Rick Thornberry

Rick Thornberry
Rick Thornberry
Statistics
Real name	Rick Thornberry
Nickname(s)	The Gatton Tiger
Weight(s)	Super-middleweight
Nationality	Australian
Born	17 February 1968 (age 51); Gatton, Queensland, Australia
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	32
Wins	27
Wins by KO	12
Losses	5

Last updated October 08, 2019

Rick Thornberry (born 17 February 1968) is an Australian former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2002. He held the IBO super middleweight title in 1995 and challenged twice for major world championships; the WBO super middleweight title in 1999 and the IBF super middleweight title in 2002.

The International Boxing Organization (IBO) is a non-profit organization that sanctions professional boxing matches and awards world and regional championships.

Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports.

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is a sanctioning organization which recognizes professional boxing world champions. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), and International Boxing Federation (IBF). The WBO's headquarters are located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Career

Thornberry made his debut in 1985 fighting just three times between 1985 and 1986. After seven years away from professional boxing Thornberry returned to the ring in 1993, initially suffering a defeat to Cruiserweight Colin Wilson but avenged it a few fights later.

After a string of victories, including a victory over Marc Bargero for the Australian Super Middleweight Title, Thornberry fought Rod Carr for the minor IBO World Super Middleweight Title in Crown Casino, Melbourne. Thornberry won via an 8th-round technical knockout.

Rod Carr is an Australian professional welter/light middle/middle/super middle/light heavy/cruiserweight boxer of the 1980s and '90s who won the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) super middleweight title, Trans-Tasman super middleweight title, Australian super middleweight title, and inaugural Commonwealth super middleweight title, and was a challenger for the International Boxing Organization (IBO) super middleweight title against Rick Thornberry, and inaugural Pan Asian Boxing Association (PABA) light heavyweight title against Anthony Bigeni, his professional fighting weight varied from 164 lb, i.e. super middleweight to 180 ¹⁄₂ lb, i.e. cruiserweight.

In October 1996, Thornberry fought outside of Australia for the first time, challenging Henry Wharton for the Commonwealth (British Empire) Super Middleweight Title and suffered a fifth round defeat.

Henry Wharton is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 1998. He challenged three times for super middleweight world championships; the WBC twice, firstly in 1994 and again in 1997, and the WBO title in 1994. At regional level, he held the British super middleweight title in 1992; the Commonwealth super middleweight title from 1991 to 1996; and the EBU European super middleweight title from 1995 to 1996.

Thornberry bounced back with several wins, and climbed the WBO ranks by defeating Fiji's Frank Atu for the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight Title and defending it against Ambrose Mlilo.

In June 1999, Thornberry now ranked as the WBO number one contender, travelled to Wales for the biggest night of his career, challenging Joe Calzaghe for the WBO World Super Middleweight Title. Calzaghe was expected to finish the fight early but suffered a hand injury in the third round and Thornberry managed to last all twelve rounds, losing a wide decision.^[1]

Joseph William Calzaghe, is a Welsh former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2008. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the unified WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, Ring magazine and lineal super-middleweight titles, and the Ring light-heavyweight title.

Almost three years and just two victories later Thornberry got the surprise chance to travel to Germany and face undefeated IBF champion Sven Ottke. Thornberry had limited success but managed to take the fight to the judges, once against losing by a wide decision.

Sven Ottke is a German former professional boxer who competed from 1997 to 2004. He was a unified super-middleweight world champion, having held the IBF title from 1998 to 2004, and the WBA (Super) title from 2003 to 2004. With 21 successful title defences, Ottke was the third European boxer to retire as an undefeated world champion, after Terry Marsh and Michael Loewe; Joe Calzaghe later became the fourth. As an amateur, Ottke won a bronze medal in the middleweight division at the 1989 World Championships.

Thornberrys final fight came at the end of 2002, the 34 year old suffering a late stoppage loss to future WBA World Champion Anthony Mundine.

Anthony "The Man" Mundine is an Australian professional boxer and Former rugby league footballer. In boxing he has competed from 2000 to current, and held the WBA super-middleweight title twice between 2003 and 2008, as well as the IBO middleweight title from 2009 to 2010, and the WBA interim super-welterweight title from 2011 to 2012. Mundine is well known for his heated rivalries with fellow Australians Danny Green and Daniel Geale.

Controversy

In 2011 Thornberry was jailed for two years drug and gun possession. During a search for erratic driving in Brisbane, police uncovered several bags of methylamphetamine and a loaded semi-automatic pistol. Thornberry had been arrested for drug possession on previous occasions. ^[2]^[3]

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Mger Mkrtchyan (born 12 November 1976 in Gyumri, Armenia is an Armenian former professional boxer, who held the EBU Super Middleweight and the WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight title, as well as being a contender for the WBO World Super middleweight title, losing against Joe Calzaghe by 7th-round TKO.

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References

↑ "BBC News | Sport | Calzaghe lacklustre in victory". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
↑ "Former world champion boxer Rick Thornberry jailed for drug and gun possession". theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
↑ "World super-middleweight boxing champion Ricky Thornberry jailed for two years | The Courier-Mail". couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 18 May 2018.

External links

Professional boxing record for Rick Thornberry from BoxRec

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[bbc-1] "BBC News | Sport | Calzaghe lacklustre in victory". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2018.

[theaustralian-2] "Former world champion boxer Rick Thornberry jailed for drug and gun possession". theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 18 May 2018.

[couriermail-3] "World super-middleweight boxing champion Ricky Thornberry jailed for two years | The Courier-Mail". couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 18 May 2018.