MAURICE CULLEN
Born: 30 December 1937 in Wheatley Hill, England
Died: 29 November 2001 on the age of 63
Document: 55 fights, 45 wins (10 by KO/TKO), eight losses (two by KO/TKO), two Attracts.
Division: Light-weight
Titles: British light-weight champion. Received the title in April 1965 and defended it thrice earlier than dropping it to Ken Buchanan in February 1968.
Scored wins over: Love Allotey, Johnny Cooke (twice), Man Gracia, Jim “Spike” McCormack (twice), Dave Coventry (twice), Vic Andreetti (4 occasions), Joe Tetteh, Rafiu King, Bunny Grant *, Angel Robinson Garcia, Valerio Nunez, Olli Maki*, Boerge Krogh and Bobby Arthur.
Misplaced to: Jim “Spike” McCormack, Sammy McSpadden, Dave Charnley*, Carlos Ortiz**, Lloyd Marshall, Ken Buchanan **, Joao Henrique*, Eddie Perkins **
** Former/future holder of a model of a world title
*Challenger for a model of a world title
The Maurice Cullen combat story
Cullen’s father fought in boxing cubicles, so boxing was in his blood. He labored as a pipe fitter within the mining trade and boxed as an novice in Nationwide Coal Board competitions earlier than turning skilled in November 1959.
He misplaced solely two of his first 26 fights earlier than being outpointed by Dave Charnley. Cullen’s aggressive efficiency towards Charnley noticed him face WBA and WBC light-weight champion Carlos Ortiz in a non-title combat in October 1963, however Ortiz floored and outpointed him.
He gained the vacant British light-weight title by outpointing Dave Coventry in April 1965 and went on to make three profitable defences of the tile, incomes himself a coveted Lonsdale Belt on the way in which. He misplaced the British title to Ken Buchanan (pictured beneath) in February 1968, being floored 4 occasions earlier than being KOd within the eleventh spherical.
Losses towards unbeaten Brazilian Joao Henrique in Sao Paulo and former WBA/WBC light-welterweight champion Eddie Perkins in Copenhagen ended Cullen’s title hopes, and he retired in January 1970.
Cullen was an impressive boxer. His left jab was his most potent weapon. It was quick and laser-like in its accuracy. He mixed this with nice footwork, a great chin (solely Buchanan and Lloyd Marshall beat him inside the gap) and seemingly countless stamina. He really had Bradycardia.
If in case you have Bradycardia, your coronary heart beats fewer than 60 occasions per minute. Too sluggish a coronary heart charge may be harmful, however inside sure limits, a sluggish charge permits the center to preserve oxygen, constructing endurance. On the draw back, Cullen lacked punch energy, illustrated by his mere 10 wins by KO/TKO.
After he retired, it was reported that at the same time as an novice, he had unrecognised fractures in his proper hand, so maybe the dearth of energy was not stunning. He misplaced massive fights towards Charnley, Ortiz, and Buchanan when a win towards any of them might have led to a world title shot. After retirement, he returned to work as a pipe fitter. He needed to have a coronary heart bypass in 1998 and died after a coronary heart assault in 2001.
