For starters, I’m not talking about Cubans or fighters from behind the Iron Curtain when there was no professional boxing defecting to a country where they could fight for a living legally as the State Department or international law defines it. So let’s please leave those for another thread. No, I’m talking about a different deed. Guys who had professional careers that were moving along (however successfully or less than successfully) who picked up their bags and relocated to another country to continue fighting. Maybe they won over the masses or caught the eye of a promoter … maybe they fought there once and liked it or met their true love and decided to stay … at least for a while. Here’s three to get us started. Mike Koranicki: A heavyweight from Ohio (apparently resided in Philly per boxrec) got his start in Miami, fought here and there and in late 1979 took an assignment to presumably serve as fodder for South African brute Kallie Knoetze in the latter’s homeland. Behind on points, Mike rallied for a KO win in the 10th and final round … and soon made South Africa his home. He only fought in the U.S. once after that, a point loss to then-undefeated Quick Tillis in Chicago, and the rest of his fights were in South Africa. Even though he got iced in one by Gerrie Coetzee in his next fight after Kallie, either SA liked him or he liked SA or some combination of the two. He was a gatekeeper for rising South African heavyweights but they also brought over opponents from the U.S., Argentina and the UK to fight him in SA like he was a hometown boy. He retired in 1983 and returned to the U.S., from what I understand. Roy Jones Jr: In the latter stages of his career that we mostly like to forget about, Roy fought in Russia several times and even, iirc, got dual citizenship. Alabama Kid: Born in Georgia, he settled in Ohio and had a prolific career (of note, he never fought in Alabama, resided there or for all I know even crossed into the state while traveling but somehow got that as his fighting name). In 1938, he went to Australia for a fight, won, and stayed 10 years fighting frequently. I believe he married and then had to come back to the U.S. and left his family there behind. There are more details on another thread about him if you care to use the search function. These are the kind of guys I’m talking about, so, again, let’s skip the actual defectors who were escaping places where they couldn’t box (or were oppressed for other reasons) from Russia and the Iron Curtain and focus on these other oddities.
Freddie Dawson started out in Chicago and spent most of the latter part of his career in Australia where he was immensely popular. Eddie Cotton was from Seattle, but was very popular in New Zealand where he won all five of his fights. Archie Moore's career had stalled in San Diego at the end of 1939 when he lost a six-round decision to Shorty Hogue. He moved to Australia for about six months and won all seven of his fights there to rejuvenate his career. Flipping to the other side of the coin, scads of fighters have left their homelands to fight mulitiple bouts in the USA: Paolino Uzcudun, Max Schmeling, Primo Carnera, Nino Bevenuti, Dick Tiger, Arturo Godoy, Anton Christoforidis, Anton Raadik, etc., etc., ...
Freddie Dawson was a great answer. I saw him on an Australian documentary, never heard of him before, he was scintillating. Couldn´t believe he was never a champion. Then read up on him and saw that Ike Williams was his nemesis (only managed a draw in 4 fights) and beat him via close decision in a title defense. Here´s footage of some of Dawson´s fights and I believe they also show some of Archie Moore´s fights you also mentioned: This content is protected
Yeah, there is certainly a bit of a one-way street (with some exceptions) in people coming to the U.S. to make a living in boxing. I have lol’d many times in the general forum when Kovalev and GGG fans talk about them being at some kind of disadvantage fighting in the U.S. — Kovalev lives in Florida, started his career in the U.S. and has fought the VAST majority of his fights here; GGG started abroad but settled in the U.S. a dozen years ago and fought the majority of his fights here.
John Mugabi and Boza-Edwards both moved from their native Uganda. Mugabi (and his less succesful friend John Munduga who fought a young Mark Breland and Darrin Van Horn) first moved to Germany before making the USA their permanent home. Boza relocated to England stll as an amateur (correct if I´m wrong) but definately started his pro career in the Uk. Until he got his non-title shot against Arguello he fought mostly in Britain and on winning the World crown he also relocated to the USA with the odd fight in the Uk. He did pick up the EBU crown, I think he wasn´t eligible for the British title because at the time you had to have lived in the UK at least 10 years. Shame as he would have been a brilliant British champion.
Czar Amonsot is interesting case. He built his record up mostly in Asia - Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea - had two fights in United States, including the brutal fight with Michael Katsidis. In that fight He suffered from brain bleed, which prevented him from fighting in U.S ever again. He eventually relocated to Australia, homeland of his rival Katsidis - and fought 21 straight fights there.
I like Choi Tseveenpurev, took a cut out of Mongolia, to South Korean and Thailand before settling in the north of England. Made a fair bit of dough too.
Federico Thompson is always said to be Argentine but he was Panamanian and fought his first 5 years there before relocating to Argentina Also Alfredo Evangelista was actually from Uruguay but relocated to Spain.
I said it a million times and posted a few links on it over the years, THAT Auzzie Footage is excellent if anyone has any doubt too the validity of Old Fighters from yesteryear... that is Archie Moore looking Pretty Darn Normal and that Film Footage is from 1939 and of course these Auzzie Films have others too. NO DIFF from today, except for the fact that Most of these Fighters did it every month or so and often times even more than that... and for years on end!!!
I had mentioned Alfredo Evangelista earlier, but re-reading the OP I see it was asked that the fighter begins his career in his native country before relocating. This DQ's Evangelista who turned pro in Spain. Another I had thought of which would also be disallowed would be Murray Sutherland of Scotland who, like Evangelista, turned pro in the States. However, I have 3 more: Avenamar Peralta - had around 80 pro bouts in Argentina before packing his bags for Spain, having another 60 or so bouts. Arthur Persley - had been fighting since 1947 (or thereabouts) before relocating to the Philippines in 1960 where he fought until '69. Paolo Rosi - had about 13 pro bouts in his native Italy before coming to NY where he fought very successfully including fighting for the lightweight title.
Any mention of Alfredo the Tomato is always welcome. Not sure what to make of the vagabond Lennox Lewis, who bounced around from the UK to Canada to the US so many times his head is still spinning.
