[1] He fought with the Great British boxing team that was captained by his older brother George Gilbody at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, and in 1982 he represented England and won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

[1] He made his professional debut in March 1983, stopping George Bailey in the second round at the Royal Albert Hall.

In April 1984 he stopped Dave George in a British title eliminator, but suffered a setback in February 1985 when he was forced to retire against Sandy Odanga with a suspected dislocated wrist.

[5] In February 1986 he unsuccessfully challenged for Ciro De Leva's European title in Cosenza, losing a narrow decision, with one judge scoring the fight a draw.

[1] When the title became vacant, he faced Antoine Montero in Paris in October, the Spanish-born Frenchman stopping him in the first round.