Written by Miles Templeton
A few years ago I wrote about the decision given to Pat Cowdell by referee Sid Nathan when he fought Dave Needham for the British featherweight title in 1979. Pat and his amazing work.
Cowdell was one of the best boxers of the 1970s and I rank him very high when I consider the best fighters to come out of the Midlands since the war.
Pat was an extraordinary novice. A 1974 Commonwealth Games champion and 1976 Olympic Games bronze medalist in Montreal, he also won four ABA titles at three different weights: bantam in 1973, lightweight in 1975, and featherweight in 1976 and in 1977.
When he turned professional in July 1977, great things were expected of him, but he fell short in his debut, defeating Birmingham's Andrew Coley in a nasty six-round contest. Pat admitted that, with the media expecting so much from him, the pressure had gotten to him.
There were further problems in his sixth tournament when a badly punctured eyebrow saw him stopped in two rounds by Newcastle's Alan Robertson. Pat continued to win after this setback and, in March 1979, beat Les Pickett of Merthyr in a tough fight at the Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, to qualify for his title win against Needham.
Nathan's controversial decision against Pat left the easy-going referee needing a police escort to leave the hall, and it was back to square one for Cowdell.
The Board of Control saw things differently, and ordered an immediate rematch between the two, with Cowdell taking the decision after a spectacular rejection at the Royal Albert Hall. Dave Needham left everything in the ring that night and played his part in the big fight.
Manager Ron Gray had big plans for Pat, and the British title would be just the beginning. Pat's first challenge was to win the Lonsdale Belt outright, and he achieved this in record time after defeating Jimmy Flint and Needham again in early 1980. He then surprised everyone by accepting the competition with the great Salvador Sanchez (below) of the team. WBC world featherweight title.
Under the headline 'Gambler Cowdell faces high scrutiny', BN reported that “The chance of the title was achieved outside the normal situation compared to the opponents of the level. Pat, holding his first fight abroad, cut all the corners to reach his goal and start the big underdog against the formidable champion”.
Coming off the back of a stunning victory over Wilfredo Gomez, Sanchez looked unbeatable, too BN he predicted the victory of the suspension.
After the incredible performance, Sanchez echoed Cowdell saying, “That man is a credit to boxing, and a credit to himself”. the Mexican had to go the full 15 rounds to retain his title on a split decision and editor Harry Mullan agreed. BN he was left “red-faced”, along with many other experts.
Cowdell said after the contest, “Sanchez is a hell of a fighter, one of the greatest, but I think I deserve another crack”. He never got the chance, because within eight months, Sanchez had died after crashing his Porsche on the highway in his country.
To get back on track, Pat won not one, but two European titles, taking the featherweight title in 1982 and then the super-featherweight in 1984. Pat got his second chance to win the world title, he has to face this amazing Ghanaian. Unfortunately, Pat was hit in double quick time by Nelson (below) knocking the Midlander out cold in the first round.
Action Pictures
After retiring as a fighter, Pat became a respected trainer and very active promoter, doing many matches with his former manager, Ron Gray. He was a top class boxer and respected in the sport.
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