Eddie Perkins
Eddie Perkins ( born March 3, 1937 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, † 10 May, 2012 Chicago, Illinois ) was an American professional boxer in the lightweight, semi- welter and welterweight.
He played more than 130 boxing matches in more than 20 countries and was champion of the WBA and WBC associations in the light welterweight. In 2006 he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame, and in 2008 into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Amateur career
Eddie Perkins was born in Clarksdale and came at the age of one year with his family to Chicago. His passion for the sport of boxing has developed the left arm by boxing matches with friends, he fought out in backyards. As an amateur boxer he trained in a boxing club in Chicago, which was led by the heavyweight legend Joe Louis. As an amateur he won 26 of 36 fights and was master of Chicago in lightweight.
Professional career
In 1956, he moved at the age of 19, turned professional and was trained and managed by Frank Tomaso and Johnny Coulon. By January 1960, he boxed with limited success and contested in this period 23 fights, including 16 wins and 7 losses. He defeated 1958 Olympic champion Charles Adkins by Ko in the first round. On 28 November 1959 he suffered in Mexico City the only premature loss of his career, when he joined the Mexican Alfredo Urbina by TKO defeated in round 7. It was also his first fight outside the United States.
In the ten subsequent battles he defeated, among others, the undefeated, later double world champion Carlos Hernández and therefore qualified for a World Cup battle in the welterweight against the Italian Duilio Loi (106 wins - 2 losses ). The discharged in Milan on October 21, 1961 fight ended in a draw, which Loi did remain world champion, but a rematch was scheduled.
This won Perkins on 14 September 1962 in Milan by a unanimous points victory over 15 rounds and thus became WBA champion. However, the title he lost to direct rematch on December 15, 1962 after points. Duilio Loi then stepped away from the sport of boxing.
On 15 June 1963 he was again given the chance to win the world title of the WBA and additionally the vacant world title the WBC light welterweight. He punched in Manila against Roberto de la Cruz, of the WBA title with a first-round co had won against Raymundo Torres ( 47-4 ). Perkins won the fight by unanimous decision over 15 rounds and had de la Cruz in the first round on the ground. He then defended the two titles on January 4, 1964 in Tokyo by Ko against the Japanese Yoshinori Takahashi and on 18 April 1964 in Kingston ( Jamaica) on points against George Grant.
On January 18, 1965, he was defeated in Caracas shortly after Carlos Hernández points, whom he had defeated in June 1961 before. He suffered another defeat seven months later against Jose Napoles ( 40-3 ), which prevented a renewed world title chance. Nevertheless, he continues to hit a number of internationally strong opponent, as the former European champion Børge Krogh ( 36-3 ), the British champion Maurice Cullen ( 42-7 ), the Japanese master Tetsuo Furuyama (18-1 ), the unbeaten Commonwealth champion Clyde Gray ( 21-0 ) and former WBC champion Pedro Adigue.
On September 3, 1970 in Vienna he pushed against the reigning European champion Hans Orsolics. Orsolics was the youngest title holder in the history of the European Union Box and had punched through a series of spectacular victories at the top of the world rankings. For November 20, 1970, his fight for the world title against Jose Napoles was already negotiated, but decided Orsolics ' Management of questionable motives, before even perform a test fight against Eddie Perkins. Perkins eventually won the fight by whacked in the fourth round, where Orsolics minutes long no longer came to his feet and lost his world title chance against Napoles.
On October 19, 1971, he won by unanimous decision against the eventual WBA champion Angel Espada. On 30 January 1973 he was by points win against multiple world title challenger Armando Muñíz North America - NABF Welterweight Champion and also won the rematch on points. However, towards the WBC champion Rocky Mattioli he lost on points in August 1974.
His last fight he denied on May 31, 1975 in Cologne against the Austrians Franz Csandl and lost on points.
Private life
Eddie Perkins was raised with a brother and two sisters and Phillips High School had visited before he started with the boxes. Together with his wife he had two sons and a daughter.
During his 19 -year-old Profiboxkarriere he came to the world and was in countries such as Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Venezuela, Colombia, Jamaica in the Caribbean, the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Ecuador, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Australia.
With appearances in Europe, he was seen in Milan (Italy ), Paris (France ), London ( England ), Copenhagen ( Denmark ), Vienna ( Austria ) and Cologne ( Germany ).
After retiring from active competition, he trained young boxers of Leo High School and worked as a manager at the Chicago Sun- Times.
Death
The diseased in his life from dementia and diabetes mellitus Eddie Perkins died on 10 May 2012 at the age of 75, at his home in Chicago.