Mark Kaylor (11 May 1961 – 15 November 2025) was a British professional boxer.

Biography

Kaylor was born in Canning Town, London, 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. There was always this spark in my head! Today, I’m embarrassed by it. Errol was a nice guy. There’s no way I could behave like that now."

He appeared in Ron Peck's 1991 film Fighters, which follows a group of young East End boxers as they try to make it to the top in the boxing game. The Daily Telegraph obituary noted that he came across in the film as a softly-spoken and thoughtful individual who said he hated violence.

Kaylor worked with Peck again in 1996, this time in a semi-improvised, fictional film Real Money, about a group of young boxers getting drawn into underworld villainy and crime. Real Money also starred other well known and well respected faces from the boxing world, such as father and son Jimmy Tibbs and Mark Tibbs, Steve Roberts and Jason Rowland, boxer, writer and actor Jimmy Flint who had also starred in many of Ron Peck's films, and later went on to star in many other films such as Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Revolver and Rise of the Footsoldier.

In 1996, Kaylor moved to California with his family. He was also very close to his nephew Charles Kaylor.[citation needed] He coached boxing and was an aerobics instructor at a gym.

Kaylor died on 15 November 2025, at the age of 64.

Professional boxing record

40 Wins (34 knockouts, 6 decisions), 7 Losses (4 knockouts, 3 decisions), 1 Draw
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRoundDateLocationNotes
Loss16-8United Kingdom James CookTKO61 June 1991England York Hall, London, EnglandEBU Super Middleweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 2:40 of the sixth round.
Win12-0Sweden Roland EricssonTKO420 March 1991England Battersea Town Hall, London, England
Win12-2-1United States Shannon LandbergTKO67 March 1991United Kingdom Basildon Festival Hall, Basildon, England
Loss14-1-2Italy Mauro GalvanoUD1231 March 1990Italy Capo d'Orlando, ItalyEBU Super Middleweight Title.
Draw5-7-1Nigeria Jerry OkoroduduMD1026 June 1989California Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, US
Loss22-14-1United States Tom CollinsKO911 May 1988England Grand Hall, London, EnglandEBU Light Heavyweight Title.
Win3-10United States Roy SaffordKO229 March 1988England Wembley Arena, London, England
Win18-7United States Charles HendersonTKO33 February 1988England Grand Hall, London, England
Win13-5-1United States Jamie HoweTKO424 October 1987England White Hart Lane, London, England
Win5-2United States Jack BastingKO627 June 1987France Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France
Win16-2-1United Kingdom Tommy TaylorTKO418 April 1987England Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 2:12 of the fourth round.
Win14-13United States Jimmy ShaversPTS822 February 1987England Grand Hall, London, England
Loss36-0United Kingdom Herol GrahamTKO84 November 1986England Wembley Arena, London, EnglandEBU Middleweight Title.
Win18-8-1United States Tony HarrisonTKO917 September 1986England Royal Albert Hall, London, England
Win18-6-4United States Tony CerdaTKO619 July 1986England Wembley Stadium, London, England
Win20-1United Kingdom Errol ChristieKO85 November 1985England London, EnglandChristie knocked out at 2:35 of the eighth round.
Win21-4-1United States Dwight WalkerPTS1016 June 1985England York Hall, London, England
Win13-4United States Richard BeranekKO314 April 1985England York Hall, London, EnglandBeranek knocked out at 1:25 of the third round.
Loss50-5-1United Kingdom Tony SibsonUD1227 November 1984England Wembley Arena, London, EnglandCommonwealth/BBBofC British/EBU Middleweight Titles.
Win8-3United States David TodtTKO616 October 1984England Royal Albert Hall, London, England
Loss18-8-1United States Buster DraytonTKO713 May 1984England Empire Pool, London, England
Win14-1United States Randy SmithPTS1013 March 1984England Empire Pool, London, England
Win20-8United States Ralph MoncriefTKO531 January 1984England Royal Albert Hall, London, England
Loss14-3-4United States Tony CerdaDQ922 November 1983England Wembley Arena, London, England
Win26-8-3Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla Roy GumbsKO514 September 1983England Alexandra Pavilion, London, EnglandBBBofC British/Commonwealth Middleweight Titles. Gumbs knocked out at 2:00 of the fifth round.
Win10-2United States Bobby WestTKO531 May 1983England Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 2:03 of the fifth round.
Win38-6-1United States Bobby WattsTKO43 May 1983England Wembley Arena, London, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 0:57 of the fourth round.
Win15-9-1United Kingdom Glen McEwanTKO21 March 1983England Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 1:51 of the second round.
Win19-19-2United States Henry WalkerPTS1018 January 1983England Royal Albert Hall, London, England
Win5-6-2Spain Juan Muñoz HolgadoKO27 December 1982England Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandHolgado knocked out at 0:48 of the second round.
Win25-10-1United Kingdom Eddie SmithTKO39 November 1982England Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 1:40 of the third round.
Win10-3-1Wales Doug JamesTKO226 October 1982England York Hall, London, England
Win23-9-1Belgium Maurice BufiTKO322 September 1982England Mayfair Sporting Club, London, England
Win6-4United States Steve WilliamsTKO21 June 1982England Royal Albert Hall, London, England
Win32-14-1France Joel BonnetazTKO320 April 1982England Royal Albert Hall, London, England
Win13-1Spain Alfonso RedondoTKO517 March 1982England Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 2:25 of the fifth round.
Win7-7Dominican Republic Dario De AsaTKO32 March 1982England Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 2:15 of the third round.
Win12-11United Kingdom Romal AmbroseKO19 February 1982England Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandAmbrose knocked out at 2:30 of the first round.
Win2-6Nigeria Billy SavageTKO224 November 1981England Wembley Arena, London, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 2:07 of the second round.
Win6-8-2Wales Winston BurnettTKO63 November 1981England Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 2:20 of the sixth round.
Win8-2United States George DanaharTKO320 October 1981England York Hall, London, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 2:28 of the third round.
Win13-7-2United Kingdom Jimmy Everard EllisTKO515 September 1981England Wembley Arena, London, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 0:44 of the fifth round.
Win13-18-3United Kingdom Joe GregoryTKO626 May 1981England York Hall, London, England
Win9-7-1United Kingdom Peter BasseyPTS817 March 1981England Wembley Arena, London, England
Win12-5United Kingdom Martin McEwanTKO624 February 1981England Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 1:20 of the sixth round.
Win3-3-1Wales Winston BurnettPTS827 January 1981England Royal Albert Hall, London, England
Win9-17-2United Kingdom Clifton WallaceTKO38 December 1980England Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 1:40 of the third round.
Win9-9-3United Kingdom Peter MorrisTKO514 October 1980England Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 2:40 of the fifth round.

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External links

  • Boxing Monthly, January 2009 edition
  • YouTube video of Kaylor's 1985 fight with Errol Christie
  • at IMDb