Adolpho Washington facts for kids

Adolpho Washington, born on September 7, 1967, is a retired professional boxer from the United States. He was a champion in the cruiserweight division, holding the IBF (International Boxing Federation) title from 1996 to 1997. He also challenged for other world titles in both cruiserweight and light heavyweight boxing.

Adolpho Washington's Boxing Journey

Adolpho Washington started his professional boxing career in 1989. He began fighting in the light heavyweight division. Early in his career, in 1990, he had a loss to a fighter named K. Casimier. However, he later showed his skill by beating a strong fighter named Drake Thadzi.

First Title Shot

In 1993, Adolpho got his first chance to fight for a major title. He faced Virgil Hill, who was the WBA Light Heavyweight Title holder. During the fight, something unusual happened in the 11th round. Adolpho accidentally bumped his head on a TV camera, which caused a cut. Because of the cut, he could not continue the fight. He was losing the fight at that point, and so he lost by a technical decision.

Becoming a Cruiserweight Champion

The next year, Adolpho moved up to a heavier weight class called cruiserweight. He won a fight against Iran Barkley. He then fought for the WBC Cruiserweight Title against Anaclet Wamba, but the fight ended in a draw, meaning neither boxer won.

A year later, he won a fight by knockout against David Izegwire. He then challenged Orlin Norris for the WBA Cruiserweight Title. It was a very close fight, but Adolpho lost by a small decision.

In 1996, Adolpho Washington finally won a world title! He surprised many people by defeating Torsten May, an undefeated former Olympic Gold medalist, to win the IBF Cruiserweight Title. This was a big moment in his career.

However, in his very next fight, he lost the title to Uriah Grant. After this, Adolpho never fought for a major world title again.

Later Career and Retirement

After losing his title, Adolpho Washington had a few more fights. He lost rematches to both Orlin Norris and Torsten May.

In 1999, he fought James Toney. This was the only time Adolpho was stopped in a fight before the final round, as the referee ended the match because Adolpho was bleeding a lot from his nose. His last fight was in 2001, when he lost to Vassily Jirov. After that fight, Adolpho Washington decided to retire from boxing.

See also

• List of world cruiserweight boxing champions