Flashback for you....PART 1...

[ICEMAN JOHN SCULLY]

Man you need to go ahead and write a book. It would be a top seller.

Way ahead of you, Genius...

[coghaugen]

Chris Eubank mentioned the other day that he beat Milton http://www.nowboxing.com/2012/10/qa-...bank-sr/25453/

[ICEMAN JOHN SCULLY]

Roy Jones also beat Terron Millet in 1984...and Artur Beterbiev beat Oleksander Gvodsyk, Ishmael Sillakh, Oleksander Usyk and Sergey Kovalev.

[Daud]

Couldn't read all of it but enjoyed the stuff I did. Good read.

[coghaugen]

Dan Sherry beat Jeff Harding, Richie Woodhall and Neville Brown

Eubank Sr beat 88 Olympian Ray Rivera, the great Milton and 86 Copenhagen Cup winner Andre Coles, BACK TO BACK in 85 NYC GG but then lost to future pro Joseph Henry

Nigel Benn beat Olympians Rod Douglas and Mark Edwards and future pro Johnny Melfah, back to back to win the 86 ABAs at 165. Douglas beat Sherry and Harding in the 86 Commonwealth Games after losing to Benn, Benn turned pro in disgust that Douglas was picked over him for his greater international exp instead of waiting for 88 Olys

[coghaugen]

Rod Douglas I feel was robbed against world #1 Shawn O'Sullivan in the 84 Olympics quarter final

[Citizen Koba]

Roy Jones also beat Terron Millet in 1984...and Artur Beterbiev beat Oleksander Gvodsyk, Ishmael Sillakh, Oleksander Usyk and Sergey Kovalev.

Did I hear right that you've been working with Artur a few years John?

... And great thread BTW, not a bad thing to see it resurrected after 8 years although I've only read the first dozen posts or so so far.

You ever get that book you mention a coupla posts back finished?

[Dynamite76]

In a very interesting occurrence, current up and coming prospect 154 pound Sechew Powell not only won decisions at the 1999 National PAL tournament over both "Contender" winner Sergio Mora and runner-up Peter Manfredo Jr. but Powell also defeated Contender star Miguel Espino at the 1997 U.S. Under-19 nationals.

The 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials saw future contender Rockin' Robin Blake beat Joe Manley in the quarterfinals at 132 before losing in the semi's to Frankie "The Surgeon" Randall.

The 1997 World Junior Olympic Championships in Mexico City, Mexico (15-16 age division) saw Ricardo Williams win a clean decision over current star Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico. Williams did not lose a whole lot of fights as an amateur, that much we know. However, one guy who he won a decision over -a VERY disputed and controversial one- was future (2004) USA Olympian Rock Allen of Philly at the 1997 National PAL.

Cotto, meanwhile, defeated Francisco Bojado in the finals at 132 pounds of the 1999 Cheo Aponte Tournament in Puerto Rico.

The 1986 final in the super heavyweight division at the New York City Golden Gloves saw two future contenders match up with Lou Savarese taking a decision over Alex Stewart. At the 2000 NYCGG tournament future WBA champion Luis Collazo matched up with future contender Yuri Foreman and came away with a decision victory at 147 pounds.

THE CUBANS:
The tiny island of Cuba has long had a reputation as an amateur boxing powerhouse and it is with good reason that they are seen in such light. The list of talented and accomplished Cuban amateurs that never turn professional is VERY long and former 139/147 pounder Juan Hernandez is very prominent on that list. Hernandez defeated Kostya Tszyu in the 1987 Junior World Championships and then bested #1 rated american light welter Nick Kakouris in 1987. In 1988 Charles "The Natural" Murray fell victim to Hernandez by way of a decision as did Englishman, and future world ranked contender, Robert McCracken, who fell to the Cuban by way of a second round knockout. Then Hernandez scored two early 1990's decisions over future Olympic gold medalist David Reid and a 1994 Goodwill Games stoppage of future WBO 154 pound champion David Santos. Hernandez' celebrated amateur career also saw him defeat future contender Ross Thompson and score two decision victories over Patrick Byrd (the younger brother of Chris).

Another special Cuban was 165 pounder Ariel Hernandez. Ariel defeated future contender Stephan Ouellette at the 1989 Junior world championships before defeating the trio of future world ranked contender Joseph Laryea, IBF Super Middle Champ Sven Ottke and future heavyweight champion Chris Byrd on his way to winning the 1992 Olympic Gold Medal at 165 pounds in Barcelona. At the 1993 World Championships Ariel defeated both Ottke and future middleweight contender Raymond Joval on the way to that gold medal.
Antonio Tarver won a decision over future 168 pound WBA Champion Byron Mitchell at the 1994 Golden Gloves and again at the Olympic Festival that same year. At a 1994 Cuba-USA dual meet Tarver lost a decision to future Cruiserweight Champion Juan Carlos Gomez

Cuban great Felix Savon scored stoppage wins over David Tua (first round), Andrew Golota, Shannon Briggs and Davarryl Williamson and decisioned David Izon, Nate Jones, future WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chargaev, and future WBO champions Ray Mercer and Lamon Brewster, and Michael Bentt. The Cuban also stopped and decisioned Kirk Johnson.

Cuban Super heavyweight Jorge Luis Gonzalez scored 1987 Pan Am Games decisions over both Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe. Gonzalez also won the 1983 Pan-Am Games with a gold medal decision over the following years (1984) Olympic Champion Tyrell Biggs. On top of that, Gonzalez once scored a decision over fellow Cuban star Teofilo Stevenson. (Many knew already that Gonzalez had beaten Lennox as an amateur in those Pan-Am games but what most do not know is that only one week later, in the North American Championships, Lennox reversed the loss with a decision win in the finals.)

The 1971 Pan-American Games saw American heavyweight Duane Bobick cleanly defeat legendary Cuban Teofilo Stevenson. Stevenson on the other hand reversed the loss to Bobick later on in a different tournament, adding Bobick to a list of victims that includes future pro heavyweights Phillip Brown, Jose Ribalta, Tyrell Biggs (twice), Michael Dokes, Tony Tubbs, John Tate (at the 1976 Olympics) and Greg Page.

Cuba's very well regarded 165 pounder Bernardo Comas was a feared middleweight in the 1980's who defeated many top level boxers, including future two-time world champion Michael Nunn who ended up on the wrong end of an RSC loss in 1983.

Cuban Great Angel Espinosa defeated top Americans like Meldrick Taylor, Fabian Wiliams, Vincent Releford, Darin Allen and Jerome James. Espinosa also scored THREE unanimous decisions over future IBF light heavyweight Champion Henry Maske and, in the 1987 Pan American Games finals, Espinosa scored a decision over future WBO Middleweight Champion Otis Grant. In the 1986 world amateur championship tournament he beat future 168 pound contender Danny Sherry from Canada in the light middleweight class and he also defeated Otis' Brother, #1 world rated Howard Grant, at 139 pounds in the same tournament (1983 Junior Worlds) that he stopped Meldrick Taylor with a body shot in. Espinosa also scored a 1989 decision over future IBF 168 pound world champion Sven Ottke. (At one point in 1987, Espinosa was ranked Number 1 in the world at 165 pounds ahead of amateur stars like Henry Maske, Egerton Marcus, Joe Lipsey, Darin Allen and Sven Ottke).

John Revish scored a decision over future superstar Andre Ward at the National Silver Gloves in Lenexa, Kansas on February 7, 1998.

The only American I ever heard of that ever beat Espinosa was Bomani Parker (a.k.a. Parker White) in a 1986 CUBA-USA duel meet, no shame there, and Espinosa was thought of so highly by Otis Grant's coach, Russ Anber, that Russ told me once that Espinosa was the second best fighter he has ever seen fight in person... behind only Roy Jones, Junior.
1970's and 1980's era Cuban star Angel Herrera scored a 1976 decision over U.S. Olymian Davey Armstrong, a 1977 decision over future champ Rocky Lockridge and a 1978 decision over another future champ in Johnny Bumphus. Herrera's main nemesis as an amateur was U.S. 132 pounder Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker who defeated Herrera in four of their five meetings.

One more Cuban for you. Hector Vinent, a 139 pounds who between 1990 and 1993, scored decision wins over Sugar Shane Mosley, Oktay Urkel and Steve "Lil' But Bad" Johnston.

In the light heavyweight championship bout held in the finals of the 1979 New England Golden Gloves tournament in Lowell, Mass. its two participants were among the best boxers in the entire nation and it ended with Hartford's Kelvin Anderson winning a hard fought decision over New Bedford, Massachusetts boxer Andre McCoy to qualify for the 1979 national tournament.

Both Anderson and McCoy had been successful internationally as members of Team USA and were both considered to have realistic chances at making the 1980 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team. Sadly, neither boxer would get the chance to try as they were both members of the U.S. Boxing Team that perished less than a year later on a plane that crashed en route to an international meet in Poland, tragically killing each passenger.

(A statue of a "fallen boxer" that is dedicated to the entire team stands on display on the grounds of the U.S. Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.)
Amazingly, I was looking through an old issue tonight of the AMATEUR BOXER MAGAZINE that covered the 1987 Ohio State Fair Nationals. In it, the complete results of championship night were printed. You had me winning the 165 pound Open division title by decision over future Heavyweight contender Melvin Foster and you had quality boxers like "Too Sharp" Johnson, Vernez Duskin aka Kady King and Bones Adams winning titles, too. One thing I never noticed before, though, was that at 139 pounds in the senior JO division future cruiserweight contender Ravea Springs won a championship night decision over the guy I defeated in my last professional fight, Cleveland Nelson of Detroit.

Teofilo Stevenson never beat Greg Page. Or Mitch Green and Marvis Frazier for that matter.