Whatever happened to '70s Chicago heavyweight prospect Calvin Cross?

[sweetviolenturge]

Apparently the 6'6" Cross won the 1977 open class Golden Gloves title before turning pro. http://boxrec.com/en/boxer/22275
Then, was put on a relatively fast-track early on by mixing with the likes of Dwain Bonds ( a decent spoiler/journeyman opponent of the day ), Charles Atlas & Pedro Agosto after just four pro fights. Going 8-0 until being held to a draw over eight rounds by a fellow unbeaten prospect, Reggie Phillips. After which, Cross just hung up his gloves & never fought again.
I've always wondered what happened to him & why he ceased his career after such a promising beginning to it.

[HomicideHenry]

He's on Facebook.

[Dart340]

Couple of things: First, he really was on a fast track. Fighting heavy punching "Boom Boom" Moorer- who previously stopped Roughhouse Fischer who was well known to Chicago promoters, formerly world rated Pedro Agosto and rugged Dwain Bonds was certainly no usual start to a career. You could almost argue he was fighting tougher guys than main-eventer Walter Moore was in Chicago at the same time.

Secondly, the jump away from the Aragon Ballroom to Waukegan suggests a change in promotional alliance away from Ernie Terrell. I believe Max Czerwonka was promoting Waukegan at the time, but he had nowhere the resources that Terrell did and perhaps Cross jumped ship and whatever happened that caused it was at the root of his final draw result and gap between last two fights/premature end of career.

FWIW, I have George Mostardini's book and he doesn't mention Cross at all.

[sweetviolenturge]

Couple of things: First, he really was on a fast track. Fighting heavy punching "Boom Boom" Moorer- who previously stopped Roughhouse Fischer who was well known to Chicago promoters, formerly world rated Pedro Agosto and rugged Dwain Bonds was certainly no usual start to a career. You could almost argue he was fighting tougher guys than main-eventer Walter Moore was in Chicago at the same time.

Secondly, the jump away from the Aragon Ballroom to Waukegan suggests a change in promotional alliance away from Ernie Terrell. I believe Max Czerwonka was promoting Waukegan at the time, but he had nowhere the resources that Terrell did and perhaps Cross jumped ship and whatever happened that caused it was at the root of his final draw result and gap between last two fights/premature end of career.

FWIW, I have George Mostardini's book and he doesn't mention Cross at all.

Interesting stuff, Dart340. Thank you.
Do you think the promoters were trying to fast track a fight between Cross & Walter Moore? If so, it sure would have been a hell of a match. It's a shame that despite having a lot of talent at heavyweight during that time that Chicago didn't get a heavyweight contender until a couple of years later when Terrell brought in transplanted Oklahoma resident James "Quick" Tillis.
Back to Moore though, whatever happened to him? Wasn't it a long stretch behind bars?

[Nile4000]

Maybe he never recovered from that brutal knockout Blood Green did to him in intercity Golden Gloves comp.

[Dart340]

Couple of things: First, he really was on a fast track. Fighting heavy punching "Boom Boom" Moorer- who previously stopped Roughhouse Fischer who was well known to Chicago promoters, formerly world rated Pedro Agosto and rugged Dwain Bonds was certainly no usual start to a career. You could almost argue he was fighting tougher guys than main-eventer Walter Moore was in Chicago at the same time.

Secondly, the jump away from the Aragon Ballroom to Waukegan suggests a change in promotional alliance away from Ernie Terrell. I believe Max Czerwonka was promoting Waukegan at the time, but he had nowhere the resources that Terrell did and perhaps Cross jumped ship and whatever happened that caused it was at the root of his final draw result and gap between last two fights/premature end of career.

FWIW, I have George Mostardini's book and he doesn't mention Cross at all.

Interesting stuff, Dart340. Thank you.
Do you think the promoters were trying to fast track a fight between Cross & Walter Moore? If so, it sure would have been a hell of a match. It's a shame that despite having a lot of talent at heavyweight during that time that Chicago didn't get a heavyweight contender until a couple of years later when Terrell brought in transplanted Oklahoma resident James "Quick" Tillis.
Back to Moore though, whatever happened to him? Wasn't it a long stretch behind bars?

No, no, Walter Moore was a business student at college in Chicago and was pretty close to getting his degree when he made his comeback. There was a lot of question, if you read some things that Ernie Terrell his promoter said, about whether his heart was really set on winning the title and being a pro. I heard Moore suffered a detached retina after his last fight and retired as a result, but I had also heard that his KO loss to Tiger Williams in Las Vegas sort of killed the dream of making big money in the division and killed his motivation to fight on. Mostardini claimed Moore retired after he knocked him cold in a gym sparring session.