Clyde Gray facts for kids

Clyde Gray, born on March 10, 1947, is a famous Canadian boxer. He fought professionally in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. He competed in different weight classes, like welterweight and middleweight.

Clyde won important titles, including the Canadian welterweight title. He also became the Commonwealth welterweight champion. He even challenged for world titles multiple times. He fought for the World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight titles. His weight changed during his career, from about 144 lb (65 kg; 10 st 4 lb) (welterweight) to 155+1⁄2 lb (70.5 kg; 11 st 1.5 lb) (middleweight). His manager was Irving Ungerman, and he was trained by Teddy McWhorter and Lee Black.

Clyde Gray's Big Fights

Clyde Gray had an exciting career with many important matches. He faced some of the best boxers in the world. These fights helped show his skill and determination in the ring.

Challenging José Nápoles for the World Title

On September 22, 1973, Clyde Gray got a huge chance. He challenged the world welterweight champion, José Nápoles. This big fight took place at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada. It was even shown on TV in both Canada and the United States. Famous sports commentators Howard Cosell and Muhammad Ali talked about the fight.

Clyde Gray was ranked second in the WBC at the time. He fought very well for all 15 rounds. However, Nápoles was a truly skilled boxer and won the fight. The judges all agreed that Nápoles was the winner. In this fight, something new happened. The judges' scores were shown to the TV audience after each round. This meant Clyde and his team knew he was behind. They knew he had to fight harder in the last rounds to win. Clyde's manager, Irving Ungerman, hoped this new scoring system would become normal. Howard Cosell agreed, but it did not become a regular thing.

Facing José "Pipino" Cuevas

On August 6, 1977, Clyde Gray fought another world champion. This time, it was José "Pipino" Cuevas, the WBA world welterweight champion. The fight happened in Los Angeles. By this time, Clyde was nearing the end of his boxing career.

Even so, he started the fight well against Cuevas, who was known for hitting hard. But in the second round, Cuevas began to take control. He landed several strong punches. Clyde was knocked down by a left punch. Surprisingly, the referee counted him out quickly, and the fight ended at 1 minute and 28 seconds into the round. Clyde Gray earned $12,500 for this match. Cuevas later said, "It was an easier fight than I expected. I thought it would go on a bit longer."

Clyde Gray's Family

Clyde Gray has a brother who was also a boxer. His younger brother was named Stewart Gray. Stewart passed away on February 22, 1972.