Top boxing coach Harry dies aged 76

Mr Grice, who lived in Great Hay, died at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital on Saturday after a period of illness.

Mr Woodhall, who held the WBC super-middleweight title from 1998 to 1999, said he had been chatting to his former coach in hospital only the night before.

He said Mr Grice was a hugely respected figure in the Shropshire boxing community, and had been a massive influence non his career having coached him since the age of nine.

"He was a fantastic coach," said Mr Woodhall, who also held the Commonwealth middleweight title from 1992-95.

"He was very influential over my style of boxing, in terms of making use of my height and my reach, which I carried with me throughout my whole career.

"He coached me right up until I was selected for the England squad, so he played a major role in me being selected as an England international."

Mr Grice was a friend of Richie's father Len Woodhall, and the pair both coached youngsters at Woodside Amateur Boxing Club in Telford. They went on to form Wrekin School of Boxing. Len died from prostate cancer in July 2015.

Mr Grice also coached Shropshire boxers Brian Robb and Dave Harris to the Midland schoolboy championship titles, as well as his own son Nikie.

Mr Woodhall added: "He was a fantastic guy, he was very knowledgeable inside the ring, he knew his boxing, but outside the ring he was a talented draughtsman, and he was brilliant at drawing.

"He was a very kind and generous man.

"I was with him the night before he died, he was still talking, and he was surrounded by boxers I hadn't seen for years, which says a lot about the popularity of the man."