Gary Cornish

Gary Cornish (born 10 April 1987) is a Scottish former professional boxer who competed from 2011 to 2018. He challenged once for the vacant Commonwealth heavyweight title in 2015.

Gary Cornish
Statistics
Nickname(s)Highlander
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 7 in (201 cm)
Reach84 in (213 cm)
NationalityScottish
Born (1987-04-10) 10 April 1987
Inverness, Scotland
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights27
Wins25
Wins by KO13
Losses2

Amateur career

As a youngster, he played football for Brora Rangers.[1] He decided to go to the local boxing gym only to improve his fitness for football. He fell in love with boxing, quickly discovering his talent for the sport. Trainers and seasoned fighters were not used to 6 ft 7in boxers who possessed such speed and athleticism, and as such it proved difficult to find suitable opponents. After a pursuit of football, he eventually returned to boxing, the sport where he had shown most ability, at age of 19. His amateur career was short, due to the difficulty in finding suitable opponents, and he turned professional with an amateur record of 9-0.

Professional career

His break out fight came in 2015, when he challenged Hungarian Zoltan Csala for the vacant IBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight title. Cornish dominated Csala and won the fight via a technical knockout in the fourth round.

Cornish vs. Joshua
Main article: Anthony Joshua vs. Gary Cornish

On 12 September 2015, Cornish fought Anthony Joshua for the Vacant Commonwealth Belt. Cornish was stopped by the referee just 90 seconds into the fight.[2] He was the first Scottish heavyweight to fight for the commonwealth heavyweight title.

Cornish remained largely absent from the public eye following the Joshua fight, but since regrouped in 2016 with two points victories in bouts fought in Scotland.

In 2017, he became the first Scottish boxer to fight for the British heavyweight title against Sam Sexton. His bid for the title proved unsuccessful, as he lost by unanimous decision to Sexton.[3]

In March 2019, Cornish announced that he would be retiring from boxing on medical grounds after a brain scan. He described his decision to retire as "devastating".[4]

Personal life

Cornish is proud of his Scottish heritage. He has a tattoo on his chest, saying "Alba gu bràth,"[5] which is a Scottish Gaelic phrase used to express allegiance to Scotland as it means 'Scotland forever'.

Professional boxing record
Professional record summary
27 fights 25 wins 2 losses
By knockout 13 1
By decision 12 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
27 Win 25–2 David Howe TKO 1 (6), 1:29 26 Jan 2018 Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland
26 Loss 24–2 Sam Sexton UD 12 6 Oct 2017 Meadowbank Arena, Edinburgh, Scotland For vacant British heavyweight title
25 Win 24–1 Kamil Sokolowski PTS 6 18 Feb 2017 Lagoon Leisure Centre, Paisley, Scotland
24 Win 23–1 Tomas Mrazek PTS 6 24 Jun 2016 Radisson Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland
23 Win 22–1 Kamil Sokolowski PTS 8 25 Mar 2016 Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen, Scotland
22 Loss 21–1 Anthony Joshua TKO 1 (12), 1:37 12 Sep 2015 The O2 Arena, London, England For WBC International, and vacant Commonwealth heavyweight titles
21 Win 21–0 Zoltan Csala TKO 4 (12), 0:47 23 May 2015 Bellahouston Leisure Centre, Glasgow, Scotland Won vacant IBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title
20 Win 20–0 Marino Goles TKO 1 (10), 0:59 28 Feb 2015 Lagoon Leisure Centre, Paisley, Scotland
19 Win 19–0 Larry Olubamiwo PTS 8 9 Jun 2014 Lagoon Leisure Centre, Paisley, Scotland
18 Win 18–0 Hrvoje Kisicek TKO 2 (6) 28 Apr 2014 Radisson Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland
17 Win 17–0 Ivica Perkovic TKO 3 (6), 2:50 Nov 30 2013 Copper Box Arena, London, England
16 Win 16–0 Tomas Mrazek TKO 7 (8), 2:47 20 Sep 2013 Hilton Hotel, London, England
15 Win 15–0 Paul Butlin KO 5 (10), 3:08 7 Jun 2013 The Ironworks, Inverness, Scotland Won vacant International Masters heavyweight title
14 Win 14–0 Humberto Evora RTD 4 (8), 3:00 15 Mar 2013 York Hall, London, England
13 Win 13–0 Jakov Gospic TKO 4 (8), 2:03 15 Feb 2013 Rainton Meadows Arena, Houghton-le-Spring, England
12 Win 12–0 Tamas Bajzath PTS 6 21 Jan 2013 Radisson Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland
11 Win 11–0 Yavor Marinchev TKO 5 (6), 0:52 7 Dec 2012 Drumossie Hotel, Inverness, Scotland
10 Win 10–0 Moses Matovu PTS 6 22 Oct 2012 Radisson Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland
9 Win 9–0 Peter Erdos PTS 6 28 Sep 2012 The Ironworks, Inverness, Scotland
8 Win 8–0 Tayar Mehmed PTS 4 2 Jun 2012 Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Manchester, England
7 Win 7–0 Laszlo Peczeli TKO 2 (6), 0:15 11 May 2012 Drumossie Hotel, Inverness, Scotland
6 Win 6–0 Igoris Borucha PTS 4 25 Feb 2012 Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen, Scotland
5 Win 5–0 Remigijus Ziausys PTS 4 21 Jan 2012 Olympia, Liverpool, England
4 Win 4–0 Hastings Rasani PTS 8 2 Dec 2011 Drumossie Hotel, Inverness, Scotland
3 Win 3–0 Rolandas Cesna PTS 4 23 Sep 2011 Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen, Scotland
2 Win 2–0 Hastings Rasani RTD 4 (6), 2:00 11 Jun 2011 Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen, Scotland
1 Win 1–0 Howard Daley TKO 2 (6), 0:43 4 Aug 2011 Radisson Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland

References
  1. Gary Cornish: Scotland's Great White Hope?. Scotzine (26 February 2013). Retrieved on 17 July 2015.
  2. "Anthony Joshua stops Gary Cornish in 90 seconds to win Commonwealth heavyweight title". Sky Sports. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  3. "Gary Cornish v Sam Sexton: Scottish heavyweight's historic title bid ended". BBC Sport. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  4. "Gary Cornish: Scottish boxer who fought Anthony Joshua retires after brain scan". BBC Sport. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  5. Gary Cornish says he's set to be Scotland’s first British heavyweight champion after winning the IBO Intercontinental title. Daily Record (23 May 2015). Retrieved on 18 July 2015.
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