Humphrey McBride
Name: Claude Humphrey McBride
Alias: Humphrey
Birth Name: Claude Herman McBride
Hometown: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Birthplace: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Died: 2010-10-20 (Age:74)
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 193cm
Pro Boxer: Record
Claude "Humphrey" McBride was a 6 feet 4 inch., 400 pound door-to-door bible salesman, when he knocked on the door of fight promoter Pat O'Grady in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1969. O'Grady was impressed at McBrides size and asked him if he had ever done any boxing. Turned out that McBride indeed had boxed a little as an amateur some 20 years earlier. O'Grady asked McBride if he'd like to return to the ring, this time as a professional. And just like that, the professional career of Claude "Humphrey" McBride began.
After some intense months of training, the now 360 pound McBride was ready to make his pro-debut. At almost 40 years old, he didn't have time to waste.
Wearing boxing trucks identical to the red-and-white polka dotted shorts of comic strip character "Humphrey" from Joe Palooka, the bald headed McBride, soon racked up a knockout streak as long as his 60 inch waist.
The early belly-laughs from fans upon seeing his flabby body, soon turned to cheers. McBride had power behind his punches, and with an upset victory over former world ranked Terry Daniels, McBride was now considered a heavyweight threat.
In 1972, McBride was matched with former heavyweight title challenger Buster Mathis. The opening round saw Humphrey give a good account of himself. However, Mathis stopped boxing and by round three, McBride's undefeated streak of 27 straight came to an end.
His career went into a slump, and McBride was knocked out by Al (Blue) Lewis, John Dino Denis, Russell Cross and Ned Hallacy.
McBride rebounded and put together an impressive knockout streak over 2nd rate opponents, but decided to retire. Thus ended the colorful career of one of Oklahoma's hardest hitting heavyweights.
McBride's obituary said that he served in the U.S. Army as a medical corpsman from 1954-1956. Also, that he was working as a warehouse worker for the Oklahoma Department of Human Servies. McBride was predeceased by his parents George and Verl, as well as his wife Virgina. He was survived by a friend. Somewhat strangely, his obituary never mentioned that he was a professional boxer.
According to the Daily Oklahoman (Feb 2, 1971) McBride was a former football player at Columbia Christian College and a former divinity student.