| Variations of Name | Clifford Matthew Anderson |
| Biography | Cliff Anderson was a professional boxer. As a teenager he fought his way out of the amateur ranks to become a professional boxer. When the Second World War broke out, he joined the British Merchant Navy and served for three years until arriving in Britain in 1945.
He got his first big boxing break in 1946, at the Royal Albert Hall. He defeated the heavily favoured Frenchman, Theo Medina. In 1947, he fought for the vacant British Empire Featherweight Title at Alexandra Palace. However, as the boxing colour bar was in place at this time, he could not be awarded the Title even if he were victorious. This is even despite being a British citizen, who had served his country. Anderson beat his opponent the Aldgate Tiger Al Phillips, yet the referee awarded the fight to Philips. Police had to be called to prevent a riot when fans heard the verdict. The Labour governments colonial secretary Arthur Greech-Jones was called to the floor of the House of Commerce to denounce Britains ring colour bias after the fight.
The public demanded a rematch where again Anderson beat Philips. However, Philips claimed that Anderson had deliberately hit him in the kidneys, and the referee disqualified him, awarding the fight to Phillips. This was to become one of the biggest controversies in British boxing history. Anderson retired from boxing in 1954, having sustained damage to his eyes. |