Richard Dunn (boxer)

Richard Dunn (born 19 January 1945 in Halifax) Is an English former heavyweight boxer, who fought Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight title in 1976.

Dunn was defeated by many top boxers of the time, losing to Muhammad Ali, Joe Bugner, Jimmy Young and Kallie Knoetze. However, he did defeat some professional fighters such as Johnny Griffin, Neville Meade, Bunny Johnson and Danny McAlinden.

A southpaw, Dunn's professional career began with a win over Cardiff fighter Del Phillips in a heavyweight eliminator competition in Mayfair, London in July 1969. His second fight was on the same day in the semi-final, a first round defeat against Danny McAlinden, who dispatched all three of his opponents in under three rounds to win the competition. However, in May 1973 Dunn defeated Billy Aird on points in an eliminator for the British Heavyweight Championship at Grosvenor House in London. He lost the final eliminator against Bunny Johnson in October after a tenth-round knockout at the King's Hall in Manchester. However, when he faced the same opponent at the Empire Pool at Wembley for both the British and Commonwealth titles in September 1975, he prevailed on points after 15 rounds.

He made his first defence against McAlindon just two months later. However, this time it was Dunn that won with a knockout after McAlinden went down three times in the second round. After winning the European Heavyweight title with a third-round TKO of Bernd August in April 1976, he was given the chance of fighting for the WBC and WBA titles against Ali in Munich, Germany, for which he received £52,000 (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £472,500 in 2011).

Dunn is also notable as the only Yorkshireman ever to fight Ali, who knocked him out 2:05 minutes into the fifth round; this was to be the last knockout Ali ever achieved in his professional career. Although he was seriously overmatched, many British fans have said that Dunn made one of the most courageous showings of any British fighter when he faced Ali. Dunn was knocked down five times in five rounds. After the fight, Muhammad Ali promised the gloves he had used in the fight to British promoter Mickey Duff, who was raising funds for Chris Finnegan, a terrific fighter who had lost sight in one eye. When he passed his gloves to Duff's PR Norman Giller in the ring, Ali told Giller to look inside. In one it was written 'Ali wins' and in the other 'round five'. Dunn lost his next fight to Joe Bugner, surrendering all his titles in a stunning first-round knockout and retired after his next fight, a fifth round defeat to big hitting Kallie Knoetze in the Ellis Park Tennis Stadium in Johannesburg.

A sports centre is named after Dunn in his home town of Bradford in honour of his achievements. Richard Dunn is now retired and living in Scarborough. On TV in around 2005 he explained serious injuries he received from an unfortunate accident whilst working on an oil rig.

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1976 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews just ahead of his fight with Muhammad Ali.