30 November 1988 | Southwark, London
|
Referee stopped the bout at 1:50 of the fifth round. |
| Win | 27–0 | David Jaco
|
TKO | 4 | 24 October 1988 | Windsor, Berkshire
|
Referee stopped the bout at 2:52 of the fourth round. |
| Win | 26–0 |  Manoel "Clay" De Almeida
|
TKO | 7 | 13 April 1988 | Bethnal Green, London
|
|
| Win | 25–0 | Ricky Parkey
|
TKO | 1 | 9 March 1988 | Wembley, London
|
|
| Win | 24–0 | Alfonzo Ratliff
|
TKO | 6 | 3 February 1988 | Wembley, London
|
Referee stopped the bout at 1:17 of the sixth round. |
| Win | 23–0 | "Slammin" Sammy Scaff
|
TKO | 2 | 3 December 1987 | Southend, Essex
|
|
| Win | 22–0 | Andrew Gerrard
|
TKO | 6 | 24 October 1987 | Tottenham, London
|
|
| Win | 21–0 |  Andre van den Oetelaar
|
TKO | 2 | 25 September 1987 | Southend, Essex
|
|
| Win | 20–0 | "Fast" Eddie Richardson
|
TKO | 7 | 30 August 1987 |  Marbella, Andalucia, Spain
|
|
| Win | 19–0 | Billy Joe Thomas
|
KO | 1 | 26 May 1987 | Wembley, London
|
|
| Win | 18–0 | Woody Clark
|
TKO | 2 | 18 April 1987 | Kensington, London
|
Referee stopped the bout at 2:39 of the second round. |
| Win | 17–0 | Richard Earl Scott
|
TKO | 1 | 24 March 1987 | Wembley, London
|
Referee stopped the bout at 1:27 of the first round. |
| Win | 16–0 | Rodney "King" Smith
|
TKO | 1 | 22 February 1987 | Wembley, London
|
Referee stopped the bout at 1:04 of the first round. |
| Win | 15–0 | Oscar Holman
|
PTS | 8 | 26 November 1986 | Wolverhampton, West Midlands
|
79.5–76.5. |
| Win | 14–0 | Donnie "Master of Disaster" Long
|
KO | 1 | 4 November 1986 | Wembley, London
|
Long knocked out at 1:31 of the first round. |
| Win | 13–0 | Lorenzo Boyd
|
KO | 2 | 17 September 1986 | Kensington, London
|
|
| Win | 12–0 | Mark "The Storm" Young
|
TKO | 5 | 19 July 1986 | Wembley, London
|
|
| Win | 11–0 | "Poison" Ivy Brown
|
KO | 2 | 20 May 1986 | Wembley, London
|
|
| Win | 10–0 |  Maurice Gomis
|
TKO | 3 | 24 April 1986 | Bethnal Green, London
|
|
| Win | 9–0 |  "King" Louis Pergaud
|
TKO | 4 | 9 April 1986 | Kensington, London
|
|
| Win | 8–0 | Charles "Tuffy" Hostetter
|
TKO | 1 | 4 March 1986 | Wembley, London
|
Referee stopped the bout at 2:35 of the first round. |
| Win | 7–0 | Denroy Bryan
|
KO | 1 | 19 February 1986 | Kensington, London
|
Bryan knocked out at 1:20 of the first round. |
| Win | 6–0 | Steve Gee
|
TKO | 5 | 4 December 1985 | Kensington, London
|
Referee stopped the bout at 1:25 of the fifth round. |
| Win | 5–0 | Steve Gee
|
TKO | 5 | 5 November 1985 | Wembley, London
|
Referee stopped the bout at 1:38 of the fifth round. |
| Win | 4–0 |  Luc Goossens
|
KO | 1 | 6 March 1985 | Kensington, London
|
Luc knocked out at 2:33 of the first round. |
| Win | 3–0 | Frank "The Tank" Robinson
|
KO | 1 | 18 January 1985 | Bethnal Green, London
|
|
| Win | 2–0 | Al Malcolm
|
TKO | 2 | 14 December 1984 | Wembley, London
|
Referee stopped the bout at 0:20 of the second round. |
| Win | 1–0 | Al Malcolm
|
KO | 1 | 16 October 1984 | Kensington, London
|
Rugby career edit
Mason played three rugby league matches for the London Crusaders (now London Broncos), scoring a try in his first game.[3] Mason also played in occasional soccer matches as part of an 'Arsenal Celebrities' team at the old 'Highbury' football ground in North London.
Television appearances edit
Mason appeared in a special celebrity show of Gladiators that raised money for charity in 1993 which John Fashanu won. Mason also appeared on the panel of the ITV show You Bet!, and the second episode of the first series of GamesMaster in 1992 playing Sonic Blast Man arcade. Mason's home was also one of those featured on the panel show Through the Keyhole.[citation needed]
Death edit
On the morning of 6 January 2011 Mason died after being hit by a van in Sandy Lane South, Wallington, South London whilst cycling. He was pronounced dead at the scene.[4]
References edit
- ^ "boxer: Gary Mason". boxrec.com. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ^ "BoxRec - Gary Mason".
- ^ Scott, Brough (21 April 2001). "Boxing: Mason still on the canvas". The Daily Telegraph. London.[dead link]
- ^ "Boxer Gary Mason dies in cycling collision in London". BBC News. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
External links edit
- (archived by web.archive.org) Sutton Guardian
- Boxing record for Gary Mason from BoxRec (registration required)