****, that is complete news to me. He always seemed to come across as a nice bloke, a bit like Arguello. All that coke must of done his brain in :-(
Michael Dokes died of liver cancer at age 54. He was a former WBA champ with tremendous handspeed. He had drug problems, but got his act together and got into fantastic shape for an awesome war with Evander Holyfiled, one of the best fights you'll ever see. He probably won more fans in that loss than in all his prior wins. I met him when I was a college kid, after that wonderful fight, but I think after he had been brutally KO'd by Razor Ruddock. He was nice to me and took a photo with me.
Way too young for Dokes. I meet him once, when he was a celebrity referee for the Monday amatuer boxing matchesa at Crocko's in Fort Lauderdale. Dokes was happy to talk, but in poor shape. And this was the mid 1990's.
Dokes waged a long, and often unsuccessful battle against drug addiction, which more than likely resulted in the legal trouble that he experienced later on in life. Whenever I watched him fight, there was always this sense of urgency that comes from never feeling at peace with yourself. Hopefully he gets that sense of peace now.