Famous Fighters with Drug Problems

knockout artist · Post by **knockout artist** » 04 Sep 2003, 08:59

Who are they

knockout artist · Post by **knockout artist** » 04 Sep 2003, 09:15

Yeah, Rosario is a tragic case. He died of an OD.

what about

JC Chavez?
Hector Camacho Snr?
Aaron Pryor, obviously, but glad to see he's doing well now.

The list is endless

Arguello?
Leonard?
Gerry Cooney
Jerry Quarry?

john garfield · Post by **john garfield** » 04 Sep 2003, 09:40

This didn't happen while he was in the ring but as a result of his injuries in WW2, Barney Ross got hooked on Morphine.

wouter · Post by **wouter** » 04 Sep 2003, 11:51

Smokin' Joe Frazier? Eugene Speed? Curtis Cokes?

knockout artist · Post by **knockout artist** » 04 Sep 2003, 14:09

Michael Dokes

Jaclem · Post by **Jaclem** » 05 Sep 2003, 02:07

terap...a very good point....adding ALCOHOL to the drug abuse problem. It also makes the list a few yards long , though.....to your guys add Lew Jenkins, Mickey Walker....well...as i say...a few yards more.

As to Sugar Ray....this would surprise me as he was very demanding of himself in keeping ins shape. Several of those famous "pull outs" of fights came because he didn't feel he was in perfect shape....and this wasn't just for title fights...had the same attitude in over the weight matches as a welter...and pre-welter title.

A lot of fighters got into some kind of drug taking late in their careers...when they were past their prime and just finishing out their careers for the pocket money....so he might have indulged then...but I've never heard any stories.

Now, someone is going to come on and say "he wasn't in shape for the first Turpin fight"....but that was more a case of Turpin's strength, talent and odd stye that Robinson wasn't prepared for. He was in top condition for the rematch and turpin still gave him hell.

worrypascanada · Post by **worrypascanada** » 06 Sep 2003, 07:53

Hi,

Jos Louis had cocaine addiction problems.

Robert Richard
http://www.yvondurelle.com

knockout artist · Post by **knockout artist** » 06 Sep 2003, 13:11

worrypascanada wrote:Hi,

Jos Louis had cocaine addiction problems.

Robert Richard
http://www.yvondurelle.com

It could be true about Joe Louis. The books Night Train and the Great Black Hope give detailed accounts of his drug problems.

Very sad, Louis' addiction drove him mad.

wouter · Post by **wouter** » 07 Sep 2003, 06:55

Louis admitted he had a drug problem in his autobiography

knockout artist · Post by **knockout artist** » 07 Sep 2003, 12:24

terap wrote:I spent much of the day with Joe Louis the day before the Ali-Evangalista fight. I met him at the weigh in and we got together later.

He showed no signs of "drug addiction," and was not "mad."

But perhaps those terms fit those who so glibly smear others on the internet.

Calm down, Terap. I did not glibly smear Joe Louis (who I consider the greatest HW ever), I merely repeated what I had read in Night Train and The Great Black Hope.

Having said that, since when were you qualified diagnose the mental state of a person and whether or not they had drug problems? If you have been trained to do this, surely, a hospital would have been a better venue than the weigh in for a title fight.

enrique · Post by **enrique** » 07 Sep 2003, 16:53

JOE LOUIS DID HAVE A SERIOUS DRUG PROBLEM, DEVELOPED DURING HIS DAYS AS A HOST IN VEGAS. LOUIS WAS PAID A GRAND A WEEK, WHICH WAS VERY GOOD MONEY FORTY YEARS AGO. HIS WIFE WAS A LAWYER AND ALSO MADE GOOD MONEY, BUT JOE PROBABLY HAD A LOT OF FREEBIE DRUGS WITH THE CELEBRITIES IN VEGAS.

BARNEY NAGLER AND A NUMBER OF WRITERS -INCLUDING SOME DOCUMENTARIES- HAVE COVERED THIS SAD PERIOD WELL, INCLUDING HIS HALLUCINATIONS AND PARANOIA. HE MIGHT HAVE ACQUIRED THE BAD HABITS FROM HANGING OUT WITH SONNY LISTON, WHO ALSO LIVED IN VEGAS AND WAS CLOSE TO LOUIS.

I NEVER DWELL ON THAT SAD PROBLEM. TO ME HE WAS -AND WILL ALWAYS BE- THE GREAT CHAMP BURIED AT ARLINGTON CEMETERY.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM, BE IT BOOZE OR BLOW. JOHN L, JIMMY SLATTERY, BARBADOS JOE WALCOTT, KID CHOCOLATE, BLACK BILL, LEW JENKINS, PETER JACKSON, BILLY BELLO, ESTEBAN DE JESUS, ROSARIO, WILFREDO GOMEZ, LEON SPINKS AND A TON OF OTHERS...

enrique · Post by **enrique** » 08 Sep 2003, 12:06

It's not just Nagler, that's just the name that popped into my head first. Louis did have a serious drug problem and he did seem to straighten out of it but he had to be medicated and there's a lot of boxing people- Hank Kaplan among them- who have lots of info on that. I'm not smearing anyone and it hurts to discuss the topic, but one can not pretend it did not happen. It is possible that when you talked to him, Joe was over the hump and back to normal, but he did have a couple of very bad years of substance abuse and hallucinations.

Jeffsboxing · Post by **Jeffsboxing** » 09 Sep 2003, 02:32

Jake la Motta, Chuck Whepner, ...

enrique · Post by **enrique** » 09 Sep 2003, 15:54

Billy Bello was a good welter prospect of the sixties. He died of a drug overdose only a few days after a televised main event.

Elvis Yero, a good amateur and pro prospect of the eighties, also died of a drug overdose.

Juan Arroyo is serving time in jail for crimes comitted to support his crack addiction.

Baby Luis -who fought Vicente Saldivar- was murdered in a possible drug deal.

Aaron Pryor and Barney Ross both kicked their drug habits. Willie Pastrano had a drug problem after he was champion, when he was hanging out with actors, playing small parts in cheap flicks.

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 09 Sep 2003, 19:39

I don't think JC Chavez was ever into drugs, he loved to drink though.

Johnny Bumphus
James Page
Caveman Lee
Ray Leonard admitted his cocaine problems too..
Esteban De Jesus
Johnny Tapia
Frankie Duarte
Mike Ayala ( took heroin not long before his epic title fight )
Pinklon Thomas
Vince Philipps
Sonny Liston?! ( just joking, those rumours were just that: rumours )
Don Curry

Famous Fighters with Drug Problems

Famous Fighters with Drug Problems

Famous Fighters With Drug Problems

barney ross