George Gogay

The son of a Bethnal Green greengrocer, George Gogay never won an ABA title, despite losing to a questionable decision, many felt, against the defending champion George Shorter in 1924. Gogay nevertheless was a reserve for the lightweight division at the Paris Olympics that year. Early in 1925, he was one of four Olympians, along with Harry Mitchell, Patrick O’Hanrahan, and Jack Elliott to visit the United States and take part in a series of contests against the Americans. A few months later, Gogay came close to his only ABA title when he lost in the lightweight final to Sergeant Viney of the Royal Signal Corps. In November 1925, Gogay turned professional and joined the Joe Morris stable at Premierland and was a stable-mate of such crack boxers as Johnny Curley and Teddy Baldock.

Gogay’s professional career was a short one, and after losing his undefeated record barely 12 months after his début, he retired and concentrated on coaching, becoming one of the instructors at the London Polytechnic BC in 1928. Throughout his career, as both an amateur and professional, Gogay continued to work as a boilermaker up to the outbreak of World War II when, in 1941, he went to live and work in Portugal as a physical training instructor with the Mocidade Portuguesa (Portuguese Youth Movement).