Eric Boon

Eric Boon (28 December 1919 – 19 January 1981) was a champion British lightweight boxer. Born in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, he was known by the nicknames Boy Boon and the Fen Tiger. Of a total of 119 fights, he won 92 (KO 62), lost 21 (KO 13) and drew 5.

Boon v Danaher was the first occasion that the BBC had been permitted to televise a boxing match but also the first time a transmission had been shown live to a paying audience in cinemas (the Marble Arch Pavilion and the Tatler News Theatre). This was achieved on Baird projection equipment using a 16-inch projection tube running at 45,000 volts, producing light levels comparable to that of normal films. Each projection unit contained two projection tubes, one acting as a backup in case the first one failed. This preceded the first televised heavyweight boxing match (Max Baer vs Lou Nova, from Yankee Stadium) which was held on 1 June 1939.

Boon married Wendy Elliot in 1940 and, following his retirement from the sport, played a number of small roles in British films such as Champagne Charlie and Carry On Sergeant. He died from a heart attack on 19 January 1981 in Soham, Cambridgeshire.