Donovan Ruddock (born December 21, 1963, Saint Catherine, Jamaica), also known as Razor Ruddock, is a retired Canadian heavyweight boxer. He was a promising heavyweight of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Ruddock earned the "Razor" nickname early on for his cutting jab but he was better known for his powerful hybrid left hook/uppercut, which he called "The Smash". One of the best exhibitions of his left hand power, was his brutal 1990 knockout of former WBA heavyweight champion Michael Dokes.

As an amateur, Ruddock had a win over Lennox Lewis. He turned pro in 1982, but his career started slowly, having only 11 fights between 1982 and 1985. He won eight of his first nine fights, but drew his fifth. More controversy would follow in April 1985 when he lost to journeyman David Jaco, who'd been KO'd by a young Mike Tyson the year after. After eight rounds Ruddock's corner threw in the towel after he complained of breathing problems. Jaco was awarded a TKO victory. It was discovered Ruddock had a rare respiratory illness and doctors told him his career might be over.

Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch, 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and guitarist. Initially labelled as an imitator of Bob Dylan, Donovan quickly developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music (notably calypso). He has variously lived in Scotland, London, California and Ireland, and currently lives with his family in County Cork in Ireland.

Emerging from the British folk scene, Donovan shot to fame in the United Kingdom in early 1965 with a series of live performances on the pop TV series, Ready Steady Go!. Initially signing with the British label Pye Records in 1965, he recorded a handful of singles and two albums in the folk music vein, but after signing a new contract with the US label Epic Records his popularity rapidly spread to the US and other countries. After extricating himself from his original management contract, he began a long and successful collaboration with Mickie Most, one of the leading British independent record producers of the era, scoring a string of hits in the UK, the US, Australia and other countries. His successful records in the 1960s included the UK hits "Catch the Wind" and "Colours" in 1965, while "Sunshine Superman" topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart the following year, and reached #2 in Britain. Donovan was the first artist to be signed to CBS/Epic Records by then-new Administrative Vice President Clive Davis, who later became head of the CBS Record empire.

Tommy Morrison born January 2, 1969, is an American heavyweight boxer and a former World Boxing Organization champion. He lost only three out of a total of 52 professional fights. Morrison's nickname, "The Duke," is based on disputed claims that he is a grandnephew of Hollywood star John Wayne. Morrison was a co-star with Sylvester Stallone in the 1990 boxing movie Rocky V.

Morrison's professional boxing career effectively ended when he tested positive for HIV in 1996. Beginning in 2006, Morrison attempted a comeback, stating that he did not have HIV and, later, that HIV is a "myth." His claims are refuted by boxing and medical authorities.

After his enforced retirement in 1996, Morrison has been charged with multiple assault, weapon, intoxication, and drug offenses. He was sentenced to jail on several occasions, and served part of one sentence in 2000–2001.

Tommy Morrison was born in Gravette, Arkansas. At the urging of his father, Morrison, who was raised in Delaware County, Oklahoma and a Scottish-American, and whose older brother and two uncles were boxers, began boxing locally at the age of ten. Beginning at the age of 13, Morrison entered fifteen "toughman" contests using a fake ID (the minimum age for contestants was 21). He told The New York Times that he lost only one of these contests.

Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is a retired American professional boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles at 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old. Tyson won his first 19 professional bouts by knockout, with 12 of them occurring in the first round. He won the WBC title in 1986 after defeating Trevor Berbick by a TKO in the second round. In 1987, Tyson added the WBA and IBF titles after defeating James Smith and Tony Tucker. He was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles, and the only heavyweight to individually unify them.

In 1988, Tyson became the lineal champion when he knocked out Michael Spinks in the first 91 seconds of the fight. Tyson successfully defended the world heavyweight championship nine times, including victories over Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno. Tyson lost his titles to 42-to-1 underdog James "Buster" Douglas on February 11, 1990, in Tokyo, Japan, by a knockout in round 10. Tyson continued in his quest to regain the titles, defeating Donovan Ruddock twice in 1991. Tyson was then scheduled to take on the undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield but pulled out due to injury.

Michael Marshall Dokes (born August 10, 1958 in Akron, Ohio) is a former American boxer in the heavyweight division, nicknamed "Dynamite."

Dokes won a silver medal at the 1975 Pan American Games. He lost a 3-2 split decision to Teofilio Stevenson in the finals. He also lost a close decision to John Tate in the Olympic Trials, after which he turned professional.

Dokes turned professional in 1976. He received national exposure in a televised exhibition with Muhammad Ali in 1977, which saw Ali clown and mug while slipping Dokes' punches, but also revealed glimpses of Dokes' potential. He came to real prominence in 1979 by defeating veteran contender Jimmy Young. His career faltered slightly after fighting to a draw with Ossie Ocasio, but Dokes returned to knock out Ocasio in one round soon thereafter. By early 1982, after a first round knockout of Lynn Ball to win the NABF title, Dokes was in line for a title shot. He was ranked #2 by the WBC and #3 by the WBA. Dokes became WBA heavyweight champion in 1982 by knocking out Mike Weaver in the first round. A rematch was ordered due to the controversial nature of referee Joey Curtis's stoppage, which some felt was premature. In the rematch, Dokes retained his title on a majority draw.