George Gilbody

Amateur boxer George Gilbody boxed for multiple clubs in and around the Merseyside area from 1966 to 1982. Gilbody became the ABA featherweight champion in 1974 and the ABA lightweight champion in 1977, holding the latter again from 1979 to 1981. George and his brother Ray also became the first brothers to win ABA titles in the same year, doing the feat twice, first in 1979 and again in 1980.

In his early international career Gilbody won bronze at the 1974 European under-21 championships in Kiev. Four years later he represented England at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, before winning gold at the Acropolis Cup in Athens one year later. In 1980 both George and Ray represented Great Britain at the Moskva Olympics. In the lightweight class, George beat Blackson Siukoko (ZIM) by decision, before losing to Richard Nowakowski (GDR) in the quarter-finals.

Gilbody’s long career saw him box in 195 matches, including 43 for his country, winning 35 bouts, with six by knockout. He then trained amateur boxers in Warrington and Leigh in the northwest of England, before working as the England team manager from 2010 to 2013.