Reggie Gross (heavyweight)

[Controversial]

Just looking at his record, not a great one (19-8) but he had a few good wins and went 14-0 at the start of his career. He knocked out future world LHW champ 'Prince' Charles Williams in the 1st, handed Bert Cooper his first defeat (TKO8) and gave unbeaten 16-0 prospect Jimmy Clark his first defeat (TKO9). A few of his losses were to unbeaten fighters too (Tyson, Tillman and Ferguson) as well as losing to other decent fighters like Bruno and Ruddock.



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[Dixonian]

Just looking at his record, not a great one (19-8) but he had a few good wins. He knocked out future world LHW champ 'Prince' Charles Williams in the 1st, handed Bert Cooper his first defeat (TKO8) and gave unbeaten 16-0 prospect Jimmy Clark his first defeat (TKO9). A few of his losses were to unbeaten fighters too (Tyson, Tillman and Ferguson) as well as losing to other decent fighters like Bruno and Ruddock.

Is he still in prison?

[Controversial]

Just looking at his record, not a great one (19-8) but he had a few good wins. He knocked out future world LHW champ 'Prince' Charles Williams in the 1st, handed Bert Cooper his first defeat (TKO8) and gave unbeaten 16-0 prospect Jimmy Clark his first defeat (TKO9). A few of his losses were to unbeaten fighters too (Tyson, Tillman and Ferguson) as well as losing to other decent fighters like Bruno and Ruddock.

Is he still in prison?

I think he's in for a very long time

[Dixonian]

Just looking at his record, not a great one (19-8) but he had a few good wins. He knocked out future world LHW champ 'Prince' Charles Williams in the 1st, handed Bert Cooper his first defeat (TKO8) and gave unbeaten 16-0 prospect Jimmy Clark his first defeat (TKO9). A few of his losses were to unbeaten fighters too (Tyson, Tillman and Ferguson) as well as losing to other decent fighters like Bruno and Ruddock.

Is he still in prison?

I think he's in for a very long time

Yeah I remember reading about that in The Longest Round. If I remember rightly, Gross replied via letter to the author's contact. It was pretty distressing to read. Really felt for the guy.

[Mimmy]

Just looked on Wiki about the guy. parole 2048 for 3 murders. Sounds pretty damn horrific but would like to know more about the circumstances.

[Controversial]

Just looked on Wiki about the guy. parole 2048 for 3 murders. Sounds pretty damn horrific but would like to know more about the circumstances.

An interesting read via the link, I have copied and pasted the part about the murder

http://murderpedia.org/male.G/g/gross-reggie.htm

Murder arrest

In fall 1986, Baltimore homicide detectives arrested Gross in connection with the execution-style killing of a rival of the Boardley gang, a street dealer named Andre Coxson. Gross allegedly approached Coxson on Fayette Street in West Baltimore, shot him once, then stood over him and fired five more bullets into his head as he begged for his life and tried to crawl away. Though at trial the state produced several witnesses who said they saw Gross carry out the killing then flee down an alley, the fighter was found not guilty of the charges by a jury in Baltimore Circuit Court.

The acquittal, in May 1987, was a victory for longtime criminal defense attorney Harold Glaser, who was paid with most of Gross' take from the Tyson fight. When the trial was over, there was a brief celebration and Gross returned to his training at Mack Lewis' gym - but not without a warning from Glaser that FBI agents were on his tail.

Still, Gross claimed to have been the victim of snitches, lying witnesses and overzealous prosecutors. "Now that I was found innocent, where are all the apologies? Someone's got to pay," he told The Sun in 1987.

That year, as Gross was traveling overseas for big fights, a combined force of federal and state investigators was slowly stripping away the defensive shell of the Boardley gang. One of Boardley's intimates, Larry Donnell "Donnie" Andrews, cooperated with the investigation and wore a hidden microphone so the FBI could record his conversations with, among others, Reggie Gross.

The focus of the investigation was on the bloody war of September 1986. When the U.S. Attorney's Office released an indictment in the case, 10 operatives of the Boardley gang were named in it, including its alleged enforcer, the once-promising Baltimore heavyweight. Gross was accused not only of the Coxson killing, but also in the sub-machine-gun deaths of two other men who were mid-level drug dealers.

Set for trial in summer 1989, Gross pleaded guilty to the charges at the last minute, admitting to killing Coxson on Sept. 12, 1986, and, 11 days later, Zachary Roach and Rodney Young on Gold Street in West Baltimore.

"I was strung out on [heroin] by that time," Gross said in a small visiting room at the prison here. "I was doing drugs hard. I was robbing people just to get fixes. ... I [overdosed] once, was taken to the hospital to be revived after a month of every day getting high. ... I had my car and my house and my girl and everything, but she didn't know I was going around robbin'. She used to fuss at me all the time and find needles in my shoes. We'd been robbin' people all over the city, all month, for drugs and money for drugs."

On Gold Street, he said, "There wasn't supposed to be no killin'."

But the government said the killings were hits and that Gross received $3,000 for each.

He entered guilty pleas, expecting a 75-year-sentence from U.S. District Judge Paul V. Niemeyer.

"I made some huge mistakes. I can't change the past, but I can do better in the future," he told the judge. "I know that I will be going away a long while. I just pray that it will not be for the rest of my life."

But Niemeyer did something unusual, going beyond the prosecutors' recommendation and giving Gross a sentence of three life terms - two of them to run consecutively. "You fell from a most promising career as a boxer," Niemeyer told him. "Unfortunately, you elected a life in which you would pursue some of the most brutal crimes."

Gross should be eligible for parole for the first time in about eight years.

[Mimmy]

Just looked on Wiki about the guy. parole 2048 for 3 murders. Sounds pretty damn horrific but would like to know more about the circumstances.

An interesting read via the link, I have copied and pasted the part about the murder

http://murderpedia.org/male.G/g/gross-reggie.htm

Murder arrest

In fall 1986, Baltimore homicide detectives arrested Gross in connection with the execution-style killing of a rival of the Boardley gang, a street dealer named Andre Coxson. Gross allegedly approached Coxson on Fayette Street in West Baltimore, shot him once, then stood over him and fired five more bullets into his head as he begged for his life and tried to crawl away. Though at trial the state produced several witnesses who said they saw Gross carry out the killing then flee down an alley, the fighter was found not guilty of the charges by a jury in Baltimore Circuit Court.

The acquittal, in May 1987, was a victory for longtime criminal defense attorney Harold Glaser, who was paid with most of Gross' take from the Tyson fight. When the trial was over, there was a brief celebration and Gross returned to his training at Mack Lewis' gym - but not without a warning from Glaser that FBI agents were on his tail.

Still, Gross claimed to have been the victim of snitches, lying witnesses and overzealous prosecutors. "Now that I was found innocent, where are all the apologies? Someone's got to pay," he told The Sun in 1987.

That year, as Gross was traveling overseas for big fights, a combined force of federal and state investigators was slowly stripping away the defensive shell of the Boardley gang. One of Boardley's intimates, Larry Donnell "Donnie" Andrews, cooperated with the investigation and wore a hidden microphone so the FBI could record his conversations with, among others, Reggie Gross.

The focus of the investigation was on the bloody war of September 1986. When the U.S. Attorney's Office released an indictment in the case, 10 operatives of the Boardley gang were named in it, including its alleged enforcer, the once-promising Baltimore heavyweight. Gross was accused not only of the Coxson killing, but also in the sub-machine-gun deaths of two other men who were mid-level drug dealers.

Set for trial in summer 1989, Gross pleaded guilty to the charges at the last minute, admitting to killing Coxson on Sept. 12, 1986, and, 11 days later, Zachary Roach and Rodney Young on Gold Street in West Baltimore.

"I was strung out on [heroin] by that time," Gross said in a small visiting room at the prison here. "I was doing drugs hard. I was robbing people just to get fixes. ... I [overdosed] once, was taken to the hospital to be revived after a month of every day getting high. ... I had my car and my house and my girl and everything, but she didn't know I was going around robbin'. She used to fuss at me all the time and find needles in my shoes. We'd been robbin' people all over the city, all month, for drugs and money for drugs."

On Gold Street, he said, "There wasn't supposed to be no killin'."

But the government said the killings were hits and that Gross received $3,000 for each.

He entered guilty pleas, expecting a 75-year-sentence from U.S. District Judge Paul V. Niemeyer.

"I made some huge mistakes. I can't change the past, but I can do better in the future," he told the judge. "I know that I will be going away a long while. I just pray that it will not be for the rest of my life."

But Niemeyer did something unusual, going beyond the prosecutors' recommendation and giving Gross a sentence of three life terms - two of them to run consecutively. "You fell from a most promising career as a boxer," Niemeyer told him. "Unfortunately, you elected a life in which you would pursue some of the most brutal crimes."

Gross should be eligible for parole for the first time in about eight years.

Cheers fella, some story.

[Dixonian]

I'd never seen that. Interesting stuff.

I remember he had a proper go at a prime Iron Mike. Threw something like a 16 punch combo at a furiously bobbing and weaving peek-a-boo. Tyson emerged from his shell to deck him with one punch.

[Caractacus]

thats reminds me of another heavyweight back in the early 1960's who was also reportedly a hitman in Chicago.
Cant remember his name offhand,but Joe Louis was his manager and sometimes trainer.
Al Perno would probably be interested in that story.

[Cutman Scabbers]

I'd never seen that. Interesting stuff.

I remember he had a proper go at a prime Iron Mike. Threw something like a 16 punch combo at a furiously bobbing and weaving peek-a-boo. Tyson emerged from his shell to deck him with one punch.

Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stMKHTasGG4

[sweetviolenturge]

I actually worked that card whilst working for Don King & the Hilton bros back in summer of '86. ( here's a link to my FB photo taken with Tyson at that morning's weigh-ins https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =258%2C258 ).
Back then I used to get my pic taken with every fighter on a card for my photo album, but didn't bother to even attempt to get one with Gross cause he was such a mean, surly guy.
About a year earlier there was another fighter that I didn't bother with because he was such a POS toward everyone & as it turned out, that guy Dwight Williams WAS an absolute POS & another murderer as a while later he killed his girlfriend & her two daughters in Rochester.

- Jim

[sweetviolenturge]

Sh*t-ski, that didn't so just go to my photo page at https://www.facebook.com/Echelon1961
if interested.

- Jim

[Controversial]

Sh*t-ski, that didn't so just go to my photo page at https://www.facebook.com/Echelon1961
if interested.

- Jim

Your facebook page must be locked down as I can't see your pics, only your main photo and a few cover photos. What was Tyson like?

[sweetviolenturge]

At that time, when I first met him in 1986 he was a really nice, rather quiet, highly respectful kid who absolutely lived for & loved boxing. Especially boxing history.
On two occasions during the couple of days before the card took place, I had the opportunity to sit with him & talk boxing history for about an hour or so.
Once, up in Matt Hilton's hotel room in the ( then ) Penta & then again, the following morning while waiting around for the weigh-ins to start ( which, in my experience, pretty much never, EVER start on time. LOL ).
And, not to be boastful, but I was actually able to stump him on some trivia, which he was impressed with. An accomplishment that I'm proud of to this day 'cause MAN, he knows his stuff!

Later, on the second occasion that I worked a card that he fought on ( & headlined, of course ) in AC in 1990, he was a vastly different individual. Not surly, just distant & not nearly as approachable.

- Jim

[sweetviolenturge]

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=58C2F43E

Let's see if this works...

Tyson & I at The Garden 1986.

[sweetviolenturge]

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=58CAD434

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=58CED182

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=58BCE23C

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=58B72CCC

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=58B452F1

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=58C1C7BD

Hopefully this format allows you to see the photos. Still getting used to this Chromebook & it's not exactly doing a bang up job of transfering my photos from my old laptop, so I'll just test with a handful for now.

From top to bottom is: Sugar Shane & I in 2000
Holyfield & I in AC in 1990
Ali & I in Buffalo 1985
My boxing poster photo
Black Belt ceremony
Joe Mesi, myself, my trainer Johnny Taylor, former '75 contender
Tommy Hicks, former hvwt Tony Ventura & '30 lb champ Angel
Manfredy at awards ceremony Lockport, NY 1999

[Controversial]

At that time, when I first met him in 1986 he was a really nice, rather quiet, highly respectful kid who absolutely lived for & loved boxing. Especially boxing history.
On two occasions during the couple of days before the card took place, I had the opportunity to sit with him & talk boxing history for about an hour or so.
Once, up in Matt Hilton's hotel room in the ( then ) Penta & then again, the following morning while waiting around for the weigh-ins to start ( which, in my experience, pretty much never, EVER start on time. LOL ).
And, not to be boastful, but I was actually able to stump him on some trivia, which he was impressed with. An accomplishment that I'm proud of to this day 'cause MAN, he knows his stuff!

Later, on the second occasion that I worked a card that he fought on ( & headlined, of course ) in AC in 1990, he was a vastly different individual. Not surly, just distant & not nearly as approachable.

- Jim

Thanks for the pics, good memories to have.

[sweetviolenturge]

By all means. Thank you.