Boone Kirkman

Daniel Victor "Boone" Kirkman (born February 6, 1945)[1] is a former professional heavyweight boxer.[2] He was a Contender throughout his career and scored notable victories over Heavyweight World Champion Jimmy Ellis, as well as Top Contenders and Heavyweight Title Challengers Eddie Machen, Doug Jones, José Roman and Ron Stander. He would also have fights against all time greats such as Two-Time Heavyweight Champion George Foreman, World Heavyweight Champion Ken Norton, and Top Contender and Undisputed World Heavyweight Title Challenger Ron Lyle, who was known for his brutal knockout power. He compiled a record of 36-6 with 26 knockouts.

Boone Kirkman
Statistics
Real nameDaniel Victor Kirkman
Nickname(s)"Boone" "Boom Boom"
Weight classHeavyweight
Weight(s)210 lb (95 kg)
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
NationalityAmerican
Born (1945-02-06) February 6, 1945
Vallejo, California, U.S.
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Wins36
Wins by KO25
Losses6

Kirkman spent his entire career based in Seattle, Washington.

Early life

Kirkman was born in Vallejo, California in 1945 to Oehm and Margarite Kirkman.[1][3] His father, a naval officer, was stationed there at the time. When his father was discharged from the Navy, the family moved back to Renton, Washington, where Kirkman's grandfather initially settled.[1][3]

From a young age, Kirkman's favorite activities were hunting, fishing, and hiking throughout the state of Washington with his father. He frequently stopped to view plant and animal life, earning him his lifelong nickname of "Boone".[1] Growing up in Renton, a working-class community, Kirkman joined a group of 20 teenagers called the "Buds" that regularly drank alcohol and smoked. Considering the rampant street crime in the area, this was only of moderate concern to Kirkman's father.[1] During this time, Kirkman became interested in boxing during regular sparring sessions with his older brother Steve.

Noting Kirkman's lack of interest in reading, a school friend recommended Rocky Graziano's autobiography Somebody Up There Likes Me, which was adapted into a film starring Paul Newman a year later.[1] Kirkman's fondness of both the book and the film catalyzed him to pursue boxing at a serious level.

Kirkman's first training sessions at age 14 involved traveling to a south Seattle gymnasium to work out from his school in Renton. The venue was suggested to him by former professional Joey Velez. Kirkman took a year-long hiatus from boxing due to injury, but returned to the gym and won several local Golden Gloves events afterward, slowly building a reputation.[4]

His popularity exploded in March 1965 when he won the AAU Heavyweight Boxing national title in Toledo, Ohio. Following the event, he was signed by Seattle-area fight manager Jack Hurley. Kirkman assumed co-ownership of his family's pub; The Melrose Tavern, shortly after his signing. Between bar tending shifts, Kirkman incorporated training, and spent most nights punching a speed bag, entertaining spectators.[4]

Professional career

Boone Kirkman's professional career lasted from 1966 to 1978. He finished with a record of 36—6, with a 60 knockout percentage and a peak ranking of seventh.[2]

His first match, held in Boise, ended in a knockout over Lou Phillips. Kirkman managed to go undefeated in his first eleven matches, including a win over the dangerous but erratic Eddie Machen, until being stopped by the skilled Doug Jones in a featured fight held in Seattle. Jones opened a cut over Kirkman's left eye in the first round, but Kirkman managed to keep the veteran at bay until worsening damage to the wound caused the ring physician to stop the fight.[1]

Six weeks later Kirkman avenged the defeat and began a 10-bout winning streak. Feeling confident, Hurley scheduled a match between Kirkman and recent Olympic heavyweight champion and two-year professional George Foreman at the Madison Square Garden.

Kirkman-Foreman (1970)

The Foreman fight was scheduled for November 18, 1970. Foreman was the most heavily favored opponent Kirkman would ever face.

From the start, Kirkman was overmatched by Foreman's superior quickness and power. Foreman pummeled Kirkman with a combination of powerful punches, knocking him to the canvas three times in the first two rounds. The bout ended in a technical knockout after just three minutes and forty seconds, when Kirkman failed to answer the bell.[4]

Following the fight, Kirkman elected to opt-out of his contract with Hurley.[2]

Post-Foreman (1970-1973)

Following the fight with Foreman, Kirkman won yet another 10 consecutive bouts, half by knockout. One of his more notable victories during this stretch came against Jack O'Halloran via points. He also encountered his second opponent ranked (at one time in their career) in the Ring Magazine Top 10 in by then over-the-hill ex-ununified heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis, whom he defeated by split decision.

Later struggles (1974)

On April 9, 1974, Kirkman fought Memphis "Al" Jones in what Kirkman considered a "tune-up fight".[4] The fight was stopped abruptly when Kirkman, having knocked Jones down four times in the first two rounds, was knocked unconscious by a right hook from Jones.[4] This was Kirkman's first loss in over three and a half years.

Following the loss, Kirkman immediately scheduled several ranked opponents in an attempt to recover his sinking ranking. As a result, Kirkman experienced consecutive losses for the first time in his career after losing to Ken Norton, on his return to Seattle in June 1974. Norton was known as "the guy that broke Ali's jaw", doing it the previous year as a 7-1 underdog.[5] The Kirkman-Norton fight was stopped by the referee when Kirkman failed to answer the bell for the eighth round.[6]

In September, Kirkman fought Ron Lyle (who suffered a narrow defeat to Ali the following year for the WBA and WBC titles),[7] but lost again when the referee stopped the fight due to a cut on Kirkman's cheek.[6]

Relationship with Jack Hurley

Kirkman and Jack Hurley were often at odds during Hurley's tenure. In interviews, Kirkman has expressed several criticisms of his former manager, including uncooperative behavior, leaving his boxers unprepared for fights, and a failure to secure a fight with Muhammad Ali during his prime (when Kirkman was the seventh-ranked boxer in the world).[1][2] Additionally, Hurley was not heavily involved during the training process, which contributed to poor scheduling.

Two other former boxers who were signed to Hurley, Harry Matthews and Pete Radarmacher, experienced similar frustrations, often finding themselves overmatched when up against highly-ranked opponents.[8]

Professional boxing record

36 Wins (24 knockouts, 12 decisions), 6 Losses (3 knockouts, 2 decisions), 0 Draws[6]
Result Record Opponent Type Date Location
Win 36-6 United States Charles Atlas TKO Jan 26, 1978 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 35-6 Puerto Rico Pedro Agosto PTS Oct 25, 1977 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 34-6 United States Ron Stander TKO Jul 19, 1977 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 33-6 Puerto Rico José Roman UD Apr 26, 1977 United States Seattle, Washington
Loss 32-6 United States Randy Neumann UD Sep 5, 1975 United States Las Vegas, Nevada
Loss 32-5 United States Ron Lyle TKO Sep 17, 1974 United States Seattle, Washington
Loss 32-4 United States Ken Norton RTD Jun 25, 1974 United States Seattle, Washington
Loss 32-3 United States Al Jones KO Apr 9, 1974 United States Dallas, Texas
Win 32-2 Canada Larry Renaud TKO Mar 6, 1974 United States Reno, Nevada
Win 31-2 United States Jimmy Ellis SD Dec 12, 1973 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 30-2 United States George Johnson PTS Oct 23, 1973 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 29-2 United States Lou Bailey PTS Oct 4, 1973 United States Denver, Colorado
Win 28-2 United States Robie Harris KO Sep 20, 1973 United States Stockton, California
Win 27-2 United States Jack O'Halloran PTS Jul 12, 1973 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 26-2 United States Steve Carter PTS May 16, 1973 United States Stockton, California
Win 25-2 United States Bill Drover KO Apr 28, 1973 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 24-2 United States Dick Gosha TKO Mar 15, 1973 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 23-2 Lewis TKO Jan 30, 1973 United States Seattle, Washington
Loss 22-2 United States George Foreman TKO Nov 18, 1970 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win 22-1 United States Amos Lincoln KO Jul 9, 1970 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 21-1 United States Bill McMurray TKO Apr 28, 1970 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 20-1 United States Ollie Wilson KO Mar 17, 1970 United States St. Paul, Minnesota
Win 19-1 United States Mike Bruce KO Jan 26, 1970 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 18-1 United States Bill McMurray UD Sep 9, 1968 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 17-1 United States Everett Copeland TKO Apr 25, 1968 United States Spokane, Washington
Win 16-1 United States Mike Lanum KO Feb 29, 1968 United States St. Louis, Missouri
Win 15-1 United States Archie Ray KO Dec 12, 1967 United States St. Louis, Missouri
Win 14-1 United States Wayne Heath KO Nov 17, 1967 United States Spokane, Washington
Win 13-1 United States Bill Nielson TKO Oct 3, 1967 United States Portland, Oregon
Win 12-1 United States Doug Jones TKO Aug 10, 1967 United States Seattle, Washington
Loss 11-1 United States Doug Jones TKO Jun 29, 1967 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 11-0 United States Eddie Machen TKO May 26, 1967 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 10-0 Sweden Lars Olof Norling TKO Apr 22, 1967 United States Spokane, Washington
Win 9-0 United States Wayne Heath UD Mar 21, 1967 United States Portland, Oregon
Win 8-0 United States Leroy Birmingham TKO Feb 28, 1967 United States Spokane, Washington
Win 7-0 United States Bowie Adams KO Jan 24, 1967 United States Seattle, Washington
Win 6-0 United States Archie Ray PTS Oct 20, 1966 United States Boise, Idaho
Win 5-0 United States Archie Ray UD Sep 22, 1966 United States Boise, Idaho
Win 4-0 United States Al Carter TKO Jun 23, 1966 United States Los Angeles, California
Win 3-0 United States John Collins TKO Jun 2, 1966 United States Boise, Idaho
Win 2-0 United States Gail Wright KO May 5, 1966 United States Boise, Idaho
Win 1-0 United States Lou Phillips KO Apr 1, 1966 United States Boise, Idaho

Exhibition boxing record

1 fight 0 wins 0 losses
Non-scored 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
1 0–0 (1) United States George Foreman 3 April 26, 1975 Canada Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Non-scored bout

Personal life

After retiring from boxing at age 33, Kirkman became a Boeing delivery truck driver. He retired from Boeing in 2010.

Kirkman lives near Renton with his wife Teese, a retired nurse. The two have been married since 1988. He has two children from a previous marriage, Erik and Nina. He also has two grandchildren.

In his spare time, Kirkman enjoys hiking and mountaineering. He has scaled four of the five highest peaks in Washington: Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, and Mount Baker.[4]

Notes

  1. Austin Killeen (June 28, 2008). "Boone Kirkman: FISTIC FRANCHISE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST". Retrieved March 19, 2011.
  2. Shawn M. Murphy (August 23, 2008). "Where Are They Now? Boone Kirkman". Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  3. "Dan (Boone) Kirkman, boxer, possibly in Renton, 1968". University of Washington (from Renton Historical Museum). Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
  4. Raley, Dan (June 22, 2005). "Where Are They Now: Boone 'Boom Boom' Kirkman, boxer". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  5. "Interview with Ken Norton: Norton Speaks On Fights With Ali". ESPN Radio 1490. Archived from the original on February 3, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  6. "Boone Kirkman - Boxer". Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  7. "Ron Lyle - Boxer". Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  8. Charles Burgess. "Harry "Kid" Matthews". Highline History. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
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