Clifford Etienne
| Clifford Etienne | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) | The Black Rhino |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Reach | 74 in (188 cm) |
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
March 9, 1970 Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 35 |
| Wins | 29 |
| Wins by KO | 20 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Draws | 2 |
Clifford Etienne (born March 9, 1970) is an American former professional boxer who is currently serving a 105-year prison sentence without possibility of parole.
Etienne took up boxing while serving a 40-year prison sentence for armed robbery and won the state prison boxing championship. While in prison he was a member of the "Gunslingers" prison boxing team in Louisiana and reportedly had a 30–0 prison record. He was released on good behavior after serving 10 years.
Upon being paroled from prison in 1998 after serving 10 years for attempted armed robbery, he became a professional boxer; he won 29 matches (20 knockouts), lost 4, and drew 2.
Etienne was named 2000's "Most Exciting Fighter to Watch" in the heavyweight division by The Ring Magazine, largely the result of his unanimous decision over then-undefeated Lawrence Clay Bey. The fight was widely considered to be one of the best heavyweight matches of that year. He also beat Lamon Brewster, the future WBO heavyweight champion, on points after ten rounds in May 2000. He landed a contract with Showtime and his stock began to rise, but it quickly fell after an upset loss to Fres Oquendo, who stopped Etienne in the eighth round of their fight in March 2001.
After re-building some of his lost stature with wins, he was catapulted to the world's stage in a 2003 fight against Mike Tyson, where Etienne suffered a first-round knock-out only 49 seconds after being caught with a right hand.
After the loss to Tyson, Etienne's future seemed to be that of a journeyman opponent. Calvin Brock stopped Etienne in the third round in January 2005.
Etienne's last fight was against Nicolay Valuev. "The Beast from the East", who would go on to become the WBA champion, stopped Etienne in the third round of their fight in Bayreuth, Germany in May 2005.
On August 11, 2005, Fightnews.com reported Etienne's ring career likely over with the following story:
On June 22, 2006, following his trial in Baton Rouge, Etienne was found guilty and sentenced to 160 years in prison without parole for an allegedly cocaine fueled crime spree that included robbing a check cashing business, carjacking and attempting to shoot a police officer. In April 2013 his sentence was reduced from 160 years to 105 years due to a technicality.
...
Wikipedia