British/Common Wealth titles ? What do they mean ?

[Kev]

The British title is a big deal. If you defend it twice you win the Lonsdale belt, a belt you get to keep outright. Throughout British history it's been one of the most sought after honours for many British fighters and those who have won it are well remembered in British boxing history.

The list of outright winners is actually pretty small.

From Wikipedia

• Freddie Welsh (1912) [1]
• Jim Driscoll (1910)
• Digger Stanley (1910)
• Bombardier Billy Wells (heavyweight) (1913)
• Jimmy Wilde (flyweight) (1917)
• Pat O'Keeffe (middleweight) (191
• Johnny Brown (bantamweight) (1923) (defended twice 1925, retained)
• Jack Petersen (heavyweight) (1935)
• Nel Tarleton (outright winner of two belts in 1936 and 1945)
• Jackie Paterson (flyweight) (1943)
• Ronnie Clayton (outright winner of two belts in 1950 and 1953)
• Randolph Turpin (light-heavyweight) (1952, outright in 1956)
• Peter Keenan (outright winner of two belts in 1953 and 1957)
• Henry Cooper (outright winner of three belts)
• Brian Curvis (outright winner of two belts in 1961 and 1964)
• Howard Winstone (outright winner of two belts in 1962 and 1963)
• Maurice Cullen (lightweight) (1966)
• George Feeney (1984)
• Hugh Russell (1985)
• Billy Hardy (bantamweight) (1989)
• Lennox Lewis (heavyweight) (1992)
• Richie Wenton (super-bantam weight) (1994 - 1996)
• Julius Francis (heavyweight) (1999)
• Michael Gomez (super featherweight) (2000)
• Danny Williams (heavyweight) (2002)
• David Barnes (welterweight) (2004)
• Matt Skelton (heavyweight) (2005)
• Scott Dann (middleweight) (2005)
• Carl Froch (super middleweight) (2006)
• Kell Brook (welterweight) (2009)
• John Simpson (featherweight) (2010)