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József Kreul "Joe" Bugner (born 13 March 1950) is a Hungarian-born British-Australian former heavyweight boxer. He holds triple nationality, being a citizen of Hungary and a naturalized citizen of both Australia and the United Kingdom.

Born in Szőreg, a southeastern suburb of Szeged in southern Hungary, Bugner and his family fled after the 1956 Soviet invasion and settled in England. Standing at 6'4" (1.93 m) with a prime weight of around 220 lb (99 kg),^[1] Bugner twice held the British and British Commonwealth heavyweight titles and was a three time European heavyweight champion. He was ranked among the world's top ten heavyweights in the 1970s, fighting such opponents as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Ron Lyle, Jimmy Ellis, Manuel Ramos, Chuck Wepner, Earnie Shavers, Henry Cooper, Brian London, Mac Foster, Rudi Lubbers, Eduardo Corletti, Jurgen Blin, George Johnson and Jose Luis Garcia. He fought for the world heavyweight championship in 1975, losing on points in a second bout with Ali.

Bugner retired from boxing in 1976, but over the next two decades he made sporadic comebacks with varying success. He relocated to Australia in 1986, adopting the nickname "Aussie Joe", beating fighters such as Greg Page, David Bey, Anders Eklund and James Tillis before retiring again after a TKO loss to Frank Bruno in 1987. He made a final comeback during the 1990s, winning the Australian heavyweight title in 1995 and the minor WBF heavyweight championship in 1998 at the age of 48. He retired for the last time in 1999 with a final record of 69-13-1, including 43 wins by knockout.

Early years[link]

Joe and his family fled to the United Kingdom in the late 1950s because of the Soviet Union's invasion of Hungary in 1956 after the Hungarian uprising of that year.^[2] They settled in the Cambridgeshire town of St Ives(In an area in the Fens and so as local custom dictated he was known as a Fen Tiger). At school Bugner excelled in sports and was the national junior discus champion in 1964. Joe lived and trained in Bedford during his early boxing years, he was a regular at Bedford Boys Club under the training of Paul King.^[3] Joe went to Goldington Road School Bedford.

Boxing career[link]

1960s[link]

Bugner had a very short amateur career, he fought sixteen times, winning thirteen bouts. He turned professional in 1967 (at the unusually young age of seventeen) on the advice of his then trainer and friend Andy Smith. Smith was unhappy with the choice of Bugner's opponents and Smith believed that he could better control the quality of Bugner's opponents in the professional game.^[4] He had a losing debut against Paul Brown on the 20 December 1967 at the London Hilton, where he suffered a TKO in the third round. Showing gritty determination, after his debut the teenage Bugner went on to win a remarkable 18 consecutive fights in under 2 years during 1968 and 1969 (including 13 stoppage victories) before narrowly losing to the older and vastly more experienced Dick Hall.^[5] Bugner bounced back and rounded off the 1960s with 3 further stoppage victories.

1970s[link]

In 1970 Bugner emerged internationally as an outstanding young prospect, and by the end of the year he was world rated. He won nine consecutive bouts that year, including victories over well known boxers such as Chuck Wepner, Manuel Ramos, Johnny Prescott, Brian London, Ray Patterson, Eduardo Corletti, Miguel Angel Paez and George Johnson.

Bugner was now positioned to challenge world rated Englishman Henry Cooper, who had nearly knocked out Muhammad Ali a few years back, for Cooper's British, British Commonwealth and European titles. However, because Bugner was still too young to fight for the British Commonwealth title (the minimum age was twenty-one years old at the time), this much anticipated bout had to be postponed until the next year. While waiting to come of age, in 1971 Bugner defeated Carl Gizzi and just weeks later and weeks before facing Cooper, drew with Bill Drover.

Starting in his early years as a professional and continuing for the rest of his career, Bugner earned a reputation as a tough, durable but often exceptionally defensive and cautious boxer. He was criticized often for lacking natural aggression in the ring. Some observers argued that Bugner's heart was never in boxing after an early opponent, Ulric Regis, died from brain injuries soon after being outpointed by Bugner at London's Shoreditch Town Hall.

Defeat of Henry Cooper[link]

In March 1971, Bugner finally met veteran Cooper, and won a fifteen-round decision. Bugner won the bout by the slimmest of margins, 1/4 point, on the card of the lone official, Harry Gibbs. The British sporting public and press were deeply divided about the verdict. Many felt that Cooper deserved the decision due to his steady aggression. But Bugner fought effectively on the defense and scored often with his left jab, and in the opinion of many, was the rightful winner of the bout. The Times, among others, scored the fight in favour of Bugner. Still, the outcome of the bout is regarded as one of the most controversial in British boxing history.

Nonetheless, Bugner was now the British, British Commonwealth, and European champion, and for the first time he was ranked among the world's top ten heavyweights. Bugner would remain in the world ratings for most of the rest of the decade.

Bugner retained his European title with a decision over tough German heavyweight Jürgen Blin.

However, later in 1971, Bugner lost decisions to underdogs Jack Bodell and Larry Middleton, sandwiched between these losses was a victory over Mike Boswell. The Bodell fight was particularly costly, depriving Bugner of his British, British Commonwealth and European championships. Bugner's relative inexperience, his youth and lack of an extensive amateur background, (and possibly the lingering controversy surrounding the Cooper fight), was the chief cause of these defeats.

In 1972 Bugner won eight consecutive fights, including a knockout over Jürgen Blin for the European championship, an impressive knockout against the tough Tony Doyle (who had beaten Thad Spencer and Terry Daniels and taken Jerry Quarry the distance), and further ko's over the then unbeaten Doug Kirk and the useful Italian Dante Cane. By the end of this year Bugner had acquired sufficient seasoning as a boxer that his manager began seeking matches against the world's very best heavyweights.

Prime years[link]

In 1973 Bugner began the year by retaining his European belt with a victory over the capable Dutchman Rudi Lubbers. The 23 year old Bugner then lost twelve-round decisions to Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Although the scorecards in the Ali fight were somewhat lopsided, Bugner fought well, and he won the respect of the boxing media and public alike. After their bout, Ali declared that Bugner was capable of being world champion.^[6] Ali's trainer Angelo Dundee later echoed that sentiment.^[7] The fight with Frazier in July 1973 at Earls Court in London was deemed a classic. After being knocked down by a tremendous left hook in the tenth round, Bugner arose and staggered Frazier to close the round. Frazier took the decision, but only narrowly, and arguably only George Foreman and Muhammad Ali ever gave Frazier a harder fight. Many regard the Frazier bout as being Bugner's best career performance.

After the Ali and Frazier fights, Bugner won a further 8 bouts in a row, his most notable victories being over top contender and ex-WBA World Heavyweight Champion Jimmy Ellis, the highly rated Mac Foster, Jose Luis Garcia, Pat Duncan and European title defences against Giuseppe Ros, Dante Cane and Mario Baruzzi. By the end of 1974 Bugner was rated among the top five heavyweight contenders in the world.

Bugner challenged Muhammad Ali for the world championship in June 1975, the bout being held in Kuala Lumpur, with Ali winning a relatively one-sided fifteen-round decision. Bugner performed fairly well, but maintained a strictly defensive posture throughout most of this fight, perhaps due to the blistering tropical heat, and as a result he was widely scorned by the media and public. In an interview during an April 2008 reunion with Henry Cooper, Bugner defended his tactics in the Ali fight as having been necessary due to the extreme temperature and humidity of the outside venue.

Regains British, European & Commonwealth titles[link]

Early in 1976, Bugner announced his retirement from boxing, stating that he no longer felt motivated to fight professionally. Within months however he returned to the ring, and in October he blasted out Richard Dunn in the first round to reclaim the British, British Commonwealth, and European championships.

In 1977, Bugner lost a close twelve-round decision away from home to top contender Ron Lyle. The scores were 57-53 and 56-54 for Lyle against 55-54 for Bugner. After this bout, Bugner again retired, making only sporadic comebacks to the ring over the next decades.

1980s[link]

Bugner returned to the ring for brief periods in the 1980s and 1990s, but due to the effects of age and inactivity, he was never again as effective as he had been during his prime.

After a three year absence from the ring, Bugner returned in May 1980, knocking out fringe contender Gilberto Acuna, before promptly retiring again. In 1982, a ring rusty Bugner (having had only one short fight in 5 years and weighing in some 25 lbs above his prime fighting weight) fought the hard-hitting top contender Earnie Shavers, but was stopped in the second round due to a badly cut eye. However Bugner decided to continue his comeback, stopping the useful John Dino Denis and fringe contender Danny Sutton, as well as domestic contenders Winston Allen and Eddie Nielsen. In 1983, a subdued and unmotivated Bugner lost to Marvis Frazier, showing little ambition throughout the bout. He followed this with a decision over future European champion Anders Eklund and a controversial loss to future World Title challenger Steffen Tangstad. Bugner appeared to have done enough to win this fight, however, like with the Frazier and Eklund bouts, he appeared unmotivated and disinterested throughout.

Comeback in Australia[link]

In 1986 he moved to Australia, where he adopted the nickname Aussie Joe after taking out dual British-Australian nationality.^[8] In Australia, Bugner launched a fairly successful comeback, earning good victories over world title contenders James Tillis and David Bey and an impressive victory over former WBA heavyweight champion Greg Page, gaining a world ranking in the process, after which he spoke of challenging reigning heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.^[9] However, there was great clamour for a fight with fellow Briton Frank Bruno. The bout was touted as the biggest all British heavyweight bout since Cooper Vs Bugner in 1971. The bout took place in late 1987, and Bugner suffered an eighth round TKO loss to the much younger and fresher world title contender for the Commonwealth championship in front of a huge crowd at White Hart Lane football stadium. Bugner promptly retired again following this defeat, only his 3rd stoppage defeat in 20 years.

1990s[link]

Inspired by the 45-year-old George Foreman's recapture of the heavyweight title, Bugner made a final comeback in 1995, beating Vince Cervi to win the Australian heavyweight title, followed by a win over West Turner. Bugner then fought fellow Briton and world title contender Scott Welch for the WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight Title. Welch proved too young and fresh for the now 46 year old Bugner, handing him his first true Knock Out loss in the 6th round.

Bugner continued to fight on against far younger opponents. In 1996 he defeated the respectable Young Haumona for the Pacific and Australasian Heavyweight title, retained it against Waisiki Ligaloa in 1997, added the Australian title by defeating the tough Colin Wilson and defending both titles against Bob Mirovic in 1998.

In 1998 Bugner's long-term tenacity finally gave him a world crown, albeit a lightly-regarded title - the WBF version of the heavyweight crown - by defeating former WBA World Heavyweight Champion James "Bonecrusher" Smith. At the age of 48 years and 110 days, it made him the oldest ever boxer to hold a world championship belt.^[10][11]

Bugner was to fight just once more, in 1999 at the age of 49 he defeated the very durable fringe contender Levi Billups, after which he finally retired for good.

Fight record[link]

His record for 83 professional fights is 69 wins (41 on knockouts), 13 Losses and 1 Draw. He last fought in June 1999 beating Levi Billups, who was disqualified for low blows.^[12]

In an interview in 2004, Bugner said that the hardest puncher he had ever faced was Earnie Shavers and the biggest beating he took was from Ron Lyle.^[13]

Life outside boxing[link]

After moving to Australia, Bugner and his wife Marlene opened a vineyard. It failed in 1989, and he lost an estimated two-million Australian dollars.^[8]

He now lives on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

Bugner has had some work in the film industry. He has worked with Bud Spencer in his movies in the eighties.

He worked as the expert adviser on the Russell Crowe film, Cinderella Man, which was a film about the heavyweight boxer James J. Braddock.^[14] Bugner was dropped part way through the project, which prompted him to call Crowe, "a gutless worm and a f*****g girl".^[15][16]

Joe suffers from a serious back injury he sustained from training for fights in his middle years. He also has financial problems. It was these financial problems which prompted him to re-enter the ring at such an advanced age. A benefit was held for Bugner in 2008 by Kevin Lueshing.^[17]

In November 2009 Bugner replaced Camilla Dallerup on day 4 of the British TV show I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!. He left the show on day 16 after losing a bushtucker trial called 'Jungle Jail' to fellow celebrity Stuart Manning.

Career record[link]

69 Wins (41 knockouts, 26 decisions, 2 disqualifications), 13 Losses (4 knockouts, 9 decisions), 1 Draw[18]
Res.	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes
Win	Levi Billups	Disqualification	9 (10)	1999-06-13	Broadbeach, Australia
Win	James Smith	TKO	1 (12)	1998-07-04	Carrara, Australia	Won vacant WBF Heavyweight title
Win	Bob Mirovic	Decision (split)	12 (12)	1998-04-20	Carrara, Australia	Retained Australian Heavyweight title, won vacant PABA Heavyweight title.
Win	Colin Wilson	Decision (unan.)	12 (12)	1998-01-13	Broadbeach, Australia	Retained Australian Heavyweight title.
Win	Waisiki Ligaloa	TKO	7 (12)	1997-06-03	Southport, Australia	Retained PABA Heavyweight title; Bugner later stripped of title for failing to make mandatory defence.
Win	Young Haumona	KO	5 (12)	1996-07-05	Carrara, Australia	Won vacant PABA Heavyweight title.
Loss	Scott Welch	TKO	6 (12)	1996-03-16	Berlin, Germany	Fought for inaugural WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight title.
Win	West Turner	KO	3 (10), 2:36	1996-02-02	Perth, Australia
Win	Vince Cervi	Decision (unan.)	12 (12)	1995-09-22	Carrara, Australia	Won Australian Heavyweight title.
Loss	Frank Bruno	TKO	8 (10)	1987-10-24	White Hart Lane, London
Win	Greg Page	Decision (unan.)	10 (10)	1987-07-24	Sydney, Australia
Win	David Bey	Decision (unan.)	10 (10)	1986-11-14	Sydney, Australia
Win	James Tillis	Decision	10 (10)	1986-09-15	Sydney, Australia
Loss	Steffen Tangstad	Decision (split)	10 (10)	1984-02-18	Copenhagen, Denmark
Win	Anders Eklund	Decision (maj.)	10 (10)	1984-01-13	Randers, Denmark
Loss	Marvis Frazier	Decision (unan.)	10 (10)	1983-06-04	Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	Danny Sutton	TKO	9 (10)	1983-04-20	Muswell Hill, London
Win	John Dino Denis	TKO	3 (10)	1983-02-16	Wood Green, London
Win	Eddie Neilson	TKO	5 (?)	1982-12-09	Bloomsbury, London
Win	Winston Allen	KO	3 (?)	1982-10-28	Bloomsbury, London
Loss	Earnie Shavers	TKO	2 (10), 2:14	1982-05-08	Reunion Arena, Dallas	Bugner stopped on cuts.
Win	Gilberto Acuna	TKO	6 (?)	1980-08-23	Inglewood, California
Loss	Ron Lyle	Decision (split)	12 (12)	1977-03-20	Caesars Palace, Nevada
Won	Richard Dunn	KO	1 (15)	1976-10-12	Wembley, London	Retained EBU Heavyweight title, won British and Commonwealth Heavyweight titles.
Loss	Muhammad Ali	Decision (unan.)	15 (15)	1975-06-30	Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur	Fought for WBA/WBC Heavyweight titles.
Win	Dante Cane	TKO	5 (15)	1975-02-28	Bologna, Italy	Retained EBU Heavyweight title.
Win	Santiago Alberto Lovell	TKO	2 (10), 2:15	1974-12-03	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Jimmy Ellis	Decision	10 (10)	1974-11-12	Wembley, London
Win	Jose Luis Garcia	KO	2 (10)	1974-10-01	Wembley, London
Win	Piermario Baruzzi	TKO	10 (15)	1974-05-29	Copenhagen, Denmark	Retained EBU Heavyweight title.
Win	Pat Duncan	Decision	10 (10)	1974-03-12	Wembley, London
Win	Mac Foster	Decision	10 (10)	1973-11-13	Wembley, London
Win	Giuseppe Ros	Decision	15 (15)	1973-10-02	Royal Albert Hall, London	Retained EBU Heavyweight title.
Loss	Joe Frazier	Decision	12 (12)	1973-07-02	Earls Court, London
Loss	Muhammad Ali	Decision (unan.)	12 (12)	1973-02-14	Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	Rudi Lubbers	Decision (unan.)	15 (15)	1973-01-16	Royal Albert Hall, London	Retained EBU Heavyweight title.
Win	Dante Cane	TKO	6 (10)	1972-11-28	Ice Rink, Nottingham
Win	Tony Doyle	TKO	8 (10)	1972-11-14	Wembley, London
Win	Jürgen Blin	KO	8 (15)	1972-10-10	Royal Albert Hall, London	Won EBU Heavyweight title.
Win	Paul Nielsen	TKO	6 (10)	1972-07-19	Croke Park, Dublin
Win	Doug Kirk	TKO	5 (10)	1972-06-06	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Marc Hans	TKO	3 (10)	1972-05-09	Wembley, London
Win	Leroy Caldwell	Disqualification	5 (10)	1972-04-25	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Brian O'Melia	TKO	2 (10), 1:39	1972-03-28	Wembley, London
Loss	Larry Middleton	Decision	10 (10)	1971-11-24	Ice Rink, Nottingham
Win	Mike Boswell	Decision (unan.)	10 (10)	1971-11-17	Houston, Texas
Loss	Jack Bodell	Decision	15 (15)	1971-09-27	Wembley, London	Lost British, Commonwealth and EBU Heavyweight titles.
Win	Jürgen Blin	Decision	15 (15)	1971-05-11	Wembley, London	Retained EBU Heavyweight title.
Win	Henry Cooper	Decision	15 (15)	1971-03-16	Wembley, London	Won British, Commonwealth and EBU Heavyweight titles.
Draw	Bill Drover	Decision	10 (10)	1971-02-10	Bethnal Green, London
Win	Carl Gizzi	Decision	10 (10)	1971-01-19	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Miguel Angel Paez	TKO	3 (10)	1970-12-08	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	George Johnson	Decision	10 (10)	1970-11-03	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Hector Eduardo Corletti	Decision	10 (10)	1970-10-06	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Chuck Wepner	TKO	3 (10)	1970-09-08	Wembley, London
Win	Brian London	TKO	5 (10)	1970-05-12	Wembley, London
Win	Ray Patterson	Decision	8 (8)	1970-04-21	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Manuel Ramos	Decision	4 (10)	1970-03-24	Wembley, London
Win	Roberto Davila	TKO	4 (10)	1970-02-10	Picadilly, London
Win	Johnny Prescott	Decision	8 (8)	1970-01-20	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Charley Polite	TKO	3 (?)	1969-12-09	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Eddie Talhami	TKO	4 (?)	1969-11-11	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Phil Smith	TKO	2 (?)	1969-10-14	Royal Albert Hall, London
Loss	Dick Hall	Decision	8 (8)	1969-08-04	Hotel Piccadilly, Manchester
Win	Moses Harrell	Decision	8 (8)	1969-06-09	Belle Vue, Manchester
Win	Tony Ventura	Decision	8 (8)	1969-05-20	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Jack O'Halloran	Decision	8 (8)	1969-04-15	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Lion Ven	TKO	5 (?)	1969-03-25	Wembley, London
Win	Ulric Regis	Decision	8 (8)	1969-03-11	Shoreditch, London
Win	Terry Feeley	TKO	1 (?)	1969-02-25	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Rudolph Vaughan	TKO	2 (?)	1969-01-21	Kensington, London
Win	George Dulaire	TKO	4 (6)	1968-12-19	Bethnal Green, London
Win	Gene Innocent	TKO	3 (6)	1968-11-12	Wembley, London
Win	Paul Brown	TKO	3 (6)	1968-11-04	Connaught Rooms, London
Win	Vic Moore	TKO	1 (6), 2:15	1968-10-08	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Obe Hepburn	TKO	1 (6)	1968-08-18	Wembley, London
Win	Paul Brown	TKO	4 (6)	1968-05-28	Royal Albert Hall, London
Win	Billy Wynter	Decision	6 (6)	1968-05-21	Bethnal Green, London
Win	Mick Oliver	Retired	3 (6)	1968-05-06	Mayfair, London
Win	Bert Johnson	KO	3 (8), 0:40	1968-03-26	Bethnal Green, London
Win	Jim McIlvaney	TKO	2 (6)	1968-02-27	Bethnal Green, London
Win	Paul Cassidy	TKO	2 (6), 2:04	1968-01-30	Bethnal Green, London
Loss	Paul Brown	KO	3 (6)	1967-12-20	Mayfair, London

References[link]

External links[link]

• Professional boxing record for Joe Bugner from BoxRec
• Career Record Extended
• Film Career

Sir Henry Cooper OBE KSG (3 May 1934 – 1 May 2011)^[2] was an English heavyweight boxer known for the effectiveness of his left hook, "Enry's 'Ammer", and his knockdown of the young Muhammad Ali. Cooper held the British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight titles several times throughout his career, and unsuccessfully challenged Ali for the world heavyweight championship in 1966.

Following his retirement from the sport, Cooper continued his career as a television and radio personality and was enormously popular in Britain: he was the first (and is today one of just three people) to twice win the public vote for BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and is thus far the only boxer to be awarded a knighthood.

Biography[link]

Cooper was born in Lambeth, London^[3] to Henry and Lily Cooper. He, his identical twin brother, George (1934–2010),^[3] and elder brother Bern^[1] grew up in a council house on the Bellingham Estate on Farmstead Road, South East London. During the Second World War they were evacuated to Lancing on the Sussex coast.^[1]

Around 1942, their father, Henry Senior, was called up to serve in the war; the rest of the family did not see him again for almost three years. The twins attended Athelney Road School in Lewisham. The Cooper brothers were particularly close growing up and, in his biography, Henry talks of how they came to each other's aid when things turned nasty in the school playground. One particular incident landed the young Henry his first knockout in the playground. At school, the only subject that seemed to interest Henry was history, where he enjoyed acting out scenarios.^{[citation needed]}

Life was tough in the latter years of the Second World War, and London life especially brought many dangers during the blackout. Henry took up many jobs, including a paper round before school and made money out of recycling golf balls to the clubhouse on the Beckenham course. All three of the Cooper brothers excelled in sport, with George and Henry exercising talents particularly in football and also cricket.^[4]

George Cooper, Henry's twin, who boxed as Jim Cooper, died on 11 April 2010 at the age of 75.^[3]

Henry Cooper served his National Service in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps where he was recruited for his boxing ability.^[5]

Although Cooper is best known for knocking down Muhammad Ali, he defeated a string of well known heavyweights during his career, including; Zora Folley, Roy Harris, Karl Mildenberger, Alex Miteff, Wayne Bethea, Brian London, Joe Erskine, Jose Manuel Urtain, Piero Tomasoni, Dick Wipperman, Dick Richardson, Billy Walker, Tony Hughes, Jack Bodell, Jefferson Davis and Gawie De Clerk. Cooper died on 1 May 2011 at his son's house in Oxted, Surrey, after a long illness,^[2] 2 days before his 77th birthday.

Boxing career[link]

Style[link]

Although Cooper was left-handed, he used the "orthodox" stance, with his left hand and foot forward, rather than the reversed "southpaw" stance more usually adopted by a left-handed boxer. He relied on an exceptionally powerful left hook and a formidable jab for offence, being able to effectively combine the two to 'hook off the jab'.^[1][6] He generally tried to force the action in his bouts, a crowd pleasing style which won him many supporters. After developing a left shoulder problem in the latter half of his career Cooper adjusted to put more stress on right-handed punches which he had hitherto neglected.^[6]

Early bouts[link]

Cooper was often regarded as the most popular of all English boxers and was affectionately known in the UK as: "Our 'Enery". He started his boxing career in 1949 as an amateur with the Eltham Amateur Boxing Club, and won seventy-three of eighty-four contests. At the age of seventeen, he won the first of two ABA light-heavyweight titles and before serving in the Army for his two years' National Service represented Britain in the 1952 Olympics (outpointed in the second stage by Russian Anatoli Petrov). Henry and his twin brother, George (boxing under the name Jim Cooper) turned professional together under the caring management of Jim Wicks, who was one of boxing's great characters and nicknamed 'The Bishop' because of his benign nature. He would never allow one of his boxers into the ring if he felt he was over-matched. He famously said when promoters were trying to match Henry with Sonny Liston: "I would not allow 'Enery into the same room as him, let alone the same ring."

Henry was at one time the British, European and Commonwealth heavyweight champion. His early title challenges were unsuccessful, losing to Joe Bygraves for the Commonwealth belt (KO 9), Ingemar Johansson for the European belt (KO 5) and Joe Erskine (PTS 15) for the British and Commonwealth. He then won on points over highly rated contender Zora Folley and took the British and Commonwealth belts from new champion Brian London in a 15 round decision in January 1959. The winner of the fight was pencilled in to get a shot at Floyd Patterson's heavyweight title, but Cooper turned down the chance and London fought and lost against Patterson in May 1959. Cooper continued to defend his British and Commonwealth belts against all comers, including Dick Richardson (KO 5), Joe Erskine (TKO 5 and TKO 12), Johnny Prescott (TKO 10), and Brian London again (PTS 15), although he suffered a setback when losing a rematch with Folley by a second round KO."^[7]

Muhammad Ali[link]

Cooper twice fought Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay), firstly in a non-title fight in 1963 at Wembley Stadium, Cooper did not have a trainer at this time and his own regime led to his losing weight; he later averred that lead was inserted in his boots for the weigh-in and estimated his true weight to have been 12 stone 12 lb,^[8] making him 27 pounds lighter than Clay. Commentator Harry Carpenter remarked during the introductions on the difference in size between the boxers. Clay's mobility, fast reflexes, height and unorthodox defensive tactic of pulling back from punches made him a frustratingly elusive opponent; some of Cooper's work during the contest has been described as 'very near the knuckle' with Clay later complaining of being repeatedly hit on the break.^[6] In the dying seconds of the fourth round, Cooper felled Clay with an upward angled version of his trademark left hook, "Enry's 'Ammer". Unfortunately for Cooper, his opponent's armpit caught in the ropes going down, which prevented his head from striking the canvas covered boards which made up the floor of the ring (something which could easily have knocked him unconscious).^[6]

Clay stood up and started slowly towards Angelo Dundee who - in violation of the rules - guided him into the corner. At first Dundee talked and slapped Clay's legs but after a still-dazed Clay misunderstood and tried to get off the stool Dundee used smelling salts in a serious violation of the rules. (British rules did not allow any stimulant but water).^[9] Dundee has since claimed to have opened a small tear in one of Clay's gloves and told the referee that his fighter needed a new pair of gloves, thus delaying the start of the 5th round. Cooper has always insisted that this delay lasted anywhere from 3–5 minutes and denied him the chance to try to knock Clay out while he was still dazed. In tapes of the fight it seems Clay received only an extra six seconds (although there are still doubters who think a longer delay was edited out), and the gloves were not replaced.^[10][11][12] Cooper started the 5th round aggressively, attempting to make good his advantage, but a recovered Clay effectively countered and Cooper was hit high on the face with a hard right which opened a severe cut under his eye; referee Tommy Little was forced to stop the fight in the American's favour although Cooper was ahead on the scorecards.

After this fight, a spare pair of gloves was always required at ringside. What is certain however, is that Dundee held smelling salts under Clay's nose in an effort to revive his man, which was illegal.^[13] Clay was obviously impressed by the knockdown and on the 40th anniversary telephoned Cooper to reminisce. Clay who had changed his name to Muhammad Ali in 1964, later said, on British television, that Cooper "had hit him so hard that his ancestors in Africa felt it". In 1966 Cooper fought Ali, now world heavyweight champion, for a second time at Highbury.^[14] However Ali was now alert to the danger posed by Cooper's left and more cautious than he had been in the previous contest; he held Cooper in a vice like grip during clinches and when told to break leapt backward several feet.^[6] Accumulated scar tissue around Cooper's eyes made him even more vulnerable than in the previous meeting and a serious cut was opened by Ali, which led to the fight being stopped, Cooper again suffering a technical knockout when he was ahead on the scorecards.^[6]

Last fights[link]

After the loss to Ali, Cooper fought former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson, losing by a fourth round knockout. After that he went undefeated until the final fight of his career, and made more defences of his British and Commonwealth titles against Jack Bodell (TKO 2 and PTS 15) and Billy Walker (TKO 6). In 1968 Cooper added the European crown to his domestic titles with a win over Karl Mildenberger, and later made two successful defences of his title. In his last fight, in May 1971, a 36 year old Cooper faced 21 year old Joe Bugner, one of the biggest heavyweights in the world, for the British, European and Commonwealth belts. Referee Harry Gibbs awarded the fight to Bugner by the narrowest of margins, a quarter of a point. An audience mainly composed of Cooper fans did not appreciate the innately cautious Bugner and the decision was booed with commentator Harry Carpenter asking, "How can they take away the man's titles like this?".^[15] Cooper announced his retirement shortly afterwards. For years after the fight Cooper refused to speak to Gibbs, but eventually agreed to shake his hand for charity^[16] six months before Gibbs died.

Opinion on modern boxers[link]

In Cooper's later years, he retired from commentary on the sport as he became "disillusioned with boxing", wanting "straight, hard and fast boxing that he was used to from his times."^[17] While acknowledging that he was from a different era and would not be fighting as a heavyweight today, Cooper was nonetheless critical of the trend for heavyweights to bulk up as he thought it made for one-paced and less entertaining contests.^[18] In his final year, he said plainly that he did not "think boxing is as good as it was", naming Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton and Amir Khan as "the best of their era", but asserting that "if you match them up with the champions of thirty or forty years ago I don't think they're as good".^[19]

Life outside boxing[link]

After his retirement from boxing Henry Cooper maintained a high public profile with appearances in the BBC quiz show A Question of Sport and various advertisements, most famously in those for Brut aftershave, which have been credited with removing a lingering suspicion among the British that men who wore cologne were effeminate.^[18] Although generally a traditionalist,^[18] Cooper abhorred racism; his grandfather was an Irish immigrant and Cooper became the first celebrity sponsor of the Anti-Nazi League, a largely left-wing campaign against far-right groups which were agitating against immigration. He was also active in charity events.^[20] He appeared as boxer John Gully in the 1975 film Royal Flash and in his latter years featured in a series of UK public service announcements urging vulnerable groups to go to their doctor for vaccination against influenza called Get your Jab in First!.^[21]

Cooper had become a 'name' at Lloyd's of London, a supposedly 'blue chip' investment, but in the 1990s he was reportedly one of those who suffered enormous personal losses because of the unlimited liability which a 'name' was then responsible for, and he was forced to sell his hard won Lonsdale belts.^[18] Subsequently, Cooper's enduring popularity as an after dinner speaker provided a source of income and he was in most respects a picture of contentment until the death of his wife.^[18][20]

Considering his long career, Henry Cooper had suffered relatively little boxing-related damage to his health. Apart from "a bit of arthritis", his only problem had been damage to a knee because of running several miles a day in plimsolls in the days before trainers became available.^[19] Cooper remained an imposing figure into his 1970s, in the words of one journalist, "the living manifestation of an age of tuxedos in ringside seats, Harry Carpenter commentaries, sponge buckets and 'seconds out'".^[19] He lived in Hildenborough, Kent,^[22] and he was the chairman of Nizels Golf Club in the town until his death.^[2][18]

Cooper was married to Albina Genepri,^[23] an Italian Catholic,^[23] from 1960 until her death from a heart attack aged 71^[22] in 2008.^[1] He converted to her faith.^[23] He was survived by their sons, Henry Marco and John Pietro,^[1] and two grandchildren.^[19] He left £747,098.^[22] In an interview published a few days after his death, Cooper described Albina, who "hated" his sport, as "an ideal wife for a boxer", never grumbling about his long absences before big fights and inviting journalists in for tea while they waited for Cooper to get out of bed the morning after bouts.^[19]

Awards and honours[link]

Cooper was the first to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award twice (in 1967 and 1970) and one of only three two-time winners in the award's history (the others being Nigel Mansell in 1986 and 1992 and Damon Hill in 1994 and 1996). Cooper was given the award in 1967 for going unbeaten throughout the year. One of the most memorable fights of the year was his defeat of challenger Jack Bodell in June. His second award came in 1970, when Cooper had become the British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight champion, cementing his reputation as one of the greatest post-war British boxers. He is the only British boxer to win three Lonsdale Belts outright.

Cooper was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1969, awarded a Papal Knighthood in 1978, and was knighted in 2000. He is also celebrated as one of the great Londoners in the "London Song" by Ray Davies on his 1998 album The Storyteller.^[23][24][25]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Remembering Clay v Cooper East Side Boxing, 14 November 2006
• Professional boxing record for Henry Cooper from BoxRec

3, 2011}}

Earnie Shavers
Statistics
Real name	Earnie Dee Shaver
Nickname(s)	Black Destroyer
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Nationality	American
Born	(1944-08-31) August 31, 1944 (age 67) Garland, Alabama, USA
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	89
Wins	74
Wins by KO	68
Losses	14
Draws	1
No contests	0

Earnie Dee Shaver (born August 31, 1945), better known as Earnie Shavers, is an American former professional boxer. In 2003, he was listed #10 on The Ring's ranking of the 100 greatest punchers of all-time.^[1] Muhammad Ali, Joe Bugner, Larry Holmes, Randall "Tex" Cobb, Ron Lyle and Ken Norton all credited Shavers as being the hardest puncher they had ever faced in the ring.^{[citation needed]}

Shavers began boxing at the age of 22. Two weeks later he won his first fight by a first round knockout, against Jim Daniels. Earnie worked out daily in Warren, Ohio. He was in and out of the top ten ratings over a ten year period.

Shavers was rated number 10 on Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. His right uppercut and cross were his greatest assets. Angelo Dundee respectfully noted, "He can get you out of there with any shot."

Amateur career[link]

Prior to turning professional, Shavers had a short but notable amateur career. He was the 1969 National AAU Heavyweight Champion.

Early Professional career[link]

Known as the 'Black Destroyer', Shavers compiled an impressive record, winning 44 of his first 47 fights by knockout; mostly against unremarkable opposition. His KO streak included 27 consecutive knockouts. 20 victories were in the first round. He suffered setbacks with losses to Ron Stander and Stan Johnson.

He began to rise through the ranks of the heavyweight division after he hired a Cleveland-based promoter and ex-con named Don King to be his manager. His wins included a novice Jimmy Young who would later become a top contender. Stepping up the class of opposition, he came to public prominence with a first round KO of one time WBA heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis. His progress was halted when he was KO'd in the first round by 'White Hope' Jerry Quarry which was followed by another loss to a journeyman Bob Stallings. Shavers then had a thunderous match with hard hitting Ron Lyle but was stopped after 6 brutal rounds. He then knocked out hard hitter Howard King and beat Roy Williams in a back and forward battle. The latter Shavers always said was one of the toughest of his whole career.

Shavers vs Ali[link]

Shavers, somewhat past his peak, fought Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden on September 29, 1977.^[2] Ali nicknamed Shavers "The Acorn" because of his shaved bald head, unlike early appearances. The fight was shown in prime time broadcast television by NBC, which rarely did prime time fights (ABC tended to get the Ali fights) and had the judges' scoring announced after each round to help avoid any controversial decision. Ali's cornerman Angelo Dundee had a crony in the dressing room watching the broadcast, and would get signals from his friend on the scoring. In the second round, Shavers hurt Ali badly with an overhand right. Ali exaggerated his motions enough that it seemed he might be play acting and Shavers hesitated. On the scorecard they exchanged rounds. Ali won the fifth decisively. to win the fight Ali had to survive the last three rounds. Shavers, whose stamina was suspect before the fight, came alive in the 13th round. In the 14th, he battered Ali about the ring. Before the 15th, (according to the story by Sports Illustrated's great boxing writer Pat Putnam) 'Ali was on very wobbly legs'.

Realizing Ali needed to last three more minutes, Dundee told him, "You don't look so good. You better go out and take this round." In a furious final round, the two men tagged each other, but Ali closed strongly, nearly dropping Shavers in the last 20 seconds. He won a unanimous decision. The next day, Garden Match Maker Teddy Brenner encouraged Ali to retire by stating the Garden would never make another offer to host an Ali fight. Brenner also thought that Shavers deserved the nod against Ali. The fight made the cover of Sports Illustrated, with "ALI'S DESPERATE HOUR" featuring a photograph of Shavers scoring with an overhand right.^[3] Fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco also urged to Ali to retire after noting the damage Ali had absorbed against Shavers. Ali later said Shavers was the hardest puncher he ever faced, famously stating "Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk back in Africa" although Ali had previously used this amusing punch line in reference to various other hard hitting opponents.^[4]

Shavers v Norton/Holmes[link]

In a mandatory title challenge eliminator he knocked out former champion and Ali beater Ken Norton in the first round, possibly the best win of his career.

Shavers then fought for the title against skilled champion Larry Holmes at Caesars Palace in Pardise on September 29, 1979, exactly two years after his defeat by Ali. Shavers knocked Holmes down in round seven but was himself knocked out in round eleven after taking punishment. Holmes, known for his ability to take a punch, later said that Shavers' blow was the hardest he had ever taken in his career.

Later career[link]

The Holmes bout was the last big match for Shavers. In 1980, he was knocked out in the seventh round by durable prospect Randall "Tex" Cobb. He never again fought for the world title. In 1982 he fought Joe Bugner, also on the comeback trail. Bugner was knocked down in the first but was stopped by cuts in the second round.

Shavers continued to fight professionally for several years, retiring in 1995 after losing to Brian Yates. Many thought he should have retired after his upset loss to lower contender Bernardo Mercado. Shavers suffered a similar retinal eye surgery as boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.

Fighting style[link]

Shavers was a heavy-handed puncher who stalked his opponents, setting them up for his thunderous right, which was responsible for many of his knockouts. At times lacking grace and accuracy, Earnie had a reputation for exhausting himself before round 7. Critics remarked he rarely won a bout lasting exceeding 8 rounds.In subsequent fights he fought Ali well for 15 rounds and Holmes for 11. Earnie would throw punches against any legal area he could reach, exposed or covered, relying on his tremendous power to wear down his opponents and exploiting any opening. His fighting stance produced a short and powerful image. His chin was his weakness. He could 'box' as well as slug. Notably, he injured his right hand early in a 10 round match against rated fighter Henry Clark and then nearly jabbed Clarke's head off, beating him at his own game as it were, to win on points.

Video and Book[link]

Shavers published a video of highlights of his career in 1992 titled 'Earnie D. Shavers, The hardest One-Punch Hitter', and later an autobiography.

Life after boxing[link]

Shavers during a 2005 interview.

Shavers retired in 1983 after retinal problems were discovered. After retirement, he became an ordained Christian minister and moved to Phoenix, where he preached for many years. He moved to England to pastor a church there in the early 2000s. He has been on the Benny Hinn TV show several times.

During the early 1980s while preparing for the feature film Rocky III, Sylvester Stallone explored the possibility of using a real heavyweight boxer in the role of James "Clubber" Lang by inviting Earnie Shavers to spar with him. Shavers initially refused to hit Stallone with anything other than a soft jab. This frustrated Stallone, who asked Shavers, "C'mon Earnie, show me something real." Earnie responded by punching him once near the liver, forcing an immediate retirement; Stallone later said: "that nearly killed me. I went straight to the men's room and threw up".^[5]

Shavers has visited Ali several times and he says he, Ali, and George Foreman have become very good friends over the years. Shavers accepted the invitation of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International^[6] to preach at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

Earnie also works in Liverpool in the UK, as head of security at Hannahs' bar, where he is very much respected. On occasion Shavers was a troubleshooting referee in professional wrestling after his retirement.

He is also a Patron of The Shannon Bradshaw Trust,^[7] a children's charity based in Warrington, Cheshire, helping children with life threatening conditions, and their families.

Earnie speaks to pupils at Barr Beacon Language College in Walsall. Earnie also gave a speech 26 February 2008 at The Streetly School in Walsall, which was based upon helping kids make the right decisions in life.

Personal life[link]

Shavers was married to Laverne Payne and has eight daughters, Tamara, Cynthia, two daughters named Catherine, Carla, Amy, Lisa, Natasha and a son named Earnie Jr.. He also has eleven grandchildren. Shavers was a guest appearance in the Irish TV programme "The Late Late Show" hosted by Ron Lyle where the two fighters discussed their previous bout that had previously happened a month earlier. Shavers was a frequent visitor to the pub "Roddy Bolands" in Dublin. There is a signed picture of Shavers drinking a pint of Guinness hung up on the wall there.

Comeback[link]

Shavers made a short comeback in the late 1980s and early 1990s. After a few wins and losses he retired in 1995 after being KO'd by Brian Yates in round 2.

In 2003, Shavers was ranked number 10 among boxing's greatest punchers in history by Ring Magazine. Shavers was given the title of "Puncher of the Century". Within the sport of boxing, he is widely considered to be the hardest puncher of all time.

Shavers finished his career in 1995 with a record of 74 wins (68 by knockout, 23 inside the first round), 14 losses and 1 draw.

Professional boxing record[link]

74 Wins (68 knockouts, 6 decisions), 14 Losses (7 knockouts, 7 decisions), 1 Draw [1]
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Rounds	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	74-14-1	Brian Yates	KO	2 (10)	24/11/1995	Ho-Chunk Casino, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, United States
Win	74-13-1	Brian Morgan	PTS	8	19/09/1995	Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Win	73-13-1	Larry Sims	KO	1 (10)	16/05/1987	Cincinnati Technical College Gymnasium, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Loss	72-13-1	George Chaplin	DQ	9 (10)	01/03/1983	Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Win	72-12-1	Rahim Muhammad	PTS	10	29/01/1983	El Paso, Texas, United States
Win	71-12-1	Tony Perea	KO	7 (10)	05/11/1982	El Paso, Texas, United States
Win	70-12-1	Phil Clinard	TKO	2 (8)	14/10/1982	Duke's Country Nightclub, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Win	69-12-1	Chuck Gardner	KO	2 (10)	05/09/1982	Wales, Tulsa, Wisconsin, United States
Loss	68-12-1	Walter Santemore	UD	10	17/08/1982	Blackham Coliseum, Lafayette, Louisiana, United States
Win	68-11-1	Billy Joe Thomas	KO	5 (10)	22/06/1982	Astro Arena, Houston, Tulsa, Texas, United States
Loss	67-11-1	James Tillis	UD	10	11/06/1982	Caesars Palace, Houston, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	67-10-1	Danny Sutton	TKO	7 (10)	15/05/1982	Yorktown Aircraft Carrier, Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Win	66-10-1	Joe Bugner	TKO	2 (10)	08/05/1982	Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas, United States	Bugner down in the first round. Fight stopped due to Bugner's cut
Win	65-10-1	Ali Haakim	PTS	10	22/04/1982	Grand Traverse Hilton, Traverse City, Michigan, United States
Win	64-10-1	Jeff Sims	KO	5 (10)	11/12/1981	Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, Nassau, Bahamas	Shavers down in first round.
Win	63-10-1	Mike Rodgers	KO	2 (10)	09/09/1981	Civic Center, Lansing, Michigan, United States
Win	62-10-1	Terrel Williams	KO	2 (10)	29/07/1981	Civic Center, Saginaw, Michigan, United States
Win	61-10-1	Ted Hamilton	KO	2 (10)	17/10/1980	Auditorium, West Palm Beach, Florida, United States
Loss	60-10-1	Randall Cobb	TKO	8 (10)	02/08/1980	Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan, United States
Win	60-9-1	Leroy Boone	UD	10	14/06/1980	Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Loss	59-9-1	Bernardo Mercado	TKO	8 (10)	02/08/1980	Great Gorge Resort, McAfee, New Jersey, United States	Mercado down in the third, and then floored Shavers in the seventh before the stoppage.
Loss	59-8-1	Larry Holmes	TKO	11 (15)	28/09/1979	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	For WBC Heavyweight title. Holmes was down in round 7.
Win	59-7-1	Eddie Parotte	TKO	3 (10)	25/05/1979	Richfield, Ohio, United States
Win	58-7-1	Ken Norton	TKO	1 (12)	23/03/1979	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	57-7-1	Harold Carter	KO	3 (10)	04/12/1978	Saginaw, Michigan, United States
Win	56-7-1	John Girowski	KO	4 (10)	09/10/1978	Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia, United States
Win	55-7-1	Harry Terrell	RTD	2 (10)	20/07/1978	The Dome Civic Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States	Terrell floored twice in the first round. Terrell did not come out for the second.
Loss	54-7-1	Larry Holmes	UD	12	25/03/1978	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Eliminator for WBC Heavyweight title.
Loss	54-6-1	Muhammad Ali	UD	15	29/09/1977	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	For WBC & WBA Heavyweight titles.
Win	54-5-1	Howard Smith	KO	2 (10)	16/04/1977	The Aladdin, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Smith down three times in first round.
Win	53-5-1	Roy Williams	KO	10 (10)	11/12/1976	The Aladdin, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Shavers down in round 10 before stopping Williams.
Win	52-5-1	Henry Clark	TKO	2 (10)	28/09/1976	Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, United States
Win	51-5-1	Henry Clark	PTS	10	28/03/1976	Pavillon de Paris, Paris, France
Win	50-5-1	Tommy Howard	KO	3 (10)	13/11/1975	Howard Johnson's, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, United States
Loss	49-5-1	Ron Lyle	TKO	6 (10)	13/09/1975	Denver, Colorado, United States	Lyle was knocked down in the 2nd, Shavers down in the 6th round.
Win	49-4-1	Oliver Wright	KO	3 (10)	08/05/1975	Steelworkers Hall, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Win	48-4-1	Rochelle Norris	KO	10 (10)	09/04/1975	Binghamton, New York, United States
Win	47-4-1	Leon Shaw	KO	1 (10)	11/02/1975	Orlando, Florida, United States
Draw	46-4-1	Jimmy Young	PTS	10	26/11/1974	Capitol Center, Landover, Maryland, United States
Loss	46–4	Bob Stallings	UD	10	04/11/1974	Felt Forum, New York, New York, United States	Shavers down in 9th round.
Win	46–3	Roy Wallace	KO	1 (10)	16/05/1974	Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California, United States
Loss	45–3	Jerry Quarry	TKO	1 (10)	14/12/1973	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	45–2	Jimmy Ellis	KO	1 (10)	18/06/1973	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	44–2	Harold Carter	KO	1 (10)	12/05/1973	Arena, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Win	43–2	Jimmy Young	TKO	3 (10)	19/02/1973	Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	42–2	Leroy Caldwell	KO	2 (10)	25/10/1972	High School Gym, Newton Falls, Ohio, United States
Win	41–2	A J Staples	KO	1 (10)	22/09/1972	Moonlight Gardens Ballroom, Canton, Ohio, United States
Win	40–2	Vicente Rondon	UD	10	26/08/1972	Canton, Ohio, United States
Win	39–2	Lou Bailey	KO	2 (10)	05/05/1972	Akron, Ohio, United States
Win	38–2	Bob Felstein	KO	5 (10)	22/04/1972	Akron, Ohio, United States
Win	37–2	Charley Polite	KO	3 (10)	06/04/1972	Packard Music Hall, Warren, Ohio, United States
Win	36–2	Elgie Walters	KO	2 (10)	15/02/1972	Beaumont, Texas, United States
Win	35–2	Ted Gullick	KO	6 (10)	01/02/1972	Packard Music Hall, Warren, Ohio, United States
Win	34–2	Del Morris	KO	3 (10)	30/11/1971	Bryant, Indiana, United States
Win	33–2	Elmo Tex Henderson	KO	4 (10)	29/10/1971	Stateline, Nevada, United States
Win	32–2	Charlie Boston	KO	2 (10)	17/10/1971	Akron, Ohio, United States
Win	31–2	Pat Duncan	KO	5 (10)	28/09/1971	Reno, Nevada, United States	Won USA Nevada State Heavyweight title.
Win	30–2	Richard Pittman	KO	1 (10)	11/08/1971	Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	29–2	Bill McMurray	KO	1 (10)	13/07/1971	Sahara Tahoe Hotel, Stateline, Nevada, United States
Win	28–2	Bill Hardney	KO	1 (10)	29/06/1971	Western Reserve Field, Warren, Ohio, United States
Win	27–2	Chuck Leslie	KO	10 (10)	10/06/1971	Sahara Tahoe Hotel, Stateline, Nevada, United States
Win	26–2	Willie Johnson	TKO	4 (10)	24/04/1971	Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, Florida, United States
Win	25–2	Mac Harrison	KO	2 (10)	21/04/1971	Akron, Ohio, United States
Win	24–2	Young Agabab	KO	1 (10)	24/03/1971	Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	23–2	Steve Carter	TKO	1 (10)	03/03/1971	Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Carter down three times.
Win	22–2	Dick Gosha	TKO	5 (10)	17/02/1971	Armory, Akron, Ohio, United States
Win	21–2	Johnny Mac	KO	3 (10)	03/02/1971	Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	20–2	Nat Shaver	KO	1 (6)	16/01/1971	Convention Hall, Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	19–2	Lee Estes	KO	2 (8)	06/01/1971	Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	18–2	Jim Carefelli	KO	2 (10)	11/12/1970	Austintown Fitch High School Gym, Youngstown, Ohio, United States
Win	17–2	Bunky Akins	KO	1 (6)	07/12/1970	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	16–2	Johnny Mac	TKO	4 (8)	18/11/1970	Austintown Fitch High School Gym, Youngstown, Ohio, United States
Win	15–2	John Hudgins	KO	1 (6)	14/10/1970	Canton, Ohio, United States
Win	14–2	Don Branch	KO	1 (6)	12/09/1970	Cooper Arena, Columbus, Ohio, United States
Win	13–2	Jim Daniels	KO	1 (6)	29/08/1970	Austintown Fitch High School Gym, Youngstown, Ohio, United States
Loss	12–2	Ron Stander	KO	5 (8)	11/05/1970	Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Win	12–1	Frank Smith	KO	4 (6)	14/04/1970	Canton, Ohio, United States
Win	11–1	Ron Asher	KO	1 (8)	23/03/1970	Fitch High Gym, Youngstown, Ohio, United States
Win	10–1	Art Miller	KO	1 (6)	06/03/1970	Canton, Ohio, United States
Win	9–1	Abe Brown	TKO	5 (6)	27/01/1970	Orlando, Florida, United States
Win	8–1	Joe Byrd	KO	3 (6)	24/01/1970	Canton, Ohio, United States
Win	7–1	Abe Brown	KO	1 (6)	07/01/1970	Akron, Ohio, United States
Win	6–1	Gene Idelette	KO	1 (6)	26/12/1969	Orlando, Florida, United States
Win	5–1	Chico Froncano	KO	1 (6)	18/12/1969	Canton, Ohio, United States
Win	4–1	J D McCauley	KO	2 (6)	04/12/1969	Akron, Ohio, United States
Win	3–1	Lee Roy	KO	3 (6)	21/11/1969	Rapid City, South Dakota, United States
Loss	2–1	Stan Johnson	UD	6	13/11/1969	Arena, Seattle, Washington, United States
Win	2–0	George Holden	KO	1 (6)	11/11/1969	Orlando Sports Stadium, Orlando, Florida, United States
Win	1–0	Silas Howell	KO	2 (6)	06/11/1969	Akron, Ohio, United States