Brian London Quotes

United Kingdom, Boxer
June 19, 1934 – June, 23, 2021.

Brian Sidney Harper, known professionally as Brian London, was an English retired heavyweight boxer. He was the British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion from 1958 to 1959, and twice challenged for the world heavyweight title, losing to Floyd Patterson in 1959 and Muhammad Ali in 1966, both times via knockout. He was one of a quartet of British boxers, with Henry Cooper, Joe Erskine, and Dick Richardson, who dominated the British boxing scene throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

I got into boxing for two reasons. One was that my father was a boxer. Secondly when I was young, all healthy men in the UK had to do two years "National Service" in one of the armed forces. I chose the Royal Air Force over the Army and Navy. My father's reputation went before me and therefore the RAF encouraged me to box. There is much rivalry in sporting competitions between the Army, Navy and RAF. Competing has great privileges. I didn't need too much encouragement with all these perks being offered, so I started training with a vengeance.

Brian London
I was christened the "British Bulldog" by friends and colleagues who said I not only looked like a bulldog but fought like one. I was more of a fighter than a boxer. The "Blackpool Rock" originated from the fact that previous to becoming a fighter I was employed in the Blackpool Rock Factory, rock being a form of what Americans call candy.

Brian London