Simon Vallily


Simon Vallily is an English professional boxer. As an amateur, he was a member of the England elite squad as well as the Great British podium squad and won the gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Early life

Vallily was born to an English father and Jamaican mother.

Amateur career

Fighting for the South Bank Amateur boxing club in Middlesbrough, Vallily was formerly on the books of Middlesbrough Football Club until disciplinary issues meant that his career in football ended prematurely. Vallily claimed that he started boxing after getting into trouble when he was a kid, and that what he would be doing if he were not boxing would be "not worth thinking about".
In February 2006, he was sentenced to four years in prison following a knife attack. Halfway into his sentence he was released and started to concentrate on his boxing career.

Domestic honours

In 2009, competing in the super-heavyweight division, Vallily won the senior ABA title in Sheffield at the English Institute of Sport, beating Amin Isa 13-4. Despite touching the canvas himself, the victory included a knockdown of his opponent in the third round.
Speaking of the win and of the fact that he himself had taken a count, Vallily said, "Getting caught gave me a kick up the backside and got me going". Reflecting on the turnaround in his life since being sentenced to jail in 2006 Vallily said, "I've changed since those days and I'm an ABA champion now...All that is behind me and I don't like to look back - I was just a daft kid...I want to look to the future. I'm grown up now and more focused and this is just the start". On 13 November 2010, Vallily was crowned the Great Britain champion after defeating experienced rival Danny Price 4-3 in the tournament held in Liverpool's Echo Arena and televised by the BBC.

Commonwealth Games

Vallily was part of the England team that competed at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. Picked at the heavyweight category, Vallily fought his way to the final, defeating Dominic Winrow of the Isle of Man in the first round, Arsene Foukou of Cameroon in the quarter-finals and gaining a walkover against Awusone Yekeni of Ghana in the semifinals.
In the final he claimed the gold medal with a first round stoppage over Northern Ireland's Steven Ward after knocking him to the canvas, having quickly established a 6-1 lead. Speaking of Vallily's performance, coach Rob McCracken said "He's frighteningly good. We've got two years to work with him and there's a real possibility he could win the Olympics".

Professional career

Vallily made his professional debut at York Hall in London on 21 March 2013, defeating Simeon Cover on points over four rounds.
In October 2015, he was sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to twice breaching a restraining order relating to an ex-girlfriend.
He challenged English cruiserweight champion, Arfan Iqbal, at Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle on 16 June 2018. The fight ended in a split draw with Vallily paying the price for having two points deducted, one for illegal use of his head and another for rabbit punches.
Vallily faced future world champion, Fabio Wardley, for the vacant English heavyweight title at Matchroom Fight Camp in Brentwood, Essex, on 1 August 2020. He lost by stoppage in the third round.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
21LossFabio WardleyTKO3, 1:011 Aug 2020Matchroom Fight Camp, Brentwood, EnglandFor vacant English heavyweight title
20Win17–2–1Phil WilliamsPTS619 Dec 2019Hilton Newcastle Gateshead Hotel, Gateshead, England
19Win16–2–1Erik NazaryanRTD4, 3:0028 Aug 2019Eagles Community Arena, Newcastle, England
18Win15–2–1Dorian DarchTKO2, 2:1014 Jul 2019Stadium of Light, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England
17Win14–2–1Jone VolauTKO1, 2:433 May 2019Eagles Community Arena, Newcastle, England
16Loss13–2–1Craig GloverTKO8, 1:0613 Oct 2018Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, England
15Draw13–1–1Arfan IqbalSD1016 Jun 2018Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, EnglandFor English cruiserweight title
14Win13–1Blaise MendouoTKO4, 2:2417 Feb 2018Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
13Win12–1Blaise MendouoPTS623 Jun 2017Walker Activity Dome, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England
12Win11–1Dmitrij KalinovskijPTS426 May 2017Rainton Meadows Arena, Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear, England
11Win10–1Artūrs KuļikauskisTKO4, 2:144 Mar 2017Rainton Meadows Arena, Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear, England
10Loss9–1Mairis BriedisTKO3, 2:3615 Oct 2016Echo Arena, Liverpool, Merseyside, England
9Win9–0Toni VišićTKO3, 2:3310 Jul 2016Stadium of Light, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England
8Win8–0Remigijus ŽiaušysPTS605 Mar 2016Rainton Meadows Arena, Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear, England
7Win7–0Wladimir LetrPTS604 Apr 2015Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England
6Win6–0David VicenaKO3, 0:4008 Mar 2015Rainton Meadows Arena, Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear, England
5Win5–0Jiří SvačinaTD5, 1:1404 Oct 2014First Direct Arena, Leeds, Yorkshire, England
4Win4–0Moses MatovuPTS421 May 2014First Direct Arena, Leeds, Yorkshire, England
3Win3–0Rolandas ČėsnaPTS47 Oct 2013Royal Lancaster Hotel, Bayswater, London, England
2Win2–0Moses MatovuPTS420 Sep 2013Hilton Hotel, Mayfair, London, England
1Win1–0Simeon CoverPTS421 Mar 2013York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England

Exhibition boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
1Draw0–0–1Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson428 May 2021Conrad Hotel, Dubai, U.A.E.