Richie Wenton

Richie Wenton was an English professional boxer from Liverpool who competed mainly at super bantamweight and later at featherweight. An orthodox fighter, he stood 5 feet 8 inches tall with a reach of 70 inches. Born on 28 October 1967, he finished with 24 wins, six losses and no draws, recording 10 victories inside the distance. He made his professional debut on 14 December 1988, stopping Miguel Matthews in the second round.

Wenton was encouraged into boxing by his father, Terry, who had been a successful amateur. As an amateur, he won schoolboy and junior titles, represented England and developed alongside a strong group of Merseyside fighters. His professional career began promisingly. He won 16 of his first 17 contests, the only early defeat coming against Floyd Churchill in September 1992. Among those victories was a points success over Mark Johnson, who later became a world champion at super flyweight.

His first major title opportunity came in April 1994 at York Hall, Bethnal Green, where he met Bradley Stone for the newly created British super bantamweight championship. Wenton stopped Stone in the tenth round and became the first holder of the title. Stone did not appear badly injured immediately after the fight, but collapsed later that day and died two days afterwards from a blood clot on the brain. The tragedy affected Wenton deeply. He considered abandoning boxing and returned in October 1994, only to retire on his stool against Neil Swain after five rounds.

Wenton later explained that his mind was not fully on the contest and that he was carrying considerable pressure after Stone’s death. He did not remain away permanently. In March 1995, he returned to defend the British title against Paul Lloyd, stopping him in the fifth round and dedicating the victory to Stone. The contest was regarded as one of the finest performances of Wenton’s career. He combined movement with accurate combination punching and showed the composure that had been missing in his troubled return against Swain.

In June 1995 Wenton added the WBO Inter Continental super bantamweight title by outpointing Michael Parris. Four months later he travelled to Italy to challenge Vincenzo Belcastro for the European championship, but the defending champion retained the title on points. Wenton recovered by beating Wilson Docherty in February 1996. That victory gave him the Lonsdale Belt outright after his second successful defence of the British championship.

Wenton’s activity then declined. He boxed only once more in 1996 and once in 1997 before returning to the ring in October 1998 after more than a year away. The reward was a challenge for the vacant WBO world super bantamweight title against Marco Antonio Barrera at the Convention Center in Atlantic City. Barrera had regained his form after consecutive defeats by Junior Jones and was operating at a level beyond anything Wenton had previously faced. Wenton retired at the end of the third round after being knocked down twice.

The defeat did not end his career immediately. Wenton moved up to featherweight and in May 2000 challenged Gary Thornhill for the vacant British title. Thornhill stopped him in the eighth round, but subsequently failed a drugs test for amphetamines and was stripped of the championship. In March 2001 Wenton met Commonwealth champion Scott Harrison with both titles at stake. Harrison stopped him in the fourth round, and Wenton retired from professional boxing afterwards.

Wenton’s record shows a boxer who won British, Commonwealth-level and international honours before meeting the leading figures of his division. He was not a destructive puncher, but he was regarded as a technically capable operator with sound movement, useful combinations and the ability to make adjustments during a contest. His career was interrupted by tragedy and inactivity, yet he returned to win the British title again and to challenge for a world championship.

After boxing, Wenton worked as an electrician in the gas and oil industry. He also served as the United Kingdom coordinator for the World Boxing Foundation. His brother Nigel was likewise a professional boxer. Richie Wenton’s career ended with 30 contests, 24 victories and six defeats, and his standing rests chiefly on his British title reign, his outright capture of the Lonsdale Belt and his willingness to accept demanding contests against Belcastro, Barrera and Harrison.