John Davison: Little Man, Big Heart

by John Davison

John's story is truly inspirational, and this autobiography pulls no punches. John Davison was 25 years old and going nowhere. Supporting his wife and daughter in a tough suburb of Newcastle with no job, he spent his days trying to make ends meet when he was spotted sparring in an old boxing gym by a club coach. John was persuaded to take up amateur boxing despite his age and lack of experience. His life would never be the same again. Davison soon became a champion amateur boxer, reaching the ABA finals in a matter of months and becoming an established international star. His all action attacking style of boxing as well as his sledge-hammer right hook made him a truly feared opponent and saw him captain his country on eight occasions. But the dream turned sour when politics denied Davison his rightful place in the Great Britain squad for the 1988 Olympic Games, and he retired from the sport. Davison's fame had not, however, gone unnoticed in his hometown, not least by the underworld figure Viv Graham and local professional boxing manager Tommy Conroy--together they convinced Davison to come out of retirement and join the professional ranks. Davison went on to win the WBC International Featherweight title in only his eleventh bout and successfully defended it twice. He established himself as one of the top featherweight boxers in the world. In 1992 he captured the British Featherweight Title, enduring a shattered jaw in the process. This victory offered him the chance that he had long been denied--the right to be called Champion of the World. He was scheduled to fight the Columbian Ruben "The Hurricane" Palacio for the WBO Featherweight title in 1993 but what was to follow ws to destroy the careers of both men and shake the world of boxing to its very foundations...

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2007

Reviews

[Gareth Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Davison’s story is very different from most boxers as until the age of 25 he spent his days wheeling and dealing and stripping lead off roofs for money and he spent his nights getting into booze fuelled street fights.
However at the late age (for a boxer) he discovered he had a talent for boxing and going on to fight for England in the amateurs before turning pro.
This is a very good autobiography by a gritty hard man told with matter of fact honesty a good read.