Joe Symonds: Plymouth’s Flyweight Champion
Joe Symonds was a British professional boxer from Plymouth, England. Active from 1910 to 1924, he competed at flyweight and bantamweight and became one of the leading British flyweights of his era. A surviving career record compiled by boxing historian BoxingHistory.org.uk lists Plymouth as his hometown and records his professional activity.
A flyweight champion
On October 18, 1915, Symonds knocked out Tancy Lee in the 16th round to win the International Boxing Union (IBU) world flyweight title. BoxingHistory.org.uk’s historical record describes him as British and world flyweight champion during 1915–16, and the title chronology at OpenBoxing records his win over Lee and his subsequent title loss.
His bout with Jimmy Wilde
Symonds’ best-known opponent was Welsh champion Jimmy Wilde. On February 14, 1916, Wilde stopped him in the 12th round, taking the British flyweight title; two months later, Wilde won the IBU world title by beating Johnny Rosner. The National Army Museum records those results. Symonds was born and based in Plymouth, so the record does not support describing him as Welsh.
Sources
Sources: BoxingHistory.org.uk: Joe Symonds career record; OpenBoxing: flyweight title chronology; National Army Museum: Jimmy Wilde and Joe Symonds.
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
