Jim Boyd, 1956 Olympic Light-Heavyweight Champion

[williefromrichmond]

James Felton “Jim” Boyd

Born November 30, 1930

Rocky Mount, North Caolina

Partial amateur record below

1952

May 4 - Record: 12-2 (Augusta [Georgia]
Chronicle 5-4-52:D-1).
May 7 - William Arch (Camp W ko 1
Rucker). (Augusta [Georgia] Chronicle 5-8-52:B-4).
May 9 - Charles Symonette L pts
(Middletown, New York). Third Army light-heavyweight semifinalist; Camp Gordon, Georgia. (Augusta [Georgia] Chronicle 5-10-52:A-8).

1954

Mch. 2 - Pete Salvatore (Des Moines) W rsc 1
Mch. 2 - Art Raby (US Navy, Great Lakes) W pts
Mch. 3 - William Stephen (St. Louis) W rsc 3
Mch. 11 - Nathaniel Ellison (Louisville) L default
Western Golden Gloves light-heavyweight semifinalist; Chicago. Boyd was unable to leave his army post.

1955

Mch. 2 - Delcar Lamee (Sioux City) W tko 2
Mch. 2 - Charles W. Forest (Terre Haute) W tko 1
Mch. 3 - Orville Pitts (Milwaukee) W tko 2
“Pitts’ defeat was unfortunate, even though he was having his hands full with Boyd. He suffered a bad cut over his [right] eye in the first round and ringside doctors refused to permit him to continue in the second” (Chicago Tribune 3-3-55, Pt. 6, pg 1).
Mch. 4 - Willy McMillian (Denver) W pts
Mch. 4 - Eddie Jenkins (Detroit) L pts
Western Golden Gloves light-heavyweight finalist; Chicago.
Apr. 15 - Jim Jones W pts
Apr. 16 - Harry Davis (Galesburg, W ko 1
Illinois). All-Army light-heavyweight champion; Oakland Army Base, California.
Apr. 20 - John Stewart W pts
(Washington, D.C./U. S. Air Force). A unanimous decision. (Hayward [California] Daily Review 4-21-55:10).
Apr. 22 - Charles Butler W pts
(Metuchen, New Jersey/U. S. Navy). Inter-Service light-heavyweight champion; Oakland Army Base, California. “A free-swinging affair won by Boyd. Boyd started fast and tallied points in the first round and a half with solid belting to the body. Butler came on in the late stages. but couldn’t quite overcome Boyd’s lead” (Oakland [California] Tribune 4-23-55:14).

1956

Feb. 28 - LeRoy Bogar (Minneapolis) W rsc 1
Feb. 28 - Reuben Stevens (Tulsa) W rsc 3
Feb. 29 - William Clemens (St. Louis) W pts
Mch. 9 - Eddie Hawkins (Sioux City) W pts
Mch. 9 - Ernest Terrell (Chicago) W pts
Western Golden Gloves light-heavyweight champion; Chicago. “Terrell used his height and reach effectively to keep Boyd at a distance thru most of the first round. As the second began, Boyd charged in a desperate effort to get inside Terrell’s guard. He succeeded occasionally and pounded Terrell with body blows. Boyd returned to the attack in the third and got in enough body blows to gain the decision” (Chicago Tribune 3-10-56, Pt. 3, pg. 2).
Sept. 27 - Charles Hood W pts
(Monroe, North Carolina). (Burlington [North Carolina] Daily Times-News 9-28-56:A-9).
Sept. 28 - Tommy Nelson W pts
(Philadelphia). All-Army light-heavyweight champion; Fort Myer, Virginia. (Burlington [North Carolina] Daly Times-News 10-1-56:A-6).
Oct. 5 - Don Hobson W pts
(Cleveland/U. S. Navy). Inter-Service light-heavyweight champion; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. (Newport [Rhode Island] Daily News 10- 8-56:12).
Oct. 18 - Willie Richardson W rsc 2
(Portland, Oregon). (Nevada State Journal [Reno] 10-19-56:9).
Oct. 19 - Ronald Freeman (Cudahy, W rsc 3
Wisconsin). Boyd “slammed Freeman against the ropes early in the third with an overhand right, and a minute later connected with a right to the midsection which put Freeman down. Freeman was up in time , but after he took two solid blows to the head, Referee Jack Downy stepped in” (Wisconsin State Journal [Madison] 10-20-56:Sec. 3, page 1).
Oct. 19 - Orville Pitts (Milwaukee) W tko 3
U. S. Olympic Trials light-heavyweight champion; San Francisco. “Pitts put Boyd down twice with rights to the head in the first two rounds, then faded before a sudden counter attack featured by Boyd’s sweeping right hands. One of them opened a cut below [Pitts’] left eye and the physician called the fight off between the second and third rounds” (Nevada State Journal [Reno] 10-20-56). “Pitts, who had argued with the referee on several occasions in his semifinal win, had the fans against him from the start. [After scoring the two knockdowns, Pitts] appeared an easy winner until he began to coast and grimace cockily. [Then], the dead-serious Boyd came off the floor with an attack of his own that had Pitts in serious trouble. He almost decked Pitts [after opening the cut over Pitts’ eye]” (San Mateo [California] Times 10-20-56:10).
Nov. 29 - Rodolfo Diaz (Argentina) W pts
Boyd “was impressive in his bout against Diaz, a speedy Argentine boxer, winning a unanimous decision” (New York Time 11-30-56:27).
Nov. 31 - Romualdas Murauskas (Soviet W pts
Union). Boyd “did some hard and clean punching to the head, but the Russian’s scrappiness and Boyd’s tendency to hold nearly cost him the decision. Boyd won the fight on a split decision, with two judges and the referee voting for him and two judges voting against him” (New York Times 12-1-56:24).
Dec. 1 - Gheorghe Negrea (Romania) W pts
Olympic light-heavyweight champion; Melbourne, Australia. “Boyd outpointed Negrea in the roughest, toughest fight of the competition. Boyd and Negrea both absorbed punishment as they hammered each other throughout the fight. Boyd’s main weapon was a right cross which he used with devastating effect to floor Negrea [three] times during the bout, [twice in the second round and once in the third]” (Nevada State Journal [Reno] 12-2-56, page 15; Kingston [Jamaica] Daily Gleaner 12-5-56:13).

Turns Pro

Jim Boyd turned pro in 1959 at the age of 28. His first pro bout was on February 26, 1959. His last pro bout was on September 10, 1962. His professional career consisted of seven bouts, of which he won two, lost two and boxed three draws.

[williefromrichmond]

James “Jim” Boyd

“Jim Boyd, Rocky Mount Negro serviceman, who won the Olympic light-heavyweight boxing title, said he joined the Army in hopes of winning a college football scholarship.

“The colleges didn’t beat a path to his door, but fight managers have, asking him to turn pro. But Boyd, who re-enlisted for six years in the Army shortly after returning home from Melbourne, says they haven’t a chance.

“’It’s a little late in the game for that,’ he says. ‘I’m 26 and at that age a man’s days in the ring are numbered and he has to think ahead to a future job.’

“Boyd was honored with a parade [in Rocky Mount] last Friday. Then he left for New York, where he was introduced on the Ed Sullivan television show last night. He will remain in New York for a few days litening to progressive jazz, of which he is a fan.

“Boyd, one of 10 children, quit Booker T. Washington High School nine years ago and joined the Army for two reasons:

“To lighten the burden at home, and to learn to play football so he could get a football scholarship.

“He figured he could get enough credits to complete his high school education. Most of his service football was played during a tour of duty in Japan.

“He started his boxing career in 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia, when Leroy Jones, then All-Army middleweight champion, induced him to try his hand at the game.

“Boyd remembers that after his first day in the ring, Jones told him:

“’Boy, you’re a natural fighter. You were born to be a fighter. Do what your Maker intended you to do.’

“Boyd was knocked cold in the first round of his first fight. He hasn’t

lost many since then.

“He wasn’t impressed with the foreign boxers in the Olympics. He described them as ‘all-go-for-broke’ fighters, strong but not smart.”

Burlington (NC) Daily Times-News, 1-14-57, page 7-A

[classboxer]

Is Jim still alive ?


his AM career was A1,Olympic Gold is the Holy grail of boxing

word has it that Jim after he won the olympic Gold he loved women and the night life to much

[williefromrichmond]

I haven't found that Boyd did any competitive boxing as an amateur after the Olympics and need to verify that. I haven't found any notices of his death, either, and need to verify that, too. The Rocky Mount (NC) library and newspaper haven't been very helpful in answering my inquiries.

[classboxer]

I haven't found that Boyd did any competitive boxing as an amateur after the Olympics and need to verify that. I haven't found any notices of his death, either, and need to verify that, too. The Rocky Mount (NC) library and newspaper haven't been very helpful in answering my inquiries.

Williefromrichmond

your post said this

"Jim Boyd turned pro in 1959 at the age of 28. His first pro bout was on February 26, 1959. His last pro bout was on September 10, 1962. His professional career consisted of seven bouts, of which he won two, lost two and boxed three draws"

It doesnt matteranyway

I just wanted to know if Jim was still alive thats all