Freddie Mills
Frederick Percival Mills (26 June 1919 – 25 July 1965) was an English boxer, and the world light heavyweight champion from 1948 to 1950. Mills was 5 feet 10+1⁄2 inches (179 cm) tall and did not have a sophisticated boxing style; he relied on two-fisted aggression, relentless pressure, and the ability to take punishment to carry him through, and in more cases than not these attributes were sufficient.
Freddie Mills | |
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Freddie Mills in the 1952 film The Hundred Hour Hunt | |
| Born | Frederick Percival Mills 26 June 1919 Bournemouth, Hampshire, England |
| Died | 25 July 1965 (aged 46) London, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Other names |
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| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) |
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| Height | 5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (179 cm) |
| Reach | 72 in (183 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 101 |
| Wins | 77 |
| Wins by KO | 55 |
| Losses | 18 |
| Draws | 6 |
| No contests | 0 |
Mills excelled first as a middleweight, and most successfully as a light-heavyweight boxer, but also fought as a heavyweight. He was described as Britain's biggest boxing idol in the post-war period and remained a popular media personality after his retirement from the ring.
Once he had retired from boxing, Mills moved into boxing management and promotion, and pursued a career in entertainment, working in radio, television (notably as co-presenter of the early BBC TV music show, Six-Five Special between 1957 and 1958), and on the stage, as well as playing roles in a number of films between 1952 and 1965. He opened a Chinese restaurant in Soho before there was an established Chinatown in the area and also ran his own London nightclub until his mysterious death.