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Terry Downes

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Boxer

The Resume

    (May 9, 1936-October 6, 2017)
    Born in London, United Kingdom
    35 wins (28 by KO), 9 losses
    World Middleweight Champion (July 11, 1961-April 7, 1962)
    Appeared in the films ‘A Study in Terror’ (1965), ‘The Fearless Vampire Killers’ (1967), ‘Five Ashore in Singapore’ (1967), ‘The Golden Lady’ (1979) and ‘Caravaggio’ (1986)
    Nicknamed ‘the Paddington Express’

Why he might be annoying:

    His last fight was an unsuccessful attempt to move up to the light-heavyweight class.
    In films, he was usually typecast as thugs or bodyguards.
    After retiring from the ring, he would attend boxing matches and heckle any fighter who he felt didn’t meet his standards. (Favorite taunts included ‘Bleedin’ useless’ and ‘My old woman punches harder than you.’)
    He titled his autobiography, ‘My Bleedin’ Business.’

Why he might not be annoying:

    His family moved the United States when he was a teen and he joined the Marines at age 18.
    When he was congratulated on defeating Sugar Ray Robinson -- who was 41 and well past his prime – he replied, ‘I didn’t beat Sugar Ray, I beat his ghost.’
    Following a particularly brutal loss to Dick Tiger, he was asked who he wanted to fight next. He quipped, ‘The bastard who set up this match.’
    He successfully invested his boxing earnings in a chain of betting shops.
    He never attempted a return to the ring, noting, ‘When you’ve been on top of the mountain, the only way is down.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 29 Votes: 48.28% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 90 Votes: 60.0% Annoying