BoxRec

Gosh how sad. Only 59. Never smoked or drank and had lung cancer....Man that is scary. Great amateur and by the sounds of it a lovely human being. May he rest in peace.

Sad. Great boxer. I've often wonder if jogging along highways and in cities can be as bad for your lungs as smoking.

R.I.P., Howard. Thanks for being one of the members of probably the greatest USA Olympic Boxing Team ever. That class of '76 is unforgettable. You was a class act outside the ring.

Of that Olympic team, he was the only one that didn't win a world title in the pro ranks. He almost did win a title when he fought lightweight champion Edwin "Chapo" Rosario in San Juan, PR. I believe that he got dropped in the last round of a tough fight. The knockdown gave Rosario the win.

A good decent man and very talented boxer v unlucky not to be world champ.but that gold medal :P

elmersalsa wrote:R.I.P., Howard. Thanks for being one of the members of probably the greatest USA Olympic Boxing Team ever. That class of '76 is unforgettable. You was a class act outside the ring.

Of that Olympic team, he was the only one that didn't win a world title in the pro ranks. He almost did win a title when he fought lightweight champion Edwin "Chapo" Rosario in San Juan, PR. I believe that he got dropped in the last round of a tough fight. The knockdown gave Rosario the win.

I think there were a few other team members who didn't win world titles; Louis Curtis, Leo Randolph, Charles Mooney Davey Lee Armstrong, Clinton Jackson, Charles Walker Jnr, - I knew Randolph hadn't but wasn't aware of the others until I googled

Leo Randolph did win a world title, but lost in his first defense.

Even though Howard Davis Jr. was never a world champion, RIP Champ.

Seamus wrote:Leo Randolph did win a world title, but lost in his first defense.

I stand corrected.

RIP Howard, you were an inspiration to many.

One of my favorite fighters. I got to meet him years ago when a girl that worked for me was dating his son. Great guy. Ali, the 76 Olympic team and rocky are the 3 biggest things that addicted me to the sport.

Terribly sad news I couldn't believe it when I saw it come over my facebook page that Howard Davis Jr had died. So many great memories of seeing him in the 1976 Olympics and his professional career where he came so close to winning a world title but couldn't pull it off.
Rest in Peace Howard Davis jr you shall never be forgotten by all of your boxing fans.
Sincerely
Mikey Capp

He lost three times for a shot for a world title. It was like if America was rooting for him back in the 80s. He beat the great Aaron Pryor in the amateurs for a spot at the '76 USA Olympic Boxing Team

He beat Pryor and hearns in the same week.

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:He beat Pryor and hearns in the same week.

With an aching molar, and a toe that was in pain. Take that David Haye.