Freddie Whitbread

Freddie Whitbread was one of four brothers who all took up boxing, and he had his first fight at Balham as an 18-year-old. In 1914 he joined the Royal Field Artillery and served in France and Salonika. Unfortunately, Whitbread suffered many injuries, including damage to his lungs, which meant periods in sanitoriums to aid his recovery. After the war, however, Whitbread resumed his boxing career and in 1920 became the ABA’s very first welterweight champion after beating Pat Zöller (Polytechnic BC) in the final. After that success, Whitbread got a position as in instructor at his own club (Fulham BC) as well as at Lyons BC, and Barnes and Mortlake BC. Prior to going to Antwerpen for the 1920 Olympic Games, Whitbread was a member of the England team that lost to Scotland in the first ever international between the two countries. He won his welterweight bout against Alex Ireland, the man he beat in the semi-final on his way to winning his ABA title.

Whitbread was a former porter at Covent Garden before ill-health forced him to give it up and run a tobacconist’s kiosk within “The Garden”. During a cold spell the week before Christmas 1938, he collapsed and was taken to hospital. Whitbread died two weeks later, on New Year’s Day, at the age of just 46.