Wilford Scypion
Amateur career
Scypion was the National Golden Gloves Middleweight Champion in 1978.
Pro career
In February 1983, Scypion beat Frank Fletcher by a twelve round decision to take the USBA's regional Middleweight title. This victory guaranteed him a world championship fight, against Marvelous Marvin Hagler. The two competitors met on May 27, in a fight televised by HBO Boxing, which was considered by many to show only the best fights available at the time. Scypion was knocked out in the fourth round in his only world title attempt, which was held in Providence, Rhode Island. It was the first bout to simultaneously decide the WBA, WBC and IBF titles in history. In the ninth round of a bout at Madison Square Garden on November 23, 1979, Scypion made his 13th knockout in 13 pro fights, but inadvertently caused the fatal injury of Willie Classen, who died five days later without having regained consciousness. [2]
Death
Scypion died on February 27, 2014, from complications of pneumonia. He was 55.
References
- "Port Arthur pro fighter Wilford Scypion passes away at 55". 12newsnow.com. Retrieved 2014-03-01.
- "Classen Dies 5 Days After Knockout at Forum", The New York Times, November 29, 1979, p.D17
- "Ellensburg Daily Record - Google News Archive Search".
External links
- Boxing record for Wilford Scypion from BoxRec (registration required)