Dundee Evening Telegraph – Saturday 18 October 1947

Boxing Champion – A Gigli Fan

New British light-weight boxing champion Billy Thompson will probably seek wider experience in America with his stable companions Gwyn Williams, the Welsh welterweight champion, and Jimmy Davis, of Bethnal Green.

The plan only needed Thompson’s title victory over Stan Hawthorne to become almost certainty.

Before he goes Thompson wants a crack at the European title. The Italian holder, Roberto Proietti, gave a promise to defend his laurels against whoever was British champion. Mr Benny Huntman, Billy Thompson’s manager, received a cabled offer from Canada for a fight between Thompson and Danny Webb in Montreal in December or January for the Empire title.

” I now negotiating for Thompson to  compete for the European title, but I also interested in the Canadian offer,” said Mr Huntman to-day.

Thompson is the youngest of British champions—he will be 22 on Monday—and should prove one of the men badly needed by British boxing. He realises he has much to learn and any ideas of a world-title fight with the coloured American Ike Williams, who battered Ronnie James twelve months ago, have been shelved for at least two years.

Four years ago tousled-haired Thompson won the A.T.C. feather-weight title at the Albert Hall.

Eating ice cream and to Beniamino Gigli are the new champion’s favourite pastimes. He has business ideas of opening a chain of milk bars in his native Thurnscoe and in nearby Rotherhiam.