Jeff Merritt

Name: Jeff Merritt
Alias: Candy Slim
Hometown: New York, New York, USA
Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Died: 2014-06-01 (Age:67)
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 196cm
Pro Boxer: Record
Amateur Boxer: Record

Career Review

• Merritt was paroled from Missouri State Prison in 1968 after serving 2 years and 5 months of a seven year term for armed robbery.
• TBP for the Merrit-Harris fight reports his record as 7-1-0(5 ko), which comports with record here, except Flash Gordon stated he had 4 first round kayos, whereas Boxrec has 5.
• In 1970, Merritt signed with a business syndicate giving them 50% of his earnings. In return, Merritt received a salary of $150 a week, expenses and a car. The syndicate would pay all his training expenses, his manager, and his transportation. The syndicate included David Popofsky, comedian Henny Youngman, Norman King, and William B. Williams.
• At the 5th Street Gym during Muhammad Ali's exile, Ali and Merritt had a spirited sparring match.
• When Merritt knocked out Johnny Hudgins on Miami Beach, 2,064 fans saw the fight.
• Merritt developed a large following on Miami Beach, Florida. When he knocked out Eddie Vick in 1970, 2,131 fans turned out at the Miami Beach Auditorium.
• 2,485 fans turned out for Merritt's knockout over Charley Polite; extremely large turn-out for 1970.

Merritt KO's Terrell in 1

• Launched a comeback in 1973, KO'ing Ernie Terrell in one round to earn a top-10 ratings.
• CBZ has 6'3" and born 1947, not 1948
• According to Boxing Illustrated, July, 1976, page 30, Merritt had been incarcerated in Missouri for the last year and was planning a comeback. His record was 20-2 according to the article.
• In some editions of Ring Record Books, Merritt is credited of knocking out Ollie Wilson in Nassau, Bahamas 1971/7/21 & Carl Baker in Kingston, Jamaica 1972/5/12, both in the 2nd round. These fights are not verified by any credible sources and seem to run simultaneous with a reported sparring activity elsewhere.

Sources

• Tonight's Boxing Program, Aprl 11, 1969
• Ring Magazine, September 1970, page 29: THE CHATTER BOX, by John Ort.
• Ring Magazine, September 1970, page 46: MERRITT WINS TWICE AT MIAMI BEACH, by Hank Kaplan.