Darren Hamilton

Darren Hamilton (born 6 September 1978) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2006 to 2015. He held the British super lightweight title from 2012 to 2014.

Darren Hamilton
Statistics
Weight(s)Light welterweight
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Reach69 in (175 cm) [1]
NationalityBritish
Born (1978-07-06) 6 July 1978
Bristol, England [2]
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights19
Wins16
Wins by KO3
Losses3

Early life

One of Hamilton's main inspirations for becoming a boxer was the movie 'Rocky II'. His boxing hero is Bernard Hopkins, while his favourite fight is the second bout between Chris Eubank and Michael Watson which took place at White Hart Lane in 1991. This was the fight during which Watson received serious brain injuries.

Boxing career

Hamilton began his boxing career at the age of 12, when an uncle took him and a cousin to a local gym in Bristol. He would later go on to box for the St George's club in that city. As a schoolboy, he would fight in 27 amateur bouts, losing just four.

Hamilton showed considerable promise as an amateur, despite never making it to international level, or ever entering the senior ABA ranks. One memorable amateur fight was against Matty Teu, who had fought over 60 bouts when he met Hamilton, who was then a 'veteran' of just 12 bouts. Hamilton won the fight, something which he claims made him very aware that boxing was not about past records, however impressive they might be.

"I didn't have an active career; very stop start. In 1992 and 1993 I got to the national schoolboy semi-finals but lost on points in London both times. Most of the opponent's names have gone out of my head, sorry," Hamilton told Boxnation.

Hamilton collected Southern Area and British Masters titles on his rise to becoming British Champion. His bout for the latter crown was marked by some controversy, however, when he fought West Midlands area champion Dave Ryan. He beat Ryan at the second attempt, after being disqualified from the first fight for headbutting.

However, it was his short notice fights that has helped define his career. Guided by the charismatic Spencer Fearon short notice fights were relished, first against John Watson, and then Ashley Theophane for the Lonsdale Belt. These fights took him from relative obscurity to become the British Light Welterweight Boxing Champion. His victory over Ashley Theophane made his Cinderella story complete, going from homeless to British Boxing Champion in record time and documented on video for his fans to share the journey.

Successful British Title defenses against the tough Steve Williams and the energetic Adil Anwar proved all his doubters wrong. However, in February 2014, Hamilton lost his British title to former professional footballer Curtis Woodhouse at the Hull Ice Arena. The fight was decided on points by a split decision. Hamilton took the decision in good part, telling Sky Sports: "It could have gone either way. He had the advantage of being at home. It was a close fight. As the champion I should have dominated a lot more."

Personal life

Hamilton was born on 6 September 1978, in Bristol, Avon, England. He has an elder sister, as well as four children of his own. He also has a young son. His nickname is 'Ammo', something he says is partially derived from his tendency to talk a lot. "I talk a lot. Lyrically I've got loads of ammo!" he says. He now lives in Wanstead, east London.

Before becoming a professional at the age of 27, Hamilton worked in the supermarket chain Asda. He now doubles up his boxing career with working as a qualified, level three personal trainer.

A self-proclaimed 'Minister of Self Belief', Hamilton has had to work his way up to the professional ranks of his sport through some major adversity. Drawn on to the fringes of a life of gangs and crime after he turned professional, a death threat persuaded him to move to London. That journey did not make his life necessarily any more straightforward, however.

Hamilton was homeless for a short period, before an offer to work as cleaner in a gym came along. "I took a job as a cleaner in a gym," he told the Bristol Post. "I lived in the towel cupboard for about four months. It wasn't ideal, but it was a start and for the first time in a long time I felt I was moving in the right direction."

Professional boxing record
Professional record summary
19 fights 16 wins 3 losses
By knockout 3 1
By decision 13 2
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
19 Win 17–2 Mikhail Avakian PTS 6 13 Jun 2015 Whitchurch Sports Centre, Bristol, England
18 Win 16–2 Steven Bloyer PTS 6 20 Sep 2014 Wembley Arena, London, England
17 Loss 15–2 Curtis Woodhouse SD 12 22 Feb 2014 Ice Arena, Hull, England Lost British super lightweight title
16 Win 14–2 Adil Anwar UD 12 6 Jul 2013 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England Retained British super lightweight title
15 Win 13–2 Stevie Williams UD 12 23 Feb 2013 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England Retained British super lightweight title
14 Win 12–2 Ashley Theophane UD 12 19 May 2012 Aintree Equestrian Centre, Liverpool, England Won British super lightweight title
13 Win 11–2 John Watson PTS 8 27 Apr 2012 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
12 Win 10–2 Geoffrey Munika TKO 5 (6) 23 Mar 2012 The Troxy, London, England
11 Win 9–2 Dave Ryan PTS 10 7 Oct 2011 York Hall, London, England
10 Loss 8–2 Dave Ryan DQ 1 (10) 18 Jun 2011 York Hall, London, England
9 Win 8–1 Peter McDonagh TKO 8 (10) 18 Mar 2011 York Hall, London, England Won British Southern Area super lightweight title
8 Win 7–1 Daniel Thorpe PTS 4 27 Nov 2010 Magna Centre, Rotherham, England
7 Win 6–1 Ideh Ochuko PTS 4 (4) 4 Jun 2010 York Hall, London, England
6 Loss 5–1 Daryl Setterfield TKO 4 (4) 26 Mar 2010 Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Essex, England
5 Win 5–0 Johnny Greaves TKO 3 (6) 10 Dec 2007 Holiday Inn, Peterborough, England
4 Win 4–0 Byron Vince PTS 6 28 Nov 2007 Cafe Royal, London, England
3 Win 3–0 James Lilley PTS 6 24 Feb 2007 Filton College Wise Campus, Bristol, England
2 Win 2–0 Jaz Virdee PTS 6 7 Dec 2006 Holiday Inn, Peterborough, England
1 Win 1–0 Neil McQuade PTS 6 3 Nov 2006 Dolman Exhibition Hall, Bristol, England

References
  1. Curtis Woodhouse vs Darren Hamilton David GfPisano, retrieved 22 October 2019
  2. "Darren Hamilton believes he can still go all the way to the top". Sky Sports. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
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