ON FEBRUARY 27, Joe Taylor of Leyland passed away just two days short of his 89th birthday. Very few will remember Joe today, but he was the first man to put Howard Winstone onto the seat of his pants in a professional ring.
Joe, a nostalgic embodiment of the old-fashioned approach, embarked on his professional career in 1951, astonishingly at the tender age of 16. However, shortly thereafter, the governing Board implemented a higher age requirement of 18 for obtaining a professional license. This regulation persisted until 1975, when it was slightly lowered to 17. Presently, the minimum age for acquiring a professional license stands at 18. Consequently, Joe stands as one of the few remaining individuals who turned pro at the youthful age of 16.
Joe, hailing from Leyland in Lancashire, had a strong inclination towards the Public Hall in Preston during his formative years of competing. The influential figure behind this venue was none other than Fred Bamber, who reigned supreme in that particular area of Lancashire. In addition to Preston, Fred also organized frequent events at the King George’s Hall in Blackburn and the Empress Ballroom in Burnley. It was in 1950 when Joe, at the tender age of 15, made two appearances on professional shows at Preston. Although these contests were exhibition matches lasting three rounds, with each round spanning one and a half minutes, they provided Joe with valuable exposure and experience.
After Joe obtained his driver’s license, Fred eagerly included him in regular competitions. The first contest occurred in November 1951 against another newcomer, Freddie Deaks from Hanley. Joe outperformed Deaks over four rounds, weighing under 7st 6lbs. The local newspaper detailed Joe’s relentless attack, despite being smaller and narrower, and even knocking Deaks down for a count of ‘seven’ in the second round. Following this victory, Joe was matched with Cheny Barrington from Radford, a professional boxer since 1943 with 19 bouts under his belt, winning 12 of them. Despite being only 16 years old, Joe fearlessly faced Barrington, who was a fully-grown man with more experience. Barrington didn’t last long against Joe’s powerful punches and was knocked out in just two rounds.
Two weeks later Joe did the same to another Nottingham man, George Homer, hammering him in just three rounds. At this stage Bamber could have been forgiven in thinking that he had a real prospect on his hands and BN confirmed this in a small entry entitled “KO king at 16”. The article stated that Taylor, a grocer’s errand boy, was seconded by Harry Gent, a star performer from Chorley who boxed the great Len Harvey in 1925, and that he was being brought along carefully but was a great prospect.
Joe was an active boxer in Lancashire until 1953, achieving a remarkable record of winning 13 out of 16 contests. However, he decided to temporarily retire from the game for a couple of years. In 1955, Joe made a comeback as a bantamweight and had two fights in this category. Following another hiatus of a few years, he returned once again in 1957, this time as a featherweight. Joe secured victories in two more contests at this weight class before taking another break. Finally, in September 1959, Joe faced off against Winstone in a highly anticipated match.
Howard Winstone, a remarkable boxer hailing from our shores post World War II, stands among the greatest. His achievements include securing the bantamweight title at the 1958 ABA championship, followed by a triumphant gold medal at the Commonwealth Games a mere three months later. Transitioning to the professional stage, he made an impressive debut, effortlessly conquering his first eight opponents. Eventually, he faced off against the renowned Joe, emerging victorious as expected. Undoubtedly, Howard’s dominance persisted, culminating in his greatest moment in 1968 when he claimed the world featherweight title by defeating Mitsunori Seki.
Winstone faced the consequences of his actions against Taylor as he was knocked down in the initial round by a precise right punch. However, Winstone quickly recovered and managed to knock down Taylor on five separate occasions before the referee stepped in during the fourth round. This marked Taylor’s final fight. He decided to settle in Leyland, where he pursued a career as a motor mechanic while also training boxers at a nearby gym in Worden Park. Taylor was one of the few remaining individuals of his profession, and his absence will be deeply felt by many.
