For Whom the Bell Tolled: 2023 Boxing Obituaries PART TWO (July-Dec.)

Here is the concluding segment of our annual two-part, end-of-year necrology where we pay homage to boxing notables who left us this year.

July

July 1 – ANTWUN ECHOLS – An alternate on the 1992 U.S. Olympic team, he was a three-time world title challenger, losing to Bernard Hopkins twice and to Anthony Mundine. His career went south after he was shot in the leg during an altercation outside a Davenport, Iowa grocery store in the summer of 2007 and he lost 15 of his last 16 fights. In Davenport at age 62 of an apparent heart attack.

July 8 – PATRICK AOUISSI – A 1992 Olympian, he went on to win the European cruiserweight title. His record as a pro, 24-6, included a loss to Argentine cruiserweight Marcelo Dominguez in his lone crack at a world title. At age 57 from a stroke suffered at a hospital in Vienne, France, where he was a cancer patient.

July 13 – KARL ZURHEIDE – A light heavyweight, active from 1964 to 1979, the Wisconsin journeyman finished 39-29-5, but was better than his record. Eight of his defeats came at the hands of future world title-holders. In retirement, he worked as a parole officer and promoted a handful of club fights. At age 78 at a hospital in Milwaukee after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

July 20 – JUAN ‘KID’ MEZA – The first fighter from Mexicali to win a world title, Meza, born Jesus Fernandez, captured the WBC 122-pound title in 1984 with a sensational first-round knockout of Jaime Garza. He lost the belt to Lupe Pintor in his second defense and retired after three more fights with a record of 44-8. At age 67 in Mexicali where he lived alone.

July 20 – AL ROMANO – A fixture on the New England club fight scene in the 1960s and 1970s, Romano won 66 of 99 fights and was recognized at various times as the New England and North American welterweight champion. In retirement he had a long career as a North Adams, MA, police officer. At age 71 in a nursing home in Williamtown, MA, where he was suffering dementia.

July 28 – DAVEY HILTON SR. – The patriarch of Canada’s most successful and most dysfunctional boxing family – two of his sons, Matthew and Davey Jr, won world titles – Davey Sr was a pretty fair fighter in his own right, finishing his career in 1976 with a record of 67-16 per boxrec. At age 83 at his home in Montreal.

July 30 – JOSE LUIS PIMENTEL – The twin brother of bantamweight knockout artist and LA fan favorite Jesus “Little Poison” Pimentel, Jose, a U.S. Army veteran, had three fights with Sho Saijo, losing the rubber match (L TKO 2) when Saijo was the defending WBA world featherweight champion. At age 83 in Chino Hilla, CA, after a long battle with dementia.

August

Aug. 8 – ROY HARRIS – Abetted by a fanciful back story, Harris wangled a match with defending heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson. He had no business in the same ring with Patterson, or with Sonny Liston, or destroyed him in one round, but the “Backwoods Battler” from Cut and Shoot, Texas, was outstanding at the regional level. In retirement, he practiced law and was elected County Clerk, a post he held for 28 years. At age 90 in Conroe, Texas.

Aug. 22 – RENE WELLER – A 1976 Olympian for West Germany, Weller carved out a magnificent record (55-1-2) as a pro without defeating a world class opponent. A major celebrity in Germany during his run as the European lightweight champion, his 1999 conviction for selling cocaine was an international news story. In retirement, he cultivated a new fan base as a contestant on reality TV shows. At age 69 in Pforzheim, his birthplace, after a nine-year battle with dementia.

September

Sept. 6 – MIKE STAFFORD – A fixture on the Cincinnati amateur boxing scene for three decades, Stafford, a greatly admired trainer, developed future title-holders Rau’shee Warren and Adrien Broner from scratch, helped coach the 2004 and 2008 U.S. Olympic squads, and was twice named the National Coach of the Year. In Cincinnati, his birthplace, after a brief and unspecified illness.

Sept. 19 – EDDIE GAZO – The second fighter from Nicaragua to win a world title following the great Alexis Arguello, Gazo won the WBA 154-pound belt at Managua in 1977 with a 15-round decision over Argentine veteran Angel Castellini and made three successful defenses in the Orient before losing the belt to Masashi Kudo in Japan. Late in his career, he was KOed in brief encounters with Thomas Hearns, John Mugabi, and Julian Jackson. At age 73 in Leon, Nicaragua.

Sept. 25 – LUIGI MINCHILLO – A member of Italy’s 1976 Olympic team, he went on to become a European 154-pound champion and two-time world title challenger. He lost only five of 60 pro fights, but three of those losses were to future Hall of Famers Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns, and Mike McCallum and he went the distance with Hearns and Duran. At age 68 at a hospital in Pesaro, Italy, where he had a heart attack.

Sept. 27 – BOB SHERIDAN – Enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016, “Colonel Bob” (an honorary title) called more fights in more places around the world than any sportscaster in history. As the anchor of the international feed for Don King Promotions, he was ironically more well-known overseas than in his native U.S. At age 79 in Henderson, Nevada, where he had been battling assorted health issues for more than a decade.

October

Oct. 7 – ERIC GRIFFIN – No great shakes as a pro, Griffin left the sport with a 16-4 record after a failed bid to win the WBO 105-pound title, but the Broussard, Louisiana native – robbed of a medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics – was flat-out one of the best U.S. amateurs of all time, a four-time national amateur champion and twice a finalist for the prestigious Sullivan Award. At age 55 at a hospital in Lafayette, LA, from complications of diabetes.

Oct. 13 – HUGH RUSSELL – A bronze medalist for Ireland at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, “Little Red” had only 19 pro fights, winning 17, but won British titles at 118 and 112 pounds and acquired a coveted Lonsdale Belt. After boxing, he spent four decades as a photographer with the Irish News. At age 63 in Belfast, NI, after a short illness.

November

Nov. 5 – MIKE PICCIOTTI – A welterweight, Picciotti cultivated a strong following in the rings of Philadelphia and Atlantic City where he fashioned a 31-4-3 record during an 11-year career that began in 1976. In retirement, he battled numerous health problems while working as a union carpenter to support his growing family. At age 66 in Glenolden, PA.

Nov. 8 – TYRONE TRICE – A three-time world title challenger, Trice was involved in some of the best fights of his era. His 14-round war with welterweight kingpin Simon Brown in 1988, televised live on CBS from France, was a humdinger and his 1990 match with Kevin Pompey set a CompuBox record (since broken) for punches thrown. He finished 43-10 (34 KOs). In Milwaukee, his hometown, at age 60 from an undisclosed illness.

Nov. 24 – SAMUEL TEAH – Born in Liberia, Teah juggled his boxing career with assorted jobs, most recently as a bus driver for the city of Philadelphia. He was 36 years old when he was fatally shot under mysterious circumstances during a mid-afternoon altercation on a sidewalk in Wilmington, Delaware. His 19-5-1 record included a win over O’Shaquie Foster who currently holds the WBC super featherweight title.

December

Dec. 20 – OVE OVESEN – The author of the definitive book on the history of boxing in Denmark, Ovesen was also a prominent judge. He worked 72 world title fights including such biggies as McGuigan-Pedroza, Hagler-Duran, and Pryor-Arguello I. At age 86 in Holstebro, Denmark, from complications of Alzheimer’s.

Dec. 28 (approx.) – CEM KILIC – Born in Germany of Turkish descent, Kilic moved to Los Angeles at age 19 to further his boxing career. A super middleweight, he compiled a 17-1 record and was active as recently as this past August. In Sherman Oaks, CA, at age 29 after  a lengthy battle with mental health and substance abuse issues.

To read Part One of this feature CLICK HERE