More on Kevin Finnegan

The following is courtesy of the Times Online U.K. Edition

By Ron Lewis

Kevin Finnegan found dead

Kevin Finnegan, the former British and European middleweight champion, has been found dead at his home at the age of 60. Finnegan, the younger brother of Chris, the 1968 Olympic gold medal-winner, held the British title three times and the European title twice. He boxed Alan Minter three times and Marvin Hagler twice. Among the boxers he beat were Frankie Lucas, Gratien Tonna and Bunny Sterling, whom he first won the British title from in 1974. He is pictured above (right) on the way to possibly his best win over Tony Sibson at the Albert Hall in 1979.

His body was discovered when police broke into his flat in Hillingdon, Middlesex, after he has not been seen for a few days.

Minter was among the first to pay tribute to his former rival 

(the pair are pictured, right prior to their final bout in 1977). "I'm very shocked" he said. "When you box someone three times, you have a special rapport with them. He became like a brother to me and he gave me t

he three hardest fights of my life."
He also boxed another future world champion in Ayub Kalule in Denmark in 1978. He

 retired in 1980, at the age of 32, after losing his European title to Matteo Salvemini in Italy.

Big brother Chris also paid tribute: "Kevin was the cream of boxing, he had far more class than me," he said. "In all his boxing career he was never knocked out, this time he just couldn't beat the count."