Torbay's boxing legend who trained Tyson Fury dies at 85

A local boxing legend and family man who always made a positive impact on the community has passed away aged 85.

Known for decades as Torbay’s ‘Mr Boxing’, David Stacey was a loving family man and well loved and respected both in the local area and the boxing community.

Having been one of the most prolific boxers in the country for two decades, Dave went on to be a highly-successful coach, training the likes of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Born 5 May, 1939 in Shoreham by Sea, Dave moved down to Torbay with his mother, twin brother and older sister to escape the blitz while his father was serving in the army.

Dave’s love affair with boxing began at Audley Park Secondary School (Now Torquay Academy), in a way that perhaps wouldn’t happen today.

“He was at school and there was some dispute over a ball or something,” explained Nicole Stacey, Dave’s daughter.

“In those days, the teacher’s way of settling things was simply to hand them a pair of boxing gloves and send them down to the gym to sort it out. That’s when they noticed that Dad had a real talent and decided he should start channelling his energy into boxing.”

David started boxing at the Torquay Apollo Club and then joined the Torbay Boxing Club. From there, Stacey would go on to become one of the most formidable boxers in the Westcountry, with a career that continued for 22 years, 428 contests and scores of titles.

Dave continued to box during his time in the RAF. Upon leaving the forces, Stacey continued to win flights across England and Europe.

Nicole said: “Boxing took him everywhere. He’d been to so many places, whenever I mentioned a place to him he’d tell me about a fight he’d been to there.”

Locally, Dave was no stranger to local rings in Torquay Town Hall, Exeter and Totnes Civic Halls, where his courage and famous fitness always won the respect of the locals.

Over his two decade career, Stacey amassed over 100 trophies and fought some of the most famous names in the country.

Following Stacey’s long and successful career, he continued to work in the building trade and met his wife Debbie at the Snooty Fox in St Marychurch. Getting married in 1984, the pair celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary earlier this month.

Having hung up his own gloves, Dave turned his attention to training up the next generation of boxers at the Torbay Amateur Boxing Club.

Nicole said: “He channelled all his energy then into coaching and trying to sort of give back and channel other kids' energies positively. He never stopped loving boxing.”

Out of thousands of youngsters, it is here that Dave trained the boxing legend Tyson Fury, who has now become one of the most prolific boxers in the world.

After retiring from the building trade, Dave worked as a groundsman for Torquay United, becoming a regular face at the grounds.

He was well-known throughout the community and was a dedicated husband to Debbie and a loving father to his daughter Nicole and son Lee.

Nicole said: “For him, family was everything. He was a true family man. Despite the tough exterior and the physical and mental resilience you'd expect from a sportsman, he’s incredibly soft at heart. He genuinely couldn’t have done more for us while we were growing up.

“Lee is big into his sports as well. He used to go up to the boxing gym with Dad and had a couple of bouts, but nothing like the 400 dad did.

“I never got into boxing but I was instructed to go out on a run and keep fit. I wanted to keep my nose straight!”

She added: “He was quite a modest man and was genuinely happy with what he made of his life. He wasn’t the type to, how do you say it, strive for what others had—he was content to work toward his own goals without comparing himself to anyone else.”

Dave Stacey will be missed by his wife Debbie, his children Nicole and Lee and his grandchildren Payton and Lucas, as well as countless friends, colleagues and teammates.

His funeral will take place at St Matthew's Church in Chelston on November 18.