BoxRec

I know he passed, but what happened to him? I cant find much detailed info on how he died just curious

Somebody attacked him with a machete I think.

From what I read, he was chopped when he got in a fight/was attacked against/by his cousin/nephew?? and another guy. I saw a picture of him lying dead, his brains all over the place. Sad ending.

Where is this picture? just curious

Brian333 wrote:Where is this picture? just curious

why you SICK LITTLE MONKEY!

His nephew and another man killed him over a land dispute. They were both convicted. The nephew got a life sentence, with no chance of parole until 2027.

Some call it a Kizer Blade I call it a Sling Blade

I think he was attacked from behind in a church yard early hours of the morning when walking home. Machete to the back of the head.

He was a crazy guy. But sad.

For Trevor Berbick, peace at last
By Robert Cassidy Jr. from Sweet Science

The news broke that former heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick was dead. Like most things that involved Berbick, there was a twist to the rest of the story.

It was reported that he was found murdered in a church courtyard near his family’s home on the island of Jamaica. That such violence occured on sacred ground was unsettling and so was the news it came so close to his home. For years, Berbick seemed lost, spiritually and geographically.

Berbick died from four wounds to the back of the head, a cowardly attack against a former boxer. The odds of someone overcoming the brutish Berbick head-on were long indeed. Ready for more unsettling news? It is being reported that he was attacked with a machete or a knife. Local police have arrested a 20-year-old man with the murder and people believe the two may have been involved in a dispute over land.

Berbick turned pro in 1976 but broke from anonymity when he upset John Tate on the undercard of the first Sugar Ray Leonard-Robert Duran bout in 1980. The following year he lost a 15-round decision to Larry Holmes in a WBC title fight. He would later capture the WBC title from Pinklon Thomas, but only managed to keep it for eight months.

The heavyweight was born in Jamaica, raised in Canada and fought in the United States. But he never seemed at home. He was trained by the likes of Eddie Futch, Sam Solomon and Angelo Dundee, but always appeared in need of guidance.

The win that afforded him the most recognition was his 1981 decision over Muhammad Ali, the last time Ali would engage in a prizefight.

The loss that afforded him the most pain was his 1985 knockout at the hands of Mike Tyson. Berbick would lose his WBC title that night and Tyson would become the youngest heavyweight champion in history. Tyson dropped Berbick twice and after the second knockdown, Berbick stumbled about the ring, trying to regain his feet. He even pounded the canvas with his fist, showing the frustration that accompanies a man who can’t remain upright. For years, Berbick sought a rematch but never put himself in position to warrant one.

I had breakfast with Berbick once, it was 1994 and Dennis Rappaport and Fred Kesch were promoting heavyweight prospect Melvin Foster. The fight was on Long Island and I interviewed the former champion over coffee and pastries. He was distracted, not entirely focused on my questions or even the fight at hand.

When I asked about the Ali fight, he suddenly focused on the conversation. "I was in good shape and I think he was in the best condition he could be in," he said. "I won it because I worked the body and kept the pressure on him. And I was jabbing too, hitting him in his chest and his shoulders. He was moving and boxing. I learned how to fight a boxer. He hurt me a few times but it wasn’t the type of hurt that it was going to take everything out of me. I came back and threw more punches.

"It was a great motivation to fight him. But then there was a sympathy. I’m saying, how can I every really, really hurt him, try to really hurt him seriously. I was hoping that I’d hit him and he’d just go down and out. It gave me a sense of limitation in how I punched. It’s not that I was less aggressive but cautious on how and where I hit him. So I stayed with the body because I figured it would do less damage. That’s what won me the fight."

When I mentioned Tyson, he remained focused, but turned bitter. "He’s a joke," he said. Another man sitting with us, a man of Jamaican descent who was part of Berbick’s entourage, said, "That’s the fight we want. He’s got something we want."

"He took my belt," added Berbick, even though Tyson was in jail at the time for rape and had been an ex-champion for more than four years.

At this time, Berbick had already endured a rape conviction of his own. He was trying to regain his title, his stature in a sport that once made him a respected man. A few days later he would beat Foster on a split decision. His awkward, mauling, brawling style could give anyone fits.

After the Tyson loss, Berbick fought in spurts. He won a bunch of fights, but each time he stepped up in class – Carl Williams, Hasim Rahman, Jimmy Thunder – he was defeated. His final record stands at 50-11-1.

His record outside of the ring was worse. He had been arrested for assault, fraud, driving with a suspended license. He was twice deported from the U.S. There was also his famous street-fight with Holmes, much later in each man’s career, when the fighters hurled themselves over parked cars to get at one another after a press conference.

It would seem Berbick never quite found a comfort zone, either in or out of the ring. It was a sad end to a sad story.

Berbick Lived A Troubled Life After Loss To Mike Tyson In 1986

Kingston, Jamaica (AP) -- Former heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick was found dead in a church courtyard Saturday with chop wounds to his head in a suspected homicide.

Berbick, who was believed to be 52 and was beset by legal problems following his retirement from the ring, lost his heavyweight title to Mike Tyson and was the last boxer to fight Muhammad Ali.

Berbick's body was discovered about 6:30 a.m. in his hometown parish of Portland, constable Beverly Howell said.

He was pronounced dead by a local doctor in the courtyard. Police are treating Berbick's death as a homicide, Inspector Victor Henry said.

Police have no word yet on what kind of weapon was used or how many people were involved in Berbick's death, Howell said.

After beating Ali in 1981 in a unanimous decision in the Bahamas, Berbick went on to win the WBC heavyweight title four years later in a decision over Pinklon Thomas.

His reign was short, however, as a 20-year-old Tyson knocked Berbick out in the second round of their bout on Nov. 22, 1986 (pictured above), to become the youngest heavyweight champion in history.

In his loss to Tyson in Las Vegas, Berbick was knocked down twice in the second round.

After trying to get up from the second knockdown he fell another two times.

Berbick fought from 1976 to 2000, finishing with a 50-11-1 record, including 33 knockouts.

He also fought for Jamaica at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

He was a strong puncher who moved well and had the potential to be a lasting force in the heavyweight division before the emergence of Tyson.

In spanning the Ali and Tyson eras, Berbick beat such fighters as Iran Barkley, Greg Page and John Tate.

Among his losses were those to Buster Douglas, Renaldo Snipes and Larry Holmes.

Berbick's career soured following the loss to Tyson and he began to run into legal trouble.

In 1991, Berbick was convicted of misdemeanor assault for attacking his former business manager, who testified the boxer put a gun to her head and accused her of stealing money from him.

The following year, he was convicted in Florida of raping a family baby sitter and was sentenced to four years in prison.

He also was convicted in 1992 of second-degree grand theft for forging his ex-wife's signature to get a mortgage on a home.

After serving 15 months in prison, Berbick was deported from the United States.

He went to Canada, where he lived for a time following the 1976 Olympics.

He eventually moved back to the U.S., but was deported a second time.

He had been living in Portland parish since 2002.

Recently, he had been coaching boxing at clinics in Trinidad.

Though Berbick was believed to be 52, according to boxing records, other reports said he was as old as 56 or as young as 49.

``Legally, I'm a spirit,'' he once said. ``I have no age.''

Thanks for that

kikibalt wrote:For Trevor Berbick, peace at last
By Robert Cassidy Jr. from Sweet Science

The news broke that former heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick was dead. Like most things that involved Berbick, there was a twist to the rest of the story.

It was reported that he was found murdered in a church courtyard near his family’s home on the island of Jamaica. That such violence occured on sacred ground was unsettling and so was the news it came so close to his home. For years, Berbick seemed lost, spiritually and geographically.

Berbick died from four wounds to the back of the head, a cowardly attack against a former boxer. The odds of someone overcoming the brutish Berbick head-on were long indeed. Ready for more unsettling news? It is being reported that he was attacked with a machete or a knife. Local police have arrested a 20-year-old man with the murder and people believe the two may have been involved in a dispute over land.

Berbick turned pro in 1976 but broke from anonymity when he upset John Tate on the undercard of the first Sugar Ray Leonard-Robert Duran bout in 1980. The following year he lost a 15-round decision to Larry Holmes in a WBC title fight. He would later capture the WBC title from Pinklon Thomas, but only managed to keep it for eight months.

The heavyweight was born in Jamaica, raised in Canada and fought in the United States. But he never seemed at home. He was trained by the likes of Eddie Futch, Sam Solomon and Angelo Dundee, but always appeared in need of guidance.

The win that afforded him the most recognition was his 1981 decision over Muhammad Ali, the last time Ali would engage in a prizefight.

The loss that afforded him the most pain was his 1985 knockout at the hands of Mike Tyson. Berbick would lose his WBC title that night and Tyson would become the youngest heavyweight champion in history. Tyson dropped Berbick twice and after the second knockdown, Berbick stumbled about the ring, trying to regain his feet. He even pounded the canvas with his fist, showing the frustration that accompanies a man who can’t remain upright. For years, Berbick sought a rematch but never put himself in position to warrant one.

I had breakfast with Berbick once, it was 1994 and Dennis Rappaport and Fred Kesch were promoting heavyweight prospect Melvin Foster. The fight was on Long Island and I interviewed the former champion over coffee and pastries. He was distracted, not entirely focused on my questions or even the fight at hand.

When I asked about the Ali fight, he suddenly focused on the conversation. "I was in good shape and I think he was in the best condition he could be in," he said. "I won it because I worked the body and kept the pressure on him. And I was jabbing too, hitting him in his chest and his shoulders. He was moving and boxing. I learned how to fight a boxer. He hurt me a few times but it wasn’t the type of hurt that it was going to take everything out of me. I came back and threw more punches.

"It was a great motivation to fight him. But then there was a sympathy. I’m saying, how can I every really, really hurt him, try to really hurt him seriously. I was hoping that I’d hit him and he’d just go down and out. It gave me a sense of limitation in how I punched. It’s not that I was less aggressive but cautious on how and where I hit him. So I stayed with the body because I figured it would do less damage. That’s what won me the fight."

When I mentioned Tyson, he remained focused, but turned bitter. "He’s a joke," he said. Another man sitting with us, a man of Jamaican descent who was part of Berbick’s entourage, said, "That’s the fight we want. He’s got something we want."

"He took my belt," added Berbick, even though Tyson was in jail at the time for rape and had been an ex-champion for more than four years.

At this time, Berbick had already endured a rape conviction of his own. He was trying to regain his title, his stature in a sport that once made him a respected man. A few days later he would beat Foster on a split decision. His awkward, mauling, brawling style could give anyone fits.

After the Tyson loss, Berbick fought in spurts. He won a bunch of fights, but each time he stepped up in class – Carl Williams, Hasim Rahman, Jimmy Thunder – he was defeated. His final record stands at 50-11-1.

His record outside of the ring was worse. He had been arrested for assault, fraud, driving with a suspended license. He was twice deported from the U.S. There was also his famous street-fight with Holmes, much later in each man’s career, when the fighters hurled themselves over parked cars to get at one another after a press conference.

It would seem Berbick never quite found a comfort zone, either in or out of the ring. It was a sad end to a sad story.

Nothing sad about the ending.

Who are we to judge anyone?

Berbick was attacked from the back as he walked home. His attackers didn't try confront him head on. They buried some kind of axe in the back of the head.

overhand_right wrote:Who are we to judge anyone?

Berbick was attacked from the back as he walked home. His attackers didn't try confront him head on. They buried some kind of axe in the back of the head.

Some call it a Kizer Blade , I call it a Sling Blade Mhhgg

"Who are we to judge anyone..." - OR

What a sickening post. In the habit of handing out free passes to criminal scum, are we?

"Who are we to judge anyone?"

Tell it to the family --- the parents, children, brothers & sisters of the woman he raped. Tell it to the people he terrorised for personal gain.

Who are we to judge, indeed.

I actually did forget that the man was a rapist,.
Didnt he claim that Jesus told him to do it ?

I guess the Guy was never actually the same after the Tyson Fight...

Sad he seems to have Lost his Mind, going from eccentric to a point where he obviously just wanted Help.

I think he was pretty loopy from the get go.

He was a religious minister after all.

Those of you who followed it at the time may remember the woman to be dubious to say the least.

Along with every single one of Berbick's many victims of crime, I am sure. He was a scumbag, & you're an apologist.

What is about certain posters getting so emotional?

overhand_right wrote:What is about certain posters getting so emotional?

Who can tell!? Idiot

Did he rape more than one?