Joey Maxim

Giuseppe Antonio Berardinelli (March 28, 1922 – June 2, 2001) was an American professional boxer. He was a Light Heavyweight Champion of the World. He took the ring-name Joey Maxim from the Maxim gun, the world's first self-acting machine gun, based on his ability to rapidly throw a large number of left jabs.

Early career

Maxim was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He learned to box at a very young age. Following a successful amateur career, during which he won the Golden Gloves, he turned professional in 1940. He boxed fairly regularly at exhibitions during the war years whilst serving as a military police officer at Miami Beach, Florida.

Maxim becomes world champion

It is somewhat surprising that Maxim had to wait so long for a world title shot, he was 28 and had already fought 87 times as a professional, considering his undoubted ability. His chance came on January 24, 1950, against British boxer Freddie Mills, who was making his first defense, at London's Earl's Court Exhibition Centre. Maxim, very much the underdog against the popular Englishman, won the fight by knockout in the 10th round. After the fight three of Mills's teeth were found embedded in Maxim's left glove, Mills never fought again.

Archie Moore

Archie Moore (born Archibald Lee Wright; December 13, 1916 – December 9, 1998) was an American professional boxer and the longest reigning Light Heavyweight World Champion of all time (December 1952 – May 1962). He had one of the longest professional careers in the history of the sport. Nicknamed "The Mongoose", and then "The Old Mongoose" in the latter half of his career, Moore holds the record for the most career knockouts (131) in boxing history. Moore was a highly strategical and defensive boxer, with a great chin and blundering power, he ranks #4 on The Ring's list of "100 greatest punchers of all time". Moore is rated by prominent boxing website BoxRec as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all-time. Moore was also a trainer for a short time after retirement. He trained boxers such as Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and James Tillis.

A native of Benoit, Mississippi, Moore was raised in St. Louis, Missouri. A victim of racism for much of his career, Moore was an important figure in the American black community, and became involved in African American causes once his days as a fighter were over. He also established himself as a successful character actor in television and film. Moore died in his adopted home of San Diego, California.

Ray Robinson

Ray or Raymond Robinson may refer to:

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Floyd Patterson

Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American professional boxer who held the undisputed world heavyweight championship. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer to win the world heavyweight title, and was also the first heavyweight to regain the title after losing it. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 1952 Olympics in the middleweight division.

Although Mike Tyson later became the youngest boxer to win a world heavyweight title at the age of 20, Patterson remains the youngest undisputed heavyweight champion. He was trained by Cus D'Amato.

Early life

Born into a poor family in Waco, North Carolina, Patterson was the youngest of eleven children and experienced an insular and troubled childhood. His family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where Floyd was a truant and petty thief. At age ten, he was sent to the Wiltwyck School for Boys, a reform school in upstate New York, which he credited with turning his life around. He stayed there for almost 2 years. He attended high school in New Paltz, NY where he succeeded in all sports (to this day the New Paltz football field is named in his honor). At age fourteen, he started to box, trained by Cus D'Amato at his Gramercy Gym. Aged just 17, Patterson won the Gold medal in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics as a middleweight. 1952 turned out to be a good year for the young Patterson; in addition to Olympic gold Patterson won the National Amateur Middleweight Championship and New York Golden Gloves Middleweight Championship.

Sugar Ray

Sugar Ray is an American rock band formed in 1986. The band, starting off more as a funk metal band, first gained fame in 1997 with their release of the song "Fly". This song's success, coupled with its pop rock sound that was quite different from the rest of their material at the time, led the band to change to a mainstream, pop music style. Subsequent albums shared this similar style, and the band landed a number of hits with "Every Morning" and "Someday" from 14:59 and "When It's Over" from their self-titled album.

History

Formation and Lemonade and Brownies (1986–1996)

The members of the band grew up in Orange County. Rodney Sheppard played in a number of reggae bands, including working with future Good Charlotte drummer Dean Butterworth. Prior to Sugar Ray, in the late 1980s, Rodney Sheppard and Stan Frazier had been together in a band under the name The Tories. Later additions Murphy Karges, Craig Bullock and Mark McGrath changed the band's name to Shrinky Dinx (after initially Shrinky Dinks). After signing with Atlantic Records, the name was changed to Sugar Ray upon threat of lawsuit from the Milton Bradley Company, maker of the Shrinky Dinks toy.