Howard Edward Davis Jr. (February 14, 1956 – December 30, 2015) was an American professional boxer. Growing up on Long Island as the eldest of 10 children, Davis first learned boxing from his father. After being inspired by a movie about Muhammad Ali, Davis embarked on his amateur career. He won the 1976 Olympic gold medal one week after his mother died. He was also awarded the Val Barker Trophy at the Olympics, beating out such boxers as Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael Spinks and Leon Spinks.[1]

Howard Davis
Davis with Chuck Liddell, 2009
Personal information
Full nameHoward Edward Davis Jr.
Born(1956-02-14)February 14, 1956
Glen Cove, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 30, 2015(2015-12-30) (aged 59)
Plantation, Florida, U.S.
Height1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
SportBoxing
Weight classLightweight and Featherweight
Medal record
Men's boxing
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1976 Montreal Lightweight
World Amateur Championships
Gold medal – first place 1974 Havana Featherweight

He turned professional after the Olympics and went on to compile a professional record of 36–6–1 with 14 knockouts. He retired in 1996.[1] After retirement he became a trainer. Eventually he worked as boxing director at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, where he trained both amateur and professional boxers and MMA fighters. He was also a motivational speaker and a musician.

Amateur career

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As an amateur, Davis was trained by his father, a former boxer. He had an outstanding amateur career. In 1976, Davis won the Olympic gold medal in the lightweight division in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Davis was also named the Outstanding Boxer of the 1976 Olympics and given the Val Barker Trophy. His Olympic teammates included Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael Spinks and Leon Spinks.

His Olympic victory came just one week after his mother died of a heart attack.

Davis had an amateur record of 125–5.

Amateur accomplishments include:

Professional career

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Davis turned professional in 1977. After winning his first thirteen fights, he challenged Jim Watt for the WBC lightweight title in 1980. Watt won by a fifteen-round unanimous decision. In 1984, with a record of 26–1, Davis fought Edwin Rosario for the WBC lightweight title. Rosario retained his title with a twelve-round split decision. His final attempt to win a world title came in 1988. Davis was stunningly knocked out in the first round by IBF junior welterweight champion Buddy McGirt. He retired after the fight. In 1994, Davis launched a comeback as a middleweight. He retired for good after losing by second-round knockout to Dana Rosenblatt on April 13, 1996.

He finished with a professional record of 36–6–1 with 14 KO's.[2]

Honors

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In August 1976, Davis' hometown of Glen Cove, New York honored Davis with a parade for his Olympic achievement, which was attended by Lt. Governor Mary Anne Krupsak.

In July 2009, Glen Cove honored Davis by naming a street after him. The Mayor also proclaimed July 10 as Howard Davis Day in honor of both father and son.[3]

Personal life

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In 1981, Davis had his Olympic Gold Medal stolen from his home, only to be found years later by a landscaper on the side of the road. After discovering the true value of the medal, the landscaper returned the medal to Davis.[4]

Davis served as a boxing trainer to MMA fighters, including Chuck Liddell and fighters from American Top Team. He also worked as a sports commentator, a public speaker, and a promoter for Fight Time Promotions. Davis was a boxing coach/trainer for Chuck Liddell on The Ultimate Fighter 11.[5] Davis' wife Karla Guadamuz-Davis served as his Publicist and Business Manager.

Davis followed a strict vegetarian diet.[6]

Davis' son Dyah is also a former professional boxer, who transitioned to a coaching career and is a boxing coach at the American Top Team.[7]

Death

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In the summer of 2015 Davis learned that he had incurable, late-stage lung cancer.[8] He died on December 30, 2015, from the disease at the age of 59.[9]

Professional boxing record

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43 fights 36 wins 6 losses
By knockout 14 2
By decision 22 4
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
43 Loss 36–6–1   Dana Rosenblatt KO 2 (12), 2:00 13 Apr 1996   TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, US For the WBU Middleweight Championship.
42 Win 36–5–1   Humberto Aranda PTS 10 29 Jun 1995   Ukrainian Cultural Center, Somerset, New Jersey, US
41 Win 35–5–1   Glenn Odem UD 10 4 May 1995   Ukrainian Cultural Center, Somerset, New Jersey, US
40 Win 34–5–1   Joaquin Velasquez UD 10 19 Jan 1995   Ukrainian Cultural Center, Somerset, New Jersey, US
39 Win 33–5–1   Rip Rettig TKO 7 (10) 17 Nov 1994   Ukrainian Cultural Center, Somerset, New Jersey, US
38 Loss 32–5–1   Buddy McGirt KO 1 (15), 2:45 31 Jul 1988   Felt Forum, New York, New York, US For the IBF Super Lightweight Championship.
37 Win 32–4–1   Ron Johnson UD 10 28 Apr 1988   Teachers Union Hall, Dorchester, Boston, US
36 Win 31–4–1   Shelton LeBlanc UD 10 25 Mar 1988   Felt Forum, New York, New York, US
35 Win 30–4–1   Ali Kareem Muhammad TKO 9 (10), 2:15 21 Jan 1988   Felt Forum, New York, New York, US
34 Loss 29–4–1   Héctor Camacho UD 10 2 May 1987   Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
33 Win 29–3–1   Othal Dixon UD 10 27 Feb 1987   Trump Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
32 Draw 28–3–1   Meldrick Taylor SD 10 16 Aug 1986   Sands Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
31 Loss 28–3   Joe Manley UD 10 28 Feb 1986   Golden Nugget Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
30 Win 28–2   Sammy Matos TKO 4 (10) 16 Oct 1985   New Brunswick High School, New Brunswick, New Jersey, US
29 Win 27–2   Bobby Johnson UD 10 14 Dec 1984   Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, US
28 Loss 26–2   Edwin Rosario SD 12 23 Jun 1984   Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico For the WBC Lightweight Championship.
27 Win 26–1   Darrell Stovall TKO 2 (10), 1:48 16 May 1984   Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, US
26 Win 25–1   Connie Swift RTD 8 (10), 3:00 3 Mar 1984   Bally's Park Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
25 Win 24–1   Greg Coverson TKO 8 (10), 2:36 18 Jun 1983   Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
24 Win 23–1   George Feeney UD 10 10 Apr 1983   Sanremo, Italy
23 Win 22–1   Tony Baltazar UD 10 27 Feb 1983   Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
22 Win 21–1   Claude Noel UD 10 12 Nov 1982   Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida, US
21 Win 20–1   Ezequiel Cocoa Sanchez UD 10 16 Oct 1982   Golden Nugget Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
20 Win 19–1   James Martinez TKO 6 (10) 26 Aug 1982   Sands Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
19 Win 18–1   Anthony Collins RTD 3 (10) 22 Jul 1982   Sands Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
18 Win 17–1   Julio Valdez UD 10 3 Jun 1982   Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
17 Win 16–1   Angel Cruz UD 10 16 Apr 1981   Felt Forum, New York, New York, US
16 Win 15–1   Larry Stanton RTD 8 (10), 3:00 26 Jun 1981   Colonie Hill Catering Hall, Hauppauge, New York, US
15 Win 14–1   Johnny Lira UD 10 6 Dec 1980   Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, US
14 Loss 13–1   Jim Watt UD 15 7 Jun 1980   Ibrox Park, Glasgow, Scotland, UK For the WBC Lightweight Championship.
13 Win 13–0   Vilomar Fernandez UD 12 23 Feb 1980   Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
12 Win 12–0   Maurice Watkins UD 10 14 Sep 1979   The Summit, Houston, Texas, US
11 Win 11–0   Jose Hernandez KO 7 (10), 2:50 17 Jun 1979   Convention Center Arena, San Antonio, Texas, US
10 Win 10–0   Giancarlo Usai KO 3 (10), 0:28 20 Apr 1979   Felt Forum, New York, New York, US
9 Win 9–0   Luis Davila UD 10 4 Nov 1978   Resorts International Hotel & Casino, Superstar Theatr, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
8 Win 8–0   Norman Goins UD 10 9 Jul 1978   Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, US
7 Win 7–0   Larry Stanton SD 10 13 May 1978   Orlando Sports Stadium, Orlando, Florida, US
6 Win 6–0   Jose Fernandez UD 8 4 Feb 1978   Aladdin Theater, Las Vegas, Nevada, US
5 Win 5–0   Arturo Pineda TKO 4 (8) 13 Sep 1977   Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, US
4 Win 4–0   Domenick Monaco TKO 8 (8), 2:17 17 Jul 1977   Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, US
3 Win 3–0   Carlos Rico Gonzalez UD 6 11 May 1977   Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, US
2 Win 2–0   Rick Craney KO 3 (6), 1:35 20 Mar 1977   Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, Kentucky, US
1 Win 1–0   Jose Resto UD 6 15 Jan 1977   The Aladdin, Las Vegas, Nevada, US Professional debut

References

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  1. ^ a b "HOWARD DAVIS JR". howarddavisjr.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-22.
  2. ^ "Howard Davis Jr.: Boxing Let's Talk" Archived 2017-02-27 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Olympic Champ Howard Davis Jr. is honored in Hometown of Glen Cove, NY"
  4. ^ Kay, Jennifer (2016-01-01). "Howard Davis Jr., boxer who won Olympic gold while in mourning, dies at 59". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  5. ^ ""The Ultimate Fighter 11" debut". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2010-03-06. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  6. ^ Wong, Nick. (2016). "Boxing Gold Medalist and MMA Coach Howard Davis Jr. Dies at Age 59". Vice Sports. Retrieved 6 Feb. 2019.
  7. ^ Mike Straus (May 2, 2019). "ATT boxing coach Dyah Davis opens up on his work with Dustin Poirier". bjpenn.com.
  8. ^ "Boxing great Howard Davis Jr. calls cancer battle 'fight time'". The Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2015-12-31.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "Howard Davis, most outstanding boxer at 1976 Olympics, dead at 59". Yahoo Sports. 31 December 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
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