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The Lonsdale Belt was a boxing prize introduced by Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale
Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale

Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, Order of the Garter, Royal Victorian Order was an England nobleman. The second son of the Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale, he succeeded his brother, the St George Lowther, 4th Earl of Lonsdale, in 1882....
, to be awarded to British boxing champions. It is still awarded to British champions today.

Lonsdale organised boxing matches and was the first president of the National Sporting Club
National Sporting Club

The National Sporting Club was a club founded in London in 1891, which did more to establish the sport of boxing in Great Britain than any other organisation....
. In 1909, he introduced the Lonsdale Belt as a new trophy for the British champion at each weight division. The belts were crafted from porcelain and twenty-two carat gold and were only to be held by a fighter as long as he was British champion.






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The Lonsdale Belt was a boxing prize introduced by Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale
Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale

Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, Order of the Garter, Royal Victorian Order was an England nobleman. The second son of the Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale, he succeeded his brother, the St George Lowther, 4th Earl of Lonsdale, in 1882....
, to be awarded to British boxing champions. It is still awarded to British champions today.

National Sporting Club

Lord Lonsdale organised boxing matches and was the first president of the National Sporting Club
National Sporting Club

The National Sporting Club was a club founded in London in 1891, which did more to establish the sport of boxing in Great Britain than any other organisation....
. In 1909, he introduced the Lonsdale Belt as a new trophy for the British champion at each weight division. The belts were crafted from porcelain and twenty-two carat gold and were only to be held by a fighter as long as he was British champion. However, a British champion was allowed to keep his Lonsdale Belt if he defended his title successfully two times. Later belts were made from nine carat gold rather than twenty-two carats as the first ones were. A total of 22 Lonsdale belts were issued by the National Sporting Club, and of these 20 were won outright.

The holders of the first Lonsdale belts were:-
  • Flyweight — Sid Smith
    Sid Smith (boxer)

    Sid Smith was an English flyweight boxing of Jewish heritage. He was the first officially recognised British flyweight champion, and was also recognised by the European Boxing Union as the World flyweight champion....
    , 1911
  • Bantamweight — Digger Stanley
    Digger Stanley

    George ?Digger? Stanley was an English boxer who was British and European bantamweight boxing champion....
    , 1910 (retained)
  • Featherweight — Jim Driscoll
    Jim Driscoll

    James "Jim" Driscoll was a Wales boxing who learned his trade in the boxing ring and used it to fight his way out of poverty.Born on Ellen Street, Newtown, Cardiff in 1880, Driscoll gained fame for winning the coveted Lonsdale belt in 1910....
    , 1910 (retained)
  • Lightweight — Freddie Welsh
    Freddie Welsh

    Freddie Welsh was a Wales born boxing champion....
    , 1909 (retained)
  • Welterweight — Young Joseph, 1910
  • Middleweight — Tom Thomas, 1909
  • Light-heavyweight — Dick Smith, 1914 (retained)
  • Heavyweight — Bombardier Billy Wells
    William Thomas Wells

    William Thomas Wells, better known as, Bombardier Billy Wells was a England heavyweight boxer. Fighting under the name 'Bombardier Billy Wells,' he was List of British heavyweight boxing champions and British Empire Champion from 1911 until 1919, defending his title fourteen times....
    , 1911 (retained)


The three above belts that were not retained by the holders were eventually held and retained by Jimmy Wilde
Jimmy Wilde

Jimmy Wilde , was a former Wales world boxing champion. Jimmy Wilde was the first official world flyweight champion and was rated by United States boxing writer Nat Fleischer, as well as many other professionals and fans including former boxer, Boxing training, Coach and Promoter , Charley 'Broadway' Rose, as "the greatest flyweight ever"....
 (flyweight), Johnny Basham (welterweight) and Pat O’Keefe (middleweight).

British Boxing Board of Control

The National Sporting Club became virtually defunct in the early 1930s and lost control of the sport to the British Boxing Board of Control
British Boxing Board of Control

The British Boxing Board of Control is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff....
. The latter body began issuing Lonsdale belts from 1936 onwards.

The first holders of the B.B.B.C. belts were:-
  • Flyweight — Benny Lynch
    Benny Lynch

    Benny Lynch was a Scotland boxing who fought in the flyweight division. He is considered by some to be one of the finest boxers below the lightweight division in his era and Ring Magazine has described him as the greatest fighter that Scotland has ever produced....
    , 1936
  • Bantamweight — Johnny King, 1937
  • Featherweight — Johnny McGrory, 1936
  • Lightweight — Jimmy Walsh, 1936
  • Welterweight — Jake Kilrain, 1938
  • Middleweight — Jock McAvoy
    Jock McAvoy

    Jock McAvoy was a United Kingdom boxing who fought from 1927 to 1945. He was born Joseph Patrick Bamford in Rochdale, Lancashire,and initially discovered trained and managed by Joseph Tolley at Tolley's famous Rochdale Boxing Club, reference the Rochdale thunder bolt....
    , 1937
  • Light-heavyweight — Jock McAvoy
    Jock McAvoy

    Jock McAvoy was a United Kingdom boxing who fought from 1927 to 1945. He was born Joseph Patrick Bamford in Rochdale, Lancashire,and initially discovered trained and managed by Joseph Tolley at Tolley's famous Rochdale Boxing Club, reference the Rochdale thunder bolt....
    , 1937
  • Heavyweight — Tommy Farr
    Tommy Farr

    Thomas George Farr was one of the most famous British people boxings of all time. Born in Clydach Vale, Wales and nicknamed "the Tonypandy Terror", he became List of British heavyweight boxing champions and Empire heavyweight champion on 15 March 1937....
    , 1937


Henry Cooper
Henry Cooper (boxer)

Sir Henry Cooper Order of the British Empire, Order of St. Gregory the Great in South East London, is a retired England heavyweight boxing and was the British, European and Commonwealth of Nations heavyweight champion in 1970....
 (heavyweight) is the only man ever to win three Lonsdale belts outright. Besides Henry Cooper the following boxers have won two Lonsdale belts outright:-
  • Nel Tarleton
    Nel Tarleton

    Nel Tarleton was an England featherweight Boxing from Liverpool, England. He was United Kingdom featherweight champion on three separate occasions and, despite only having one lung, continued fighting until he was 42....
     (featherweight)
  • Ronnie Clayton
    Ronnie Clayton (boxer)

    Ronnie Clayton was a United Kingdom Boxing, born in Blackpool, Lancashire whose career highlight was winning the European Featherweight championship in 1947....
     (featherweight)
  • Peter Keenan
    Peter Keenan

    Peter 'Crackers' Keenan is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne Football Club, Essendon Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League during the 1970s....
     (bantamweight)
  • Howard Winstone
    Howard Winstone

    Howard Winstone, Order of the British Empire was a Wales world champion boxer. As an amateur, Winstone won the Amateur Boxing Association of England bantamweight title in 1958, and a Commonwealth Games Gold Medal at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff...
     (featherweight)
  • Brian Curvis
    Brian Curvis

    Brian Curvis was a Boxing from Swansea, Wales who was active from 1959 to 1966. He fought as a Welterweight, becoming British welterweight champion in 1960....
     (welterweight)
  • Clinton McKenzie
    Clinton McKenzie

    Clinton McKenzie is a former professional boxing. He fought in the light welterweight division and became the BBBofC light welterweight title holder and lost to EBU title fights....
     (light-welterweight).


In 1987 the B.B.B.C. decided no longer to award any fighter more than one belt in the same weight division. This still allows a fighter to win belts outright at two or more different weights.

The Lonsdale Belt won by Bombardier
Bombardier (rank)

Bombardier is a rank used in artillery units in the army of Commonwealth of Nations countries instead of Corporal. Lance-Bombardier is used instead of Lance-Corporal....
 Billy Wells in 1911 is now kept at the Royal Artillery Barracks
Royal Artillery Barracks

The Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich in South East London is the "home" of the Royal Artillery. It is famous for having the longest continuous building facade in the United Kingdom as well as for having the largest parade square of any United Kingdom barracks....
 in Woolwich
Woolwich

Woolwich is a suburb in south-east London, England in the London Borough of Greenwich, on the south side of the River Thames, though the tiny exclave of North Woolwich is on the north side of the river....
, South East London, and is not on display to the general public.

Recently, the belt awarded to Randolph Turpin was auctioned for £23,000.

List of outright winners (partial)

  • Freddie Welsh
    Freddie Welsh

    Freddie Welsh was a Wales born boxing champion....
     (1912)
  • Jim Driscoll
    Jim Driscoll

    James "Jim" Driscoll was a Wales boxing who learned his trade in the boxing ring and used it to fight his way out of poverty.Born on Ellen Street, Newtown, Cardiff in 1880, Driscoll gained fame for winning the coveted Lonsdale belt in 1910....
     (1910)
  • Digger Stanley
    Digger Stanley

    George ?Digger? Stanley was an English boxer who was British and European bantamweight boxing champion....
     (1910)
  • Bombardier Billy Wells
    William Thomas Wells

    William Thomas Wells, better known as, Bombardier Billy Wells was a England heavyweight boxer. Fighting under the name 'Bombardier Billy Wells,' he was List of British heavyweight boxing champions and British Empire Champion from 1911 until 1919, defending his title fourteen times....
     (heavyweight) (1913)
  • Jimmy Wilde
    Jimmy Wilde

    Jimmy Wilde , was a former Wales world boxing champion. Jimmy Wilde was the first official world flyweight champion and was rated by United States boxing writer Nat Fleischer, as well as many other professionals and fans including former boxer, Boxing training, Coach and Promoter , Charley 'Broadway' Rose, as "the greatest flyweight ever"....
     (flyweight) (1917)
  • Jack Petersen
    Jack Petersen

    'Jack Petersen' was a Wales boxing, who held the British heavyweight boxing title on two separate occasions....
     (heavyweight) (1935)
  • Nel Tarleton
    Nel Tarleton

    Nel Tarleton was an England featherweight Boxing from Liverpool, England. He was United Kingdom featherweight champion on three separate occasions and, despite only having one lung, continued fighting until he was 42....
     (outright winner of two belts in 1936 and 1945)
  • Jackie Paterson
    Jackie Paterson

    Jackie Paterson was a Scotland boxer who was world flyweight boxing champion. He was also British champion at flyweight and bantamweight....
     (flyweight) (1943)
  • Ronnie Clayton
    Ronnie Clayton

    Ronnie Clayton may refer to:*Ronnie Clayton *Ronnie Clayton *Ronnie Clayton , character on Coronation Street...
     (outright winner of two belts in 1950 and 1953)
  • Randolph Turpin (light-heavyweight) (1952, outright in 1956)
  • Peter Keenan
    Peter Keenan

    Peter 'Crackers' Keenan is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne Football Club, Essendon Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League during the 1970s....
     (outright winner of two belts in 1953 and 1957)
  • Henry Cooper
    Henry Cooper (boxer)

    Sir Henry Cooper Order of the British Empire, Order of St. Gregory the Great in South East London, is a retired England heavyweight boxing and was the British, European and Commonwealth of Nations heavyweight champion in 1970....
     (outright winner of three belts)
  • Brian Curvis
    Brian Curvis

    Brian Curvis was a Boxing from Swansea, Wales who was active from 1959 to 1966. He fought as a Welterweight, becoming British welterweight champion in 1960....
     (outright winner of two belts in 1961 and 1964)
  • Howard Winstone
    Howard Winstone

    Howard Winstone, Order of the British Empire was a Wales world champion boxer. As an amateur, Winstone won the Amateur Boxing Association of England bantamweight title in 1958, and a Commonwealth Games Gold Medal at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff...
     (outright winner of two belts in 1962 and 1963)
  • Maurice Cullen
    Maurice Cullen (boxer)

    Maurice Cullen was an England lightweight Boxing, who held the British Lightweight Title, defending it four times....
     (lightweight) (1966)
  • George Feeney (1984)
  • Hugh Russell
    Hugh Russell

    Hugh Russell is a former Irish people boxing. Russell won a Olympic medalists in boxing at the 1980 Summer Olympics. Two years earlier, Russell also won a bronze medal, this time representing Northern Ireland at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton....
     (1985)
  • Billy Hardy
    Billy Hardy

    Billy Hardy is a former bantamweight and featherweight boxing champion. He held the British championship at bantamweight and featherweight, as well as the European and Commonwealth featherweight titles....
     (bantamweight) (1989)
  • Lennox Lewis
    Lennox Lewis

    Lennox Claudius Lewis, Order of Canada, Order of the British Empire is a retired boxing who won gold for Canada at the Boxing at the 1988 Summer Olympics as an amateur boxing....
     (heavyweight) (1992)
  • Richie Wenton (super-bantam weight 1996) (outright winner of inaugural Lonsdale Belt)
  • Carl Froch
    Carl Froch

    Carl Froch is an England super-middleweight boxing, and is the current WBC Super-Middleweight Champion, after defeating Jean Pascal on points for the vacant title on 6 December 2008....
     (2006)


Sources

  • Maurice Golesworthy, Encyclopaedia of Boxing (Eighth Edition) (1988), Robert Hale Limited, ISBN 0-7090-3323-0










See also

  • Evolution of professional boxing
    Boxing

    Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar human weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds....
  • Championship belt
    Championship belt

    A championship belt is used primarily in combat sports such as boxing, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling to signify the champions of the promotion or company, much like the Vince Lombardi Trophy or The Stanley Cup....