Frankie Randall facts for kids

Frankie Billy Randall (born September 25, 1961 – died December 23, 2020) was an American professional boxer. He competed in boxing from 1983 to 2005. People knew him as "The Surgeon" because of his precise boxing style.

Frankie Randall was a world champion three times. He held titles in the light welterweight division. These titles were from the WBA and WBC. He held them between 1994 and 1997. Randall is famous for being the first boxer to beat Julio César Chávez. Chávez was a legendary boxer who had almost never lost a fight before.

Frankie Randall's Boxing Journey

Frankie Randall was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He grew up in Morristown, Tennessee. He started his professional boxing career in 1981. Before that, he was an amateur boxer. He won his first professional fight in June 1981.

Between 1983 and 1985, Randall won 23 fights. In June 1985, he fought Edwin Rosario. Rosario was a former and future champion. Randall lost this fight by a unanimous decision.

In 1986, Randall had a draw with Freddie Pendleton. This was for a regional lightweight title. Later, in 1987, he was knocked out by Primo Ramos. This was for another regional belt.

After this, Randall joined promoter Don King. For the next six years, he fought on big boxing events. He won all 17 of these fights. In January 1993, he got another chance at a title. He knocked out Edwin Rosario in a rematch.

The Big Fight: Randall vs. Chávez

On January 29, 1994, Frankie Randall fought Julio César Chávez. This was for a world title. The fight took place at the new MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Chávez was a huge favorite to win. He had an amazing record of 89 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw.

Randall started the fight very strong. He won the early rounds. He built a good lead on the judges' scorecards. Chávez fought back hard in the later rounds. By the 10th round, Randall had a small lead. Chávez then hit Randall with an illegal low blow. This cost Chávez a point.

In the 11th round, Randall did something amazing. He knocked Chávez down. This was the very first time Chávez had ever been knocked down in his career. Frankie Randall won the fight by a split decision. He became the WBC light welterweight champion. Chávez disagreed with the decision. He wanted a rematch right away.

Rematch Against Chávez

Chávez got his rematch on May 7, 1994. He won back the title from Randall. This fight ended early due to an accidental head clash. Chávez was injured and could not continue. Randall was docked a point for the incident. This point deduction was important for the final decision.

On September 17, Randall fought for another title. He beat Juan Martin Coggi for the WBA light welterweight title. He defended his title two times. Then, he lost it in a rematch to Coggi in January 1996. That fight also ended early because of a head clash.

Seven months later, Randall won the WBA title back. He beat Coggi again in Buenos Aires, Argentina. But he lost it in his very next fight. This was against Khalid Rahilou in January 1997.

After a break, Randall tried to become a world champion for a fourth time. He won two warm-up fights. Then, he faced Oba Carr in February 1999. Carr beat him by a unanimous decision.

Third Fight Against Chávez

On May 22, 2004, Julio César Chávez chose Randall for his last fight. Randall lost this 10-round fight to Chávez in Mexico City.

Retirement

Frankie Randall officially retired on January 1, 2005. This was after losing a fight to Marco Antonio Rubio. He fought two more times that year, losing both. Randall's final record was 58 wins, 18 losses, and one draw. He won 42 of his fights by knockout.

His Passing

Frankie Randall passed away on December 23, 2020. He died in his hometown of Morristown, Tennessee. His death was due to health issues related to his boxing career.

Frankie Randall's Boxing Record Summary

Frankie Randall had a long and successful boxing career. Here is a quick summary of his professional record: