Steve Robinson (boxer)
Steve Robinson (born 13 December 1968, in Cardiff) is a Welsh retired professional boxer. He is best known for working in Debenhams as a storeman in Cardiff, then with just two days' notice, he accepted the fight against John Davison in 1993 for the vacant WBO Featherweight title and won the contest on a points decision.[1]
| Steve Robinson | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Steve Robinson |
| Nickname(s) | The Cinderella Man |
| Weight(s) | Featherweight and Super featherweight |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Born | 13 December 1968 Cardiff, Wales, UK |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 51 |
| Wins | 32 |
| Wins by KO | 17 |
| Losses | 17 |
| Draws | 2 |
| No contests | 0 |
Professional career
On 17 April 1993 the defending Featherweight Champion, Ruben Palacios from Colombia, was due to defend his title in Washington, England against John Davison from England. However, the champion failed a HIV test by the BBBC prior to the bout and was immediately stripped of his title by the WBO. With only two days to go before the bout, the promoters had to find another opponent to face Davison. Steve Robinson accepted the chance to fight for the WBO crown. Robinson won the bout by a points decision against all the odds. He was the new WBO World Featherweight Champion. He was a worthy champion with 7 successful defences of his title.[1]
On 30 September 1995 he defended his title for the last time, against Prince Naseem Hamed from Sheffield, England. Hamed dominated the fight and Steve Robinson was knocked out in the eighth round.[1]
He challenged for the European featherweight title on 3 February 1997, against the holder Billy Hardy, but was beaten on points.
He challenged for the European title, against John Jo Irwin on 4 December 1999 and won the bout on a points decision, and became the new European Boxing Union Featherweight Champion. However, 6 months later on 23 June 2000, he lost his title to István Kovács from Hungary.[1]
He challenged for the European featherweight title again on 25 May 2001, but ended in defeat over 12 rounds against Manuel Calvo from Spain.[1]
Further defeats followed and Steve Robinson had decided to retire after his sixth loss in a row. He made his announcement after his points defeat to Steve Conway on 27 April 2002. He said after the bout, "I don't want to end it this way but there you are – it's happened. I've seen the great heights and I've some fantastic memories but I've beaten better men than Steve Conway and I just think it's time to call it a day."[1]
In retirement
On 1 February 2006, Robinson started Train Station 2, a "White Collar Boxing" fitness centre in Cardiff.[2] He now runs Steve Robinson's Boxing Gym in his home town of Cardiff where he hopes to train a world champion.
In September 2020, Robinson announced that he had joined the Welsh National Party.[3]
References
- "Steve Robinson – World Featherweight Champion". www.johnnyowen.com. Retrieved 8 November 2007.
- "The Fight Club that's strictly for the white collar set". WalesOnline. 1 February 2006.
- "Former Welsh boxing champion joins new nationalist party". Nation.Cymru. 11 September 2020.
External links
| Sporting positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Preceded by Ruben Palacios |
WBO Featherweight Champion 17 April 1993 – 30 September 1995 |
Succeeded by Naseem Hamed | ||
| Regional boxing titles | ||||
| Vacant Title last held by John Jo Irwin |
WBO Featherweight Champion Inter-Continental title 8 March 1997 – 11 March 2000 |
Succeeded by Juan Carlos Ramírez | ||
| EBU Featherweight Champion 4 December 1999 – 23 June 2000 |
Succeeded by István Kovács | |||