Jimmy Carruthers

Jimmy Carruthers

Carruthers after defending World Bantamweight title against Gualt on 13 November 1953
Statistics
Real name James William Carruthers
Rated at Bantamweight
Height 5'6
Reach 67"
Nationality Australia Australian
Born 5 July 1929
Paddington, New South Wales
Died 15 August 1990
Sydney, New South Wales
Stance Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights 25
Wins 21
Wins by KO 13
Losses 4
Draws 0
No contests 0

James "Jimmy" William Carruthers (5 July 1929 – 15 August 1990) was an Australian boxer, who became world champion in the bantamweight division.

Amateur career

Carruthers's boxing career started as an Australian representative at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. In his first-round match of the bantamweight competition, he fought Fred Daigle of Canada and won on points. He defeated Arnoldo Parés of Argentina in his second match. However, he had sustained an eye injury during his bout with Parés, and had to withdraw from the quarter-final match with the up-and-coming gold medalist Tibor Csík of Hungary.[1]

Professional career

Carruthers joined the professional ranks in 1950, and was an immediate success. By then, he was being managed by Dr. Jim McGirr, and trained by "Silent" Bill McConnell.

He won the Australian Bantamweight title in 1951, the British Commonwealth title in 1952, and was regarded by the National Boxing Association as the World Bantamweight Champion. Carruthers became Australia's first universally recognised boxing World Champion.[1] Great Australians of the past—including Young Griffo, Mick King, and Les Darcy—had all won world titles, but they had not received international acceptance at the time of winning their respective crowns. After defending his newly-won World bantamweight title against Vic Toweel in Johannesburg, and then against the American Henry "Pappy" Gault in Sydney, it was found that Carruthers was carrying a 30-foot-long tapeworm.[2]

He was matched for a world title bout against the New Zealand Bantamweight Champion Lyn Philp.[3] For unclear reasons the fight never went ahead.

After a non-title bout in Sydney, and a further title defence against Chamroen Songkitrat in Bangkok, Carruthers retired on 16 May 1954. Among the fighters he defeated were Vic Toweel (twice); Pappy Gault; Bobby Sinn and Chamroen Songkitrat. He made a brief comeback in Melbourne and Sydney in the early sixties in non-title fights, with his last fight in Wellington New Zealand in 1962 where he lost to Jimmy Cassidy.[4]

Personal

Carruthers was married to Myra (née Hamilton) until his death and is survived by four children - Boyd, Ginna, Dimiette and Lukas. During the 1950s he owned the colourful Bells Hotel in Sydney's Woolloomooloo. After that he had a number of businesses, including several vegetarian takeaway and juice bars in Sydney.

In his last years Carruthers suffered from a lung cancer and the Parkinson's disease. He died on 15 August 1990.[2] In 1995 he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.[4]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jimmy Carruthers.
  1. 1 2 Jimmy Carruthers. sports-reference.com
  2. 1 2 "Carruthers, James William (Jimmy) (1929–1990)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  3. ↑ "The Mercury Newspaper". Thursday, January 15, 1953.
  4. 1 2 "Jimmy Carruthers". Box Rec.
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