Peter Cheevers – The boxer who was Paul McCartney’s stunt double
Peter Cheevers – The boxer who was Paul McCartney’s stunt double
Peter Cheevers never fully realized his boxing potential, but what a life he has enjoyed
BOXING has a habit of spawning some very interesting characters and Streatham’s Peter Cheevers is one of them. Peter is one of several boxers, mainly from London, who made a decent acting career after retiring from the ring. Peter also occasionally performed as a stuntman, including once for Paul McCartney.
Born in 1942, Cheevers was only 18 years old when he won the 1961 ABA Featherweight Championship. He was the protégé of Dave Charnley, then reigning British, Empire and European Lightweight Champion.
Just 10 days before young Peter won his amateur title, Dave had run the full 15 for the world lightweight title against “Old Bones” Joe Brown. Later that year Peter turned professional at lightweight and his first competition was at Empire Pool, Wembley after Henry Cooper lost to Zora Folley in two rounds. Cheevers kayote Pat Loughran in a round with a peach of a right hook.
He enjoyed a very good start to his career, winning his first six. In September 1962 he returned to the Empire Pool for an eight-round competition with Peter Heath from Coventry. The leader of the night was Terry Downes against Sugar Ray Robinson. Just how accommodating this all-time classic was is demonstrated by the enthusiasm he displays in the promotional photo taken with young Peter ahead of the show. Robinson has always been gracious about the youngsters being on the card on the three bills he fought for in Britain in the early Sixties. That experience will mean a lot to the young lad but it didn’t help him in his competition as Heath, a seasoned pro, knew too much for Peter and overtook him despite losing two points on the second lap. The program notes for this competition stated that Cheevers was a certain future British Champion.
Having recently switched managers from Jim Wicks to Bert McCarthy, that loss was a setback and when he returned to the ring six weeks later he lost another Sugar Ray in the fourth round, this time a Nigerian surnamed Johnson.
In 1963 he was angered again, this time by Brian Jones of Nottingham, who stopped him at Shoreditch Town Hall at seven. Again the winner was an older and more experienced pro and again Peter had his man in trouble early on. BN reported that “Jones, who was always difficult to hit with a good punch, was doubly difficult to catch with a left hook, Cheevers’ main offensive weapon. Peter, much larger, always went forward and threw punches, but very few landed on target. However, a straight left and right cross to the jaw brought Brian down late in the third, and the bell came to his rescue when the count was down to six. Cheevers was unable to continue early in the fourth round, but late in the round Jones was out again, this time for eight.
In the seventh, it was Cheevers turn to be decorated twice before Pat Floyd stopped the fight.
Peter fought another 18 months and after an unbeaten streak of 10 fights he lost his last fight to Joe Tetteh from Ghana, a really good fighter. Peter only lost three out of 22 competitions but never realized his true potential. A year after retiring from the ring, he represented Paul McCartney in the film Help as his stuntman. Peter was a handsome boy and it’s easy to see how he could be a convincing replacement for the famous Beatle. He also acted in Minder, The Bill and a handful of other films, as well as some challenging stage work including Shakespeare. Now in his 80th year, Peter has a lot to be proud of. He has led an eventful life.
https://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/hire.html
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