Favorite old school boxer(s) from your area

The late Edgar “Mad Dog” Ross was from my hometown. As is Deontay Wilder.

As for my home state (Alabama), both Joe Louis and Evander Holyfield were born there.

 

https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/slobodan-kačar-the-only-one-serbian-world-champion.680439/

 

I'm from Florida as well. There was a guy by the name of John Coward who fought out of the Fort Lauderdale area where I grew up who looked like a future World Champion, but just kind of disappeared. He was probably my favorite of all the local fighters. Phil Jackson, Lamar Murphy, and Randall Bailey were all from the area as well.

Razor Ruddock was from Jamaica, but he lived in my hometown around his peak. Used to see him and his Brother Delroy in his yellow Lamborghini around town on occasion. Ruddock had a night club called Razor's Palace nearby.

Keith Thurmond lives in the same city I currently live in. Winky Wright & Jeff Lacy fought out of nearby St. Petersburg. Antonio Tarver out of Tampa.

 

Lennox Lewis lived and trained in Crayford, Kent. As a teenager I would often see him running in the area and around Danson Park in Bexleyheath. These days I have Moses Itauma living 20 minutes down the road in Gravesend, Kent…

 

Philadelphia so it's a long list. Some of my favorites would be some obvious ones in Frazier Briscoe Benton and Joey G. Can't forget the Animal FF

 

From Florida?
The Gray Brothers ( Mainly Bernard , Joe, and Cliff from Boynton Bch) Bernard fought Mel Taylor for the opportunity to go to the 84 Olympics, a lot of people thought he beat him, but Taylor was the star and got the nod.
" Kid" Gavilan used to be at the old Varricks gym in Miami, I had the honor of him watching me fight a couple times in the early 80's.
One of the nicest human beings I've ever met.
Unlike Jeff Simms who I never met, but he grew up about 20 miles ( he was from Belle Glade) from where I grew up.
Never met anyone who liked the guy, even some of his family members.

 

Freddie Steele
Greg Haugen
Al Hostak
Boone Kirkman

 

We had a few guys who fought out of Indy who came out of the PAL gym where I went as a teenager- Marion "Tiger" Thomas, Tom Prater, Norman Goins, and Ric Enis, but the nicest guy I ever met back in the day was Gary Gamble. He was a journeyman pro with a few good wins who got to fight Boza Edwards on NBC Sportsworld and Tyrone Crawley on PRISM and ended up being a land surveyor for the city. What I remember was how dominant he was at the local amateur level- seemingly untouchable, and how he looked great early as a pro but that he looked small and utterly overmatched and overpowered against Boza. Shocked me to see the number of levels there were and felt bad for my buddy.

 

Hi Guys.
I was born and brought up in Islington ( not sure if many will know where it is ) we had a few : Terry Allen-fly champ, Arthur Howard a good LHW, and Alby Hollister a better than average MW, who floored Turpin, on the way to a defeat.
stay safe guys.

 

From my State, São Paulo:
Eder Jofre,
Miguel de Oliveira, (born literally a few km from where I grew up)
Luis Ignacio (beat Mauro Mina, fought Archie Moore),
Oripes dos Santos (fought Howard Winstone, Ismael Laguna),
João Mendonça (big talent but had many problems outside of the ring).

 

I guess you win unless someone here is from NEw York.

 

From my original hometown of Liverpool, UK, I’d say John Conteh. I liked Shea Neary as well, met him a few times. Liked watching Paul Hodkinson as well.
My home for last 20 years has been the Atlanta, Georgia area, so the main one is Holyfield (I know he wasn’t born here, but he fought out of here).

 

George Foreman.

 

Damn, a Bernard Gray mention. I remember seeing him fight Tracy Spann, who was 24-0 at the time, on TV back in 1990. Gray was boxing very well until being caught with a shot in the 6th and KO'd. After that, Spann immediately went over to Gray's corner and there was a confrontation with Gray's cornermen IIRC.

Gray seemed like a very skillful boxer. Had no idea he was from Boynton. Also didn't know there was a Joe & Cliff Gray. Good post.