Editing Alan Minter (section)

== Professional career ==
Minter began his professional career with 11 straight wins,<ref name="boxrec">{{cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/11467 |title=Alan Minter ID# 11467 |publisher=boxrec.com|access-date=9 August 2020}}</ref> the first against Maurice Thomas in London on 31 October 1972, winning by knockout in the 6th round.<ref name="PP">{{cite web|url=https://www.primeperformersagency.co.uk/alan-minter |title=Boxing Speakers - Alan Minter |publisher=primeperformersagency.co.uk|access-date=9 August 2020}}</ref>
Minter won his first five fights by knockout until 16 January 1973, when Pat Dwyer went the distance, Minter taking the fight on points.<ref name="boxrec"/> Minter won his next five fights, three by knockout,<ref name="boxrec"/> before being defeated for the first time after the referee stopped the fight in the eighth round against "Scottish" Don McMillan due to bad cuts suffered by Minter. Two more wins followed before facing Jan Magdziarz, who beat him twice in a row (once in the eighth and once in the sixth) again due to cuts.<ref name="boxrec"/>

1974 was a mixed year for Minter, beating [[Tony Byrne (boxer)|Tony Byrne]] by a decision in eight,<ref name="boxrec"/> losing in two to Ricky Torres (again on cuts),<ref name="boxrec"/> having a third fight with Magdziarz, resulting in a no contest,<ref name="boxrec"/> closing the year with a win against Shako Mamba in [[Hamburg|Hamburg, Germany]].<ref name="boxrec"/>

In 1975, he won four fights in a row, including another bout in Hamburg and, by the end of the year, he challenged [[Kevin Finnegan]] for the British [[Middleweight]] title, winning it by a 15-round decision.<ref name="PP"/>

In 1976, he won six fights, to extend his streak to ten consecutive wins.<ref name="boxrec"/> Among the boxers he beat were Billy Knight by a knockout<ref name="boxrec"/> and Finnegan once again, by decision in 15,<ref name="boxrec"/> both in defence of his British title,<ref name="boxrec"/> along with former world title challenger Tony Licata,<ref name="boxrec"/> knocked out in six and United States Olympic Games Gold medal winner [[Sugar Ray Seales]],<ref name="boxrec"/> in five rounds. These wins gave Minter a ranking among the top ten Middleweight challengers.<ref name="boxrec"/>

In 1977, he won the European Middleweight title by beating Germano Valsecchi by a knockout in five in Italy.<ref name="PP"/> But in his next fight his winning streak ended when he lost to former world title challenger [[Ronnie Harris (American boxer, born 1948)|Ronnie Harris]] by a knockout in eight.<ref name="boxrec"/> Minter returned to top ten challenger status by upsetting the former World [[Welterweight]] and [[Light Middleweight]] Champion [[Emile Griffith]] with a ten-round decision win in [[Monte Carlo]],<ref name="boxrec"/> but then he lost his European title to Gratien Tonna by a knockout in eight at [[Milan]].<ref name="boxrec"/> He closed '77 with a third 15-round decision win over Finnegan to retain his British title.<ref name="boxrec"/>

1978 was a sad year for Minter, although he won all three of his bouts. On 15 February, at the [[Muhammad Ali]]–[[Leon Spinks]] I undercard in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas, Nevada]], he won his first bout in the United States by knocking out Sandy Torres in five.<ref name="boxrec"/> Then, he went to Italy once again to regain his European Middleweight title by knocking out Angelo Jacopucci in twelve rounds.<ref name="boxrec"/> Jacopucci died a few days afterwards, due to injuries sustained in the bout.<ref name="bbc"/> Minter finished his year by avenging his loss to Tonna with a six-round knockout.<ref name="boxrec"/>

In 1979, Minter won all four of his fights, two of them by knockout. On 16 March 1980, in Las Vegas, he was given a shot at World Middleweight Champion [[Vito Antuofermo]]'s title at [[Caesars Palace]]. He won the title by a 15-round split decision<ref name="PP"/> in which the judges' scorecards varied wildly. A Venezuelan judge had Minter losing the fight, while the British judge (Roland Dakin) had Minter winning 13 of the 15 rounds. In a rematch held three months later in London on 28 June, Minter retained the world title by a TKO in eight rounds.<ref name="boxrec"/>
 
On 27 September 1980, Minter's short run as world champion came to an abrupt end when he was stopped on cuts in the third round against 'Marvelous' [[Marvin Hagler]] at [[Wembley Arena]] in London.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/sep/10/alan-minter-british-boxing-great-who-became-world-champion-dies-aged-69|title=Alan Minter, British boxing great who became world champion, dies aged 69|date=10 September 2020|work=The Guardian|access-date=10 September 2020}}</ref> The fight was controversial owing to a racially-charged remark Minter made during the build-up (Minter was alleged to have said that he "didn't intend to lose his title to a black man", though he insisted that he had actually said that he didn't intend to lose to "that" black man, and had been goaded to say so by his promoters)<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/that-1980s-sports-blog/2013/oct/03/alan-miller-marvin-hagler-1980-boxing-low-point | title=Remembering Alan Minter v Marvin Hagler: One of boxing's lowest moments | newspaper=The Guardian | date=3 October 2013 | last1=Pye | first1=Steven }}</ref> and then by a crowd riot once the referee had agreed with Minter's corner that he was unable to continue, with chairs, bottles and glasses being hurled into the ring after the decision.<ref name="fight">{{cite web|url=https://www.thefightcity.com/sept-27-1980-hagler-vs-minter/ |title=Boxing Speakers - Alan Minter |publisher=thefightcity.com|date=27 September 2019}}</ref>

Minter beat fringe contender Ernie Singletary in London, in 1981,<ref name="boxrec"/> but after losses to future Hagler challengers [[Mustafa Hamsho]] in Las Vegas<ref name="boxrec"/> and [[Tony Sibson]] in London,<ref name="boxrec"/> he retired for good.<ref name="PP"/>

He left boxing with a record of 39 wins, 9 losses and 1 no contest, with 23 wins by knockout.<ref name="boxrec"/><ref name="PP"/>