William Ives 12th October 1943 – 31st August 2017

A True Friend of Boxing

It was with great sadness to receive the news that William ‘Bill’ Ives sadly passed away on 31st August 2017.

Bill was an inspirational figure, a self-made man who was regarded as one of the leading businessmen in the UK.

Bill founded and ran the successful Steel business Rainham Steel for 44 years and will be regarded as an astute business figure for years to come.

Outside of his steel business, Bill was an avid boxing enthusiast with an unrivalled knowledge of the sport and would compete with anyone for the title of boxing’s biggest fan.

Bill had a successful amateur boxing career, winning the North East London Heavyweight Divisional Championships in 1966, 67 and 68, and fought regularly at York Hall, the home of British boxing.

Over the course of the last years of his life, Bill became heavily involved within the business of the sport via his shareholding in BoxNation and his long-term partnership with Promoter Frank Warren.

Bill was an invaluable asset both to BoxNation and Queensberry Promotions in their growth and development in the UK market place. His business nous, guidance and expertise helped the businesses throughout their recent growth in the market.

Bill was not just a business partner to Frank. He was a good friend and someone that shared his vision for BoxNation and for delivering the very best fights from around the world and the UK to fans of the sport.

Despite his remarkable lifetime achievements, one of the highlights of his life was meeting Muhammad Ali. He was very proud of showing the photo from that meeting.

A giant of a man, who will be sorely missed by all those who knew him.

Both Queensberry and BoxNation send their sincerest condolences to his family during this sad time.