Former welterweight champion Virgil Akins died this past Saturday in his native St. Louis at the age of 82. If this has been acknowkedged already I apologise...but it's the first I've heard of it.
May he rest in peace. Virgil "Honey Bear" Akins. I have a few of his fights, he was a good fighter, very durable. He fought everyone.
Virgil Akins (10 March 1928 – 22 January 2011) was an American boxer who won the undisputed Welterweight Championship of the World in 1958. Nicknamed ‘Honeybear’, Akins was the first World Champion boxer from St. Louis. Akins was born and died in St. Louis, Missouri. Akins was considered lanky, but proved nevertheless to be a powerful hitter with either hand. He began his career as a Lightweight in 1948, continuing to fight in that division for 6 years before finally growing into the Welterweight class. He was long considered to be an effective operator and boasted wins over future World Champions Joe Brown and Wallace ‘Bud’ Smith, as well as ending the incredible forty-seven fight winning streak of Ronnie Delaney, by way of knock-out in 1955. Akins had powered his way up the rankings in both divisions and finally got his chance of a World title once Carmen Basilio relinquished the Welterweight Championship to concentrate on defending his new Middleweight crown. An elimination tournament including six of the World’s top-rated Welterweights was swiftly established in an effort to find Basilio’s successor. Akins emerged the victor and new World Champion on 6 June 1958 by pounding favourite Vince Martinez to a fourth round destruction. All told, Martinez went down nine times, having never seriously recovered from a shattering right delivered early in the First. Akins's reign would not last long however. Six months later, he lost his title to Don Jordan by way of unanimous decision and in only his first defense. Akins disputed the result but fared no better in the return, held the following Spring. From that moment on, it was downhill all the way for the former champion, who would win just ten of his last twenty-three fights before hanging up his gloves in 1962. Akins died at the age of 82 on January 22nd of 2011. Virgil Akins Alias Honey Bear Country USA Global Id 23154 Hometown Saint Louis, Missouri, USA Birthplace Saint Louis, Missouri, USA Division Welterweight Born 1928-03-10 Career Record ©www.boxrec.com Date Opponent Location Result 1948-03-10 Albert Adams Saint Louis, US W PTS 6 1948-04-05 Charlie Baxter Saint Louis, US L TKO 3 1948-04-21 Charlie Baxter Saint Louis, US W PTS 6 1948-07-12 Ollie Cobbins Saint Louis, US W PTS 6 1948-11-23 Danny Robinson Saint Louis, US W PTS 6 1949-01-17 Joe Henderson Saint Louis, US W KO 3 1949-02-15 Russ Moore Wichita, US W KO 2 1949-03-08 Willie Cheatum Saint Louis, US W PTS 8 1949-03-30 Clem Custer Saint Louis, US W PTS 8 1949-09-29 Arthur Persley Sunnyside, Queens, US L PTS 6 1950-07-06 Nelson Levering Cheyenne, US L PTS 6 1950-07-15 Joe Fisher Denver, US L PTS 8 1950-10-05 Art Edmundson Saint Louis, US W PTS 8 1950-10-24 Nelson Levering Saint Louis, US W KO 2 1950-11-01 Rudy Zadell Saint Louis, US W TKO 3 1950-12-06 Joe Sgro Saint Louis, US W PTS 10 1951-01-18 Gene Parker Minneapolis, US L PTS 6 1951-03-09 Billy Neri New York, US W TKO 6 1951-04-04 Wallace (Bud) Smith Saint Louis, US W PTS 10 1951-04-17 Wallace (Bud) Smith Saint Louis, US W PTS 10 1951-05-25 Joe Brown New Orleans, US L UD 10 1951-06-08 Tommy Campbell New Orleans, US W UD 10 1951-07-06 Joe Brown New Orleans, US L PTS 10 1951-09-26 Freddie Dawson Saint Louis, US W SD 10 1951-10-17 Luther Rawlings Saint Louis, US W SD 10 1951-12-06 Joe Brown Saint Louis, US W UD 10 1951-12-14 Luther Rawlings New York, US L PTS 8 1952-02-08 Baby LeRoy Hollywood, US W TKO 4 1952-02-19 Joe Gilmer Los Angeles, US W TKO 9 1952-02-29 Henry Davis Hollywood, US W TKO 9 1952-05-07 Jay Watkins Chicago, US W KO 2 1952-07-30 Johnny Saxton Chicago, US L UD 10 1952-09-30 Joe Miceli Milwaukee, US L UD 10 1953-04-04 Johnny Gonsalves Chicago, US L MD 10 1953-08-29 Philip Kim Chicago, US L TKO 10 1954-06-02 Joey Greenwood Saint Louis, US W TKO 8 1954-10-16 Andrew Brown New Orleans, US L SD 10 1954-10-26 Henry Hank Detroit, US W UD 8 1955-03-02 Johnny Brown Miami, US W TKO 10 1955-03-15 Tommy Maddox Chicago, US W TKO 4 1955-04-08 Johnny Brown Saint Louis, US D PTS 8 1955-05-02 Ronnie Delaney New York, US W KO 8 1955-05-23 Joe Miceli New York, US W TKO 1 1955-06-21 Bill Sudduth Chicago, US W TKO 8 1955-08-08 Isaac Logart New York, US W SD 10 1955-09-13 Harold Jones Indianapolis, US W UD 10 1955-12-02 Isaac Logart New York, US L UD 10 1956-01-03 Rudolph Bent Holyoke, US W TKO 5 1956-01-19 Clarence Cook Dallas, US W KO 4 1956-01-26 Mel Barker East Saint Louis, US W TKO 8 1956-03-08 Andy Watkins East Saint Louis, US W TKO 2 1956-03-21 Hector Constance Saint Louis, US W UD 10 1956-06-21 Don Jose Monroe, US W TKO 4 1956-09-15 Charlie Sawyer Hollywood, US L UD 10 1956-10-22 Pat Lowry Miami, US W KO 2 1957-01-08 Sammy Walker Buffalo, US W UD 10 1957-01-31 Al Andrews Saint Louis, US W TKO 6 1957-03-04 Franz Szuzina Saint Louis, US W UD 10 1957-05-24 Jimmy Beecham Washington, US W TKO 3 1957-06-12 Walter Byars Norfolk, US W UD 10 1957-07-08 Franz Szuzina Saint Louis, US L UD 10 1957-08-09 Garnet Hart Cleveland, US W TKO 8 1957-09-18 Gil Turner Atlantic City, US L PTS 10 1957-10-29 Tony DeMarco Boston, US W KO 14 1958-01-21 Tony DeMarco Boston, US W TKO 12 1958-03-21 Isaac Logart New York, US W TKO 6 1958-06-06 Vince Martinez Saint Louis, US W TKO 4 1958-08-20 Charley 'Tombstone' Smith Chicago, US W TKO 10 1958-09-18 Del Flanagan Saint Paul, US L UD 10 1958-12-05 Don Jordan Los Angeles, US L UD 15 1959-04-24 Don Jordan Saint Louis, US L UD 15 1959-06-17 Luis Manuel Rodriguez Miami Beach, US L UD 10 1959-08-04 Stan Harrington Honolulu, US W PTS 10 1959-10-28 Kenny Lane Washington, US L MD 10 1959-12-10 Denny Moyer Portland, US L SD 10 1960-01-28 Don Fullmer Saint Louis, US L UD 10 1960-03-08 Wally Swift Wembley, UK L PTS 10 1960-04-01 Fernando Barreto Sao Paulo, BR W PTS 10 1960-05-20 Charley Scott Saint Louis, US W UD 10 1960-07-06 Luis Manuel Rodriguez Louisville, US L UD 10 1960-11-21 Carl Hubbard Chicago, US W KO 5 1960-12-06 Candy McFarland Philadelphia, US L SD 10 1961-01-16 TJ Jones Chicago, US W TKO 9 1961-03-04 Gerald Gray Kingston, JM W MD 10 1961-05-15 Billy Collins Chicago, US W PTS 10 1961-07-10 Cecil Shorts Chicago, US W TKO 8 1961-09-05 Henry White Chicago, US L MD 10 1961-09-22 Kenny Lane Annapolis, US L UD 10 1961-10-16 Jose Antonio Burgos Caracas, VE W TKO 10 1961-11-17 Stefan Redl Totowa, US D PTS 10 1961-12-13 Vince Bonomo Miami Beach, US W TKO 4 1961-12-27 Ralph Dupas Miami, US L UD 10 1962-03-20 Garland (Rip) Randall Houston, US L UD 10 Record to Date Won 60 (KOs 34) Lost 31 Drawn 2 Total 93 http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?hum...3154&cat=boxer
