Dave Griffiths (boxer)

David Griffiths (26 November 1963 – 2 March 2007) was a British boxer. He competed in the men's light welterweight event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, reaching the third round. He turned professional after the Games and won the Welsh super light-welterweight title in January 1988 and defended the title the following year.

Dave Griffiths
Personal information
Full nameDavid Griffiths
NationalityBritish
Born(1963-11-26)26 November 1963
Cardiff, Wales
Died2 March 2007(2007-03-02) (aged 43)
Cardiff, Wales
Height5 ft 8.5 in (1.74 m)[1]
Sport
SportBoxing

Early life

Griffiths was born in Glossop Terrace in Adamsdown, Cardiff, Wales. He was the youngest of nine children born to Kenneth Griffiths and his wife Vivienne. He attended Willows High School.[2]

Career

Amateur

Griffiths, a former Welsh Amateur Boxing Association champion,[3] was chosen to represent Great Britain at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. At the time, he was working as a warehouseman alongside his boxing train.[3] After receiving a bye in the first round,[4] he was drawn against Clifton Charleswell of the United States Virgin Islands in the second. Griffiths won the bout via a unanimous judges' decision. In the third round, Griffiths met Dhawee Umponmaha of Thailand. He was eliminated after suffering a 4–1 points defeat,[1] Umponmaha went on to win the silver medal in the event.[5]

Professional

Griffiths turned professional after the Olympics, winning his debut fight against George Jones in January 1985. He suffered his first defeat two months later against Alastair Laurie but embarked on an undefeated run, winning five and drawing one of his next six fights. This streak was ended by points defeat to Angel Hernandez in February 1987.[6]

In January 1988, Griffiths won the vacant Welsh super light-welterweight title by defeating Mark Pearce. He defended his title against Pearce in a rematch the following year. His last professional bout was in February 1990, in which he suffered a TKO defeat to Dave Pearce.[6]

Later life

After retiring from boxing, Griffiths worked as a builder and a labourer. He died in March 2007 at the age of 43.[2]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Dave Griffiths". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  2. "Olympic boxer found dead". WalesOnline. Media Wales. 9 March 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  3. "Wales at Skx: Friday briefing". HTV Wales. 20 July 1984. Retrieved 11 March 2020 – via Library Hub.
  4. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Boxing at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games: Men's Light-Welterweight Round One". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  5. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Dhawee Umponmaha". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  6. "Dave Griffiths". BoxRec. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
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