South Yorkshire Times October 1947

Path to the Crown

Billy Thompson, the new British lightweight champion, began to box as an amateur at the age of 11. Since those days he has had over 500 contests as an amateur.

His checks as a professional were those by Andre Famechon, one of the famous French fighting brothers (a reverse quickly wiped out) and by Hawthorn at Liverpool last September for the Northern area lightweight title and for a chance to meet Ronnie James, the holder of the British lightweight crown.

Born at New Silkstone, Sunderland on October 20, 1925, he won his first title at the age of 13 – schoolboys championship. He repeated the feat in 1939, won the Northern Counties flyweight championship in 1942, the Northern Counties featherweight championship in 1943 and with it the ATC featherweight championship of Great Britain.

In 1944 he won the ABA lightweight championship of Great Britain, the highest amateur honour, but owing to an injured ear received in Glasgow he could not defend the title and the following year.

He turned professional in 1945 and since then has had an outstanding record.

He is a first-class cricketer and mile runner. As a schoolboy he won a mile championship in four minutes 36 seconds.

He fought Hawthorn seven times as an amateur, winning six point on points and losing won by a knockout.