Charlie Magri

Born Carmel Magri in Tunis, Tunisia, on July 20, 1956, he moved to England in 1958 with his family and grew up in Limehouse, London. Magri, under the boxing name Charlie Magri, began his professional career in October 1977, following a successful amateur boxing record that included multiple ABA titles in various divisions. At 21, in only his third professional fight in December 1977, he secured the vacant British flyweight title against Dave Smith. This early achievement, equating to Dick Smith’s 63-year-old record for the fewest fights to become a British champion, marked him as a notable talent in the sport. He continued his ascent, winning the European flyweight title in May 1979 by defeating Franco Udella.

Magri’s career culminated in March 1983 when he won the WBC and lineal flyweight titles by defeating Eleoncio Mercedes at Wembley Arena, becoming a world champion. Despite losing the title in his first defense against Frank Cedeno in September 1983, Magri continued to compete at a high level. He recaptured the European flyweight title in August 1984 against Franco Cherchi and held it again from October 1985 until his final fight in May 1986. After retiring from professional boxing, Magri remained involved with the sport and his community. He owned a sports shop, managed a pub, and later became a boxing coach at Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College’s boxing academy in 2017, demonstrating his commitment to mentoring new generations of boxers.