Donnie Long
Name: Donnie Long
Alias: Master of Disaster
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio, USA
Birthplace: River Rouge, Michigan, USA
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 188cm
Pro Boxer: Record
Amateur Boxer: Record
Donnie Long was the ninth opponent of Mike Tyson's professional career. He lost via TKO at 1:28 of the opening round. At age 18, Long killed Jeffrie Boyd during an altercation in an Akron pool joint in 1975. Long claimed self-defense, that he was cornered and was only trying to fire a warning shot when the bullet struck Boyd dead. Long's sentence was 15 years to life, but a higher court released him in 1981 on grounds his trial was unconstitutional. He began his boxing career in earnest that year and won his first dozen fights before losing to James Broad (9-0). "The Master of Disaster" rebounded in his next appearance, beating John Dino Denis (44-3-1) on national TV. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision again and sent Long back to prison in 1984. He was released in 1985. Long won his next two bouts and received a $5,000 invitation to fight Tyson in Atlantic City in November 1985. Tyson floored Long three times in 88 seconds. He fought seven more times after the Tyson defeat, winning only once and taking lumps against Francesco Damiani, Renaldo Snipes, and James (Buster) Douglas. Long retired with a 16-10 mark. Long also had a side job pushing drugs. He was charged with five counts of drug trafficking in 1988 and went on the lam for five years. He hid in Alabama for a while, but eventually decided to take control of his life and turn himself in to police. In 2000, Long married the sister of Jeffrie Boyd, the man he had killed. As of 2005, he was an associate minister at at Mount Lebanon Baptist Church in Akron, Ohio.