Percy Hayles: Boxing Career and Key Results
Percival “Percy” Hayles was a Jamaican professional boxer who competed at lightweight, light-welterweight and welterweight. He held the Commonwealth lightweight title from 1968, and Jamaican sportswriters later recalled him as one of the major names in the island’s boxing rivalry with Bunny Grant.
Hayles won the Commonwealth lightweight championship in July 1968. The BoxRec title history lists him as champion from 1968, and a 1973 newspaper report described him defending the belt against Canada’s Al Ford in Kingston. The Canadian Press report, preserved by the Memorial University Digital Archives, covers that title bout.
His fights with Bunny Grant included a draw in 1960 and later Jamaican title contests. The Jamaica Gleaner’s retrospective on Grant places Hayles among his notable Jamaican rivals. Hayles also challenged Carlos “Morocho” Hernández for the world light-welterweight championship, according to the archived bout record.
In 1964, Hayles was named Jamaica’s Sportsman of the Year. The Jamaica Observer’s awards history lists him as the boxing winner. Hayles’ championship run and rivalry with Grant remain part of Jamaica’s boxing history.
Sources
- BoxRec: Commonwealth lightweight champions
- Canadian Press report on Hayles–Al Ford, via Memorial University Digital Archives
- Jamaica Gleaner: Bunny Grant and Percy Hayles
- Percy Hayles archived bout record
- Jamaica Observer: Sportsman of the Year winners
Career Milestones
The Commonwealth lightweight championship was a professional title contested within its own lineage. Hayles’s national standing in Jamaica and his international championship bouts are related parts of his career, but they describe different levels of competition.
Selected Recorded Results
- 1976-07-16: Percy Hayles lost to Jonathan Dele in Lagos.
- 1976-04-23: Percy Hayles lost to Lennox Blackmoore in Georgetown.
- 1975-09-14: Percy Hayles lost to Saoul Mamby in National Arena, Kingston.
- 1974-07-27: Percy Hayles won against Manny Santos in Kingston.
- 1974-03-26: Percy Hayles won against Desmond Thompson in National Arena, Kingston.
- 1974-02-27: Percy Hayles lost to Fitzroy Guisseppi in Bird's Isle, Belize City.
Sources
BoxRec title history; Canadian Press report; Biographical source; Recorded professional bout history.
Article Tags
Percy Hayles, Boxing, Sports History
