Mark Kaylor

Who is Mark Kaylor?

Mark Kaylor is a former professional British boxer.

Kaylor was born in Canning Town but from the age of nine was brought up in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex. Kaylor won the British schoolboy title the first year he was eligible to take part and at the age of 16, moved back to Canning Town to live with his grandmother so that he could join a bigger boxing club at West Ham. In 1979, at the age of 17, Kaylor won the National Association of Boys Clubs Championships and the London senior title. In 1980, Kaylor won the British Amateur Boxing Association Championships and went to the European Junior championships in Rimini, Italy. Kaylor represented Great Britain in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, losing on a split decision in the quarter-finals. Perhaps his most famous fight came in 1985, when he defeated Errol Christie in the eighth round of a hard-fought match, marred with controversy due to a pre-fight punch-up between the pair, and by death threats from racist fans against Christie. Despite the controversy, Kaylor and Christie in fact showed great respect for each other after the match. Kaylor later commented, "Back then, I had a quick temper that I’d rather not have had.