William CHILDS

Winner of the Cambridge and District middleweight title in 1906 and 1907, Bill Child took part in his first ABA Championship in 1907. A year later, he won the first of three titles after beating P. Bevan in the 1908 final. At the Olympics that year, he was one of the favourites, despite being in a field that contained four other ABA middleweight champions: John Douglas, Bill Dees, Rube Warnes and Arthur Murdoch. Child was eliminated by the Australian Snowy Baker, however, who went on to win the silver medal.

Child retained his ABA title in 1909 and did not defend it in 1910, but won it for a third time in 1911. He later turned to coaching, and was coach to the Cambridge University Amateur Boxing Club. Child Joined the police during World War II, but ill-health forced him to be invalided out, and he had to curtail his coaching duties. During the War, he entertained troops in Belgium with a three-round exhibition match against former French world champion Georges Carpentier.