Harry Mallin
 Mallin in the early 1920s | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Henry William Mallin | |||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | English | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 June 1892 Hackney Wick, London, England | |||||||||||||||||
| Died | 8 November 1969 (aged 77) Lewisham, England | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10.5 in (180 cm) | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Boxing | |||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | Middleweight | |||||||||||||||||
| Club | Eton Manor Boys and Old Boys Club, Hackney Wick. Metropolitan Police Amateur Boxing Club | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Henry William Mallin (1 June 1892 – 8 November 1969) was an English middleweight amateur boxer. He came originally from Hackney Wick, his younger brother was the Olympic boxer Fred Mallin. He lived in Dartmouth Park, North London and was a police officer with the Metropolitan Police.[1]
Boxing career
[edit]Mallin was Amateur Boxing Association British middleweight champion five years in a row from 1919 to 1923. He was also world champion in the middleweight class between 1920 and 1928. He never lost an amateur bout and never turned professional.
In the 1920 Summer Olympics he won a gold medal in middleweight division, defeating Canadian boxer Georges Prud'Homme in the final. In 1924 he went on to win another gold in the same weight class. In that year, he met Roger Brousse of France in the quarter-finals, and after the decision came down 2–1 in favour of Brousse, Mallin showed the referee fresh teeth marks on his chest, which further examination proved that Mallin had definitely been bitten by his French opponent. Brousse was disqualified, clearing the way for Mallin to win his second gold medal. After the incident versus Brousse, Mallin was referred to by one reporter as "the unroasted human beef of Old England".[2]
Mallin was the first to successfully defend an Olympic title in two consecutive games, and still remains the only male British boxer to do so until Nicola Adams repeated the feat in 2016.[3] He retired undefeated after over 300 bouts.[3]
Subsequently, he managed the British Olympic boxing teams at the 1936 and 1952 Summer Olympics.[4]
In 1937, he achieved the distinction of being the first British television sports commentator, when he gave commentary on two boxing matches that were broadcast by the BBC from Alexandra Palace.[4]
Henry Mallin died at a nursing home in Lewisham in November 1969.
References
[edit]- ^ "Harry Mallin". Olympedia. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ Bert Randolph Sugar; Teddy Atlas (January 2011). The Ultimate Book of Boxing Lists. Running Press. pp. 65–. ISBN 978-0-7624-4013-9.
- ^ a b Duncanson, Neil (17 July 2024). "Not just Chariots of Fire: the forgotten heroes of 1924 Paris Olympics". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Harry Mallin". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
1904: 145–158 lb (65.8–71.7 kg) · 1908: 140–158 lb (63.5–71.7 kg) · 1920–1936: 147–160 lb (66.7–72.6 kg) · 1948: 67–73 kg · 1952–2000: 71–75 kg · 2004–2012: 69–75 kg · 2016–2020: 70–75 kg · 2024–: 72–80 kg | |
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- 1892 births
- 1969 deaths
- People from Hackney Wick
- Boxers from the London Borough of Hackney
- English male boxers
- Middleweight boxers
- Olympic boxers for Great Britain
- Boxers at the 1920 Summer Olympics
- Boxers at the 1924 Summer Olympics
- English Olympic competitors
- Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain
- England Boxing champions
- Olympic medalists in boxing
- Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics
- Metropolitan Police officers
- BBC sports presenters and reporters
- 20th-century English sportsmen