Boxer uses blog to sort mistaken identity

Nov 27 2008 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

TONY Jeffries has used his Journal Live blog to clear up a case of mistaken identity which could end in the courts.

The Sunderland boxer’s Olympic team-mate, Bradley Saunders, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of dealing in Class A drugs. Two national newspapers mistakenly used a photograph of Jeffries alongside their articles on the story yesterday.

Mr Jeffries’ father, Phil, took legal advice yesterday afternoon, but the Beijing bronze medalist’s primary concern was to end any confusion.

“As you’d imagine I’m fuming and all my family are devastated about it,” he wrote on his blog. “I’ve got a good image through all the work I’ve done for charity. I just want people to know it’s got absolutely nothing to do with me.

“It’s not so bad for the people in Sunderland and Newcastle who know me, it’s the people down south I’m more worried about. There will be people who don’t know my name but who saw me box at the Olympics. Some will have seen the picture in the papers and thought, ‘I know him’.”

Mr Saunders, from Sedgefield in County Durham, has denied dealing in cocaine.

To read more of Tony’s blog, where he also writes about his hope of fighting professionally in the North East early next year, visit http://blogs.journallive.co.uk/ journalblogcentral/tony_jeffries/