Thread: Memories of Gary Mason

Sad news today that boxer Gary Mason was killed on his push bike after a traffic accident.

Lets have some memories of Gary.


I always remember his smile and genuine laughter.

Being from Gillingam, Kent i always remmber Gary walking around town and having time for everybody. Particulary us kids as he always made sure we was'nt misbehaving on the high street.

He also owned a shop, a jewellers i believe and he used to keep his title belt in the window for people to see as he said he won it for the people of Gillingham....veru humble guy.

Another time when leaving the our local leisure centre with my parents we saw Gary planting a tree outside and when i went to speak to him he gave me a signed photo and shadow boxed my dad.

The three thing I remember about Mason was how good he was at predicting how fights would go.

1-After 1 round of Holyfield-Douglas he said that Douglas was going to be KO soon even thought the other commontators there disagreed with him.

2-He also predicted that Larry Holmes would beat Ray Mercer.That may sound obvious now but at the time Mercer had just battered Tommy Morrison and most people last memory of Holmes was him on the floor against Tyson.A lot of the The experts thought Holmes could get badly hurt at the time.

3-I also remember him KOing a boxer and taking him clean off his feet a bit like in a Rocky film.

RIP Gary

Cracking KO percentage over 140 odd rounds and only 1 loss to Lennox.

Shame he had eye trouble.

I'll always remember him being a Huge Puncher with a solid chin.

Gary Mason - Boxer

sad news

Obituary - Gary Mason (1962-2011)

Gary Mason (37-1, 34 KOs) was a very talented, underrated heavyweight. A carpenter's son from Clapham, Jamaica-born Mason made his debut in October 1984 with a first round knockout of Al Malcolm.
Malcolm, coincidentally, was also the debut opponent of Lennox Lewis, against whom Mason was to suffer his only defeat. In the mid-eighties the British domestic scene was often held up to ridicule but Mason was a cut above the vast majority of his peers.

He went 28 unbeaten (including wins against Alfonzo Ratliff, Ricky Parkey and James Tillis) before securing his first shot at a title in January 1989. He stopped Hughroy Currie in the fourth round for the British title which had been vacated by Horace Notice. The heat was slowly turned up for Mason who was given a big challenge in October '89 in the shape of Tyrell Biggs. At the time, Biggs only had two losses on his log - against Mike Tyson and Francesco Damiani. Mason stopped him in seven rounds at the Royal Albert Hall.

At the same venue in March 1990, Mason boxed Everett Martin. Although he knocked the American down in the first, Martin was a very tough character and it went to points, Mason prevailing 98 1/2 to 97. However, the victor suffered a detached retina in his right eye which required surgery. He retired for a short time.

After a comeback win against James Pritchard, he faced Lennox Lewis (then 14-0) for the British and European titles in March 1991. It's often forgotten that Big Gary had a better world ranking than Lewis at the time and was many people's favourite to win. Mason, as always, gave it his all. "He got Lewis on the ropes beside us," cornerman Dennie Mancini recalled, "and hit him so hard with a left hook to the body that Lennox's leg came up in the air. You rarely see that. Gary could bang but his eye was bad early."
Lewis dominated but Mason hung around and the future world champion began to tire and look a little uncomfortable though wasn't hugely troubled by Mason's regular forays forward. The challenger's eyes began to close and I vividly remember him shipping a heavy shot early in the seventh, and what proved to be final, round. Mason grimaced, obviously in great pain. One could see the agony written across his face. Bravely, rather than quitting (which no one would have blamed him for, already half-blind and carrying a detached retina), Mason gritted his teeth for one last assault. Larry O'Connell brought an end to his pain at 0:44.

"I don't think I really blew it on the night," he said. "But I had let myself get very hyped up and I was too light, had lost some of my power. Mickey Duff had this idea that I should come in under 17st. I went to Florida and worked hard. It looked good but what I needed to do was to get in close to Lewis and have all my weight to bust him up around the body."

Three years later, Mason briefly resumed his career with a couple of early wins in the States but finally retired after his last win in September 1994.
In a Daily Telegraph article in 2001, it was reported that '(Mason) does not have a bank account. In fact, he does not have a house, a home, a job or anything else but loyal friends, a big smile and an intelligent, ever-engaging, optimistic personality.'
"It has been worse than this," observed Mason at the time. "Last year I was really on the floor. I was like a fighter who had just got used to being battered about. My last promotion in Tooting had lost money, my father had died in America and when I went over to his funeral I wondered about coming back. But as they say, I do love London so."
Mason didn't have a huge amount of luck but was always prepared to dabble here and there. When he was on the up as a pro, he had a jeweller's shop called `Punch 'n' Jewellery'.

Like so many other articulate, engaging ex-athletes, Mason gave the media circus a try. Unfortunately, whilst working for Sky he used the 'f' word and his time there was, as a result, short-lived. That was a great shame as he was one of the best former fighters they've ever used. I remember him, within the first few seconds of Holyfield v Douglas, saying that Douglas was shot. Easy to see now but not then - and you certainly wouldn't get an analyst sticking his neck out on Sky Sports like that these days.
Mason also played three matches for rugby league side London Broncos, claiming to score a try on his debut. An arm wrestling tournament failed. Hilariously, he lost a job as a security guard at Carshalton Hospital because he was too busy chatting up the nurses.
A marriage also failed and Mason's party lifestyle probably helped in that regard. After his Thursday night television duties he would apparently go socialising and not return home until the following week.

As a boxer, he'll always be remembered for his brave-in-defeat showing against Lewis. "We both knew the real prize [the purse was only £276,000] was the ladder to the world title. It should have been very depressing afterwards but the public gave me so much support that made things better. It still does. I am a people person."
After an interview over coffee with Brough Scott ten years ago, the journalist observed: 'in the middle of the road Mason suddenly bends down and picks up a tiny coin which gleams bronze in the palm of an enormous hand. "A penny for luck," he says with a final `ho, ho'. You have to wish it.'

Mason, by all accounts a very nice, good humoured man, just didn't get the luck he deserved.

Obituary - Gary Mason (1962-2011) | BoxRecNews

Wow, just heard this

I remember him as having supidly quick hands for a guy of his size.

R.I.P Gary

Very sad news

The one and only time i met Gary was at a sports shop in Middlesbrough. At the time he was sponsored by Troop ( it was because of him i bought a pair of Troop trainers ) and he was doing the usual meet the fans and signing photo's of himself. An extremley gracious and humble man, who left a good imperssion on all that met him that day.

Tragic way for him to go, not that the is a good way to go mind !!

R.I.P to Gary Mason such a shame, i was shocked when i heard. Everyone's already pretty much mentioned everything about him, but does anyone remember a fight he had when KO'ed some fighter with an uppercut lifting him off his feet ?

Whilst I did not rate Mason as a boxer he was a funny and truthful commentator for Sky.

The jewelry shop I think went bust.

He was a very good European level fighter and had a solid chin, his eyes were his problem and Lennox aimed for them in that fight.

I remmeber when he was in the studio for Lewis vs Rudduck. He was flying the flag for Lewis ( who had just stopped him ) and was convincing the British public to get behind Lennox. (Can you imagine Audley doing that for Haye now?!)

When Lewis won Gary started celebrating saying that sky was going to send him to Vegas. He had such a massive smile.

Sad Loss. RIP Gary Mason.

RIP gary mate

my dad has fond memorys of watching you fight. I only really ever saw the fight with lennox but he fought like a warrior that night

Sad loss.

Decent, honest fighter and an all around good bloke by all accounts.

Died young, knocked down by some fucking idiot in a white van. What a way to go.

Rest in piece, champ.

Known Gary years,our paths always crossed had some great laugths in His company. Never heard Him call anybody, it was always positives. Sat with Him at a doo this year talking about all our yesterdays, chilled and having a giggle great night. I was talking to Him wednesday, so it came as a shock this morning to hear the news. my 1st thoughts were, to get a gun and blow the stupid fuckwit driving the van. I suppose Gary never was one of the lucky ones. I was, spending time with Him. God Bless Mate.

Very sad news.

RIP