At the age of eight, Errol Christie started boxing at the Standard Triumph gym in Coventry managed by Tom McGarry. Out of eighty fights in his early career, Christie lost only two and gained a reputation for early knockouts. He was Warwickshire champion in 1976, schoolboy champion in 1977, NABC champion in 1979 and senior ABA (Amateur Boxing Association of England) champion in 1981.

In the senior ABA semi-finals, he beat Joey Frost which led to Christie being appointed England boxing captain. In the finals, he defeated Cameron Lithgow to take the trophy.

In 1982, he became European champion after defeating Ossubek Kilimov in the semi-finals and Moe Gruciano in the finals at Schwerin in what was then East Germany. Christie was listed in the Guinness World Records, then known as The Guinness Book of Records, for notching up the most amateur title wins.