David Jaco

Last updated
David Jaco
Born
David Lee Jaco

(1954-01-24) January 24, 1954 (age 70)
Statistics
Weight(s) Heavyweight
Height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights50
Wins24
Wins by KO19
Losses25
Draws1

David Lee Jaco (born January 24, 1954 [1] ) is a retired heavyweight boxer. He spent his career as a journeyman, fighting boxers to build up their career records. He retired in 1994 with 24 wins (19 by knockout), 25 losses (18 by knockout), and 1 draw. [2] Although he lost bouts to Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Tommy Morrison, Carl Williams, Tony Tucker, Buster Douglas, Mike Weaver and Oliver McCall, he won bouts against the undefeated Donovan Ruddock, Rick "King Kong" Keller, and many more. [2]

Contents

Jaco was once profiled on ABC's Prime Time Live as a "Palooka", [3] or someone who never refused a fight for the money. [4] Jaco later said, "I was a palooka, one of those guys who basically goes in there looking for a big payday. I made thousands when I fought, but I didn't consider myself a palooka. I was a decent fighter." [3]

Professional career

After winning a local amateur Toughman competition, Jaco trained for a year to turn pro. [1] His first fight was on January 6, 1981, and he defeated Vic Wallace by knockout in four rounds. [1] He went on to win his next eleven fights before a 1983 first-round knockout defeat at the hands of future title contender Carl "The Truth" Williams. [1]

Jaco continued to fight journeymen like himself for the next several months and won five more fights before his next defeat, a unanimous decision against Carlos Hernandez. [1] Jaco was dominated in that fight, losing all ten rounds on one judge's scorecard, eight on a second, and seven on a third. [5]

Jaco's first high-profile victory came against a young Canadian fighter and future title contender Donovan Ruddock, whom he beat on April 30, 1985 under controversial circumstances when Ruddock's corner threw in the towel in the eighth round. [1] According to the media, Ruddock later was found to have a respiratory illness that almost ended his career, which may have contributed to breathing problems that caused his corner to stop the fight. Regardless, Jaco won the fight and gained more publicity to further promote himself to fight big time opponents.

The victory over Ruddock was the last Jaco would see until 1988 as he was beaten in his next nine fights, seven times by knockout. Among the fighters he took on were contender José Ribalta, future titleholders Tony Tucker, Buster Douglas, and Mike Tyson, and former champion Mike Weaver. [1]

Jaco's losing streak was finally broken on March 11, 1988, when he knocked out previously unbeaten Zambian Michael Simuwelu in the first round. Again, it would be his last victory for an extended period. Six defeats followed, including fights against future champion Oliver McCall, an on-the-comeback trail George Foreman, and Tommy Morrison.

After his loss to Morrison Jaco went unbeaten in his next five fights, winning four times and drawing against former contender David Bey. After defeating Danny Sutton in the last of those five fights, Jaco never won again. His retirement fight resulted in him getting knocked out by Bey. [1]

Former manager Richard Conti said "David fought on guts. That was his biggest strength. He was never the quickest or the strongest fighter. He took a lot of beatings, but he always gave everything he ever had." [1]

Personal life

Jaco was born in Oregon, Ohio, [4] and grew up in Toledo where he worked at Interlaken Steel after graduating from Clay High School. [3] [4] He was laid off in 1979, to earn money for his wife and two young sons he entered into an amateur "Toughman" competition. [3] He was so successful that he quickly turned pro and won every fight until his first loss to Carl "The Truth" Williams in June 1983. [3]

In 1986, Jaco used the money he made fighting Tyson to move to Florida where his twin boys lived from his first marriage. [6] He remarried and had an additional four daughters: Kaleigh, Brittany, Madison, and Sydney—all of whom grew up to be athletes. Today he is an independent contractor, transporting workers' compensation recipients to their doctor appointments. [6] He published a memoir of his boxing experiences titled Spontaneous Palooka and Mr. Mom (2012). [3]

Jaco's two sons also boxed. [2] His son Aaron runs a boxing gym in Sarasota, Florida; Aaron's first appearance on ESPN was in a fight against Hilario Guzman in 2004. [7]

In 2003, it was reported that Jaco ran a youth boxing program at the Manatee County Police Athletic League. [1] In October 2005, Jaco was fired from the position after he was arrested in a McDonald's parking lot for possessing 30 grams of marijuana. [8] Jaco said "I know the harm in taking medication in pills and painkillers, so I took to smoking marijuana to ease my pain and help me sleep at night." [8] The program head Michael Polin said Jaco was an "excellent" boxing instructor. [8]

Professional boxing record

24 Wins (19 knockouts, 5 decisions), 25 Losses (18 knockouts, 7 decisions), 1 Draw Archived 2015-04-04 at the Wayback Machine
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRoundDateLocationNotes
Loss24-25-1 Flag of the United States.svg David Bey TKO817/09/1994 Flag of Macau.svg Macao, China
Loss24-24-1 Flag of Brazil.svg Adílson Rodrigues UD1031/07/1993 Flag of Brazil.svg São Paulo, Brazil
Loss24-23-1 Flag of Jamaica.svg Melton BowenTKO229/01/1993 Flag of the United States.svg Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. WBFo Intercontinental Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 2:58 of the second round.
Loss24-22-1 Flag of the United States.svg Bert Cooper UD1011/07/1992 Flag of the United States.svg Fort Myers, Florida, U.S.
Loss24–21–1 Flag of Russia.svg Alexander ZolkinPTS1012/06/1992 Flag of the United States.svg Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Loss24–20–1 Flag of Norway.svg Magne HavnåTKO414/03/1992 Flag of Denmark.svg Copenhagen, Denmark
Loss24–19–1 Flag of the United States.svg Mike Hunter TKO314/02/1992 Flag of the United States.svg Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Win24–18–1 Flag of the United States.svg Danny SuttonTKO316/10/1991 Flag of the United States.svg Bradenton, Florida, U.S.
Draw23–18–1 Flag of the United States.svg David Bey PTS1007/09/1991 Flag of the United States.svg Sarasota, Florida, U.S.
Win23–18 Flag of Sweden.svg Haakan BrockSD611/06/1991 Flag of the United States.svg Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
Win22–18 Flag of the United States.svg Greg PayneTKO211/05/1991 Flag of the United States.svg Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Win21–18 Flag of the United States.svg Frankie HinesTKO420/10/1990 Flag of the United States.svg Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.Referee stopped the bout at 2:03 of the fourth round.
Loss20–18 Flag of the United States.svg Tommy Morrison KO119/09/1989 Flag of the United States.svg Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.Jaco knocked out at 0:37 of the first round.
Loss20–17 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Stewart TKO118/02/1989 Flag of Hungary.svg Budapest, Hungary
Loss20–16 Flag of the United States.svg George Foreman TKO128/12/1988 Flag of the United States.svg Bakersfield, California, U.S.Referee stopped the bout at 2:03 of the first round.
Loss20–15 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Gary Mason TKO424/10/1988 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Windsor, EnglandReferee stopped the bout at 2:52 of the fourth round.
Loss20–14 Flag of the United States.svg Oliver McCall UD1030/06/1988 Flag of the United States.svg Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
Loss20–13 Flag of the United States.svg Mike Ronay Evans TKO921/05/1988 Flag of the United States.svg Gary, Indiana, U.S.Midwest Heavyweight Title.
Win20–12 Flag of Zambia.svg Michael SimuweluKO111/03/1988 Flag of Germany.svg Düsseldorf, Germany
Loss19–12 Flag of the United States.svg Phil BrownUD1020/02/1988 Flag of the United States.svg Trumbull, Connecticut, U.S.
Loss19–11 Flag of the United States.svg Mike Weaver KO229/07/1987 Flag of Cameroon.svg Yaoundé, Cameroon
Loss19–10 Flag of South Africa.svg Johnny Du PlooyKO222/11/1986 Flag of South Africa.svg Johannesburg, South Africa
Loss19–9 Flag of the United States.svg Elijah Tillery KO911/07/1986 Flag of the United States.svg Swan Lake, New York, U.S.
Loss19–8 Flag of Cuba.svg Jose Ribalta KO513/05/1986 Flag of the United States.svg Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S.
Loss19–7 Flag of the United States.svg Buster Douglas UD8 19/04/1986 Flag of the United States.svg Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Loss19–6 Flag of the United States.svg Mike Tyson TKO111/01/1986 Flag of the United States.svg Albany, New York, U.S.Referee stopped the bout at 2:16 of the first round.
Loss19–5 Flag of the United States.svg Tony Tucker TKO319/10/1985 Flag of Monaco.svg Monte Carlo, Monaco
Loss19–4 Flag of South Africa.svg Pierre Coetzer KO608/07/1985 Flag of South Africa.svg Johannesburg, South Africa
Win19–3 Flag of the United States.svg Donovan Ruddock TKO830/04/1985 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dartmouth, Canada
Loss18–3 Flag of the United States.svg Dion SimpsonTKO309/02/1985 Flag of the United States.svg Port Huron, Michigan, U.S.Referee stopped the bout at 2:52 of the third round.
Win18–2 Flag of the United States.svg Rick KellarKO309/01/1985 Flag of the United States.svg Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.
Loss17–2 Flag of Cuba.svg Carlos HernandezUD1014/11/1984 Flag of the United States.svg New York City, New York, U.S.
Win17–1 Flag of the United States.svg Cornelius BensonUD824/10/1984 Flag of the United States.svg Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.
Win16–1 Flag of the United States.svg Ken PennKO121/09/1984 Flag of the United States.svg Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Win15–1 Flag of the United States.svg Ron DraperKO314/09/1984 Flag of the United States.svg Iowa, U.S.
Win14–1Larry LandersKO427/07/1984 Flag of the United States.svg Macon, Georgia, U.S.
Win13–1 Flag of the United States.svg Rick KellerPTS823/06/1984 Flag of the United States.svg Dubuque, Iowa, U.S.
Loss12–1 Flag of the United States.svg Carl Williams TKO130/06/1983 Flag of the United States.svg Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
Win12–0 Flag of the United States.svg Melvin HoseyTKO416/04/1983 Flag of the United States.svg Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Win11–0 Flag of the United States.svg Jeff BurgTKO105/03/1983 Flag of the United States.svg Bay City, Michigan, U.S.
Win10–0 Flag of the United States.svg David StarkeyTKO312/02/1983 Flag of the United States.svg Lima, Ohio, U.S.
Win9–0 Flag of the United States.svg Vernon BridgesPTS819/08/1982 Flag of the United States.svg Bay City, Michigan, U.S.
Win8–0 Flag of the United States.svg Harold JohnsonKO217/04/1982 Flag of the United States.svg Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Win7–0 Flag of the United States.svg Harold SpeakmanKO308/12/1981 Flag of the United States.svg Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Win6–0Doug MeiringKO309/10/1981 Flag of the United States.svg Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Win5–0Otis EvansKO208/08/1981 Flag of the United States.svg Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
Win4–0 Flag of the United States.svg Vernon BridgesPTS629/07/1981 Flag of the United States.svg Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.
Win3–0 Flag of the United States.svg Stanley DollisonKO120/06/1981 Flag of the United States.svg Findlay, Ohio, U.S.
Win2–0 Flag of the United States.svg Hubert AdamsKO113/02/1981 Flag of the United States.svg Lima, Ohio, U.S.
Win1–0 Flag of the United States.svg Vic WallaceKO406/01/1981 Flag of the United States.svg Pontiac, Michigan, U.S.

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References

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