Ward Yee

Name: Ward Yee
Birth Name: Lew Ward Yee
Hometown: Los Angeles, California, USA
Birthplace: Youngstown, Ohio, USA
Died: 2021-01-24 (Age:88)
Stance: Southpaw
Height: 168cm
Pro Boxer: Record
Amateur Boxer: Record

Manager: Frankie Muche

Ward Yee was a bantamweight and featherweight fighter from 1955-62. He was one of 10 children born to Chinese immigrant parents. Yee joined the Air Force and fought for the U.S. in the Pan American Games, bringing home a silver medal. His brothers, Bo and Foo Yee, also fought in the Armed Forces and won Golden Glove titles. He secured a Golden Glove championship in Kansas City and met wife Sue while stationed in Texas. Their interracial marriage was controversial at the time.

Yee faced discrimination throughout his career. He was mysteriously "diagnosed" with a heart condition during Olympic training; after the Olympics the diagnosis was inexplicably reversed. He went on to defeat Phillipine Bantamweight Champion Dommy Ursua and scored a high profile bout against World Champion Jose Berrera in 1960. Despite winning six consecutive rounds, the fight was decided in favor of Berrera. Many viewers - including Mexican and Mexican-American supporters of Berrera - felt Yee was robbed of a win because of his ethnicity.

Yee had difficulty finding opponents who would fight him because of his southpaw status. Facing pressure to secure title fights which required his alignment with the Mob, he retired and settled in Pasadena, CA to raise a family.