In one chapter of "The Iceman Diaries" I discuss the Ohio State Fair tournament that is held each summer in Columbus, Ohio. As I explain in that piece, the Ohio Fair has drawn some of the biggest names in boxing to its tournament over the years and, as you can imagine, there have been some pretty interesting results that came from the thousands of matches held there over the past decades.
In 1973, for example, there was a 95-pound Junior Olympian (12 years old) in the tournament by the name of James Douglas (or "Buster" as he is now known to the world). Also in 1973, the 75-pound intermediate champion was none other than future 1984 Olympic gold medalist Jerry Page of Columbus. Page defeated Daryl Churchill in the finals back in ‘73 and then, 11 years later, went on to win his gold at 139 pounds at the Los Angeles Olympiad (along with Mark Breland, Pernell Whitaker, Meldrick Taylor and the other stars of that U.S. squad).
The 132 pound class in 1973 saw future world champions Hilmer Kenty and Aaron Pryor match up in the finals with Kenty taking a decision victory. One class up, at 139 pounds, Sugar Ray Leonard stopped Larry Morgan and the welterweight class saw Columbus native and Ohio State Fair legend Milton "Pete" Seward score a finals night decision over future WBC light heavy champ J.B. Williamson.
Check out these Ohio State Fair results:
(Note: rsc = referee stops contest, the amateur equivalent of a TKO)
1973 Finals:
132: Hilmer Kenty dec. Aaron Pryor
147: Pete Seward dec. J.B. Williamson`
1975 FINALS:
125: Mike Johnson dec. Thomas Hearns (J.O.)
156: Tony Tucker dec Mickey Goodwin (J.O.)
165: Lindell Holmes dec. Ray Kates
Hvwt: Tony Tubbs dec. Lamar Robinson
1977 Open Class Finals:
119: Carmelo Negron dec. Joe Louis Manley
125: Daryl Fuller dec. Jimmy Paul
132: Anthony Fletcher rsc Gregory Winston
147: Bernard "Superbad" Mayes rsc (on cuts) Kevin Rooney
(Teddy Atlas was in Rooney's corner for this tournament)
165: Lindell Holmes dec. Randy Smith
(I sparred with future world champion Lindell in 1991 and I fought Smith in 1991, too, winning a 10-round unanimous decision)
178: Mark Frazee dec. Leroy Murphy
Heavy: Tony Tubbs, dec. Phillip Brown
(The 1977 Outstanding open class boxer award winner is Bernard "Superbad" Mayes)
1977 Senior Div JO Finals:
106: Arnie Wells, Detroit dec. Robert "Bam Bam" Hines, Philadelphia
119: Milton "Iceman" McCrory, Detroit dec. Dean Clark, Washington D.C.
1977 Open and JO prelim results:
119: Jackie Beard dec. Jerry Page
178: Lee Roy Murphy dec. Tony "TNT" Tucker
Hvwt: Phillip Brown dec. Renaldo "Mr." Snipes
165: Lindell Holmes dec. Mickey Goodwin
147: Kevin Rooney dec. Davey Moore, Bronx, NY
147: Phillip Gaines dec. Bobby Czyz
85: Stevie McCrory dec. Troy "Schoolboy" Wortham
1980 Random results, JO and Open:
80: Les Johnson, Maryland dec. Montell Griffin, Chicago
156: James "Hard Rock" Green dec. Ray Bryant
1981 Open Finals:
132: Charlie "White Lightning" Brown dec. Darrick Hudson DQ
147: Louis Howard dec. Frank Tate
+201: Jesse "Boogieman" Ferguson dec. Warren Thompson
1980 Senior JO Finals:
119: Jonas Grice dec. Vincent Pettway
65: Sharmba Mitchell dec. Ronald Barret
90: Chris Byrd dec. Terrel Nelson
1980: Semifinals, Junior Olympic class:
90: James Harris dec. Kennedy McKinney
(Harris is the older brother of Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson)
1980: Open Class Semifinals:
132: Charlie "White Lightning" Brown rsc Anthony Haskins
(Haskins was a 6-foot-2 lightweight)
147: Frank Tate dec. Michael Nunn
1982 Open Finals:
156: Frank Tate dec. Kevin Laird
178: Ricky Womack dec. Jerry Goff
(Jerry Goff just couldn't catch a break at the Ohio Fair. Here in 82' he meets up with the killer that was Womack and then one year later, at 201, he runs smack dab into Mike Tyson)
1982 Junior Division Finals:
70: Sharmba Mitchell dec. Saul Dorsey
1982 Open Semifinals:
125: Anthony Hembrick dec. George Green
(In 1982 Anthony Hembrick was a 125-pound featherweight while Darin Allen was a 156-pound light middleweight. Six year later they would be each others chief rival at 165 lbs. I wonder if, back here in 1982, if they were even aware of each other?)
156: Frank Tate dec. Darin Allen
1985 Open Semifinals:
165: William Guthrie dec. Kertis Mingo
165: Darin Allen dec. Paul McPeek
+201: Victory Barren W/O Oliver McCall
1985 Preliminaries, all divisions:
106: Sharmba Mitchell dec. Aroz Gist
112: Oba Carr dec. Antonio Taste
165: Darin Allen dec. Leonzer Barber
165: Leonzer Barber dec. Willie Pollard
165: William Guthrie dec. Lorenzo Wright
165: Kertis Mingo dec. Donald Johnson
1986 JO Finals:
90: Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson, Washington D.C. dec. Anthony Nielems
1986 Prelim bouts:
95: Tim Austin, Cincinnati., Ohio dec. Janardo Howell
165: Lamar "Kid Fire" Parks, Greenville, S.C. dec. William Moore, Brooklyn, NY
(I defeated Lamar twice as an amateur one year later but lost to Moore three years earlier in 1983 as a 15 year old in just my second official fight ever).
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