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Howard Davis Jr. facts for kids

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Howard Davis
Davis and liddell.jpg
Davis with Chuck Liddell, 2009
Personal information
Nationality American
Born (1956-02-14)February 14, 1956
Glen Cove, New York, U.S.
Died December 30, 2015(2015-12-30) (aged 59)
Plantation, Florida, U.S.
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 60 kilograms (132 lb)
Sport
Sport Boxing
Weight class Lightweight and Featherweight
Medal record
Men's boxing
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold 1976 Montreal Lightweight
World Amateur Championships
Gold 1974 Havana Featherweight

Howard Edward Davis Jr. (February 14, 1956 – December 30, 2015) was an American professional boxer. Growing up on Long Island as the eldest of 10 children, Davis first learned boxing from his father. After being inspired by a movie about Muhammad Ali, Davis embarked on his amateur career. He won the 1976 Olympic gold medal one week after his mother died. He was also awarded the Val Barker Trophy at the Olympics, beating out such boxers as Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael Spinks and Leon Spinks.

He turned professional after the Olympics and went on to compile a professional record of 36–6–1 with 14 knockouts. He retired in 1996. After retirement he became a trainer. Eventually he worked as boxing director at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, where he trained both amateur and professional boxers and MMA fighters. He was also a motivational speaker and a musician.

Amateur career

As an amateur, Davis was trained by his father, a former boxer. He had an outstanding amateur career. In 1976, Davis won the Olympic gold medal in the lightweight division in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Davis was also named the Outstanding Boxer of the 1976 Olympics and given the Val Barker Trophy. His Olympic teammates included Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael Spinks and Leon Spinks.

His Olympic victory came just one week after his mother died of a heart attack.

Davis had an amateur record of 125–5.

Amateur accomplishments include:

  • 1973 National AAU Champion (125 lb)
    • Defeated Leroy Veasley of Detroit in the final
  • 1974 World Championships (125 lbs) in Havana, Cuba
    • Defeated Roberto Andino (Puerto Rico) on points
    • Defeated Rumen Peshev (Bulgaria) on points
    • Defeated Eddie Ndukwu (Nigeria) on points
    • Defeated Mariano Álvarez (Cuba) on points
    • Defeated Boris Kuznetsov (Soviet Union) on points
  • 1976 National AAU Champion (132 lbs)
  • 1976 Olympic Trials
  • 1976 Summer Olympics – Gold Medal (132 lbs) and Val Barker Award winner for Most Outstanding Boxer of the Games
    • Round of 32: Defeated Yukio Segawa (Japan) won on points
    • Round of 16: Defeated Leonidas Asprilla (Colombia) won by KO 2
    • Quarterfinal:; Defeated Tsvetan Tsvetkov (Bulgaria) won by TKO 3
    • Semifinal: Defeated Ace Rusevski (Yugoslavia) won on points
    • Final: Defeated Simion Cuţov (Romania) won on points

Professional career

Davis turned professional in 1977. After winning his first thirteen fights, he challenged Jim Watt for the WBC lightweight title in 1980. Watt won by a fifteen-round unanimous decision. In 1984, with a record of 26–1, Davis fought Edwin Rosario for the WBC lightweight title. Rosario retained his title with a twelve-round split decision. His final attempt to win a world title came in 1988. Davis was stunningly knocked out in the first round by IBF junior welterweight champion Buddy McGirt. He retired after the fight. In 1994, Davis launched a comeback as a middleweight. He retired for good after losing by second-round knockout to Dana Rosenblatt on April 13, 1996.

He finished with a professional record of 36–6–1 with 14 KO's.

Honors

In August 1976, Davis' hometown of Glen Cove, New York honored Davis with a parade for his Olympic achievement, which was attended by Lt. Governor Mary Anne Krupsak.

In July 2009, Glen Cove honored Davis by naming a street after him. The Mayor also proclaimed July 10 as Howard Davis Day in honor of both father and son.

Personal life

In 1981, Davis had his Olympic Gold Medal stolen from his home, only to be found years later by a landscaper on the side of the road. After discovering the true value of the medal, the landscaper returned the medal to Davis.

Davis served as a boxing trainer to MMA fighters, including Chuck Liddell and fighters from American Top Team. He also worked as a sports commentator, a public speaker, and a promoter for Fight Time Promotions. Davis was a boxing coach/trainer for Chuck Liddell on The Ultimate Fighter 11. Davis' wife Karla Guadamuz-Davis served as his Publicist and Business Manager.

Davis followed a strict vegetarian diet.

Davis' son Dyah is also a former professional boxer, who transitioned to a coaching career and is a boxing coach at the American Top Team.

Death

In the summer of 2015 Davis learned that he had incurable, late-stage lung cancer. He died on December 30, 2015 from the disease at the age of 59.

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary
43 fights 36 wins 6 losses
By knockout 14 2
By decision 22 4
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
43 Loss 36–6–1 United States Dana Rosenblatt KO 2 (12), 2:00 13 Apr 1996 United States TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, US For the WBU Middleweight Championship.
42 Win 36–5–1 Costa Rica Humberto Aranda PTS 10 29 Jun 1995 United States Ukrainian Cultural Center, Somerset, New Jersey, US
41 Win 35–5–1 United States Glenn Odem UD 10 4 May 1995 United States Ukrainian Cultural Center, Somerset, New Jersey, US
40 Win 34–5–1 Dominican Republic Joaquin Velasquez UD 10 19 Jan 1995 United States Ukrainian Cultural Center, Somerset, New Jersey, US
39 Win 33–5–1 United States Rip Rettig TKO 7 (10) 17 Nov 1994 United States Ukrainian Cultural Center, Somerset, New Jersey, US
38 Loss 32–5–1 United States Buddy McGirt KO 1 (15), 2:45 31 Jul 1988 United States Felt Forum, New York, New York, US For the IBF Super Lightweight Championship.
37 Win 32–4–1 United States Ron Johnson UD 10 28 Apr 1988 United States Teachers Union Hall, Dorchester, Boston, US
36 Win 31–4–1 United States Shelton LeBlanc UD 10 25 Mar 1988 United States Felt Forum, New York, New York, US
35 Win 30–4–1 United States Ali Kareem Muhammad TKO 9 (10), 2:15 21 Jan 1988 United States Felt Forum, New York, New York, US
34 Loss 29–4–1 Puerto Rico Héctor Camacho UD 10 2 May 1987 United States Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
33 Win 29–3–1 United States Othal Dixon UD 10 27 Feb 1987 United States Trump Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
32 Draw 28–3–1 United States Meldrick Taylor SD 10 16 Aug 1986 United States Sands Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
31 Loss 28–3 United States Joe Manley UD 10 28 Feb 1986 United States Golden Nugget Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
30 Win 28–2 United States Sammy Matos TKO 4 (10) 16 Oct 1985 United States New Brunswick High School, New Brunswick, New Jersey, US
29 Win 27–2 United States Bobby Johnson UD 10 14 Dec 1984 United States Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, US
28 Loss 26–2 Puerto Rico Edwin Rosario SD 12 23 Jun 1984 Puerto Rico Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico For the WBC Lightweight Championship.
27 Win 26–1 United States Darrell Stovall TKO 2 (10), 1:48 16 May 1984 United States Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, US
26 Win 25–1 United States Connie Swift RTD 8 (10), 3:00 3 Mar 1984 United States Bally's Park Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
25 Win 24–1 United States Greg Coverson TKO 8 (10), 2:36 18 Jun 1983 United States Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
24 Win 23–1 United Kingdom George Feeney UD 10 10 Apr 1983 Italy Sanremo, Italy
23 Win 22–1 United States Tony Baltazar UD 10 27 Feb 1983 United States Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
22 Win 21–1 Trinidad and Tobago Claude Noel UD 10 12 Nov 1982 United States Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida, US
21 Win 20–1 Dominican Republic Ezequiel Cocoa Sanchez UD 10 16 Oct 1982 United States Golden Nugget Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
20 Win 19–1 United States James Martinez TKO 6 (10) 26 Aug 1982 United States Sands Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
19 Win 18–1 United States Anthony Collins RTD 3 (10) 22 Jul 1982 United States Sands Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
18 Win 17–1 Dominican Republic Julio Valdez UD 10 3 Jun 1982 United States Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
17 Win 16–1 United States Angel Cruz UD 10 16 Apr 1981 United States Felt Forum, New York, New York, US
16 Win 15–1 United States Larry Stanton RTD 8 (10), 3:00 26 Jun 1981 United States Colonie Hill Catering Hall, Hauppauge, New York, US
15 Win 14–1 United States Johnny Lira UD 10 6 Dec 1980 United States Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, US
14 Loss 13–1 United Kingdom Jim Watt UD 15 7 Jun 1980 United Kingdom Ibrox Park, Glasgow, Scotland, UK For the WBC Lightweight Championship.
13 Win 13–0 Dominican Republic Vilomar Fernandez UD 12 23 Feb 1980 United States Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
12 Win 12–0 United States Maurice Watkins UD 10 14 Sep 1979 United States The Summit, Houston, Texas, US
11 Win 11–0 Mexico Jose Hernandez KO 7 (10), 2:50 17 Jun 1979 United States Convention Center Arena, San Antonio, Texas, US
10 Win 10–0 Italy Giancarlo Usai KO 3 (10), 0:28 20 Apr 1979 United States Felt Forum, New York, New York, US
9 Win 9–0 Puerto Rico Luis Davila UD 10 4 Nov 1978 United States Resorts International Hotel & Casino, Superstar Theatr, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
8 Win 8–0 United States Norman Goins UD 10 9 Jul 1978 United States Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, US
7 Win 7–0 United States Larry Stanton SD 10 13 May 1978 United States Orlando Sports Stadium, Orlando, Florida, US
6 Win 6–0 Dominican Republic Jose Fernandez UD 8 4 Feb 1978 United States Aladdin Theater, Las Vegas, Nevada, US
5 Win 5–0 Mexico Arturo Pineda TKO 4 (8) 13 Sep 1977 United States Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, US
4 Win 4–0 Italy Domenick Monaco TKO 8 (8), 2:17 17 Jul 1977 United States Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, US
3 Win 3–0 United States Carlos Rico Gonzalez UD 6 11 May 1977 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, US
2 Win 2–0 United States Rick Craney KO 3 (6), 1:35 20 Mar 1977 United States Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, Kentucky, US
1 Win 1–0 Puerto Rico Jose Resto UD 6 15 Jan 1977 United States The Aladdin, Las Vegas, Nevada, US Professional debut
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