Mark Breland
Mark Anthony Breland ( born May 11, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York City ) is a retired American boxer at welterweight. He is one of the best amateur boxers in the history of the United States - he was world champion in 1982, Olympic champion in 1984 - and was a professional world champion of the Association WBA.
Amateur
Mark Breland won in 110 of 111 amateur fights. He won from 1980 to 1984, five times in a row, the New York Golden Gloves, and 1981, the Intercity Golden Gloves. He was also in 1982 and 1983 U.S. champion. His only loss as an amateur he suffered at the U.S. Championships in 1981 against Darryl Anthony from Missouri.
In May 1982, he participated in the 3rd World Championships in Munich, where he won the gold medal. He defeated it Vesa Tapani Koskela from Sweden ( Ko), Mihai Ciobotaru from Romania ( Ko), Jenő Danyi from Hungary (5-0 ), Manfred Zielonka from Germany (5-0 ) and Serik Konakbajew from the Soviet Union (5-0 ).
Also at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he won the gold medal. He hit it in the preliminary rounds of the Canadian Wayne Gordon (5-0 ) and the Puerto Rican Carlos Reyes (Co ), in the second round of the Romanians pack Obreja (5-0 ) in the quarterfinals of the Mexican Genaro Léon ( Ko), in the semifinals of the Italians Luciano Bruno (5-0 ) and in the finals the South Koreans to Young -su (5-0 ).
After the Olympics, he became a professional.
Professional
His first professional fight, he won on November 15, 1984 against Dwight Williams ( 7 wins - 1 loss ) by unanimous decision. Already in his third fight he defeated future WBA champion Steve Little ( 10-2) also by unanimous decision. In July 1985, he won by first-round K.o. against the undefeated Don Shiver ( 19-0 ).
In 1986, he defeated, among others, Troy Wortham ( 24-0 ), Richard Aguirre ( 13-0 ), Darryl Anthony (20-1, the only boxer defeated him in the amateurs ) and John Munduga ( 24-0 ).
On February 6, 1987, he won in Atlantic City for the vacant WBA world title by TKO in the seventh round against Harold Volbrecht ( 39-4 ). On August 22, 1987, he lost the title but in Columbia by TKO in the eleventh round to Marlon Starling ( 41-4 ), who suffered a nasal bone fracture in return. A rematch on April 16, 1988 in Las Vegas ended in a draw, which Starling world champion remained.
However, Starling lost the title in July 1988 to Tomás Molinares, which in turn resigned the title in December due to severe depression. Mark Breland was then given on February 4, 1989 in Las Vegas again the chance for the vacant title. He won the fight against the South Korean Seung -Soon Lee ( 31-2 ) by first-round co
After following the Knockout title defenses against Rafael Pineda ( 20-0, later IBF world champion), Mauro Martelli ( 33-1, former European champion ), Fujio Ozaki ( 25-5, Oriental Pacific champion) and Lloyd Honeyghan ( 34-2, former WBA WBC and IBF world champion), he lost his title on July 8, 1990 in Reno by knockout loss to Aaron Davis ( 29-0 ).
Another defeat by whacked he suffered on 13 September 1991 in Sacramento against former WBC champion Jorge Vaca. He ended his career in March 1997.
Mark Breland as an actor
In 1983 he made his acting debut with the film drama Cursed is what makes us strong. 1987, he joined two episodes of the TV series Miami Vice as a boxer. This was followed by a few small film appearances, among others in Spike Lee's Game of Life and Summer of Sam.