Jimmy Bivins facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Jimmy Bivins
Bivins in 1942
Statistics
Real name	James Louis Bivins
Rated at	Light Heavyweight
Nationality	American
Born	(1919-12-06)December 6, 1919 Dry Branch, Georgia, U.S.
Died	July 4, 2012(2012-07-04) (aged 92) Cleveland, Ohio
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	112
Wins	86
Wins by KO	31
Losses	26
Draws	1

James Louis Bivins (born December 6, 1919 – died July 4, 2012) was an amazing American boxer. He was known as a light heavyweight fighter. His boxing career lasted a long time, from 1940 to 1955.

Jimmy Bivins was born in Dry Branch, Georgia. Even though he was super talented, he never got to fight for a world championship title. But he was still considered one of the best! He was even ranked as the number one boxer in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight groups.

Bivins fought and beat many of the top boxers of his time. He won special "Duration" titles in both light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. These titles were important during World War II. He beat eight out of eleven world champions he faced! Because of his incredible achievements, Jimmy Bivins was added to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999.

Jimmy Bivins' Boxing Journey
Life After Boxing
Awards and Special Recognitions
Professional Boxing Record

Jimmy Bivins' Boxing Journey

Even though Jimmy Bivins was born in Georgia, he boxed out of Cleveland, Ohio for his whole career. He started his professional boxing journey on January 15, 1940. He won his very first fight by knocking out his opponent in the first round!

Early Fights and Winning Streaks

In 1940, Bivins won his first nineteen fights in a row. This was a fantastic start to his career! He then lost a close fight to Anton Christoforidis, but he had beaten him before. In 1941, he won four more fights, including against Teddy Yarosz and Curtis Sheppard.

In 1942, Bivins started strong with wins against Billy Soose and Gus Lesnevich. After a close loss, he went on an amazing streak. He didn't lose a single fight for four years! This was when he became known as one of the best heavyweights. It was extra special because he was only 5 feet 9 inches tall, often much smaller than his opponents.

Big Wins and "Duration" Titles

During his long winning streak, Bivins beat many famous boxers. He won a close fight against Joey Maxim, who also became a Hall of Famer. In 1943, he had an incredible win against Ezzard Charles. Charles later became a world heavyweight champion, but Bivins knocked him down seven times in that fight!

On February 23, 1943, Bivins won the "duration" light heavyweight title by beating Anton Christoforidis. This was the closest he came to a world title because regular world titles were paused during World War II. After this, he continued to win against top fighters like Tami Mauriello, Pat Valentino, Lloyd Marshall, and Archie Moore. He even knocked down Archie Moore six times before winning that fight!

Jimmy Bivins also served in the United States Army for part of 1944. He was honorably discharged in November of that year. During his time in the army, he still managed to fight one professional match, which he won.

Later Career and Retirement

In 1946, Bivins fought Jersey Joe Walcott. This was his first loss in four years, ending his amazing unbeaten streak. After this, his boxing record became more mixed. He lost to some of the same fighters he had beaten before, like Ezzard Charles and Archie Moore.

He continued to fight regularly in the late 1940s and early 1950s. In 1951, he beat Ted Lowry but lost to famous boxers like Archie Moore, Joe Louis, and Bob Baker. Jimmy Bivins had eleven more fights after that, winning eight of them. His last big fight was against Ezzard Charles in 1952, which Charles won.

Bivins officially retired from boxing after a win in June 1953. But he came back for two more fights a couple of years later, and he won both of those too!

Life After Boxing

After he retired from boxing, Jimmy Bivins worked as a bakery truck driver. He also spent his free time coaching young people in boxing. He loved helping new boxers learn the sport.

Jimmy Bivins was married three times. His third wife, Elizabeth, passed away in 1995. Later in his life, in 1998, he was found living in difficult conditions. He then moved to his sister's home in Shaker Heights, Ohio. In 2009, Bivins moved into a care facility for the elderly called MacGregor Home. He passed away in 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of 92.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Jimmy Bivins received many honors for his incredible boxing career:

He was added to the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 1978.
He entered The Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame in 1988.
He was inducted into The World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994.
He became a member of The International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999.
A park in Cleveland was named Jimmy Bivins Park in his honor in 2000.
He was added to The California Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015.

Professional Boxing Record

Professional record summary
112 fights	86 wins	25 losses
By knockout	31	5
By decision	55	20
Draws	1

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
112	Win	86–25–1	Mike DeJohn	PTS	6	Oct 28, 1953	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
111	Win	85–25–1	Dan Moray	RTD	3 (8)	Aug 31, 1953	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
110	Win	84–25–1	Chubby Wright	PTS	10	Jun 9, 1953	Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.
109	Win	83–25–1	Claude Rolfe	UD	10	Apr 24, 1953	Latin-American Arena, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
108	Loss	82–25–1	Tommy Harrison	UD	10	Apr 6, 1953	Dinner Key Auditorium, Coconut Grove, Florida, U.S.
107	Loss	82–24–1	Ezzard Charles	UD	10	Nov 26, 1952	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
106	Loss	82–23–1	Tommy Harrison	UD	10	Nov 3, 1952	Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
105	Win	82–22–1	Wes Bascom	MD	10	Oct 22, 1952	Arena, Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S.
104	Win	81–22–1	Coley Wallace	KO	9 (10)	Sep 19, 1952	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
103	Win	80–22–1	Aaron Wilson	TKO	3 (10)	Mar 31, 1952	Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
102	Win	79–22–1	Charley Williams	SD	10	Nov 21, 1951	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
101	Loss	78–22–1	Bob Baker	UD	10	Nov 5, 1951	Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
100	Loss	78–21–1	Joe Louis	UD	10	Aug 15, 1951	Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
99	Loss	78–20–1	Clarence Henry	UD	10	Jun 26, 1951	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
98	Win	78–19–1	Willie Bean	UD	10	May 29, 1951	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
97	Win	77–19–1	Ralph Hooker	PTS	10	May 18, 1951	Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
96	Win	76–19–1	Willie Bean	UD	10	May 4, 1951	Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S.
95	Loss	75–19–1	Archie Moore	RTD	9 (10)	Feb 21, 1951	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
94	Win	75–18–1	Ted Lowry	UD	10	Feb 12, 1951	Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
93	Win	74–18–1	Young Harry Wills	KO	4 (10)	Jan 22, 1951	Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
92	Loss	73–18–1	Sid Peaks	PTS	10	Feb 6, 1950	Laurel Garden, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
91	Win	73–17–1	Willis Applegate	UD	10	Feb 1, 1950	Miami Stadium, Miami, Florida, U.S.
90	Loss	72–17–1	Harold Johnson	UD	10	Oct 26, 1949	Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
89	Win	72–16–1	Clarence Henry	TKO	8 (10)	Sep 27, 1949	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
88	Win	71–16–1	Leonard Morrow	UD	10	Sep 21, 1949	Auditorium, Oakland, California, U.S.
87	Win	70–16–1	Watson Jones	KO	2 (10)	Jul 15, 1949	Last Frontier Sportsdrome, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
86	Loss	69–16–1	Leonard Morrow	UD	10	Jul 5, 1949	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
85	Win	69–15–1	Willie Bean	UD	10	Jun 20, 1949	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
84	Loss	68–15–1	Archie Moore	KO	8 (10)	Apr 11, 1949	Sports Arena, Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
83	Win	68–14–1	Rusty Payne	SD	10	Mar 21, 1949	Aragon Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
82	Loss	67–14–1	Joey Maxim	SD	10	Dec 7, 1948	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
81	Win	67–13–1	Johnny Flynn	MD	10	Oct 11, 1948	Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
80	Loss	66–13–1	Ezzard Charles	UD	10	Sep 13, 1948	Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C., U.S.
79	Loss	66–12–1	Archie Moore	MD	10	Jun 28, 1948	Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
78	Win	66–11–1	Pat Valentino	UD	10	Apr 20, 1948	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
77	Win	65–11–1	Billy Thompson	TKO	7 (10)	Apr 12, 1948	Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
76	Win	64–11–1	Turkey Thompson	UD	10	Mar 9, 1948	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
75	Win	63–11–1	Johnny Haynes	TKO	4 (10)	Mar 1, 1948	Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
74	Win	62–11–1	Johnny Shkor	UD	10	Jan 13, 1948	Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S.
73	Win	61–11–1	Sid Peaks	PTS	10	Nov 12, 1947	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
72	Loss	60–11–1	Archie Moore	RTD	8 (10)	Sep 8, 1947	5th Regiment Armory, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
71	Win	60–10–1	Bobby Zander	SD	10	Jul 1, 1947	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
70	Win	59–10–1	Lee Q Murray	SD	10	Jun 9, 1947	Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
69	Win	58–10–1	Omelio Agramonte	TKO	2 (10)	Jun 2, 1947	Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
68	Loss	57–10–1	Lee Q Murray	UD	10	May 9, 1947	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
67	Win	57–9–1	Curtis Sheppard	UD	10	Apr 21, 1947	Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
66	Loss	56–9–1	Ezzard Charles	KO	4 (10)	Mar 10, 1947	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
65	Win	56–8–1	Curtis Sheppard	UD	10	Feb 17, 1947	Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
64	Win	55–8–1	Booker Beckwith	KO	4 (10)	Feb 3, 1947	Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
63	Win	54–8–1	Johnny Flynn	UD	10	Jan 16, 1947	Uline Arena, Washington, D.C., U.S.
62	Win	53–8–1	Colion Chaney	KO	5 (10)	Dec 5, 1946	Armory, Akron, Ohio, U.S.
61	Loss	52–8–1	Ezzard Charles	UD	10	Nov 12, 1946	Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
60	Loss	52–7–1	Lee Q Murray	UD	10	Jun 10, 1946	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
59	Loss	52–6–1	Jersey Joe Walcott	SD	10	Feb 25, 1946	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
58	Win	52–5–1	Yancey Henry	KO	10 (10)	Feb 11, 1946	Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
57	Win	51–5–1	Oakland Billy Smith	PTS	10	Jan 30, 1946	Auditorium, Oakland, California, U.S.
56	Win	50–5–1	Johnny Haynes	KO	2 (10)	Jan 22, 1946	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
55	Win	49–5–1	Watson Jones	TKO	6 (10)	Jan 7, 1946	Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S.
54	Win	48–5–1	Yancey Henry	UD	10	Sep 26, 1945	Uline Arena, Washington, D.C., U.S.
53	Win	47–5–1	Archie Moore	KO	6 (10)	Aug 22, 1945	Lakefront Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
52	Win	46–5–1	Curtis Sheppard	UD	10	Jul 26, 1945	Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
51	Win	45–5–1	Russell Scott	KO	4 (10)	Jun 12, 1945	Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C., U.S.
50	Draw	44–5–1	Melio Bettina	PTS	10	Mar 16, 1945	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
49	Win	44–5	Johnny Flynn	PTS	10	Feb 27, 1945	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
48	Win	43–5	Buddy Walker	KO	2 (10)	Feb 19, 1945	Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
47	Win	42–5	George Parks	TKO	4 (10)	Feb 5, 1945	Uline Arena, Washington, D.C., U.S.
46	Win	41–5	Lee Q Murray	PTS	10	Feb 29, 1944	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
45	Win	40–5	Lee Q Murray	UD	10	Dec 1, 1943	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
44	Win	39–5	Melio Bettina	UD	10	Sep 15, 1943	Lakefront Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
43	Win	38–5	Herbert Marshall	KO	6 (10)	Aug 24, 1943	Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C., U.S.
42	Win	37–5	Lloyd Marshall	KO	13 (15)	Jun 8, 1943	Lakefront Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.	Retained duration light heavyweight title
41	Win	36–5	Pat Valentino	UD	10	Apr 26, 1943	Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S.
40	Win	35–5	Watson Jones	UD	10	Apr 6, 1943	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
39	Win	34–5	Tami Mauriello	MD	10	Mar 12, 1943	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
38	Win	33–5	Anton Christoforidis	UD	15	Feb 23, 1943	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.	Won vacant duration light heavyweight title
37	Win	32–5	Ezzard Charles	UD	10	Jan 7, 1943	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
36	Win	31–5	Lee Savold	UD	10	Nov 27, 1942	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
35	Win	30–5	Bob Pastor	SD	10	Oct 20, 1942	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
34	Win	29–5	Tami Mauriello	SD	10	Sep 15, 1942	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.	Won vacant duration heavyweight title
33	Win	28–5	Joe Muscato	KO	5 (10)	Jul 23, 1942	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
32	Win	27–5	Joey Maxim	SD	10	Jun 23, 1942	Lakefront Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
31	Loss	26–5	Bob Pastor	SD	10	Apr 17, 1942	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
30	Win	26–4	Gus Lesnevich	UD	10	Mar 11, 1942	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
29	Win	25–4	Billy Soose	UD	10	Jan 13, 1942	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
28	Loss	24–4	Melio Bettina	UD	10	Nov 17, 1941	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
27	Win	24–3	Nate Bolden	UD	10	Oct 20, 1941	Marigold Gardens, Chicago, U.S.
26	Loss	23–3	Tony Musto	SD	10	Sep 10, 1941	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
25	Loss	23–2	Lem Franklin	TKO	9 (10)	Jul 14, 1941	Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
24	Win	23–1	Curtis Sheppard	PTS	10	Jul 2, 1941	Hickey Park, Millvale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
23	Win	22–1	Buddy Knox	PTS	10	Apr 2, 1941	Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
22	Win	21–1	Teddy Yarosz	PTS	10	Mar 5, 1941	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
21	Win	20–1	Pete Tamalonis	TKO	1 (10)	Feb 19, 1941	Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
20	Loss	19–1	Anton Christoforidis	MD	10	Dec 2, 1940	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
19	Win	19–0	Anton Christoforidis	UD	10	Nov 15, 1940	Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
18	Win	18–0	Vince Pimpinella	UD	10	Oct 22, 1940	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
17	Win	17–0	Larry Kellum	KO	1 (10)	Sep 23, 1940	Hickey Park, Millvale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
16	Win	16–0	Johnny Barbara	TKO	7 (8)	Sep 9, 1940	Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
15	Win	15–0	Charley Burley	UD	10	Sep 3, 1940	Hickey Park, Millvale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
14	Win	14–0	Johnny Barbara	KO	2 (10)	Aug 5, 1940	Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
13	Win	13–0	Paul Frazier	PTS	8	Jul 15, 1940	Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
12	Win	12–0	Mose Brown	PTS	6	Jul 1, 1940	Hickey Park, Millvale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
11	Win	11–0	Frankie Hughes	PTS	8	Jun 24, 1940	Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
10	Win	10–0	Stoney Jackson	TKO	1 (6)	Jun 13, 1940	Hickey Park, Millvale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
9	Win	9–0	Paul Frazier	KO	1 (8)	May 13, 1940	Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
8	Win	8–0	Enzo Iannozzi	KO	1 (8)	Apr 25, 1940	Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
7	Win	7–0	Marine Johnny Dean	KO	3 (6)	Apr 15, 1940	Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
6	Win	6–0	Nate Bolden	PTS	8	Apr 8, 1940	Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
5	Win	5–0	Young Flowers	TKO	3 (4)	Mar 27, 1940	Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
4	Win	4–0	Joe Sutka	PTS	8	Mar 18, 1940	Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
3	Win	3–0	Joe Sutka	PTS	8	Feb 26, 1940	Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	Tito Taylor	PTS	4	Feb 12, 1940	Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1	Win	1–0	Emory Morgan	TKO	2 (4)	Jan 15, 1940	Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.

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