20 Facts About Frank Moody

Frank Moody was a Welsh boxer who fought between 1914 and 1936.

Frank Moody is most notable for winning the British and Empire middleweight boxing championship in 1927 and 1928 and the light-heavyweight title from 1927 to 1929.

Frank Moody began working down a coal mine at the age of eleven.

Frank Moody gained the nickname "The Pontypridd Puncher" and was notable for his powerful right hand delivery.

Frank Moody's following boxing career was solid if unspectacular, fighting little known opponents, with some success, around Britain.

Frank Moody's fortunes changed when in October 1923 he travelled to the United States to fight a series of bouts, beginning in Massachusetts.

Frank Moody finished the stroke by jabbing his thumb into my right eye.

On 10 December 1923, Frank Moody fought and beat Young Fisher at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Just three days after his victory over Malone, Frank Moody travelled to Waterbury, Connecticut, to fight world middleweight champion Harry Greb.

Frank Moody won the fight with a first round knock-out, but then lost his next fight to New York's Jeff Smith.

Frank Moody proved a strong opponent, stopping Norfolk in the fourth round, though Norfolk was at the end of his career, and this would be his penultimate fight.

Frank Moody fought another nineteen matches in the United States, including contests against Tiger Flowers, Maxie Rosenbloom and Dave Shade; and on 16 August 1926 he beat Del Fontaine, future Canadian middleweight champion, which was Frank Moody's only fight in Canada.

In December 1926, Frank Moody was back in Britain and in his first few weeks back in Wales, he was boxing in Cardiff, beating Joe Bloomfield in the fourth round.

Just two months later Frank Moody was carded to fight Roland Todd at the Royal Albert Hall for the vacant British and Empire middleweight titles.

Frank Moody lifted the middleweight belt by beating Todd in a points decision.

On 11 April 1927, Frank Moody fought Gipsy Daniels for the Welsh Light Heavyweight title, but lost on points in a 20-round fight.

Frank Moody was now fighting with less frequency, and on 6 August 1928 he travelled to Glasgow to face Tommy Milligan for the British middleweight title, which Frank Moody had vacated earlier.

That was Frank Moody's final fight of 1928, and in 1929 he fought just four times, which included a win over Italy's Leone Jacovacci, a loss to the great Len Harvey and then losing his British Light Heavyweight title to Harry Crossley.

Frank Moody then earned a respectable draw against German Ernst Pistulla in a contest in Hamburg.

In 1935 Frank Moody returned to boxing, winning two fights in Wales.