Gilbert Odd
Born: 1902
Died: May 12, 1996
Induction: 1995
As a young man growing up in England, Gilbert Odd was fascinated with boxing. So it is no surprise that he became a respected ringside correspondent by the age of 18.
In 1944, he collaborated with G.W. Whiting to produce the The Boxers Annual, a record book in which Odd compiled records of both pro and amateur fighters.
The following year he became editor of the Boxing News and devised the Boxing News Annual and Record Book. He penned over a dozen books, including Ring Battles of the Century (1948), Was the Referee Right? (1952), Debatable Decisions (1953), Ali - The Fighting Prophet (1975), The Fighting Blacksmith (1976) and Kings of the Ring (1985).
Odd served as a member of the British Boxing Board of Control from 1961 to 1969 and is a founding member of the Boxing Writers Club. Odd is the first journalist to be made an honorary member of the National Sporting Club.