Newbridge boxing club Gavin Rees shocked the world when he beat Frenchman Souleymane M'baye to win the WBA title before losing it to Andreas Kotelnik. Middleweight Gary Lockett held the lightly regarded WBU belt but achieved fame when he unsuccessfully challenged world number one Kelly Pavlik in Atlantic City for the undisputed middleweight crown. Two time World Light-Heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly trained at the club as an amateur and during the first three years of his professional career but left in 2008. The Newbridge Boxing Club, considering its location in such a small town, has had a disproportionate influence on the global boxing
World boxing championship records and statistics World boxing championship records and statistics Since at least John L. Sullivan, in the late 19th century, there have been world champions in professional boxing. At the very beginnings, before any sanctioning body was established, many boxers proclaimed themselves as legitimate champions. Eventually, champions were recognized through public acclamation, succesively establishing a lineage. Important sets of weight classes were those specified in 1909 by the National Sporting Club of London, and those contained in the 1920 Walker Law which established the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC). NYSAC recognized champions from its foundation in 1920. The National Boxing Association (NBA)