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One aspect of boxing that I have always been very intrigued by is the results of amateur fights involving big name boxers that went on to become champions and contenders. Sometimes you see results of amateur fights and are amazed that they went much differently than you figured they would have. The national amateur tournaments are full of future champions and contenders and if you ever get a chance to go check one out then, by all means go do so because you will be seeing the future stars of boxing. I have been to many of these tournaments as both a boxer and as a coach and I also have dozens of amateur boxing magazines full of interesting amateur results to retrieve past results from for you to see.
I myself, for example, saw Roy Jones, Jr. when he was nineteen years old, Shane Mosley and Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson when they were sixteen and Bones Adams when he was just thirteen. I saw Lawrence Clay-Bey very early in his amateur career in local tournaments here in the Connecticut area and I was present at the same Golden Gloves tournament back in 1983 (as a spectator, not a participant) that featured a 201 pound sixteen year old named Michael "The Tank" Tyson.
It is also a source of interest for me, personally, because there are many boxers who didn't pan out for one reason or another as professionals and because of that, because of the fact that some of them turned out to be very average professional fighters, they don't get the respect I feel they deserve as boxers because many of them back in their days were tremendous amateur boxers who were looked at in the same light (at the time) as many guys who went on later to become superstars in the game. In other words, there were times when future stars like Riddick Bowe, Roy Jones and Shane Mosley were not the top guy in their respective weight class and some of the guys who were actually rated above them back then are guys who you likely wouldn't recognize if they walked by you today on your own street.
A perfect example of what I am saying is reflected in the professional record of former undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins. You all know the big names listed there, stars like Roy Jones, Antonio Tarver, Oscar DeLaHoya, and Jermain Taylor, all great former amateurs in their day, but those of us who know the deal are also impressed with his series of impressive wins over former top flight amateurs, Dennis Milton, Adam Garland and Roy Richie. Garland in particular was an elite U.S. amateur back in the early 1980's who many thought had the power and style to become a real force as a professional but, for whatever one of the million reasons that some guys don't pan out to full potential, he didn't make it to the heights that peers of his (at 165 pounds) like Virgil Hill and Michael Nunn did. And for the record Hopkins also scored professional victories over several other former top class U.S. amateurs including Joe Lipsey, Percy Harris, Willie Kemp.
Former top amateurs who did defeat Bernard in the pro ranks include Jones, Taylor, and Clinton Mitchell (in Bernard's pro debut).
It is also amazing and interesting to me that you can be at what might appear to be an average run of the mill tournament somewhere and you will have no idea who the guys on the show may or may not turn out to be in the future. Like the night of February 16, 1983 at the New England Golden Gloves tournament in Lowell, Massachusetts, for example, when bout number eight that night saw "Irish" Mickey Ward and Joey Gamache match up in a 132 pound bout while, bout number fourteen saw John Wilkinson defeat future IBF world title challenger Kevin Daigle and bout number twenty-one featured a fierce sixteen year old heavyweight by the name of Tyson.
So here we go with just some of the most interesting amateur fights from days gone by that I remember either seeing live or reading about:
In the finals of the 1976 National Golden Gloves (I have it on video tape), at 132 pounds, future great Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor won a decision over another future legend in Tommy "Hit Man" Hearns (back when amateur boxers didn't wear head gears). Later on, in the qualifying tournament for the 1976 Olympics, Aaron defeated future WBA lightweight champion Hilmer Kenty before losing a decision to Howard Davis, Jr. (in what was the second time that Howard defeated Aaron as an amateur). Pryor also scored a 1976 decision over future IBF 140 pound world champion Gary Hinton. Hearns went on to beat Bobby Joe Young twice in 1977 as an amateur and also defeated Ronnie Shields the same year while future world 175 pound champion Michael Spinks lost a decision in the 1975 National AAU finals at 165 pounds to future well known trainer Tommy Brooks.
The 1991 World amateur championship final saw future professional world champions Vernon Forrest and Kostya Tzyu match up at 139 pounds with Kostya landing more than a few solid and very accurate straight right hands on his way to capturing a solid decision over his much taller opponent. Also in 1991 Vernon won the U.S. Championships with consecutive victories over Terron Millet, Ross Thompson, Lamar Murphy and Stevie Johnston.
Vernon then turned around and had another spectacular week at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials where he defeated future world title challenger Robert "Push Up" Frazier, and a pair of future world champions in "Sugar" Shane Mosley and Stevie Johnston on his way to the championship at 139 pounds.
Vernon also once scored an amateur decision over future IBF welterweight champion Michael Piccorillo.
People know Chris Byrd as a former IBF heavyweight champion and some even remember him back when he was a 165 pound amateur in the 1992 Olympics. But I remember Chris way back when he was a 139 pound light welterweight amateur who twice lost in 1988 to Todd Foster. Once in the finals of the U.S. Championships and again in the U.S. Olympic Trials a few months later. Chris won a final round decision over future IBF junior middleweight champion Paul Vaden in that same tournament one year later (the 1989 USA/ABF championships) in the 156 pound class.
In what may be Byrd's most interesting, if not most pleasant, amateur result, he was once stopped (on an RSC) at 165 pounds by another future champ in Joe Calzaghe in a USA-Italy meet in December of 1992.
William Joppy lost by decision to Chris Byrd at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials at 165 pounds and he also fought, and defeated, Antwon Echols in the amateurs. At the 1992 Eastern U.S. Olympic Trials William scored a quarterfinal round decision over future cruiserweight contender Ravea Springs on his way to the gold medal at that tournament.
In the 156 pound final of those same 1992 Olympic Trials Raul Marquez scored a wide decision over future contender Antwun Echols, a semi-final win that week over future WBO middleweight champion Lonnie Bradley and a quarterfinal stoppage over future contender (and two-time Hopkins challenger) Robert Allen.
Another quarterfinal bout in the 156 pound class that week saw Bradley score a decision over future WBC 154 pound champion Keith Mullings.
Future heavyweight contenders David Izon (then known as David Izonretie) and David Tua met up in the 1992 Olympic semi-finals in the 201 pound division where Izon captured a decision victory.
I myself, for example, saw Roy Jones, Jr. when he was nineteen years old, Shane Mosley and Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson when they were sixteen and Bones Adams when he was just thirteen. I saw Lawrence Clay-Bey very early in his amateur career in local tournaments here in the Connecticut area and I was present at the same Golden Gloves tournament back in 1983 (as a spectator, not a participant) that featured a 201 pound sixteen year old named Michael "The Tank" Tyson.
It is also a source of interest for me, personally, because there are many boxers who didn't pan out for one reason or another as professionals and because of that, because of the fact that some of them turned out to be very average professional fighters, they don't get the respect I feel they deserve as boxers because many of them back in their days were tremendous amateur boxers who were looked at in the same light (at the time) as many guys who went on later to become superstars in the game. In other words, there were times when future stars like Riddick Bowe, Roy Jones and Shane Mosley were not the top guy in their respective weight class and some of the guys who were actually rated above them back then are guys who you likely wouldn't recognize if they walked by you today on your own street.
A perfect example of what I am saying is reflected in the professional record of former undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins. You all know the big names listed there, stars like Roy Jones, Antonio Tarver, Oscar DeLaHoya, and Jermain Taylor, all great former amateurs in their day, but those of us who know the deal are also impressed with his series of impressive wins over former top flight amateurs, Dennis Milton, Adam Garland and Roy Richie. Garland in particular was an elite U.S. amateur back in the early 1980's who many thought had the power and style to become a real force as a professional but, for whatever one of the million reasons that some guys don't pan out to full potential, he didn't make it to the heights that peers of his (at 165 pounds) like Virgil Hill and Michael Nunn did. And for the record Hopkins also scored professional victories over several other former top class U.S. amateurs including Joe Lipsey, Percy Harris, Willie Kemp.
Former top amateurs who did defeat Bernard in the pro ranks include Jones, Taylor, and Clinton Mitchell (in Bernard's pro debut).
It is also amazing and interesting to me that you can be at what might appear to be an average run of the mill tournament somewhere and you will have no idea who the guys on the show may or may not turn out to be in the future. Like the night of February 16, 1983 at the New England Golden Gloves tournament in Lowell, Massachusetts, for example, when bout number eight that night saw "Irish" Mickey Ward and Joey Gamache match up in a 132 pound bout while, bout number fourteen saw John Wilkinson defeat future IBF world title challenger Kevin Daigle and bout number twenty-one featured a fierce sixteen year old heavyweight by the name of Tyson.
So here we go with just some of the most interesting amateur fights from days gone by that I remember either seeing live or reading about:
In the finals of the 1976 National Golden Gloves (I have it on video tape), at 132 pounds, future great Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor won a decision over another future legend in Tommy "Hit Man" Hearns (back when amateur boxers didn't wear head gears). Later on, in the qualifying tournament for the 1976 Olympics, Aaron defeated future WBA lightweight champion Hilmer Kenty before losing a decision to Howard Davis, Jr. (in what was the second time that Howard defeated Aaron as an amateur). Pryor also scored a 1976 decision over future IBF 140 pound world champion Gary Hinton. Hearns went on to beat Bobby Joe Young twice in 1977 as an amateur and also defeated Ronnie Shields the same year while future world 175 pound champion Michael Spinks lost a decision in the 1975 National AAU finals at 165 pounds to future well known trainer Tommy Brooks.
The 1991 World amateur championship final saw future professional world champions Vernon Forrest and Kostya Tzyu match up at 139 pounds with Kostya landing more than a few solid and very accurate straight right hands on his way to capturing a solid decision over his much taller opponent. Also in 1991 Vernon won the U.S. Championships with consecutive victories over Terron Millet, Ross Thompson, Lamar Murphy and Stevie Johnston.
Vernon then turned around and had another spectacular week at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials where he defeated future world title challenger Robert "Push Up" Frazier, and a pair of future world champions in "Sugar" Shane Mosley and Stevie Johnston on his way to the championship at 139 pounds.
Vernon also once scored an amateur decision over future IBF welterweight champion Michael Piccorillo.
People know Chris Byrd as a former IBF heavyweight champion and some even remember him back when he was a 165 pound amateur in the 1992 Olympics. But I remember Chris way back when he was a 139 pound light welterweight amateur who twice lost in 1988 to Todd Foster. Once in the finals of the U.S. Championships and again in the U.S. Olympic Trials a few months later. Chris won a final round decision over future IBF junior middleweight champion Paul Vaden in that same tournament one year later (the 1989 USA/ABF championships) in the 156 pound class.
In what may be Byrd's most interesting, if not most pleasant, amateur result, he was once stopped (on an RSC) at 165 pounds by another future champ in Joe Calzaghe in a USA-Italy meet in December of 1992.
William Joppy lost by decision to Chris Byrd at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials at 165 pounds and he also fought, and defeated, Antwon Echols in the amateurs. At the 1992 Eastern U.S. Olympic Trials William scored a quarterfinal round decision over future cruiserweight contender Ravea Springs on his way to the gold medal at that tournament.
In the 156 pound final of those same 1992 Olympic Trials Raul Marquez scored a wide decision over future contender Antwun Echols, a semi-final win that week over future WBO middleweight champion Lonnie Bradley and a quarterfinal stoppage over future contender (and two-time Hopkins challenger) Robert Allen.
Another quarterfinal bout in the 156 pound class that week saw Bradley score a decision over future WBC 154 pound champion Keith Mullings.
Future heavyweight contenders David Izon (then known as David Izonretie) and David Tua met up in the 1992 Olympic semi-finals in the 201 pound division where Izon captured a decision victory.
Ill say this ....contrary to his frequent on-air persona..., Ive met him before away from cameras and he was actually really cool...
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