Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 23 Apr 2026, 20:24
Fritzie Zivic had four brothers who were also boxers.
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What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
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Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 23 Apr 2026, 23:56
Frank Sinatras father was a pro who fought under the name Marty OBrien.
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 24 Apr 2026, 14:03
Yeah, I remember when Tommy Morrison was really coming up the ranks after ROCKY V and just before he fought Mercer.Expug wrote: ↑19 Apr 2026, 15:18Funny how that works isn’t it?Ambling Alp II wrote: ↑19 Apr 2026, 15:13 At one time, Micheal Nunn and San Francisco 49er Roger Craig were half-brothers. Then the story changed to them being cousins. After Nunn was arrested in drug charges, Craig said they were not related at all.
Success has a hundred fathers
Failure is an orphan
A lot of the publicity surrounding him was that he claimed to be the "grand-nephew" of John Wayne.
Patrick Wayne(John Wayne's actor son) had been asked about this and he said nobody in the family had ever heard of it,
but if he does win the HEAVYWEIGHT championship of the world "We'll claim him " he said.
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 25 Apr 2026, 08:09
That was from the PBS show "Finding Your Roots" from a decade ago and just like you, LL Cool J (Sam Hanna from NCIS: LA)'s biological great uncle was former World Light Heavyweight Champion John Henry Lewis as Lewis' bro Christy Lewis who was LL's biological maternal grandfather who was also a boxer and gave his mother up for adoption. When the DNA revealed LL's biological maternal family to be John Henry Lewis' family, I paused the video and check JLH's birthplace that matched the former World Light Heavyweight Champion's birthplace which I never believed that was related to LL Cool J.
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 25 Apr 2026, 08:28
It’s cool given his biggest hit was Mamma Said Knock You Outscorpio83 wrote: ↑25 Apr 2026, 08:09That was from the PBS show "Finding Your Roots" from a decade ago and just like you, LL Cool J (Sam Hanna from NCIS: LA)'s biological great uncle was former World Light Heavyweight Champion John Henry Lewis as Lewis' bro Christy Lewis who was LL's biological maternal grandfather who was also a boxer and gave his mother up for adoption. When the DNA revealed LL's biological maternal family to be John Henry Lewis' family, I paused the video and check JLH's birthplace that matched the former World Light Heavyweight Champion's birthplace which I never believed that was related to LL Cool J.
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 25 Apr 2026, 15:56
WBA HW Champion Ernie Terrell was the older brother of Jean Terrell ,who was famous for replacing Diana Ross in the Supremes in 1970.
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 27 Apr 2026, 14:05
HW Champion Ingermar Johansson of Sweden was a cousin of Tor Johnson (of Stockholm)
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 27 Apr 2026, 20:19
James J. Corbett had a brother who was a baseball pitcher who once won over 20 games in a season.
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 28 Apr 2026, 14:21
Cus D'Amato claimed to have been related (somehow) to Napoleon Bonaparte.
(on his mother's side).
(on his mother's side).
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 28 Apr 2026, 17:14
I guess anything is possible. D'Amato was a nut job so who knows.
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 29 Apr 2026, 15:32
yeah, I read that in Mike Tysons book IRON MIKE.
To be clear, the book just mentioned that Cus D'Amato had claimed to have been related to "Napoleon".
(It could have been Napolean "Dyno-mite" for all we know.)
To be clear, the book just mentioned that Cus D'Amato had claimed to have been related to "Napoleon".
(It could have been Napolean "Dyno-mite" for all we know.)
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 11 May 2026, 20:56
Jimmy Connors' grandfather was a boxer during Joe Louis' time.
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 12 May 2026, 02:46
He wasn’t, well not biologically anyway, that was just marketing to get Tommy publicity. Tommy's mother was adopted into the Morrison family, it was her adoptive parents who were distant relatives with John Wayne but obviously as she was adopted there's no blood link with him.Caractacus wrote: ↑23 Apr 2026, 17:48 Tommy "The Duke" Morrison was the "grand-nephew " of John Wayne aka "The Duke".
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 12 May 2026, 13:25
Pro Basketball player and Hall of Famer-Darryl Dawkins aka Chocolate Thunder"
maternal uncle was Candy McDaniels who had fought Joe Louis in a 5 round exhibition
in Orlando Florida February 1950
https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/207410.
maternal uncle was Candy McDaniels who had fought Joe Louis in a 5 round exhibition
in Orlando Florida February 1950
https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/207410.
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 12 May 2026, 19:18
Lou Ambers and Marty Servo-cousins.
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 12 May 2026, 19:58
Good one. 
Never heard that one before.
Never heard that one before.Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 16 May 2026, 05:29
Jack Matthews of Hanley was a top class feather and lightweight boxer in the UK before the First World War.
His son was the all time great footballer, Sir Stanley Matthews.
His grandson, and Sir Stanley’s son, was the 1962 Junior champion at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis championships and, as a professional, took part in all four of the Grand Slam events.
Miles Templeton
His son was the all time great footballer, Sir Stanley Matthews.
His grandson, and Sir Stanley’s son, was the 1962 Junior champion at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis championships and, as a professional, took part in all four of the Grand Slam events.
Miles Templeton
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 21 May 2026, 12:49
Jim Kelly aka "Black Belt Jones' (from Paris Kentucky)
was Muhammad Ali's (from Louisville Kentucky) cousin.
was Muhammad Ali's (from Louisville Kentucky) cousin.
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 22 May 2026, 16:47
Looks like a classic! 
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 22 May 2026, 16:48
That is some interesting stuff.prewarboxing wrote: ↑16 May 2026, 05:29 Jack Matthews of Hanley was a top class feather and lightweight boxer in the UK before the First World War.
His son was the all time great footballer, Sir Stanley Matthews.
His grandson, and Sir Stanley’s son, was the 1962 Junior champion at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis championships and, as a professional, took part in all four of the Grand Slam events.
Miles Templeton
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 23 May 2026, 06:51
I still think the oddest family tie in boxing is that former featherweight beltholder Gary Allen Russell Jr is the older brother of two boxers named Gary Antonio Russell and Gary Antuanne Russell. He has two other brothers named Gary Russell too, after their dad, who is/was their trainer. Some serious narcissism on the part of the dad
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 23 May 2026, 12:08
Oh yeah ?
Then what just about everyone in Big George Foreman's family having been named "George" too?
Then what just about everyone in Big George Foreman's family having been named "George" too?
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 23 May 2026, 13:49
Not a surprise here, but actor Peter Sellers(1925-1980) had long claimed to have been the great-great grandson of
the famous Bare Knuckled British HW Champion Daniel Mendoza (1764-1834)
the famous Bare Knuckled British HW Champion Daniel Mendoza (1764-1834)
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 24 May 2026, 10:51
If that’s true, it’s the same, although he didn’t have three sons who became somewhat prominent fightersCaractacus wrote: ↑23 May 2026, 12:08 Oh yeah ?
Then what just about everyone in Big George Foreman's family having been named "George" too?
Re: What are some surprising family ties between boxers?
Posted: 30 May 2026, 09:48
Lightweight champ Rodolfo Gonzalez and bantamweight champ Jose Becerra were cousins.