Nathaniel Fitch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Nathaniel Fitch Sr. |
| Other names | Sweet Red |
 |
Nathaniel Fitch Sr. (born October 31, 1956) is an American former heavyweight boxer best known for his stellar amateur boxing career.
Nathaniel Fitch | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Born | Nathaniel Fitch Sr. |
| Other names | Sweet Red |
|
Nathaniel Fitch Sr. (born October 31, 1956) is an American former heavyweight boxer best known for his stellar amateur boxing career.
"Years ago I was at a Boys Club and some guys took my bike and my brothers went to retrieve it and I'll just say I was impressed with the way they did it," said Fitch. "From that point forward I knew I wanted to learn to box." [1]
In 1977, Fitch enlisted in the U.S. Army where he began his career as an amateur boxer. He transferred to Fort Bragg in 1983. [1]
Fitch went on to win the 1983 All-Army Championship, the 1983 Interservice Championship, the 1984 Olympic Sports Festival, the 1985 National Amateur Boxing Federation Championship, the 1987 National Golden Gloves Championship and the 1987 Eastern Olympic Trials. [1]
1983 All-Army Champion (+201 lbs) 1983 Interservice Champion 1984 U.S. Olympic Festival Winner (+201 lbs) 1985 United States (AAU) Amateur Champion (+201 lbs) 1987 National Golden Gloves Super Heavyweight Champion (+201 lbs)He finished his amateur career with a record of 187 wins, 16 losses and 1 draw. [1]
Fitch turned pro in 1988 and had limited success. His resume included losses to notable heavyweights Lou Savarese, Tim Witherspoon, Bruce Seldon, Jeremy Williams, Chris Byrd, and John Ruiz. He retired in 1997 after a decision loss to Timo Hoffmann.
Upon retirement Fitch became a boxing coach at Fitch's Boxing Club in Spring Lake, North Carolina. [1]
He was also inducted into the North Carolina Boxing Hall Fame. [1]
Michael Spinks is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1988. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the undisputed light heavyweight title from 1983 to 1985, and the lineal heavyweight title from 1985 to 1988. As an amateur he won a gold medal in the middleweight division at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Raymond Anthony Mercer is an American former professional boxer, kickboxer, and mixed martial artist who competed from 1989 to 2009. Best known for his boxing career, Mercer won a heavyweight gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics as an amateur, and later held the WBO heavyweight title in 1991 as a professional, making one successful title defense against Tommy Morrison before vacating his championship. Though he fought and lost a controversial unanimous decision fight to former champion Evander Holyfield, he scored a notable unanimous decision win over two-time heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon in 1996. Throughout his entire fighting career in the 1990s, Mercer never lost a fight to stoppage, a testament to his iron jaw and dangerous resilience as a boxer.
Riddick Lamont Bowe is an American former professional boxer and professional kickboxer who competed between 1989 and 2008 in boxing, and from 2013 to 2016 in kickboxing. He held the undisputed world heavyweight championship in 1992, and won the super heavyweight silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Michael Bentt is an American film and television actor, and former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 1994. He was born in East Dulwich, London, but raised in the Cambria Heights section of Queens in New York City. Bentt won the WBO heavyweight title from Tommy Morrison in 1993, losing the title in his first defense in 1994 to Herbie Hide.
Odlanier Solís Fonte was a Cuban professional boxer. He has challenged once for the WBC heavyweight title in 2011, and is a former top-rated contender in that division. As an amateur heavyweight, Solis was one of the most celebrated and decorated amateur stars of the 2000s, winning a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics, and three consecutive golds at the World Championships in 2001, 2003, and 2005. Odlanier Solís beat Luis Ortiz multiple times in the amateurs, never losing to him.
Carl Williams, nicknamed "the Truth", was an American boxer who competed as a professional from 1982 to 1997. He challenged twice for heavyweight world titles; the IBF title against Larry Holmes in 1985; and the undisputed title against Mike Tyson in 1989. At regional level he held the USBA heavyweight title from 1987 to 1991.
Andrew Maynard is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2000. As an amateur boxer, he won the gold medal in the Light Heavyweight division at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
Michael Bennett is an American former boxer who won the amateur world championships in 1999 and represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics in the heavyweight division.
The United States National Boxing Championships bestow the title of United States Champion on Olympic boxers for winning the annual national Olympic boxing tournament organized by USA Boxing, which is the national governing body for Olympic boxing and is the United States' member organization of the World Boxing.
Vicente Escobedo is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2005 to 2013. As an amateur, he represented his country at the 2003 World Championships and the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Nick Wells is a retired heavyweight boxer. He was selected a member of the All-American AAU boxing team for 1973, and was named the top heavyweight amateur boxer in the nation in 1973 by the National AAU Boxing Committee.
Jordan Shimmell is an American amateur heavyweight boxer best known for winning the National Golden Gloves and the US Champion at 201 lbs in 2009.
Jesse Benavides is an American former professional boxer.
Curt McCune is an American former amateur boxer, who was a four-time State of Alabama amateur boxing champion, in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions and the 1994 International Law Enforcement Games Boxing Champion at 193 lbs. McCune is currently a private coach and trainer for amateur and professional boxers in the Birmingham, Alabama area.
'Iceman' John Scully is a former American boxer. Formerly a world-ranked professional light heavyweight, he is now a boxing trainer who has trained two light heavyweight champions in Chad Dawson and Artur Beterbiev and is an analyst for the ESPN Classic television network. John is also known for his work with disadvantaged former fighters and charity for them as well as organizing events targeting former amateur standout fighters and reconnecting them with the boxing community.
Wesley Page Watson Jr. died January 4, 2021, in Wilmington, Delaware). He was an American heavyweight boxer best known for his successful amateur boxing career.
As a franchise of the National Golden Gloves, the New England Golden Gloves is the annual amateur boxing competition for the New England states. It has been held every year since 1945 at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, Massachusetts. Competitors over the years have included boxing greats such as Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, and Micky Ward. The competitions typically take place in January through February, with the winners heading to the National Golden Gloves in May.
Petros M. Spanakos is a retired American bantamweight boxer who won a bronze medal at the 1959 Pan American Games. His twin brother Nick is also a retired competitive boxer.
