Darnell Boone facts for kids

Darnell Lamont Boone (born January 21, 1980) is an American professional boxer. He is known for fighting many future world champions during his career, even though he never fought for a world title himself. Boone competed in different weight classes, from middleweight to light heavyweight.

In 2004, Boone was the first boxer to knock down Andre Ward, an undefeated Olympic gold medalist. Even though Boone knocked him down, Ward still won the fight. In 2010, Boone surprised everyone when he knocked out Adonis Stevenson, who later became a world champion. Stevenson got his revenge by knocking out Boone in a rematch in 2013. Boone also beat Willie Monroe Jr. in 2011, who later fought for a world title twice. Other famous world champions Boone has faced include Jean Pascal, Erislandy Lara, and Sergey Kovalev.

Becoming a Boxer

Darnell Boone started boxing a bit later in life. He only had ten amateur fights before becoming a professional boxer in 2004. He got into boxing after visiting his younger brother's gym. In his very first training session, he even sparred with Kelly Pavlik, who later became a world champion!

Boone's Professional Fights

Boone had a record of 6 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw when he faced Andre Ward. Ward was a big favorite to win, but Boone took the fight with only one week's notice. Even though Boone knocked Ward down twice, he lost the fight by a unanimous decision. This means all the judges thought Ward won.

After improving his record to 10 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw, Boone fought other tough boxers like Enrique Ornelas and Anthony Thompson. He lost these fights by unanimous decisions. He also had a draw with Lajuan Simon and lost to Jean Pascal, who was undefeated at the time.

Big Win Against Adonis Stevenson

In April 2010, Boone took another fight on short notice against an undefeated boxer named Adonis Stevenson. Stevenson had won all 13 of his fights. Boone's record was 16 wins, 15 losses, and 2 draws, and he had lost his last five fights. But in a big surprise, Boone knocked out Stevenson just 17 seconds into the second round! Before this fight, Boone had been training himself.

Fighting Sergey Kovalev

Boone then took another short-notice fight against Sergey Kovalev, who was also undefeated at 17 wins and 1 draw. This was a light heavyweight fight. Boone fought hard and even knocked Kovalev down. However, Boone lost a point during the fight and eventually lost by a split decision. This means some judges thought Boone won, but most thought Kovalev won.

Boone continued to fight tough opponents. He beat Willie Monroe Jr. in 2011. In March 2013, Boone fought Adonis Stevenson again in a rematch. This time, Stevenson won by knockout in the sixth round. Boone's last fight was in November 2018, where he had a draw in his first fight at the cruiserweight weight class.

Darnell Boone's Boxing Record Summary