Ray Wheatley
Ray Wheatley OAM was inducted into the Australian Boxing Hall Of Fame in 2012 and was voted IBF Vice-President in Acapulco, Mexico during June 2000. Wheatley also was editor and publisher of World of Boxing and Title Fight, also publisher of "The Greatest" and the International Editor for the leading boxing website Fightnews. Wheatley is a former Australian heavyweight contender and former IBF/USBA referee and judge.
Biography
Wheatley started boxing as an amateur in 1963, under Pat Rochford at the Parramamtta Police Boys club. He won his first ten bouts by knockout. In 1964, he won the New South Wales Featherweight title. At the Balmain Leagues club in 1967, Wheatley won the New South Wales Golden Gloves welterweight title. Bill McConnell, who trained world bantamweight champion Jimmy Carruthers, asked if Wheatley would like to train with him. Wheatley finished his amateur career having won 25 fights and lost four.
Wheatley turned professional in 1969, and competed in nine bouts. Wheatley retired from boxing in 1971. In 1969, Wheatley boxed future great Tony Mundine, dropping him with a right hand shot in round one. Mundine got up and stopped Wheatley in the following round.
After being retired for ten years, Wheatley made a comeback in 1983, and defeated Australian heavyweight contenders Leo Moore and Brian Fitzsimmons and lost to Australian heavyweight champion Dean Waters and top contender Rudy Darno.
He refereed or judged world IBF title bouts in Australia, USA, South Africa, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand. He worked as an official on four Kostya Tszyu IBF title bouts in Australia and USA. In 2002, he was an IBF supervisor on IBF heavyweight world title bout Evander Holyfield vs Chris Byrd in Atlantic City. He was also an IBF official on bouts featuring world champions Vic Darchinyan, Lovemore Ndou, Nonito Donaire and Muhammad Rachman.
Wheatley published the World of Boxing in 1992 with Jeff Harding and Manny Hinton on the cover. It is distributed throughout Australia and New Zealand. Currently the longest surviving (18 years) boxing publication under the one publisher. It is regarded as "Australia's Bible of Boxing". Chief boxing writer is Grantlee Kieza and chief photographers Werner Kalin and Tim Barry.
In 1997, Wheatley published Title Fight magazine which was distributed throughout Australia and New Zealand until 2007. Wheatley was on the rating committee of KO Magazine for Editor Steve Farhood - 1998 - 2000. Wheatley was also on IBF Ratings Committee from 2000 - 2013. In 2008, Wheatley published "The Greatest" by Australia's leading boxing writer Grantlee Kieza. Wheatley appeared as a regular television commentator on Sky Channel's KO Boxing with Jeff Fenech and Mathew Brooks during the 1990s
In 2005 and 2006 Wheatley was a commentator on Foxtel Cable Television Fenech Fight Night. During the 1990s Wheatley was Australian correspondent for Virgil Thrasher's Boxing Update and Flash publication
Wheatley was Australian correspondent for Fight Fax record book that was published and distributed worldwide during the 1990s by Editor Phil Marder. Wheatley has had several boxing articles published in Australia's leading newspaper - The Telegraph over a fifteen-year period
Wheatley was voted Vice President of the International Boxing Federation in Acapulco Mexico in 2000. In 2003 Wheatley was a commentator with Jeff Fenech, Kostya Tszyu, Joe Bugner and Ern McQuillan jnr on ESPN Special "Ali - The Greatest of All Time". In 2004, Wheatley was a commentator with Grantlee Kieza and Jeff Fenech on ESPN Special -"Speed and Power"
Raymond Wheatley was named in the Queen's Birthday Honour list in 2008 to receive the prestigious Order of Australia Medal which was approved by the Governor General in the capacity as the Chancellor of the Order of Australia for forty five years' service to boxing. In 2011, Wheatley was awarded the Snowy Robbins Trophy by the NSW Veteran Boxers. In 2012, Wheatley was inducted into the Australian Boxing Hall Of Fame
Fightnews
In 2010 Wheatley was promoted to International Editor to the leading boxing website "Fightnews"