Joe Erskine
British boxer (1934-1990)
- Born
- 26 January 1934, Cardiff
- Died
- 18 February 1990, Cardiff
- Citizenship
- United Kingdom
- Sport
- boxing
- Discipline
- heavyweight
- Occupation
- boxer
Joseph Erskine (26 January 1934 – 18 February 1990) was a professional boxer from the Butetown district of Cardiff, Wales. He was an Amateur Boxing Association Champion, Inter-Services Champion, and British Army Champion in 1953. He began fighting as a professional in 1954 and was trained by Archie Rule and Freddie Elvin. He held the British heavyweight title from August 1956 to June 1958. In all, he won 45 of his 54 professional bouts, losing 8, with one drawn. His best wins were against George Chuvalo, Henry Cooper, Dick Richardson, Uli Ritter, Jack Bodell, Johnny Williams, Joe Bygraves, and Willie Pastrano.
Erskine was a small heavyweight who outmanoeuvered rather than overpowered his opponents. Angelo Dundee who saw his prospect Pastrano defeated by Erskine said he was surprised by his skill – further remarking that if Erskine had been just a bit bigger he could have been a world beater.
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q1691410 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.