Ex-Olympic boxing star dies at 84
Tributes have been paid to a former Olympic boxer who lived in Telford and Market Drayton who has died aged 84.
Family and friends gathered to say goodbye to Johnny "Kingston" Elliot on Saturday at Telford Crematorium.
He died on March 30 following a battle with dementia. Mr Elliot moved to the United Kingdom aged 18 from his home country of Jamaica.
After living in Scotland, Liverpool, Manchester and Walsall – and starting his boxing career along the way – Mr Elliot settled in Telford, where he worked at car chassis and frame manufacturer GKN Sankey. While there, he set up the firm's boxing club and helped train many talented boxers.
One of the highlights of his career was boxing for Jamaica in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. After that he went on to represent England at several international competitions.
Mark Elliot, his son, paid tribute to his "dedicated father".
He said: "He came to this country at 18 and landed in Scotland on a boat and did not know anybody. He rented some accommodation and then moved down to Liverpool, started boxing then moved to Manchester and ended up moving to Walsall where he met my mother.
"He then started working for GKN where he was for 38 or 39 years until his retirement in the 80s.
"I had three brothers they all boxed and they were all good, talented boxers. We all won Midlands titles – Shaun, Johnny, Ricky and me who also won an ABA title.
"My dad boxed for Jamaica in the 1964 Olympics. It was an amazing experience for him. He did not get a medal but it was just such an achievement to be able to fight for Jamaica in the Olympics and then after that he started fighting for England.
"He was dedicated to boxing and that is why he started running the GKN club. He loved the boxing club and every person who walked into that gym he would treat like his own.
"He would do a lot for the community and a lot for the young people, whatever age or race, it was all about getting lads off the streets and passing on life and boxing skills to them.
"We had a strict upbringing as his kids but it did not do us any harm."
Mr Elliot also had two daughters – Sharon and Michelle.
Mr Elliot added: "He was a good gardener he liked his gardening. The amount of lads that have been through my dad's training, he will have impacted a lot of people."
Laurie Peart, a Telford boxer who was trained by Mr Elliot, said: "He has been a really influential person to me and has made me the way that I am as a man both inside and out of the boxing ring."
