Ray Wheatley
Ray Wheatley OAM is an Australian boxer. Wheatley is a former Australian heavyweight contender and former IBF/USBA referee and judge. He was inducted into the Australian Boxing Hall Of Fame in 2012 and was voted IBF Vice-President in Acapulco, Mexico in June 2000.
Wheatley was editor and publisher of World of Boxing and Title Fight and publisher of The Greatest and the International Editor for the leading boxing website Fightnews.
Career
Boxer
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 with a record of 25 wins and four losses.
Wheatley turned professional in 1969, and competed in nine bouts. He 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 ten years in retirement, Wheatley made a comeback in 1983 and defeated Australian heavyweight contenders Leo Moore and Brian Fitzsimmons. He lost to Australian heavyweight champion Dean Waters and top contender Rudy Darno.
Official
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 for 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 was voted Vice President of the International Boxing Federation in Acapulco Mexico in 2000.
Publisher
Wheatley published 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 one publisher. It is regarded as "Australia's Bible of Boxing". The chief boxing writer is Grantlee Kieza and the chief photographers were 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 the IBF Ratings Committee from 2000 - 2013. In 2008, Wheatley published The Greatest by Kieza. Wheatley appeared as a regular television commentator on Sky Channel's KO Boxing with Jeff Fenech and Mathew Brooks during the 1990s.
Commentator
In 2005 and 2006 Wheatley was a commentator on Foxtel Cable Television's 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.
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"
In 2010 Wheatley was promoted to International Editor to the leading boxing website Fightnews.
Recognition
- 2008: Queen's Birthday Honour list to receive the Order of Australia Medal
- 2011: Snowy Robbins Trophy by the NSW Veteran Boxers.
- 2012: Australian Boxing Hall Of Fame