Former boxer from Diss, Ralph Oates, releases quiz book to raise money for Ringside Charitable Trust

A former boxer from Diss has released a quiz book about the sport to raise money for former professionals.

Ralph Oates, from Kenninghall Road, is celebrating the release of his latest book, A Question of Boxing, and has pledged to give all royalties to the Ringside Charitable Trust, a charity dedicated to looking after former boxers who, in later years, suffer from ill health.

The 73-year-old, who boasted an impressive 37-3 record from his amateur career in the 1960s, has now had a dozen books published, and sold thousands of copies in the process.

“I never did it for money,” said Mr Oates, who has also worked as a boxing consultant for Guinness World Records. “I did it because I love boxing.

“I always found it an achievement to get a book published because I never thought I would. It’s just gone on from there, and I quite enjoy it.”

A Question of Boxing has been published by DB Publishing, and consists of 1,500 questions on the sport.

“The book is a quiz book about boxing that covers all weight divisions,” said Mr Oates, who in the past had written boxing columns for the Essex Courier and lifestyle magazine Bounce.

“If you like boxing, it will certainly educate you to a lot more things about the sport.

“People have contacted me and told me they found out things about boxing that they were not aware of.”

A Question of Boxing is available on Amazon, or at JMD Media, where readers can use the promo code OATES25 to claim 25 per cent off the retail price.