Name: Stan Rowan Career Record: 55&Cat=Boxer

Name: Stan Rowan Career Record: http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=163 55&cat=boxer Nationality: British Birthplace: Liverpool, England Hometown: Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom Born: 1924-09-06 Died: 1997-01-01 Age at Death: 72 Stan began boxing with the Grafton Services Club & Caryl Gardens ABC. As an amateur he won Lancashire & Cheshire Junior Titles at two weights before winning the senior Flyweight Title at the age of seventeen. After turning professional in 1942 his first opponent was Eddie Douglas, whom he beat at the Liverpool Stadium in four rounds, 28 August 1942. Overall Stan had nine fights that year, winning seven and drawing two. He won another five bouts in 1943 before joining the Royal Air Force. Before taking up his post in the RAF there was time for one more contest against Frank Kid Bonser of Nottingham at the Tower Circus, Blackpool, on 20 January 1946. Whether his mind was distracted by his call-up to the RAF we will never know, but Stan was knocked-out for the only time in his career in the eighth round. Stan then left for wartime service in Rhodesia thus putting his career on hold for a couple of years. However, he got back to business in 1946 losing only one of six bouts beating Jacky Hughes, Mickey Jones, Tommy Madine, Norman Lewis and Mickey Colbert. Stan was now being talked about as a possible challenger for the British Title. The then champion Johnny King, who had held the title since 1932, was coming to the end of his career when he defended and lost his titles to Jackie Paterson at Belle Vue, Manchester on 10 February 1947 on a seventh round stoppage. It seemed that the Scotsman’s first defence would be against either, Rowan, Doran, O’Sullivan or Peter Kane, the former World Flyweight Champion, who was retuning to the ring after a three-year absence. Kane came back in 1947 and following a few good wins he got a shot at the European Bantamweight Title held by Theo Medina. Kane subsequently beat Medina, on 19 September 1947, on points over fifteen rounds at Manchester. Meanwhile Stan was doing his chances of a title fight no harm. He knocked- out Joe Curran in the tenth round at the Liverpool Stadium, on 14 August 1947 in a North Central Bantamweight Eliminator. Just four weeks later, 8 September 1947, he flattened Paterson, in a non-title fight, in two rounds at the Harringay Arena. The following year he then met and beat Bunty Doran in an official eliminator at the Liverpool Stadium, on 18 March 1948, coming off the canvas to win on points. Another victory, just two months later, 31 May 1948, against former amateur boxing champion Danny O’Sullivan, now meant that Rowan would meet Peter Kane in a final eliminator for the right to take on Paterson for the British title. Before taking on Kane Stan gave himself a boost by beating Theo Medina, at the Olympia on 6 July 1948, but then had a setback losing to another Frenchman Georges Mousse on a badly cut eye in the eight round at the Liverpool Stadium on 9 September 1948. Kane and Rowan eventually met in a final eliminator at Belle Vue on 19 November 1948, and despite putting up a great performance in what turned out to be his last fight, Kane was clearly out-pointed over twelve rounds. The way was now clear for Rowan to take on Paterson for the British and Commonwealth (British Empire) Titles. Rowan’s fight with Paterson attracted so much interest on Merseyside that Johnny Best secured a home draw for it with a bid of £2000. The bout took place on 24 March, before a crowd of 17,000 at Anfield, which incidentally was the last time boxing took place at Liverpool’s FC Anfield ground. Rowan boxed superbly throughout the contest, so good was Rowan’s display that Paterson only had one good round the sixth. In the seventh Rowan continued where had left off in the fifth eventually dropping Paterson for a count of nine in the eleventh, before going on to gain a convincing points win. Rowan became Liverpool’s first Bantamweight Champion. Because of weight difficulties Stan was unable to cash in on his Titles. After losing his Empire Title to Vic Toweel in South Africa, on 12 November 1949, he moved up to featherweight and after two bouts he quit the ring for two years. He made his comeback in 1952 but, due to a series of bad cuts and problems in making the featherweight limit, he only had a further six contests. His last contest was against Peter Keenan on 18 March 1953 at the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, which he lost over ten rounds. Stan had, in fact, his hand raised as the winner but the referee realised he was standing in Keenan’s corner and rectified his decision. .

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