Rickey Parkey facts for kids

Ricky Parkey (born November 7, 1956, died April 7, 2024) was an American professional boxer. He was famous for holding the IBF cruiserweight boxing title. This means he was considered one of the best boxers in his weight class by the International Boxing Federation. He held this important title from 1986 to 1987.

Ricky Parkey's Boxing Journey

Becoming a Professional Boxer

Ricky Parkey started his career as a professional boxer in 1981. This means he began fighting in matches where boxers get paid. He worked hard to become one of the top fighters in the cruiserweight division. This weight class is for boxers who weigh between 175 and 200 pounds.

Winning a World Title

In 1986, Ricky Parkey achieved a big goal. He won the IBF cruiserweight title by defeating another boxer named Lee Roy Murphy. Parkey won this match by "TKO," which stands for Technical Knockout. This happens when a referee stops the fight because one boxer can no longer safely continue.

Defending the Title

After winning the title, Parkey successfully defended his championship belt one time. This means he fought another boxer and won, keeping his title.

Facing a Legend

The next year, in 1987, Ricky Parkey faced a very famous boxer named Evander Holyfield. Holyfield was a rising star in boxing. In this fight, Parkey lost his IBF title to Holyfield. This was a "title unification bout," meaning Holyfield already held another championship belt, and he wanted to add Parkey's IBF title to his collection.

Retirement

Ricky Parkey continued to box for several more years. He officially retired from professional boxing in 1994. He passed away on April 7, 2024, at the age of 67. During his career, he had 42 professional fights, winning 22 of them (with 16 wins by knockout) and losing 20.

See Also

• List of world cruiserweight boxing champions