Born in Plymouth in 1894, Joe Symonds made his professional debut in October 1910 with a points win over Nipper Riley.
In December 1912, he beat his first opponent with any real professional experience when Young Joseph's Nipper (who had 38 wins to his name) retired in the ninth round.
[6] When Fox vacated the title in 1918, Symonds got another chance to win it when he faced Tommy Noble, but lost on points.
[7] In 1920, Symonds travelled to Australia, where he stayed until returning in September 1921, having 14 fights there including a win over former Australian bantamweight champion Vince Blackburn.
He continued to box until October 1924, his final fight ending in a seventh round knockout at the hands of former European and British Empire champion Bugler Harry Lake.