Billy Wells

Billy Wells enjoyed a 17-year boxing career, all as an amateur, as he never turned professional. In his senior career between 1958-72 Wells had a 27-9-0 record and had the honour of captaining the London, England, and Great Britain boxing teams. An electrician in London´s Fleet Street, Wells started his boxing with the Wandsworth Club before moving to the famous Lynn ABC in Walworth, London. He won the first of two ABA heavyweight titles in 1965 when he beat Anthony Brogan, and the second in 1968 when he beat Frank Carpenter. Wells went to the Mexico Olympics that year but lost in his opening bout to the eventual silver medallist, Lithuanian-born Jonas Čepulis, representing the Soviet Union.

Wells may well have won a third ABA title had a badly cut right eye not prevented a last-minute stoppage against Peter Boddington in the 1967 final. On his way to that final, Wells beat two future British heavyweight champions, Richard Dunn and Joe Bugner. Wells announced his retirement in February 1969 but three years later made a comeback in a bid to win that third ABA title. Defeat by Dave McCann in the London Area ABA Championships, however, saw him eventually call it a day. Wells’ son Bobby was a 1984 Olympic super-heavyweight bronze medallist.