Deaths in 2005

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Deaths of boxing-related people occurring in 2005.

December 2005

23
19
  • Vincent Gigante, 77, New York, NY Light Heavyweight boxer, best known for his later career as the head of the Genovese Crime Family, in a Springfield, MO prison, heart disease.
16
  • Andres Fernandez, 32, Albuquerque, NM Super Bantamweight, of injuries sustained in 2001 bout with Jorge Alberto Reyes which left him in a coma.
15
  • Hector Merino, 19, Mexican Light Welterweight, died of injuries sustained in a fight against Francisco Javier Olvera.
14
  • Joe Felan, 72, San Antonio Texas Welterweight of the 1950s.
9
  • Jack Cruz, 82, manager and trainer of 70's Light Heavyweight contender Yaqui Lopez, in Stockton, California.
4
  • Mike Paul, boxing historian and compiler of computerized all-time heavyweight ratings, was also an early contributor to BoxRec.com, of liver cancer
3
  • Lupe Madera, 52, Merida, Mexico boxer held the WBA Light Flyweight title from 1983 to 1984.

November 2005

29
  • Ray Mitchell, 86, Australian boxing judge, commentator, and historian, in Sydney, Australia.
27
  • Pat Putnam, 75, boxing journalist with the Miami Herald and Sports Illustrated, from complications following stomach surgery.
21
15
  • Jackie Graves, 83, American Featherweight and contender during the late 1940s and early '50s, complications from Alzheimer's.
  • Agapito Sanchez, 35, Dominican boxer held the WBO Super Bantamweight Champion, and assorted regional and minor titles between 115 and 130 pounds, shot in Santo Domingo by an off-duty police officer.
12
11
  • Jun Gorres, 31, Light Welterweight boxer from the Philippines.
10
  • Vincent Moses, 26, native of Nigeria, had boxed out of Las Vegas between 1998 and 2004, stabbed to death in Las Vegas.
9
  • Dave Finn, 90, British Lightweight of the 1930s and 1940s.
7
  • Bo Hogberg, 66, Swedish boxer, held the European Light Middleweight title in a career that spanned from 1962 to 1973, cancer.

October 2005

31
30
  • Mike Hallacy, 53, 1970s and '80s American Middleweight, of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease)
28
23
  • Puppy Garcia, 72, Cuban Featherweight of the 1950s, in Miami, Florida, of a stroke.
18
  • Lotte Mwale, 53, Light Heavyweight contender from Zambia during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
16
5
  • Gilberto Biondi, 71, Italian boxer who moved to Australia and won the national crowns there at Super Featherweight and Lightweight, during the mid-1960s.

September 2005

25
  • Joey Ferrone, age unknown, American Welterweight boxer of the mid-1930s and former boxing coach for the US Navy during World War II.
22
  • Leavander Johnson, 35, IBF Lightweight champion from Atlantic City, NJ, died of a blood clot in his brain sustained in losing his IBF title on September 17 to Jesus Chavez in Las Vegas.
20
  • Greg Adams, 44, a lightweight boxer out of Fort Worth, Texas, died of medical error and wrongful death.
  • Damianus Rahail, age unknown, member of Indonesnian national amateur team, stabbed to death by a street gang in Jakarta.
17
  • Don Marks, 68, Australian boxing official and former chairman of the Australian National Boxing Federation Ratings Committee.
16
  • Mzukisi Sikali, 34, South African boxer, held national, regional, and minor world titles at Light Flyweight and Flyweight, murdered during a robbery on his home.
11
  • Chris Schenkel, 82, American television broadcaster, worked at the Dumont Network and ABC, where he broadcasted boxing and other sports, after a long battle with emphysema.
8
  • Donald Allison, 41, Light Welterweight from Guyana and former New York State Light Welterweight champion, murdered in his native Guyana.
7
  • Nicolino Locche, 66, Hall of Fame boxer from Argentina;, held the WBA Junior Welterweight title from 1968 to 1972.

August 2005

29
  • Len Matthews, 66, Lightweight contender out of Philadelphia during the late 1950s and early '60s.
21
  • Lou Transparenti, 87, Featherweight contender from Baltimore of the late 1930s and 40s, died of natural causes.
15
  • Graham van der Walt, 72, South African boxed from 1955 to 1962 and held national titles at Flyweight, Bantamweight, and Featherweight.
8
  • Genaro Pellegrini, 31, had one professional bout, killed in Iraq while serving in the Pennsylvania National Guard.
6
1
  • Rio Rico, (Joe R. Garcia), 82, American Welterweight of the 1940s and later a trainer in Denver, Colorado, of cancer.

July 2005

28
  • Eddie Crook, 76, Olympic Gold Medalist at 165 pounds in the 1960 Rome Olympics.
  • Dick Menchaca, 83, former American amateur star, had twenty-bout professional career.
20
  • Sammy Farber, 95, American Bantamweight of the late 1920s and '30s.
11
  • Sam McGill, 57 or 58, American Heavyweight was a former sparring partner of Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, colon cancer.
8
  • Julian Letterlough, 35, active Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight boxer who had fought for the IBF Cruiserweight title, murdered outside of a Reading, PA restaurant.
7
  • Doug Agin, 63, former boxer, at Steubenville, OH.
5
  • Jose Aponte, 33, Puerto Rican Lightweight, found dead in his apartment.
4
  • Fred Galiana, 74, Spanish Featherweight contender of the mid-1950s, held the Spanish and European Featherweight titles.
2
  • Martin Sanchez, 26, Mexican Super Featherweight, died one day after suffering a subdural hematoma in a 9th round to Rustam Nugaev in Las Vegas.
1
  • Becky O'Neill, 81, manager of former WBA Bantamweight champion Jeff Chandler, after a long illness.

June 2005

30
19
  • Fate Davis, 67, American Welterweight of the 1960s and '70s.
6
  • Joey Fagan, age unknown, American Welterweight of the 1940s.

May 2005

27
  • Cleve Bailey, 84 or 85, American Light Heavyweight of the 1940s.
22
  • Joe Duca, 95, American Light Heavyweight of the late 1930s.
  • Kasman Silehu, age unknown, Indonesian Bantamweight of the late 1990s, murdered.
19
  • Colion Chaney, 80 or 81, Indianapolis, IN, Heavyweight of the 1940s and early '50s.
18
  • Johnny Arthur, 75, South African Heavyweight and 1948 Olympic Bronze Medalist.
17
  • Simson Tambunan, 66, Indonesian boxing trainer of three-time IBF Junior Bantamweight champion Ellyas Pical, of a stroke.
13
  • Gunnar Nilsson, 82, 1948 Heavyweight Olympic Silver Medalist from Sweden.

April 2005

28
  • Dennis Horne, 53, American Welterweight and Middleweight boxer between 1977 and 1996.
25
  • Tunney Hunsaker, 75, 1950s and '60s American Heavyweight, best known as Muhammad Ali's first professional opponent.
  • Jack Welsh, 76, boxing writer with the Philadelphia Journal and other assorted publications.
18
15
  • Duilio Spagnolo, 82, Italian Heavyweight champion in 1946, continued boxing in the United States through 1951.
12
  • Corky Gonzales, 76, American Featherweight of the 1940s and '50s; later became an important leader in the Chicano movement.
10
  • Greg Cuyler, 23, 8th ranked Amateur Flyweight in the United States, shot and killed in his native Hartford.
  • Seiji Tanaka, 28, Japanese Super Flyweight champion prior to his death;, died twelve days after he sustained injuries in a 10th round knockout loss to Nobuo Nashiro in defense of his national crown.
9
  • Fist Dever, 84, United States Welterweight of the 1940s.
6
  • Johnny Aiello, 87, 1940s Featherweight and stablemate of Sugar Ray Robinson.
  • Chris Molina, 33, American Super Middleweight boxer had three bout career losing to Olympic Gold Medalist Andre Ward in last bout, suicide.
3
  • Becky Zerlentes, 34, Front Range Community College geography professor, died from injuries sustained during a Golden Gloves competition the previous day, becoming the first women to die of injuries sustained in a sanctioned event.

March 2005

20
6
  • Hendrik Bira, 21, Indonesian Minimumweight, died of a Subdural Hematoma and Oedema Cerebri three days after losing his pro debut to Mones Arepas in Jakarta.

February 2005

28
22
  • Frankie Carto, 82, American Featherweight and Lightweight in the mid-1940s.
20
  • Jimmy Young, 57, American Heavweight contender during the 1970s, lost World Heavyweight title bid by decision to Muhammad Ali in 1976, heart attack.
15
  • Lalu Sabotin, 75, American light heavyweight in the early 1950s, lost to Floyd Patterson in 1952, stroke.
13
  • Najai Turpin, 23, American Middleweight boxer, was a contestant on NBC Reality boxing show "The Contender," suicide.
4
2
  • Max Schmeling, 99, German boxer who held the World Heavyweight Title between 1930 and 1932.

January 2005

30
  • Steven Buress, 27, toughman competitor, died of a blood clot on the brain two days following a toughman competition in Akron, OH.
  • Coley Wallace, 77, American Heavyweight, was a contender in the early 1950s and starred as the lead in the movie "Joe Louis Story."
28
  • Solly Cantor, Canadian Lightweight boxed from 1946 to 1955, briefly world rated in 1950.
  • Christian Christensen, 78, Danish boxer who held the Danish Welterweight and European Middleweight titles during his career from 1949 to 1965.
25
  • Will Edgington, 77, Sacramento, California trainer and cutman, of kidney failure, after an extended illness.
16
  • Ted Wells, 89, American Bantamweight of the early 1940s.
8

See also

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