Bermane Stiverne facts for kids

Bermane Stiverne was born on November 1, 1978. He is a professional boxer from Haiti and Canada. He was the WBC heavyweight champion from 2014 to 2015.

Boxing as an Amateur

Bermane Stiverne started boxing when he was 19 years old. As an amateur boxer, he won a silver medal in the super heavyweight division at the 2005 National Championships. He also won bronze medals in the 2003 and 2004 Championships.

In international competitions, he beat famous boxers like Robert Helenius and David Price. His total amateur record was 49 wins and 10 losses. Stiverne once said that he felt he was unfairly judged in a qualifying tournament for the Olympics. He believed he should have won the match.

Becoming a Professional Boxer

Starting His Career

Stiverne became a professional boxer with promoter Don King. He won his first twelve fights by knocking out his opponents, often using his strong left hook.

In 2007, he lost a fight by TKO (Technical Knockout) to Demetrice King. In January 2011, he knocked out Kertson Manswell in the second round. This win helped him get several important titles, including the WBC International and WBA Fedelatin heavyweight titles.

On June 25, 2011, he fought Ray Austin for the WBC Silver heavyweight title. Stiverne won this fight by TKO in the tenth round. This victory made him the official challenger for the WBC heavyweight championship.

Winning the WBC Heavyweight Title

Stiverne vs. Arreola II

On December 19, 2013, the WBC announced that Bermane Stiverne and Chris Arreola would fight for the world heavyweight championship. The title had become available after Vitali Klitschko gave it up. This fight was a rematch of their earlier match in April 2013, which Stiverne had won.

The title fight took place on May 10, 2014, in Los Angeles, California. Even though Stiverne had won their previous fight, some people thought Arreola would win this time. However, Stiverne won the rematch by a technical knockout in the sixth round. He hit Arreola with a strong right hand, and the referee stopped the fight. Bermane Stiverne became the first boxer born in Haiti to win a world heavyweight championship. The President of Haiti, Michel Martelly, congratulated him on this big achievement.

Stiverne vs. Wilder

Stiverne defended his WBC heavyweight title for the first time against Deontay Wilder. Wilder had won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games. The fight happened on January 17, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stiverne lost the fight by a unanimous decision, meaning all the judges thought Wilder won. Wilder landed more punches during the twelve rounds.

After Losing the Title

The Cancelled Povetkin Fight

In 2016, the WBC said that Alexander Povetkin should fight Stiverne for an interim WBC heavyweight title. However, the fight was cancelled just before it was supposed to happen.

Stiverne vs. Wilder II

On November 4, 2017, Stiverne fought Deontay Wilder again for the WBC world heavyweight title. Before this fight, Stiverne had not been very active in boxing. He was the only boxer who had gone all twelve rounds with Wilder in a previous match. However, this rematch was short. Stiverne was knocked out in the first round. He only threw four punches in the entire fight, and none of them connected.

Stiverne vs. Joyce

In 2019, Stiverne fought the undefeated British heavyweight boxer Joe Joyce. The fight took place on February 23. Joyce started the fight by throwing powerful punches. Stiverne, who was 40 years old, tried to counterattack but was mostly on the defensive. The referee stopped the fight in the sixth round, and Stiverne lost by TKO.

Stiverne vs. Bryan

On January 29, 2021, Stiverne faced Trevor Bryan, who was the WBA regular heavyweight champion. Bryan knocked Stiverne down twice. The referee stopped the fight shortly after the second knockdown in the eleventh round.

About Bermane Stiverne

Bermane Stiverne was born in Plaine-du-Nord, Haiti. He is the youngest of 14 children, with eight sisters and five brothers. In July 2011, he helped out at the Welcome Hall Mission in Montreal. He offered training and inspiration to young people experiencing homelessness there. Stiverne is also a fan of the Miami Heat basketball team.

Professional Boxing Record Summary