Rhoshii Wells
Rhoshii Wells (December 30, 1976 – August 11, 2008) was an American boxer, who won the bronze medal in the Middleweight Division at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He was born in Austin, Texas.
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Men's boxing | ||
Representing the United States | ||
Olympic Games | ||
1996 Atlanta | Middleweight |
Amateur career
Olympic Results
- Defeated Kourosh Molaei (Iran) 24-7
- Defeated Ricardo Rodríguez (Brazil) 16-2
- Defeated Dilshod Yarbekov (Uzbekistan) 8-8, judges cards
- Lost to Ariel Hernández (Cuba) 8-17
Pro career
Nicknamed "The Great One", Wells began his professional career in 1997, and got off to a 17-0-2 start in the Light Middleweight division, setting up a shot at WBA Light Middleweight Title holder Alejandro Garcia in 2003. He was ahead on the scorecards before Garcia stopped him in the 11th round.[1] In 2005, Wells got shot at a rematch with Garcia and lost via TKO in the 9th.
He attempted a comeback on the 3rd season of the boxing reality TV series, The Contender on ESPN, but was eliminated before the competition began.[1]
Death
Rhoshii Wells was shot and killed in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 11, 2008.[2] Police arrested 26-year-old Roger Randolph, who claimed that he shot Wells in self-defense after Wells punched him and robbed him of $100. The District Attorney stated that they would seek the death penalty against Randolph.[3]
In May 2012, Randolph was sentenced to 20 years to life for murder with a deadly weapon, plus one to 12 years for discharging weapon where a person might be endangered.[4]
References
- Thomas Gerbasi (2008-08-14). "Rhoshii Wells 1976–2008". Maxboxing.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-22. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- Title Challenger, Olympic Rhoshii Wells Dead at 31 Boxing Scene
- DA Seeks Death Penalty in Slaying of Former Olympic Boxer SI.com, January 6, 2009
- "Vegas Man Gets 21 To Life In Olympic Boxer Slaying". CBS Local Media. Associated Press. 2012-05-02. Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2013-08-07.