Trevor Berbick
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| Trevor Berbick | |
 |
|
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Trevor Berbick |
| Nickname | |
| Weight | Heavyweight |
| Nationality |  Jamaican |
| Birth date | August 1, 1955 |
| Birth place | Norwich, Port Antonio, Jamaica |
| Death date | October 28, 2006 |
| Style | |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 62 |
| Wins | 50 |
| Wins by KO | 33 |
| Losses | 11 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 0 |
Trevor Berbick (August 1, 1955[1] – October 28, 2006) was a Jamaican heavyweight boxer who fought as a professional from 1976 until 2000. He was the victim of a homicide near his hometown of Norwich, Jamaica. Berbick briefly held the WBC heavyweight title in 1986, before losing it to Mike Tyson. He was also noted for being the last man to fight Muhammad Ali, winning their 10-round contest in Nassau, Bahamas on December 11, 1981 by unanimous decision.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
He was born on August 1, 1955 (though the year is often reported as 1954) in Norwich, Port Antonio, Jamaica. At the age of 16, he claimed to have had a vision from God. This was the first of many colourful incidents in an eventful—if troubled—life that included many run-ins with the law.
[edit] Amateur career
At 21, Berbick represented his native Jamaica in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada as a heavyweight boxer, despite having had only 11 prior amateur bouts. His lack of experience was plainly evident as he lost to the eventual silver medalist, Mircea Simon of Romania. However, he still displayed a lot of promise as a young heavyweight boxer.
[edit] Professional career
Berbick left Jamaica after the Olympics. He opted to stay in Canada and fight professionally out of Montreal and Halifax, Nova Scotia. He won his first 11 fights (10 by knockout) before losing his first pro fight to another rising contender, Bernardo Mercado, on April 3, 1979. As an amateur, Berbick had soundly beaten Mercardo. However, with 10 seconds remaining in the first round of their only professional meeting, Berbick walked into a punch and was knocked out cold. Nevertheless he remained in contention for the heavyweight title.
A 1980 upset of ex-champ John Tate (9th round KO) secured a title shot against Larry Holmes on April 11, 1981, but he lost a 15-round unanimous decision. In his second fight after the loss, he beat Muhammad Ali to secure his place in history as the man who finally ended the career of "The Greatest".
In 1982 he beat undefeated red hot prospect Greg Page, and in 1984 he moved to Miramar, Florida and signed with promoter Don King. Wins over undefeated Mitch "Blood" Green and David Bey scored him another title fight, and he won the WBC world heavyweight title by upsetting Pinklon Thomas with an easy unanimous decision on March 22, 1986. However, his reign as champion would be brief.
On November 22, in his first defense of the title, he was knocked down two times in the second round by 20-year-old Mike Tyson before the fight was stopped by referee Mills Lane, resulting in a second round TKO loss. Again, he made boxing history--this time by being the man who Tyson defeated for his first heavyweight title, symbolically bridging the eras of Ali and Tyson, as fight commentator Barry Tompkins said after the knockout: "And we have a new era in boxing!"
In 1991, he went to Japan to fight Nobuhiko Takada in a "wrestler vs. boxer" bout. Frustrated that he couldn't get any blows in edgewise and protesting against Takada's offense repeatedly, Berbick left the ring midway through the first round, claiming he had been doublecrossed. Berbick expected the fight to be like American kick boxing, but it turned out that the fight allowed Takada to kick Berbick below the belt [1].
Afterwards, his career deteriorated further. He eventually fought his last bout in 2000 against Canadian journeyman Shane Sutcliffe, winning a 12-round unanimous decision. Afterwards, a CAT scan revealed a blood clot in his brain and his boxing license was revoked. His final professional record was 50 wins (33 by knockout), 11 losses, and 1 draw.
[edit] Outside the ring
From his early life until his remaining moments, Berbick was actively involved in the church. He was a preacher at the Moments of Miracles Pentecostal church in Las Vegas while he was a fighter and was ironically killed in a church courtyard in 2006.
[edit] Troubles with the law
Berbick was arrested on a number of occasions throughout his life and was sentenced in Florida to 5 years in prison (he served only 15 months) for sexually assaulting his childrens babysitter in 1992 [2]. In 1997, he violated his parole and was ordered to be deported from the United States.
[edit] Feud with Larry Holmes
One of the more memorable sports events in Berbick's life was his well publicized feud with Holmes, whom he fought in 1981. Their feud culminated in a public brawl in 1991 which was caught on tape (see link below) in which Larry Holmes landed a flying drop kick on Berbick off the hood of a car while Berbick was being escorted by police.[3].
[edit] Retirement
He retired in Florida to be with his wife and three children (he also had three children with his first wife in Montreal) and started to train boxers at Kenny Barrett's Gym (Tamarac Florida). However, Berbick's problems only escalated. He was again ordered deported from the U.S. on December 2, 2002.
[edit] Death
On October 28, 2006, he was murdered at a church in Norwich, Jamaica by an assailant wielding a 2 inch thick steel pipe. He suffered multiple blows to the head which resulted in him dying at the scene of the attack. [2]
Police have arrested 2 men (one of the men arrested and charged is Berbick's 20-year-old nephew [4]) in connection with the death, and were interrogating him at the Port Antonio police station in Portland as of early in the morning of October 29.[3] Local residents have indicated that the suspect was involved in a land dispute with Berbick. [4] On November 3 it was reported that Berbick's nephew, 20-year-old Harold Berbick, and an unidentified 18-year-old man had been charged with his murder by Jamaican police.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ http://jamaicanpride.com/boxing/Articles/trevor_berbick-Neil_Hunter.htm
- ^ Former heavyweight boxing champion found dead. The Guardian (28 October 2006). Retrieved on October 28, 2006.
- ^ Former heavyweight boxing champion found dead. Casper Star-Tribune (29 October 2006). Retrieved on October 29, 2006.
- ^ Jamaican police make arrest in slaying of ex-boxing champ Trevor Berbick. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (30 October 2006). Retrieved on October 30, 2006.
- ^ Nephew Charged With Berbick's Slaying. New York Times (3 November 2006). Retrieved on November 3, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Career Record
- Muhammad Ali vs Trevor Berbick - Boxing Review
- Sports Illustrated Obituary
- Sweet Science Career Recap
- Globe Sports Eulogy
- Parking Lot Fight with Larry Holmes
- Trevor Berbick: Trouble Man by Neil Hunter
| Preceded by Pinklon Thomas |
Heavyweight boxing champion (WBC) March 22, 1986 - November 22, 1986 |
Succeeded by Mike Tyson |
