Howard Davis Jr.
Davis with Chuck Liddell, 2009
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Howard Edward Davis Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
February 14, 1956 Glen Cove, New York, United States |
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| Died | December 30, 2015 (aged 59) Plantation, Florida, United States |
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| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 60 kg (130 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Boxing | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rated at | Lightweight and Featherweight | ||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Howard Edward Davis Jr. (February 14, 1956 – December 30, 2015) was an American amateur and 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.
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:
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.
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