Johnny Maloney

Johnny Maloney was the son of Harry Maloney, a former Essex boxing champion who was secretary of the Romside Tennis, Social, and Sports Club in Romford. Johnny started boxing as a teenager and in 1951, before the age of 19, had won both the North-East London and London Welterweight Championships. He also captured the ABA title with a second-round stoppage in the final against Andy Baird, and reached the quarter-final of the European Championships in Milano, but lost to the eventual silver medallist Hans Kohlegger of Austria.

Maloney defended his ABA title by outpointing Les Morgan in 1952 and then went to the Helsinki Olympics, where he lost in the first round to the defending champion Július Torma of Czechoslovakia.

Maloney served in the Royal Air Force in the 1950s, and in 1955 won his second North-East London title, but had to pull out of the final of the London Championship against Albert McClurg after receiving a cut eye in the semi-final win over Ken Fuller. Maloney made his professional début two months later when he enjoyed a win over six rounds. That was only one of two wins in seven professional encounters, however, and in four of the five he lost, he suffered a knockout. He quit the ring less than a year after joining the paid ranks.