Derrick Jefferson

Derrick Lavon Jefferson (born March 10, 1968) is an American former professional boxer.

Derrick Jefferson
Statistics
Real nameDerrick Lavon Jefferson
Nickname(s)D-Train
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Reach82 in (208 cm)
NationalityAmerican
Born (1968-03-10) March 10, 1968
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights33
Wins28
Wins by KO21
Losses4
Draws1

Early life

Jefferson grew up in Detroit, Michigan, having attended Martin Luther King High School. In high school, Jefferson played basketball and football, and was a Division I basketball player during his college years.[1] Jefferson dropped from college after being shot in the leg during an argument at a party store in November 1993, ending his basketball career. His brother Kenyatta, a football player, was shot in the head and ended up partially paralyzed.[2][3]

Amateur career

Jefferson took up boxing in 1994, after a coach of the local boxing gym, Claude Strickland, spotted him shooting hoops at YMCA.[2] That same year, Jefferson won the National Golden Gloves super heavyweight championship, defeating Michael Grant on points (and handling Grant his only amateur loss) in semifinals, and DaVarryl Williamson by TKO in the final.[3] Overall, Jefferson spent 1.5 years at amateur level, before turning professional in 1995.[3]

Professional career

Jefferson made his professional boxing debut on 19 June 1995 against Ismail Muhammad, knocking him out in the first round.[4] Within three years Jefferson had won 16 fights, winning all but two of them by knockout inside three rounds.[4] Jefferson, at 6'6" and generally weighing 240 pounds, quickly rose to prominence by combining explosive power with furious combinations. In 1998, he faced his first formidable opponent Marion Wilson. With 11–27–3 record, Wilson was known for his durability and toughness, having never lost inside the distance and occasionally pulling upsets, such as wins over Corey Sanders and Paea Wolfgramm or split draw against Ray Mercer.[5][6] Jefferson won the fight by unanimous decision, with two judges scoring the bout 79–73 and one judge having a score 77–75.[4][7]

Having been described as a brawler and a fan friendly attraction, Jefferson became a frequently featured fighter on HBO.[8] Jefferson then stepped up in competition, knocking out former world heavyweight title challenger Bert Cooper in the second round.[4] Within two months, Jefferson faced once-highly regarded prospect Obed Sullivan.[9] This was the first twelve-round fight in Jefferson's professional career.[4] He won the fight by split decision, with the scorecards being 117–112, 117–113 in favor of Jefferson and 115–114 in favor of Sullivan.[4][10]

Six months later, Jefferson was scheduled to face Maurice Harris. Despite having 16–9–2 record, Harris was considered a formidable fighter, with Jim Lampley describing him as "the best 16–9 fighter out there". Harris' record included wins over then-undefeated David Izon and popular gatekeeper Jimmy Thunder and a split decision loss against faded Larry Holmes.[11] Coming into the bout, Harris was on a seven-fight winning streak, which included a wide UD win over Jeremy Williams.[11]

The fight took place at the Convention Hall in Atlantic City, in the undercard of the fight between Oleg Maskaev and Hasim Rahman.[12] The first round started with both fighters standing toe-to-toe and landing hard shots. In the second round, Jefferson dropped Harris twice.[8] A few seconds after the second knockdown, Harris turned the tide, dropping Jefferson with a right hand.[8] The round ended with fighters landing hard shots at each other. For the majority of the third round, Harris appeared to be more active, attacking Jefferson's body. At the end of the round, Jefferson landed an uppercut that knocked Harris' mouthpiece off.[8][13] After relatively less action-packed fourth and fifth rounds, Jefferson dropped Harris again in the sixth with a series of body shots.[13][8] Near the end of the round, Jefferson countered a left hand with the left hook of his own, knocking Harris unconscious.[13][8]

The fight was widely praised for being a slugfest.[8] HBO commentator Larry Merchant called the second round "the best in heavyweight boxing since Bowe vs. Holyfield".[8] The KO was voted by The Ring as "Knockout of the Year". At the conclusion of 1999, Jefferson was ranked No.9 in heavyweight rankings by The Ring.[14]

This win lined up a shot against David Izon. Throughout the fight, Jefferson was soundly outboxing Izon, confidently winning rounds. By the seventh round, HBO commentators suggested the fight to be stopped due to Izon absorbing too much punishment.[15] In the eighth round, however, Jefferson appeared to have punched himself out. With 42 seconds left, Izon dropped Jefferson with a right hook.[16] It appeared as if Jefferson have fallen down mostly due to exhaustion rather than Izon's punch.[15][16] Izon continued throwing unanswered shots on tired Jefferson, prompting the referee to stop the fight.[15][16] At the time of the stoppade, Jefferson was unanimously winning on scorecards (78–72, 78–73 and 78–74).[17]

Four months later, Jefferson was scheduled to fight highly ranked contender Oleg Maskaev. In the first round, Maskaev dropped Jefferson with the right hand. During the fall, Jefferson broke his ankle and was limping for the rest of the fight, struggling to put weight on his left leg.[18][19][20] Jefferson was dropped again in the second.[18] He managed to hurt Maskaev with an overhand right in the third, but was unable to capitalize on it as he could not put weight behind most of his shots.[18][20] Maskaev continued his assault on injured Jefferson, prompting the referee to stop the fight in the fourth round.[18]

After a quick knockout of an unknown journeyman Marcus Johnson,[21] Jefferson, with 4–2 record in the last six fights, was given a shot at the WBO world heavyweight title against Wladimir Klitschko. For the bout, Jefferson weighed in at 260.25 lbs, the heaviest in his professional career and 20 pounds heavier than in his previous bout.[4] The additional weight appeared to be muscle.[22] The fight lasted only two rounds. In the first round, Klitschko knocked Jefferson down with a short left hook. After the first round Jefferson's left eye was swollen.[22][23] Jefferson was knocked down twice more in round two, once with a straight right hand and again with another left hook, with the fight being stopped after the last knockdown, declaring Klitschko the winner by TKO in the second round. Jefferson earned $400,000 for the fight.[23]

After defeating former WBC world heavyweight title challenger Phil Jackson (43–10 with 38 KOs coming into the bout)[24] and Sedreck Fields, Jefferson was allowed to participate in Thunderbox Heavyweight Tournament on November 30, 2002, promoted by Cedric Kushner. The tournament consisted of eight participants, which included two-time world heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon, former and future world heavyweight title challengers Tony Thompson, Ray Austin and Jeremy Williams, experienced journeyman Maurice Harris, who had entered the tournament after knocking out future world champion Siarhei Liakhovich,[25] and undefeated, hard-hitting Gerald Nobles.[26][27][28][29][30] Each boxer, including Jefferson, was guaranteed $5,000 and the purse for the tournament winner was $100,000. All bouts took place at Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey and were scheduled for three rounds. The bouts were aired in the UK on Eurosport.[31][25] In the first round, Jefferson defeated Ray Austin by second-round stoppage, but was beaten by Tony Thompson on points in semifinals.[25][31]

Jefferson was scheduled to face Chris Byrd on April 17, 2004 at Madison Square Garden for the IBF world heavyweight championship, however he was forced to pull out of the fight due to a cut suffered in training.[32] Jefferson made one last world heavyweight title run, facing DaVarryl Williamson in an IBF eliminator. Williamson made quick work of Jefferson, winning by TKO in the 2nd, effectively ending Jefferson's career.[4]

Professional boxing record
28 Wins (21 knockouts, 7 decisions), 4 Losses (4 knockouts, 0 decisions), 1 Draw
Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
Loss 21-3 DaVarryl "Touch of Sleep" Williamson TKO 2 30/04/2005 New York City, United States WBO NABO/WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Titles. Referee stopped the bout at 2:41 of the second round.
Win 11-11 Ed White TKO 3 27/11/2004 Lafayette, Indiana, United States Referee stopped the bout at 1:14 of the third round.
Win 10-4 Julius Long TD 8 27/02/2004 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States 78-74, 76-74, 76-76. Fight went to scorecards due to an accidental headbut.
Win 18-15-1 Sedreck "Big Buck" Fields SD 10 21/09/2002 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 96-94, 96-94, 94-96.
Win 43-10 Phil "The Enforcer" Jackson UD 10 16/02/2002 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 100-90, 99-91, 99-91.
Win 22-7 Eric "The Whip" Curry KO 1 23/11/2001 Southfield, Michigan, United States Curry knocked out at 0:22 of the first round.
Loss 35-1 "Dr. Steel Hammer" Wladimir Klitschko TKO 2 24/03/2001 Munich, Bayern, Germany WBO World Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 2:09 of the second round.
Win 7-7-1 Marcus Johnson TKO 1 04/11/2000 New York City, United States
Loss 19-2 Oleg "The Big O" Maskaev TKO 4 20/05/2000 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Loss 24-3 David Izon TKO 9 15/01/2000 New York City, United States Referee stopped the bout at 0:11 of the ninth round.
Win 16-9-2 Maurice "Mo Bettah" Harris KO 6 06/11/1999 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Harris knocked out at 2:52 of the sixth round.
Win 23-8-1 Melvin "Top Gun" Foster TKO 4 10/09/1999 Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States Referee stopped the bout at 2:05 of the fourth round.
Win 30-4-1 Obed "The Fighting Marine" Sullivan SD 12 20/05/1999 Tunica, Mississippi, United States NABA Heavyweight Title. 117-112, 117-113, 114-115.
Win 34-18 "Smokin" Bert Cooper TKO 2 04/03/1999 Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States
Draw 21-8 Marcellus "More Than a Conqueror" Brown TD 2 07/01/1999 Tunica, Mississippi, United States Fight went to scorecards due to an accidental headbut.
Win 11-27-3 Marion "The Creep" Wilson UD 8 02/10/1998 Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States 79-73, 79-73, 77-75.
Win 21-11-1 Jeff Lally TKO 2 22/08/1998 Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, United States Referee stopped the bout at 1:28 of the second round.
Win 21-17-1 Levi "The Terminator" Billups UD 10 24/05/1998 Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States
Win 6-6-2 Clement Hassan KO 1 21/04/1998 Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States Hassan knocked out at 2:25 of the first round.
Win 14-12 Tui "The Smokin Samoan" Toia TKO 1 27/02/1998 Parma, Ohio, United States
Win 11-7 Isaac Brown TKO 1 22/11/1997 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 19-30 Lorenzo Boyd TKO 1 07/10/1997 Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States
Win 11-42-2 Brian "B-52" Yates UD 6 21/08/1997 Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
Win -- Wendell Blount KO 1 08/07/1997 Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Win 11-1 Ralph "Wild, Wild" West KO 1 26/04/1997 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 3-15 Harold Johnson KO 1 18/03/1997 Flint, Michigan, United States
Win 0-10 Fred Peppers KO 1 21/12/1996 Kansas City, Missouri, United States Peppers knocked out at 2:56 of the first round.
Win 0-1-1 Tom Jablonski KO 2 04/12/1996 Toledo, Ohio, United States
Win 6-19 Larry Fleming TKO 1 15/11/1996 Waukegan, Illinois, United States Referee stopped the bout at 1:08 of the first round.
Win -- Terrence Holley KO 1 08/10/1996 Flint, Michigan, United States
Win 0-1 Robert Toyer TKO 3 23/10/1995 Inglewood, California, United States
Win 0-1 Roberto Ramirez KO 2 25/09/1995 Inglewood, California, United States
Win 0-1 Ismail Muhammad KO 1 19/06/1995 Los Angeles, California, United States

References
  1. Steve Crowe. "Detroit Heavyweight Derrick Jefferson". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  2. "JEFFERSON HAS NO STAGE FRIGHT". nypost.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  3. "Tell Anthony Joshua I Will Spar Him". pressreader.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  4. "Professional boxing record: Derrick Jefferson". boxrec.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  5. "Granite jaw Marion "Mo" Wilson Was Never Stopped in 57 bouts". dohhouseboxing.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  6. "Professional boxing record: Marion Wilson". boxrec.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  7. "Bout: Derrick Jefferson vs Marion Wilson". boxrec.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  8. "Forgotten Classics: Derrick Jefferson vs Maurice Harris". boxrec.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  9. Finger, David E. (27 May 2014). Rocky Lives!: Heavyweight Boxing Upsets of The 1990S. ISBN 9781612343099. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  10. "Bout: Derrick Jefferson vs Obed Sullivan". boxrec.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  11. "Professional boxing record: Maurice Harris". boxrec.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  12. "Saturday 6, November 1999: Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA". boxrec.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  13. "Derrick Jefferson vs Maurice Harris". youtube.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  14. "The Ring Magazine's Annual Ratings: Heavyweight--1990s". boxrec.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  15. Thomas Hauser (July 2001). A Beautiful Sickness: Reflections on the Sweet Science. ISBN 9781557287182. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  16. "David Izon vs Derrick Jefferson - Highlights (Unbelievable KNOCKOUT)". youtube.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  17. "Derrick Jefferson vs David Izon". boxrec.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  18. "MASKAEV AND RAHMAN ON COURSE FOR REMATCH". cyberboxingzone.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  19. "Derrick Jefferson vs Oleg Maskaev". boxrec.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  20. "Oleg Maskaev vs Derrick Jefferson - HBO Boxing After Dark May 20, 2000". youtube.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  21. "Derrick Jefferson vs Marcus Johnson". boxrec.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  22. "Wladimir Klitschko vs Derrick Jefferson - HBO World Championship Boxing March 24 2001". Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  23. "Vladimir Klitschko vs Derrick Jefferson: Klitschko annihilates Jefferson". www.boxing247.com. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  24. "Professional boxing record: Phil Jackson". Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  25. "Maurice Harris – Thunderbox King". boxingnewstv.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  26. "Professional boxing record: Jeremy Williams". Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  27. "Professional boxing record: Ray Austin". Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  28. "Professional boxing record: Tim Witherspoon". Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  29. "Professional boxing record: Tony Thompson". boxrec.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  30. "Professional boxing record: Gerald Nobles". boxrec.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  31. "Thunderbox Heavyweight Tournament". boxrec.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  32. "Andrew Golota - Career Recap (51:00)". youtube.com. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
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