Ted Morgan (boxer)

Edward Morgan (5 April 1906 – 22 November 1952), generally known as Ted Morgan, was a New Zealand boxer. He won the gold medal in the welterweight division at the 1928 Summer Olympics, despite competing throughout the tournament with a dislocated knuckle in his left hand.[2] This was the first gold medal won for an athlete representing New Zealand.[3]

Ted Morgan
Ted Morgan at the 1928 Olympics
Statistics
Weight(s)67 kg (148 lb)
Height1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Reach80 in (203 cm)[1]
Born5 April 1906
London, England
Died22 November 1952 (aged 46)
Wellington, New Zealand
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights28
Wins26

1928 Olympics

Tim Tracey had been training Morgan in the build up for the 1928 Olympic games in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, due to the elongated travel times athletes from NZ faced in attending the Olympics, Morgan put on weight. He was three pounds over the lightweight division limit and therefore had to fight up in the welterweight grade; often giving up to 9 pounds away to his opponents. Leading up to the games he dislocated his knuckle on his left hand sparring with European professional Ernie Rice. Morgan was a southpaw which caused even greater problems. Morgan was regarded by many as one of the best fighters at the games, despite throwing very few left handed punches.[4]

1928 Olympic tournament results
  • Round of 16: defeated Selfrid Johansson (Sweden) by a second-round knockout
  • Quarterfinal: defeated Romano Caneva (Italy) by decision
  • Semifinal: defeated Robert Galataud (France) by decision
  • Final: defeated Raul Landini (Argentina) by decision (won gold medal)

Background

Morgan was born in London, England, but his family moved to New Zealand when he was one year old. There he attended Te Aro School and Wellington College, but dropped out in 1922 and started working as a plumber. A plaque at Wellington College was erected in his honor.[4]

Morgan was the New Zealand Amateur Lightweight Champion in 1925 and 1927.[4] He won 26 out of his 28 amateur bouts. In July 1929 he turned professional, but with a little success, winning 13 and losing 11 out of 26 bouts. In 1931 he won three minor matches in the United States and the New Zealand welterweight title, knocking out Reg Trowern in second round. He retired in October 1934 after losing to Don Stirling in a welterweight title fight and later worked as a plumber and boxing referee.[4][5] Morgan was offered the chance to turn pro after the Olympics but turned it down. He later regretted the decision saying he needed to have turned pro overseas where the "game was bigger". Morgan's gold medal is one of the biggest examples of overcoming adversity and is one of the least well known NZ Olympic stories.[6]

Family

On 12 April 1933 he married sprinter Norma Wilson,[2] who also competed at the 1928 Olympics, but they divorced in 1938. Morgan remarried on 10 November 1945, to Jannet Elizabeth Reynolds; they had a son and a daughter.[7]

Death

Although he was a non-smoker, Morgan died from lung cancer in Wellington due to the inhalation of fumes while working as a plumber.[7] In 1990 he was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.[5]

Footnotes
  1. "Ted Morgan". BoxRec. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  2. Ted Morgan. sports-reference.com
  3. "Ted Morgan Biography". New Zealand History. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  4. Ted Morgan boxes for gold, 1928. nzhistory.net.nz
  5. Ted Morgan. nzhalloffame.co.nz
  6. Romanos, Joseph (2008). Our Olympic Century. Wellington N.Z.: Trio Books. ISBN 9780958283939.
  7. McMillan, N. A. C. "Morgan, Edward". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 17 September 2016.

References
  • Kiwis With Gloves On by Brian F O'Brien, published 1960, Reed.
  • McMillan, Neville (1993). New Zealand Sporting Legends: 27 Pre-War Sporting Heroes. Auckland: Moa Beckett. pp. 102–106. ISBN 1-869580-14-1.
  • It Really Happened page 138ff, by Alan Turley, published 1977
  • Edward Morgan in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
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