Boxer and Boxing Administrator. British and Empire Heavyweight Champion. He was born John Charles Peterson. He took up amateur boxing as a youth and after winning British ABA titles he turned professional in 1931 fighting under the name Jack Petersen. He was 6 ft 1½in tall and was a well proportioned athlete. He won his first sixteen fights, in one of which he knocked out Dick Power to take the Welsh heavyweight title. He won the British light-heavyweight title but chose not to defend it and in 1932 he knocked out Reggie Meen to become the first Welshman to be crowned British heavyweight champion. He had accomplished this in a career lasting less than ten months. He successfully defended the title several times before losing on points to Len Harvey. However he resumed his winning ways winning his next four fights on knockouts before a rematch with Harvey which he won by TKO in the 12th round. In the meantime he had won the British and Empire heavyweight title by defeating the Canadian, Larry Gains. He then suffered two defeats in non-title bouts against the future German heavyweight champion, Walter Neusel. He successfully defended his titles in a third meeting with Len Harvey and with victory over Jock McAvoy. However in 1934 he lost to Ben Foord to relinquish his heavyweight titles and after another defeat against Neusel he announced his retirement at the relatively young age of twenty-five. After serving with the RAF in World War 2 he became involved in boxing administration and in 1986 became President of the British Boxing Board of Control. In the same year he was awarded an OBE for his services to sport. In 2011, on what would have been his 100th birthday, a blue plaque was unveiled by his sons near the site of his training gym in St John Street, Cardiff to commemorate his achievements. Career record 40 fights; 35 wins (19 by knockout); 5 losses.