The demons that haunted Richard Evatt first made him a formidable boxer, before ultimately consuming him entirely.
Those same inner demons, which once led one observer to label him the hardest puncher in the world, replaced his success with addiction, left him destitute and drove him towards life on the streets.
Boxing is no stranger to heartbreak. Yet few stories are as sorrowful as Evatt’s dramatic downfall.
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On a memorable night in 1999, the Coventry fighter known as “Tiger” stood just under five minutes from claiming a world title. Appearing to cruise towards a points victory, Evatt was stopped in the 11th round by reigning champion Junior Jones.
A mere 13 years later, Evatt, a man with the talent to have earned millions in the ring, was gone. At just 38 years of age, he was found collapsed at a Salvation Army hostel in Harnall Lane West, Hillfields, on July 17, 2012.
Outside the ropes, the fighter who famously wore a faux tiger skin robe and shorts – even dyeing stripes into his hair – found himself embroiled in a very different kind of contest. Alcohol and drugs proved far harder to overcome than the tough opponents he had faced throughout his 25-bout, turbulent career.
Following his passing, the father-of-three’s mother Bobby insisted Evatt had not been homeless, as had been widely reported. She said: “As a family we loved Richard and we cared for him all his life. He wasn’t homeless and as long as I have a breath left in me I would never have let him live on the streets.”
He was a great figure for Coventry and for anyone who knew him as a person.
Evatt had, however, fallen on difficult times. Bobby added: “Richard was our life. For the last two years he had been drinking.
“We tried as a family to support him and get him back, but he was lost.”
Alcohol had defeated the champion. Richie, gifted with a fearsome left hook, had himself become hooked.
The country was stunned when the potential superstar was found slumped in a Salvation Army homeless hostel. He was pronounced dead at University Hospital just hours later.
It was a tragedy initially surrounded by mystery. Police described it as unexplained and arrested a man on suspicion of murder.
He was subsequently released pending a post mortem to determine the cause of death, which proved inconclusive.
Enormously popular in his home city, prominent promoter Barry Hearn said of Evatt: “Pound for pound, he’s one of the hardest hitting fighters in the world.”
In a tribute following his passing, world champion Barry McGuigan captured Evatt’s appeal perfectly: “He fought with a kamikaze style but you couldn’t take your eyes off him, real good fighter.”
(Image: Mirrorpix)
He brought raw excitement to British rings. A product of Coventry’s renowned Triumph club, Evatt claimed the national ABA title in 1993 before turning professional two years later.
From the outset, fans and television audiences were treated to breathtaking action. Evatt won his debut by first-round knockout and was IBO inter-continental champion 12 bouts later, stopping South African Mzukisi Oliphant.
The outstanding performance against American Junior Jones showcased Evatt at his absolute finest. At Manchester’s MEN Arena, the American was dropped twice and seemingly finished before reversing his fortunes with a single blow.
Evatt’s determination only briefly wavered following that defeat. He sustained a broken jaw in the subsequent Commonwealth title bout and was forced to withdraw, before suffering another loss six months down the line.
An early stoppage defeat to Craig Spacie in November 2002 persuaded the Tiger that the time had come to hang up his gloves. That decision was reinforced by medical advice following a brain scan “irregularity”.
While there was speculation about a return, retirement brought with it numerous temptations, and even darker habits.
Just two years after his last bout, Evatt’s life had clearly descended into turmoil, captured by a 2004 Coventry Telegraph article: “A former Coventry boxer turned to drink and shoplifting after his successful career came to an end last year, a court has heard.”
Richard Evatt, a former super featherweight, yesterday pleaded guilty to theft after taking 23 cans of impulse body spray from the shelves of the city centre Savers store in Cross Cheaping on November 26, last year.
“The court heard 31-year-old Evatt, once known as ‘The Tiger’, had been drinking heavily following doctor’s orders to quit boxing after irregularities were found on a brain scan.”
He was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £100 costs.
That same year, Evatt was acquitted, following trial, of assaulting an off-duty police officer.
Today, Coventry’s former British light-heavyweight champion Neil Simpson said: “(As amateurs), I boxed for Willenhall, he boxed for Triumph. We went through the ABAs together. All the Coventry lads supported each other.”
“The punching power he had…when he hit someone it was lights out. He was a lovely lad, he was a complete gentleman.
“I don’t think he was ever the same again after that loss to Junior Jones. I heard the stories, it was just a great shame, hard to believe. What a boxer, what an amazing ambassador for the sport in Coventry.”
Former English middleweight champion Steve Bendall trained alongside Evatt at the Triumph club. He said: “He was crazy, he’d do mad things, but all in jest.
“Richie had that mad side to him, he was always funny-mad, but always had that different edge.
“When he lost boxing, he lost himself a bit. It can break you when you lose what you love.
“You always had that fear he would blow it all and be left with nothing.
“He was a top lad who just wanted to have fun. We went on camping trips every year with Triumph and everything we did was a laugh – even in the gym, everything we did was a laugh. It was a great era for me to grow up in. We did a lot of good things.”
“When he fought Junior Jones, he was unlucky. He went in at the deep end, not many gave him a chance.
“That one punch demolition Rich had, you’re born with that. Richie could hit like a hammer!”
In her tribute at the time, mum Bobby said: “Richard was a legend for this town and that’s what we need to focus on.
“Richard lived every day as if it was his last. He was a simple person who lived life to the full. He loved life and he loved his fans.
“He wasn’t brought up to be the big man, but he was a very, very loving person and he loved his boxing. “.
Richard Evatt was a real-life Rocky: in his home city, he was as beloved as Sly Stallone’s character. However, unlike the silver screen hero, Evatt’s story would have no fairy-tale conclusion.
Underdog Rocky triumphed in his against-all-odds encounter with Apollo Creed. Evatt failed to pull off his own miracle, although he came so desperately close.