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For Whom the Bell Tolled: 2021 Boxing Obituaries PART ONE (Jan.-June)
In our annual year-end necrology, we say goodbye to those that left their mark on the noble but too-often unforgiving sport of boxing. Many of the decedents left a great legacy, none more so than Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
January
4 – William Lathan – A Philadelphia product, “Doc” Lathan served as a ringside physician for more than 500 pro fights and made many contributions to boxing medicine as a member of various advisory committees. His wife Melvina Lathan was a boxing judge who went on to helm the New York State Athletic commission. At age 84 in Ardsley, New York.
9 – Mike Acri – A promoter and matchmaker, Acri was adept at reviving the careers of faded luminaries such as Roberto Duran and Hector Camacho. He originated the annual series of boxing shows at the Turning Stone Casino Resort that are run in conjunction with the Hall of Fame Weekend activities in nearby Canastota. At age 63 in his hometown of Erie, PA, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
15 – Tyrone “Butterfly” Crawley – A cagey southpaw known for his ambidexterity, Cawley was 22-2 in a nine-year career that began in 1980 and included a failed stab at Livingstone Bramble’s world lightweight title. He quit boxing for a career in law enforcement and was the Director of the North Philadelphia Police Athletic League at the time of his death at age 62, likely from Covid.
22 – Harry Perry – He never turned pro, but was a legend in Irish amateur boxing, representing his country in two Olympiads. At age 86 in his native Dublin after a long illness.
22 – Hughroy Currie – Currie had an undistinguished pro career, finishing 17-11-1, but he was good enough to win the British heavyweight title, albeit he didn’t keep it very long. His best wins came against previously undefeated Proud Kilimanjaro (W PTS 10) and future IBF world cruiserweight champion Glenn McCrory (KO 2). At age 61 in London of Covid-19.
February
2 – Reggie Ford – Born Reginald Forde in Guyana, Ford was 10-15-1 as a pro and was stopped eight times – a career not worth remembering save that he fought six former or future world title-holders including Marvin Hagler, then the top-rated middleweight contender in what was Forde’s second pro bout. In his signature win, he knocked Davey “Boy” Green (37-3) into retirement with a 5th-round stoppage in London. At age 67 in a New York nursing home.
5 – Leon Spinks – A gold medalist at the 1976 Montreal Games, Spinks had only eight pro fights under his belt when he won a 15-round decision over Muhammad Ali in one of the most celebrated upsets in boxing history. He lost the rematch and it was all downhill from there. Neon Leon was 19-17-2 in his last 38 starts and was stopped nine times. At age 67 in Las Vegas after a long illness.
7 – Jean Josselin – A 1960 Olympian, Josselin, a welterweight, won 66 of his 89 pro fights and was a two-time world title challenger. He was a big star in France during his professional heyday; they named a champagne after him. He was suffering from Alzheimer’s when he died at age 81 at a hospital in Gray, France, not far from his birthplace at Sesancon.
7 – Stan Hoffman – One of boxing’s foremost wheeler-dealers, the pony-tailed Hoffman, born into a mob family in Brooklyn, left the music business to follow his muse and managed, advised or promoted 38 world champions during his five decades in boxing. He guided upset-makers Hasim Rahman and Iran Barkley to world titles and had a long association with James Toney. At age 89 in Bordentown, New Jersey.
8 – Davey Armstrong – A two-time Olympian who spent his best days as a boxer chasing Olympic gold, Armstrong turned pro under Emanuel Steward after the U.S. pulled out of the Moscow Games and finished 24-3. The third member of the national powerhouse Tacoma Boys Club boxing team to pass away in the last three years following the deaths of Rocky Lockridge and Johnny Bumphus, Armstrong was suffering from dementia when he drew his last breath in Puyallup, Washington at age 64.
9 – Roy King Jr – King was 42 years old when he succumbed to injuries suffered in a fight 13 months earlier in Nashville on a show he co-promoted. Knocked down in the waning seconds of the eighth round, he fell into a coma and never regained consciousness. The Brooklyn native, a popular figure in Johnson City, Tennessee, where he owned a fitness studio, finished his career with a record of 12-5-1.
13 – Mzimasi Mnguni – A former postal worker, Mnguni turned out a steady stream of world class fighters from his spartan gym in East London, South Africa. He developed title-holders Welcome Ncita, Vuyani Bungu, and Mbulelo Botile, among others. Incapacitated by a 2014 stroke, he lived to age 79.
17 – Oscar “Shotgun” Albarado – A fan favorite at LA’s Olympic Auditorium as he was climbing the ladder, Albarado made one successful defense of the WBC 154-pound title he won in 1974 with a come-from-behind 15th-round stoppage of Koichi Wajima in Tokyo. An ill-advised comeback after a nearly six-year retirement reduced his final record to 57-13-1. At age 72 at a nursing home in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas, from complications of dementia.
28 – Danny Valdez – A fixture at the Olympic Auditorium where he fought 24 times, Valdez was only 20 years old when he challenged Davey Moore for the world featherweight title in 1961. That didn’t go well – he was stopped in the opening round – but Valdez was a solid pro who spent months ranked in the top 10 by The Ring magazine. He finished 31-12. At age 81 in Los Angeles.
March
8 – Danny McAlinden – The first native of Northern Ireland to win British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles, McAlinden (a cruiserweight by today’s standards) finished 31-12-2 in a 13-year career that began in 1969. He had one fight on U.S. soil, winning a 6-round decision over Muhammad Ali’s brother Rahman Ali on the undercard of Ali-Frazier I and died on the 50th anniversary of that iconic event. At age 73 in Coventry, England, after a long battle with cancer.
13 – Marvelous Marvin Hagler – One of the all-time greats, Marvelous Marvin won the world middleweight title in 1980 and made 12 successful defenses before losing the title on a controversial decision to Sugar Ray Leonard in what proved to be his final fight. Turning pro in Brockton, MA, where he spent his teen years, Hagler finished 62-3-2 with 52 KOs and was never knocked off his feet. His sudden death at age 66 in New Hampshire was attributed to natural causes.
21 – Jimmy Abbott – Nicknamed Jumbo, the rotund South African heavyweight was 19-5-2 in a five-year career that began in 1978. His signature win was a first-round blast-out of countryman Kallie Knoetze. In retirement he became an evangelist. At age 61 of heart failure eight years after suffering a stroke.
21 – Lee Noble – The British super middleweight finished 20-24-3, but was better than his record. He fought a slew of opponents with unblemished records, but was stopped only twice. He left the sport at age 26 after being diagnosed with leukemia and was only 33 when he passed away from terminal brain cancer at his home in Sheffield.
28 – Jemal Hinton – One of the few boxers to retire undefeated, Hinton, who reached the finals of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials, was 22-0 in the paid ranks. A second- generation prizefighter, he quit the sport because he simply grew tired of it. A Tai Chi instructor in retirement, Hinton passed away at age 51 at a DC hospital from injuries suffered in a car accident.
April
5 – Vladimir Gendlin – Considered the patriarch of professional boxing in Russia, Gendlin, a former amateur boxer, was a fight facilitator, TV commentator, and producer of documentaries about Russian boxers. At age 84 in Moscow from complications of Covid-19.
May
6 – Felix “Tutu” Zabala Sr. – Born in Cuba, Zabala founded All Star Boxing, the leading promotional firm in South Florida, and was instrumental in launching the long-running series Boxeo Telemundo. He promoted seven champions, notably Colombian bantamweight Miguel “Happy” Lora who developed a big following in Miami. At age 83 from respiratory failure.
29 – Keith Mullings – Judged strictly by his record, 16-8-1, Mullings was mediocre, but to the contrary the Jamaica-born Brooklynite was a solid pro who scored one of the biggest upsets of the 1990s when he unseated super middleweight champion Terry Norris during a string of five consecutive title fights. A Desert Storm veteran who was diagnosed with PTSD, no cause of death was given when he passed away at age 53.
June
9 – Kirkland Laing – Born in Jamaica and raised in Nottingham, England, Laing was more talented than his 43-12-1 record suggests. His signature win was a 10-round decision over Roberto Duran, The Ring magazine Upset of the Year for 1982. Known for his eccentricities and his improvident ways, Laing squandered his ring earnings and was suffering from dementia when he died in a Yorkshire nursing home at age 66.
11 – Bernardo Mercado – Arguably the hardest puncher to come out of Colombia, Mercado was at his best in 1979/80 when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in the opening round on Berbick’s turf in Halifax and then clawed out of a deep hole to stop Earnie Shavers in seven. He finished 33-5 with 28 KOs. At age 69 in Cartagena of an apparent heart attack.
23 – Brian London – The son of a prominent British heavyweight, London, born Brian Sydney Harper, fought all of the top heavyweights of his era including defending champions Floyd Patterson (KO by 11 in 1959) and Muhammad Ali (KO by 3 in 1966). He opened a series of successful nightclubs in his hometown of Blackpool after leaving the sport with a 37-20-1 record and was thought to be in good health when his heart suddenly stopped ticking at age 87.
To be continued…..
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Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Oleksandr Usyk left no doubt that he is the best heavyweight of his generation and one of the greatest boxers of all time with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury tonight at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But although the Ukrainian won eight rounds on all three scorecards, this was no runaway. To pirate a line from one of the DAZN talking heads, Fury had his moments in every round but Usyk had more moments.
The early rounds were fought at a faster pace than the first meeting back in May. At the mid-point, the fight was even. The next three rounds – the next five to some observers – were all Usyk who threw more punches and landed the cleaner shots.
Fury won the final round in the eyes of this reporter scoring at home, but by then he needed a knockout to pull the match out of the fire.
The last round was an outstanding climax to an entertaining chess match during which both fighters took turns being the pursuer and the pursued.
An Olympic gold medalist and a unified world champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight, the amazing Usyk improved his ledger to 23-0 (14). His next fight, more than likely, will come against the winner of the Feb. 22 match in Ridayh between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker which will share the bill with the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Fury (34-2-1) may fight Anthony Joshua next. Regardless, no one wants a piece of Moses Itauma right now although the kid is only 19 years old.
Moses Itauma
Raised in London by a Nigerian father and a Slovakian mother, Itauma turned heads once again with another “wow” performance. None of his last seven opponents lasted beyond the second round.
His opponent tonight, 34-year-old Australian Demsey McKean, lasted less than two minutes. Itauma, a southpaw with blazing fast hands, had the Aussie on the deck twice during the 117-second skirmish. The first knockdown was the result of a cuffing punch that landed high on the head; the second knockdown was produced by an overhand left. McKean went down hard as his chief cornerman bounded on to the ring apron to halt the massacre.
Photo (c): Mark Robinson
Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs after going 20-0 as an amateur) is the real deal. It was the second straight loss for McKean (22-2) who lasted into the 10th round against Filip Hrgovic in his last start.
Bohachuk-Davis
In a fight billed as the co-main although it preceded Itauma-McKean, Serhii Bohachuk, an LA-based Ukrainian, stopped Ishmael Davis whose corner pulled him out after six frames.
Both fighters were coming off a loss in fights that were close on the scorecards, Bohachuk falling to Vergil Ortiz Jr in a Las Vegas barnburner and Davis losing to Josh Kelly.
Davis, who took the fight on short notice, subbing for Ismail Madrimov, declined to 13-2. He landed a few good shots but was on the canvas in the second round, compliments of a short left hook, and the relentless Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KOs) eventually wore him down.
Fisher-Allen
In a messy, 10-round bar brawl masquerading as a boxing match, Johnny Fisher, the Romford Bull, won a split decision over British countryman David Allen. Two judges favored Fisher by 95-94 tallies with the dissenter favoring Allen 96-93. When the scores were announced, there was a chorus of boos and those watching at home were outraged.
Allen was a step up in class for Fisher. The Doncaster man had a decent record (23-5-2 heading in) and had been routinely matched tough (his former opponents included Dillian Whyte, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz and three former Olympians). But Allen was fairly considered no more than a journeyman and Fisher (12-0 with 11 KOs, eight in the opening round) was a huge favorite.
In round five, Allen had Fisher on the canvas twice although only one was ruled a true knockdown. From that point, he landed the harder shots and, at the final bell, he fell to canvas shedding tears of joy, convinced that he had won.
He did not win, but he exposed Johnny Fisher as a fighter too slow to compete with elite heavyweights, a British version of the ponderous Russian-Canadian campaigner Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Other Bouts of Note
In a spirited 10-round featherweight match, Scotland’s Lee McGregor, a former European bantamweight champion and stablemate of former unified 140-pound title-holder Josh Taylor, advanced to 15-1-1 (11) with a unanimous decision over Isaac Lowe (25-3-3). The judges had it 96-92 and 97-91 twice.
A cousin and regular houseguest of Tyson Fury, Lowe fought most of the fight with cuts around both eyes and was twice deducted a point for losing his gumshield.
In a fight between super featherweights that could have gone either way, Liverpool southpaw Peter McGrail improved to 11-1 (6) with a 10-round unanimous decision over late sub Rhys Edwards. The judges had it 96-95 and 96-94 twice.
McGrail, a Tokyo Olympian and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, fought from the third round on with a cut above his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads. It was the first loss for Edwards (16-1), a 24-year-old Welshman who has another fight booked in three weeks.
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Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?
In professional boxing, the heavyweight division, going back to the days of John L. Sullivan, is the straw that stirs the drink. By this measure, the fight on May 18 of this year at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was the biggest prizefight in decades. The winner would emerge as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 when Lennox Lewis out-pointed Evander Holyfield in their second meeting.
The match did not disappoint. It had several twists and turns.
Usyk did well in the early rounds, but the Gypsy King rattled Usyk with a harsh right hand in the fifth stanza and won rounds five through seven on all three cards. In the ninth, the match turned sharply in favor of the Ukrainian. Fury was saved by the bell after taking a barrage of unanswered punches, the last of which dictated a standing 8-count from referee Mark Nelson. But Fury weathered the storm and with his amazing powers of recuperation had a shade the best of it in the final stanza.
The decision was split: 115-112 and 114-113 for Usyk who became a unified champion in a second weight class; 114-113 for Fury.
That brings us to tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 21) where Usyk and Fury will renew acquaintances in the same ring where they had their May 18 showdown.
The first fight was a near “pick-‘em” affair with Fury closing a very short favorite at most of the major bookmaking establishments. The Gypsy King would have been a somewhat higher favorite if not for the fact that he was coming off a poor showing against MMA star Francis Ngannou and had a worrisome propensity for getting cut. (A cut above Fury’s right eye in sparring pushed back the fight from its original Feb. 11 date.)
Tomorrow’s sequel, bearing the tagline “Reignited,” finds Usyk a consensus 7/5 favorite although those odds could shorten by post time. (There was no discernible activity after today’s weigh-in where Fury, fully clothed, topped the scales at 281, an increase of 19 pounds over their first meeting.)
Given the politics of boxing, anything “undisputed” is fragile. In June, Usyk abandoned his IBF belt and the organization anointed Daniel Dubois their heavyweight champion based upon Dubois’s eighth-round stoppage of Filip Hrgovic in a bout billed for the IBF interim title. The malodorous WBA, a festering boil on the backside of boxing, now recognizes 43-year-old Kubrat Pulev as its “regular” heavyweight champion.
Another difference between tomorrow’s fight card and the first installment is that the May 18 affair had a much stronger undercard. Two strong pairings were the rematch between cruiserweights Jai Opetaia and Maris Briedis (Opetaia UD 12) and the heavyweight contest between unbeatens Agit Kabayal and Frank Sanchez (Kabayel KO 7).
Tomorrow’s semi-wind-up between Serhii Bohachuk and Ismail Madrimov lost luster when Madrimov came down with bronchitis and had to withdraw. The featherweight contest between Peter McGrail and Dennis McCann fell out when McCann’s VADA test returned an adverse finding. Bohachuk and McGrail remain on the card but against late-sub opponents in matches that are less intriguing.
The focal points of tomorrow’s undercard are the bouts involving undefeated British heavyweights Moses Itauma (10-0, 8 KOs) and Johnny Fisher (12-0, 11 KOs). Both are heavy favorites over their respective opponents but bear watching because they represent the next generation of heavyweight standouts. Fury and Usyk are getting long in the tooth. The Gypsy King is 36; Usyk turns 38 next month.
Bob Arum once said that nobody purchases a pay-per-view for the undercard and, years from now, no one will remember which sanctioning bodies had their fingers in the pie. So, Fury-Usyk II remains a very big deal, although a wee bit less compelling than their first go-around.
Will Tyson Fury avenge his lone defeat? Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and the unofficial czar of “major league” boxing, certainly hopes so. His Excellency has made known that he stands poised to manufacture a rubber match if Tyson prevails.
We could have already figured this out, but Alalshikh violated one of the protocols of boxing when he came flat out and said so. He effectively made Tyson Fury the “A-side,” no small potatoes considering that the most relevant variable on the checklist when handicapping a fight is, “Who does the promoter need?”
The Uzyk-Fury II fight card will air on DAZN with a suggested list price of $39.99 for U.S. fight fans. The main event is expected to start about 5:45 pm ET / 2:45 pm PT.
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Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year
The Dec. 14 fight at Tijuana between Jaime Munguia and Bruno Surace was conceived as a stay-busy fight for Munguia. The scuttlebutt was that Munguia’s promoters, Zanfer and Top Rank, wanted him to have another fight under his belt before thrusting him against Christian Mbilli in a WBC eliminator with the prize for the winner (in theory) a date with Canelo Alvarez.
Munguia came to the fore in May of 2018 at Verona, New York, when he demolished former U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali, conqueror of Miguel Cotto. That earned him the WBO super welterweight title which he successfully defended five times.
Munguia kept winning as he moved up in weight to middleweight and then super middleweight and brought a 43-0 (34) record into his Cinco de Mayo 2024 match with Canelo.
Jaime went the distance with Alvarez and had a few good moments while losing a unanimous decision. He rebounded with a 10th-round stoppage of Canada’s previously undefeated Erik Bazinyan.
There was little reason to think that Munguia would overlook Surace as the Mexican would be fighting in his hometown for the first time since February of 2022 and would want to send the home folks home happy. Moreover, even if Munguia had an off-night, there was no reason to think that the obscure Surace could capitalize. A Frenchman who had never fought outside France, Surace brought a 25-0-2 record and a 22-fight winning streak, but he had only four knockouts to his credit and only eight of his wins had come against opponents with winning records.
It appeared that Munguia would close the show early when he sent the Frenchman to the canvas in the second round with a big left hook. From that point on, Surace fought mostly off his back foot, throwing punches in spurts, whereas the busier Munguia concentrated on chopping him down with body punches. But Surace absorbed those punches well and at the midway point of the fight, behind on the cards but nonplussed, it now looked as if the bout would go the full 10 rounds with Munguia winning a lopsided decision.
Then lightning struck. Out of the blue, Surace connected with an overhand right to the jaw. Munguia went down flat on his back. He rose a fraction-of-a second before the count reached “10,”, but stumbled as he pulled himself upright. His eyes were glazed and referee Juan Jose Ramirez, a local man, waived it off. There was no protest coming from Munguia or his cornermen. The official time was 2:36 of round six.
At major bookmaking establishments, Jaime Munguia was as high as a 35/1 favorite. No world title was at stake, yet this was an upset for the ages.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Remembering the Macho Man, Hector Camacho, a Great Sporting Character
A Shocker in Tijuana: Bruno Surace KOs Jaime Munguia !!
R.I.P Israel Vazquez who has Passed Away at age 46
Fighting on His Home Turf, Galal Yafai Pulverizes Sunny Edwards
The Noted Trainer Kevin Henry, Lucky to Be Alive, Reflects on Devin Haney and More
Introducing Jaylan Phillips, Boxing’s Palindrome Man
Avila Perspective, Chap. 306: Flyweight Rumble in England, Ryan Garcia in SoCal
Cardoso, Nunez, and Akitsugi Bring Home the Bacon in Plant City
Results from the Chumash Casino where Akhmedov Gave a GGG-like Performance
Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix
L.A.’s Rudy Hernandez is the 2024 TSS Trainer of the Year
Avila Perspective, Chap. 307: Destination Puerto Rico, Israel Vazquez and More
Avila Perspective, Chap. 308: SoCal Rivals Rocha and Curiel Rumble and More
The IBHOF Unveils its Newest Inductees: Manny Pacquiao is the Icing on the Cake
Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins Wins IBF 140-Pound Title in Puerto Rico
Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price Win in Liverpool; Cutler Upsets McKenna
A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix
The Challenge of Playing Muhammad Ali
Steven Navarro is the TSS 2024 Prospect of the Year
Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?
Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year
Steven Navarro is the TSS 2024 Prospect of the Year
The Challenge of Playing Muhammad Ali
L.A.’s Rudy Hernandez is the 2024 TSS Trainer of the Year
A Shocker in Tijuana: Bruno Surace KOs Jaime Munguia !!
Ringside in Ontario where Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel Battled to a Spirited Draw
Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price Win in Liverpool; Cutler Upsets McKenna
Results from the Chumash Casino where Akhmedov Gave a GGG-like Performance
Avila Perspective, Chap. 308: SoCal Rivals Rocha and Curiel Rumble and More
Cardoso, Nunez, and Akitsugi Bring Home the Bacon in Plant City
Introducing Jaylan Phillips, Boxing’s Palindrome Man
Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix
Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins Wins IBF 140-Pound Title in Puerto Rico
A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix
Recaps from London where Bentley, Noakes, and Okolie Emerged Victorious
Avila Perspective, Chap. 307: Destination Puerto Rico, Israel Vazquez and More
The IBHOF Unveils its Newest Inductees: Manny Pacquiao is the Icing on the Cake
Navarrete-Valdez and Espinoza-Ramirez Rematches Headline Phoenix Fight Fiesta
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Featured Articles4 weeks agoRemembering the Macho Man, Hector Camacho, a Great Sporting Character
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Featured Articles1 week agoA Shocker in Tijuana: Bruno Surace KOs Jaime Munguia !!
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Featured Articles3 weeks agoR.I.P Israel Vazquez who has Passed Away at age 46
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Featured Articles3 weeks agoFighting on His Home Turf, Galal Yafai Pulverizes Sunny Edwards
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Featured Articles4 weeks agoThe Noted Trainer Kevin Henry, Lucky to Be Alive, Reflects on Devin Haney and More
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Featured Articles2 weeks agoIntroducing Jaylan Phillips, Boxing’s Palindrome Man
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Featured Articles3 weeks agoAvila Perspective, Chap. 306: Flyweight Rumble in England, Ryan Garcia in SoCal
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Featured Articles2 weeks agoCardoso, Nunez, and Akitsugi Bring Home the Bacon in Plant City