North-East boxing legend Billy Hardy is the latest recipient of the Maurice Cullen Trophy.
Hardy’s outstanding five decades in boxing has been recognised by the Northern Area Council of the British Boxing Board of Control.
Each year this fine body hand out this famous piece of silverware in memory of the late, great Maurice Cullen.
Billy, like Maurice, a holder of the Lonsdale Belt, was a very worthy winner, the 54-year-old receiving his trophy at a function at Chester-le-Street cricket club.
The Sunderland hero had an incredible career including 21 championship fights. losing only five, three of them in world title contests.
Hardy began boxing while at junior school, representing Hylton Castle ABC, turning professional as a teenager, making his debut at 19.
It took Billy just three and a half years to clinch his first title, stopping Ray Gilbody in round three to win the British bantamweight championship in St Helens in 1987.
That was the launchpad for an amazing run as Hardy went on to win the British, Commonwealth and European crowns at featherweight.
The only disappointment for Billy was that a world title eluded him.
He was desperately unlucky not to win the IBF bantamweight title in 1990 at Crowtree Leisure Centre, where holder Orlando Canizales hung on to his belt via a split decision.
When they met again a year later, this time in Canizales’s hometown, Hardy was stopped in eight rounds in Laredo in Texas.
Billy’s final tilt at the world title, unfortunately, came against a talented young fella called Naseem Hamed, the Prince winning in 93-brutal seconds in Manchester in 1997 for the IBF and WBO straps.
All-action Hardy was not finished, defending his European title against Mehdi Labdouni by a wide points margin in the York Hall in early 1998.
The end came though later that year following a stoppage defeat by another young Yorkshireman, Paul Ingle, who took Billy’s Commonwealth and European crowns in York.
Hardy retired with a 37-9-2 record, with 17 of his wins coming inside the distance.
Billy has remained closely involved in the sport as a master of ceremonies at both the amateur and professional shows in the North-East. He is pictured above speaking to Lewis Ritson (left) and Tommy Ward (right).
Maurice Cullen was one of the North-East’s boxing legends, being British lightweight champion in the 1960s and winning a Lonsdale Belt. He died in 2001 at the age of 63.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Tom Collins/ East Durham Life
