Mickey Rourke vs. Steve Powell
Mickey Rourke 178 lbs beat Steve Powell 178 lbs by UD in round 4 of 4
- Date: 1991-05-23
- Location: War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
- Referee: William Connors
- Judge: Ric Bays 38-37
- Judge: Al Wilensky 39-37
- Judge: Robert Balogh 38-37
Not Exactly Oscar Material, But Rourke Wins First Bout
Seattle Times, May 24, 1991
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Actor Mickey Rourke scored a unanimous decision over Steve Powell in his professional boxing debut last night, which combined pugilism, professional wrestling and a touch of Hollywood.
Rourke, wearing yellow shorts with green shamrocks, put on a show in the four-round bout against the 33-year-old South Florida mechanic. A capacity crowd cheered Rourke when he danced into the ring, but there was also an undercurrent of boos.
The 34-year-old actor jabbed and uppercut, but he also danced, clowned and taunted the crowd throughout the fight. The boxers, who both weighed 178 pounds, were constantly in clinches, two of which sent Powell through the ropes. Rourke managed to land several solid rights, particularly in the final two rounds. Two judges scored it 38-37 for Rourke and a third gave him a 39-37 edge.
"I don't got no future really as a boxer," Rourke said after the fight. "But I do it because I have a good time."
Asked why he spent so much time pushing and clinching Powell (4-5) in the ring, Rourke responded: "I was just catching my wind.
"What have I learned tonight? To do a little more road work," said the fatigued actor, who added he may fight again.
Powell's best punch was in the first round, a right-hand blow that opened Rourke's eyes.
Rourke was fighting as a light heavyweight in the match sanctioned by the Florida Athletic Commission. The star of such movies as "Year Of The Dragon," "The Pope of Greenwich Village," "9 1/2 Weeks" and "Angel Heart" had 26 amateur fights in the 1970s.