The 1995 World Championships in Berlin, Germany saw a pretty deep super heavyweight class. Early in the tournament there was a solid matchup that saw Attilah Levin win a decision over future Tyson-conqueror Danny Williams before losing in the quarterfinals to Vitaliy Klitschko, while Russia's Alexie Lezin won decisions on the way to the title over both Lawrence Clay-Bey (in the semis) and Klitschko in the finals.
Meanwhile, in the 201-pound class of the same tournament, Luan Krasniqui (former WBO title challenger who was stopped by Lamon Brewster in an dramatic fight in 2005) defeated Wladmir Klitschko in the quarterfinals and Sinal Sam in the semis before losing by a stoppage in round two to the gold medal winner, Cuban great Felix Savon.
The second half of the 1980's saw future World Champ Michael Carbajal win a decision over Eric Griffin but lose one to James Harris, the older brother of Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson. The 1985 U.S. championships saw Arthur Johnson square off with his future (1988) Olympic teammate Kennedy McKinney at 112 pounds and come away with an RSC (i.e. technical knockout) victory on his way to winning the national title that year.
Future WBO light heavy champion Darius Michalczewski scored a decision victory in 1987 over future WBO middleweight title challenger (to Chris Eubank) Danny Sherry.
One of the greatest knockouts I ever saw in person was at the 1988 National Golden Gloves when, in the 139-pound finals, future pro contenders Skipper Kelp and Emmit Linton met for the light welterweight title. Skipper was known for his lightning bolt left hook and two consecutive ones in the second round ended that fight.
Linton had won the National Junior Olympic title two years earlier (1986) with a 119-pound championship bout victory over "Mighty" Ivan Robinson. (Oscar De La Hoya also scored three open class decisions over Robinson in the amateur ranks.)
1984 Olympic gold medalist and future IBF middleweight champion Frank Tate had a hot rivalry with Canada's top 156 pounder and future pro prospect Sean O'Sullivan that lasted for a couple of years in the early ‘80s. Of the three matchups that I know of, Tate came away with two of the three victories. Their first fight saw O' Sullivan beat Tate at the 1983 North American Championships but then Tate reversed the verdict at the 1984 World Championship Challenge. Their last meeting was in the gold medal round of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and Tate came away with the decision and the gold.
Tate also defeated future WBA 160-pound champion John David Jackson, future NABF 160-pound champion Fabian Williams and four-time NYC Golden Gloves champion Dennis Milton in 156-pound matches to win gold at the 1983 U.S. National championships in Colorado Springs. (Tate also beat future WBA Middleweight Champion Reggie Johnson at the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials.)
Reggie tells me he lost a decision in his first ever national tournament, at age sixteen, to top rated Dennis Milton of The Bronx. Milton, on the other hand, also scored great amateur victories over future three-time world champion, and good friend, Iran Barkley in the 156-pound finals of the 1981 NYC Golden Gloves, as well as Michael Nunn in a 156-pound fight back in 1983.
Kevin "The Flushing Flash" Kelley scored three decisions at 119 and 125 pounds over future top junior welterweight "Sucra" Ray Olivera.
Hard punching Venezuelan welterweight Engels Pedroza scored a victory in 1985 at 132 pounds over Joey Gamache in a USA-Venezuela duel meet. Gamache, meanwhile, scored a 1984 Olympic Trials victory over future lightweight contender Anthony "Baby" Jones.
The 1998 National Junior Olympic tournament saw future (2004) 201-pound Olympian Devin Vargas win a decision over future pro heavyweight prospect "Fast" Eddie Chambers in a 178-pound light heavyweight match.
In 1986, in the 112 Junior Olympic division of the National PAL tournament, future World Champion "Poison" Junior Jones won a semi-final decision over future world title challenger "Diamond" David Santos.
Future two-division World Champion Donald "Cobra" Curry defeated future WBA 154-pound champion Davey Moore in the 1980 Olympic Trials finals at 147 pounds. Moore advanced to the finals against Curry by winning a decision over future WBA 140-pound champion Gene "Mad Dog" Hatcher. Hatcher, meanwhile, gained the right to face Moore by winning the decision in a prelim fight against future WBA 160-pound champion John David Jackson.
The 1978 National AAU tournament saw Curry defeat future contenders Pedro Vilella and Bobby Joe Young on the way to the welterweight crown.
Every amateur boxing aficionado knows that Mark Breland was the first ever five-time New York City Golden Gloves champion but what many might not realize is that four-time champion (and future WBA 154 pound champion) Davey Moore also attempted to win a fifth title back in 1980 but was defeated by future welterweight contender Pedro Vilela.
Vilela also beat future Mike Tyson trainer Kevin Rooney on August 18, 1978 in New York's Empire State Games
Bernard Taylor was a spectacular amateur boxer who defeated, among many others, Johnny Bumphus in the finals of the 1977 National Golden Gloves tournament, Jimmy Paul in the semis of the 1978 National AAU and Livingstone Bramble at the 1980 National Golden Gloves.
Future 140-pound world champion Johnny "Bump City" Bumphus defeated both Harry Arroyo and Ronnie Shields at the 1980 National AAU tournament.
I was recently looking at a 1983 issue of "The Amateur Boxer" magazine that had a picture of 17-year-old wonder-kid Todd Hickman scoring a Sports Festival decision over Stevie McCrory just one year before McCrory would go on to win gold at the 1984 Olympic games. It is sad to realize that here it is, just about 20 years later, and both of them have passed away. Hickman was shot and killed in the mid-80's (late 1985, I think) while McCrory passed away from an undisclosed illness in August of 2000.
On August 6, 1983 at the Pan-American games Box-Off in St. Louis you had Michael Nunn, Virgil Hill and Evander Holyfield all losing that day to Dennis Milton, Michael Grogan and Ricky Womack respectively. (Holyfield defeated Womack the following day to make the team.)
1994 National Golden Gloves: Derrick Jefferson beat both Michael Grant and Lawrence Clay-Bey by decision.
Most boxing fans know that James "Lights Out" Toney did not have an extensive amateur career but one of his losses did come against top ranked (nationally) amateur middleweight Joe Lipsey in or around 1987.
Courtney Burton, who stopped Angel Manfredy as a professional, won a decision over future pro star Jermain Taylor at 147 pounds at a JO tournament in 1994.
Back sometime in the early 1990s, I am guessing 1993 or 1994, future world champions Martin Castillo of Mexico (WBA super flyweight) and Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather (multiple titles) met up in an international meet with Castillo taking the decision at 106 pounds.
1996 U.S. Olympian Nate Jones scored a 1994 national tournament decision over Fres Oquendo while future WBO heavyweight champ Michael Bent scored a finals night decision at the 1985 New York City Golden Gloves tournament over future title contender Alex Stewart.
1995 saw future 168-pound prospects Brandon Mitchem and Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy match up with Mitchem taking a decision at the U.S. Under-19 National Championships in the Light middleweight class.
At the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival Augie Sanchez won a decision over future champ Diego Corrales. Corrales also lost a decision in the U.S. Championship finals that same year to future Olympian Terrance Cauthen. Augie also split two amateur fights with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Vassily Jirov defeated future WBO 175-pound Champion Julio Gonzalez and future WBC champion Antonio Tarver on the way to the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. Jirov, the future cruiserweight champion, also defeated future 168-pound champion Sven Ottke in 1995. Ottke then turned around and defeated future WBO 175-pound champion Zolt Erdie in a 1996 match.
Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker scored a 1982 National AAU decision over another future champ in Frankie "The Surgeon" Randall.
The 1994 Olympic Festival also saw current WBO heavyweight champion Lamon Brewster score a second-round stoppage over future (1996) Olympian Nate Jones in the 201-pound class while super heavyweight Derrick Jefferson scored a championship night stoppage over DaVarryl Williamson.
Williamson, meanwhile, defeated future contender Monte "Two-Gunz" Barrett in a national tournament in, or around, 1995 in the 201-pound class and he also scored a stoppage victory over future (and current) WBO champion Lamon Brewster. Other Williamson amateur victims include four different U.S. Olympians in Calvin Brock, Nate Jones, Jason Estrada and Michael Bennett.
Brock and Williamson actually stopped each other in separate tournaments back in 1997. Brock also scored at least two decisions over Dominick Guinn including one in the semis of the 1999 USA/ABF nationals.
When Lennox Lewis stopped Donovan "Razor" Ruddock in just two rounds back in 1992 it likely erased much of the memory of his Junior Division loss to Ruddock back in 1980.
Rising middleweight contender Jermain Taylor reportedly split two amateur contests with former WBO 154-pound champ Felix Sturm while future champs Wayne McCullough and Tim Austin met up in the early 1990s with Wayne taking the decision. McCullough, on the other hand, lost in the 1992 Olympic gold medal match to another future world champion Joel Casamayor of Cuba.
The 1995 Pan-American Games saw future WBA 154-pound champion David Reid score victories over future contender Hercules Kyvelos of Canada and (in the finals) future WBO 154-pound champion Daniel Santos of Puerto Rico
The early ‘90s saw a 139-pound bout that had Ronald "Winky" Wright winning a decision over future lightweight champion Stevie "Lil' But Bad" Johnston.
Marvis Frazier, a great amateur in his own right who was sometimes overshadowed by the legend of his father Smokin' Joe, defeated the likes of Phillip Brown, James "Bonecrusher" Smith, Tony Tubbs, Tim Witherspoon and Mitch Green in his illustrious amateur career. He defeated Green in the 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials quarterfinals before losing in the finals to James Broad.
Michael Spinks won the 165-pound class at the 1976 Olympic Trials, defeating future 168-pound IBF champion Lindell Holmes in the process.
As young kids, 12 or 13 years old, future Olympic Gold medalist/WBA World Champion David Reid and light heavyweight contender Eric Harding fought twice with each winning once.
The 1986 National Golden Gloves in Cedar Rapids, Iowa saw future WBA cruiserweight champions meet up, with Orlin Norris winning a decision over Nate "Mr." Miller.
Future light heavyweight contender Johnny Davis won a decision over Gerry Cooney in the light heavyweight final of the 1975 New York City Golden Gloves tournament.
The 1988 version of the New York City tournament saw future ranked contender Ernest "M-16" Mateen win a finals night decision at 178 pounds over fellow Brooklyn-based boxer Clinton Mitchell (interesting when you know that Mitchell turned pro about six months later with a decision victory in Atlantic City over future world middleweight champion Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins).
The 1990 New York City Golden Gloves tournament saw two future Roy Jones opponents match up in the 178-pound division when Richard Frazier won a decision over future WBA 175-pound champion Lou "Honey Boy" Del Valle.
The 156-pound final of the 1984 National Golden Gloves championships saw future NABF 168-pound champ Ron Esset win a decision over future IBF light heavyweight champ William Guthrie
Sharmba Mitchell won the 1985 National Junior Olympics 106-pound title with a championship round decision over fellow future 118- and 122-pound champion Paulie Ayala.
The semi-finals of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials saw Riddick Bowe win by second-round disqualification over Lou Savarese. In that same tournament, at 201 pounds, Ray Mercer won a decision over Tommy Morrison
In either 1993 or 1994, at a national tournament, future champions Floyd Mayweather and Eric Morel met up in a 106-pound match-up that saw Mayweather come away with a decision victory.
Jermain Taylor scored a 1999 National Golden Gloves decision over Anthony Hanshaw, a future super middleweight prospect and SHOWTIME 168-pound tournament finalist (he had a draw with Jean Paul Mendy).
Sugar Ray Leonard won the 1973 National Golden Gloves Championship with a final-round decision over future world champion Hilmer Kenty from Detroit.
Two future world champions met up in the 125-pound class at the 1988 National Golden Gloves in Omaha with future 130-pound champion Eddie Hopson winning a decision over future featherweight champ Kevin Kelley. The semifinals of that same tournament saw 106-pound Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson win a decision over future bantamweight world champion Timmy Austin.
The 1988 U.S. National Championships saw future WBA 154-pound Champion Carl Daniels win an opening day decision at featherweight (125 pounds) over fellow future champ Sharmba Mitchell.
Kelcie Banks lost in a big upset in the semi-finals of those same ‘88 U.S. Championships to Daniels at 125 pounds but not before defeating future World Champion Shane Mosley in the quarterfinals.
Carl Daniels had a spectacular week there at the ‘88 nationals where he not only beat Banks and Mitchell but he also scored a decision over "Mighty" Ivan Robinson along the way.
To give you an idea of what type of competition is seen at these national tournaments, take a look at the quarterfinal round of those 1988 nationals in the loaded 125-pound division. Ivan Robinson, Vernon Forrest and Sugar Shane Mosley all were defeated (by Daniels, Myron Walker and Banks respectively) on the same day. Add that to the fact that you had Kevin "The Flushing Flash" Kelly lose in an earlier round of competition and you have yourself a DEEP featherweight class.
At the 1988 Eastern U.S. Olympic Trials two future world champions matched up on opening day in a tussle that saw a young Sharmba Mitchell win a decision at 125 pounds over an even younger Vernon Forrest (I was there) before losing later in the competition to another future champ in Kevin Kelley. At the Eastern Trials one year earlier (Lake Placid, 1987) Mitchell won the 125-pound crown and defeated future world title challenger Virgil McClendon along the way.
Chris Byrd's brother Patrick scored a decision at those ‘87 Eastern Trials over future (1988) Olympian Romallis Ellis.
Ivan Robinson scored a 1989 stoppage in the first round over future welterweight contender Thomas Damgaard of Denmark and Jeremy Williams, maybe best known now as one of the trainers on "The Contender," scored a 1990 stoppage in the second round over future cruiserweight contender Dale Brown of Canada.
The 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials saw Carl Daniels score another big win, this time in the semis, over Kevin Kelley. Daniels lost the next day in the finals to Ed Hopson.
The 1999 National PAL tournament saw 132 pounder (and future 2004 U.S. Olympian) Rock Allen score a decision over future 140-pound champion Paulie Malignaggi.
The 1988 USA National Junior Olympic tournament, for 14 and 15 year olds, saw future Olympic Gold Medalist and WBA world champion David Reid get stopped in the third round of a fight with Tony Hodge of Detroit in the 125-pound semifinals. Oscar De La Hoya won that same J.O. tournament at 119 pounds, beating future lightweight contender Lamar Murphy along the way in the semis.
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