Michael Donovan

Michael Donovan was stabbed to death in the hall of his home in Sefton Road, Walton on 13 April 1994.

He was stabbed to death in front of his wife. He had been stabbed 17 times in the face and chest and the scene was described as looking like a bloodbath. He had also been stabbed in the head.

A rival boxing promoter was convicted of arranging the murder, but the murderers were not caught. It was thought that two men had been involved with stabbing him at his home. It was heard that the rival boxing promoter had arranged for Michael Donovan to be murdered so that he could take control of a boxing prodigy who Michael Donovan had been managing for the last two years. The rival boxing promoter wanted to sign the boxing prodigy for fights in America. It was said that he had gone to London to arrange for someone to murder Michael Donovan.

It was thought that Michael Donovan might have known the people that murdered him, and it was noted that there were no signs of a forced entry at his home.

His brother said, 'Whenever I knocked at Michael’s house, he would come to the lounge window, see who it was and then let me in. He would not have opened the door to strangers. Also, Michael was a former professional boxer and fitness fanatic. It would have taken a few men to better him and there might have been more than two'.

After killing him, his assailants had tried to roll his body up in a rug which he was found under when his sister and brother-in-law arrived.

Michael Donovan's sister said that a man had later confessed to being involved with Michael Donovan's murder but that he had later retracted his confession, saying that he had been drunk when he had said it. She said that a while later the man died following an overdose.