Kevin Finegan: R.I.P.

[holmcall]

Goog God, I just learned that Kevin Finnegan, Britains former top Middleweight, has sadly passed away. He was a real tough and gifted fighter who gave Marvin Hagler and Alan Minter all the trouble they could handle.

[holmcall]

This Has Been A Terrible Year For Fighters Who Have Passed. Tony Licata, Joey Giardello, Joe Miceli, Ralph Dupas, Tony Larosa, And Way Too Many More

[LondonBB]

RIP Kevin Finegan

[holmcall]

And we must not forget Kenny Lane, Rocky Castellani, and my personal amigo, Mando Ramos. Just too many in one year. R.I.P.

[yvonne]

Sad newsR.I.P

[holmcall]

THIS IS FROM BOXREC

Former British and European middleweight champ Kevin Finnegan has been found dead in his flat in West London at the relatively young age of 60.

In the context of today's boxing scene, with 'world' titles seemingly given away, it is incredible to think this man never got a sniff at a world title shot. The younger brother of the better-known Chris licked the likes of Bunny Sterling, Tony Sibson, Gratien Tonna, Jean Claude Bouttier, Frankie Lucas, gave "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler a real war in the first of two fantastic efforts in the States in 1978 (both stopped on cuts, just two months apart) and looked desperately unlucky in the second of three 15-round classics with Alan Minter, who staggered home to a debatable decision in 1976.
Quite simply, Kevin Finnegan was gifted.
After his five wars with Minter and Hagler, both of whom went on to win the undisputed world middleweight title, Finnegan enjoyed a glorious, totally unexpected twilight to his career. In 1979 he outboxed Sibson over 15 rounds for the British title - just after "Sibbo" had destroyed "The Animal" Lucas - and then avenged a defeat to the ferocious Gratien Tonna with another magnificent boxing display in 1980 in France to lift the European title (his points loss to Tonna in the mid-1970s possibly cost him a shot at Carlos Monzon) and picked up a couple of nice paydays abroad in defence of the European belt. Finnegan fought well in his very last fight with Matteo Salvemini in Italy in September 1980, flooring the local man with a beautiful counter right, but Salvemeni proved a bit too energetic and took the points.
Sadly, Kevin, from Iver in Buckinghamshire, struggled in vain to find any meaning to his life once his career ended as he wandered around aimlessly, sleeping rough in a park in Uxbridge, although he clearly owned a property, where he was found by police.
Marvin Hagler always said Finnegan gave him his hardest fight. What a boxer, what a character, what an epitah.