Tarmo Uusivirta
Tarmo "Tare" Tapani Uusivirta (5 February 1957 – 13 December 1999) was a Finnish professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1992, and challenged once for the European super-middleweight title in 1991.[1] As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 1979 European Championships, and consecutive silver medals at the 1978 and 1982 World Championships; all in the middleweight division.
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| Real name | Tarmo Tapani Uusivirta | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Tare | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight(s) | Super-middleweight | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Finnish | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 5 February 1957 Jyväskylä, Finland | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | December 13, 1999 (aged 42) Jyväskylä, Finland | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draws | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Amateur career
Besides the European title, Uusivirta won silver medals at the world championships in 1978 and 1982. He competed at the 1980 Olympics and lost in the second round to the eventual bronze medalist Jerzy Rybicki.[1]
Professional career
In 1982 Uusivirta turned professional. In 1986, he had a draw with the then reigning European Champion Alex Blanchard in a non-title match. In 1987, he won against the future European champion James Cook (boxer). In 1988 he had a second draw with Blanchard, contending the IBF European super-middleweight title. In 1992, shortly before the European super-middleweight title fight against James Cook (boxer), Uusivirta suffered an injury and had to give up a close bout in the 7th round. He retired the same year with a record of 24 wins (16 knockouts), 4 losses, and 3 draws.[1]
Retirement and death
After retiring Uusivirta grew bitter and regretted his move from amateur to professional boxing. He eventually lost his job as a fireman due to alcoholism, and committed suicide at the age of 42 in 1999.[1]
Professional boxing record
| 31 fights | 24 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 16 | 2 |
| By decision | 8 | 2 |
| Draws | 3 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Win | 24–4–3 | Shannon Landberg | UD | 8 | 5 Apr 1992 | Seinäjoki, Finland | |
| 30 | Loss | 23–4–3 | James Cook | RTD | 7 (12), 0:58 | 22 Oct 1991 | Latchmere Leisure Centre, London, England | For European super-middleweight title |
| 29 | Win | 23–3–3 | Ron Lee Warrior | KO | 1 | 17 Jun 1991 | Helsinki, Finland | |
| 28 | Win | 22–3–3 | Kenny Schaefer | TKO | 7 (10) | 25 Mar 1991 | Helsinki, Finland | |
| 27 | Win | 21–3–3 | Jimmy Shavers | KO | 5, 1:10 | 3 Dec 1990 | Helsinki, Finland | |
| 26 | Win | 20–3–3 | Irving Hines | TKO | 4 (10), 2:28 | 5 Nov 1990 | Helsinki, Finland | |
| 25 | Win | 19–3–3 | Troy Watson | UD | 8 | 1 Oct 1990 | Helsinki, Finland | |
| 24 | Win | 18–3–3 | William Clayton | KO | 1 (8), 2:59 | 20 Aug 1990 | Helsinki, Finland | |
| 23 | Draw | 17–3–3 | Alex Blanchard | SD | 12 | 12 Dec 1988 | Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland | For vacant IBF European super-middleweight title |
| 22 | Win | 17–3–2 | Gonzalo Mencho | KO | 4 (8) | 11 Sep 1988 | UKK Halli, Laukaa, Finland | |
| 21 | Win | 16–3–2 | Harry Cowap | RTD | 3 (10), 3:00 | 15 May 1988 | Ice Stadium, Tampere, Finland | |
| 20 | Win | 15–3–2 | Tony Burke | RTD | 8 (10), 3:00 | 7 Feb 1988 | UKK Halli, Laukaa, Finland | |
| 19 | Win | 14–3–2 | Mbuyanba Kalombo | PTS | 6 | 15 Jan 1988 | Skive Hallerne, Skive, Denmark | |
| 18 | Win | 13–3–2 | James Cook | UD | 10 | 26 Oct 1987 | Jyväskylä, Finland | |
| 17 | Draw | 12–3–2 | Enrico Scacchia | PTS | 10 | 26 Dec 1986 | Bern, Switzerland | |
| 16 | Win | 12–3–1 | Joe Cooper | TKO | 2 (6) | 21 Nov 1986 | Tre Falke Scenen, Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| 15 | Win | 11–3–1 | Jimmy Cable | PTS | 10 | 9 Nov 1986 | Vaasa, Finland | |
| 14 | Draw | 10–3–1 | Alex Blanchard | PTS | 10 | 26 Mar 1986 | Jaap Edenhal, Amsterdam, Netherlands | |
| 13 | Win | 10–3 | Philippe Seys | KO | 2 | 24 Nov 1985 | Vaasa, Finland | |
| 12 | Win | 9–3 | Paul Tchoue | PTS | 8 | 11 May 1985 | Vaasa, Finland | |
| 11 | Win | 8–3 | Willie Wright | PTS | 8 | 9 Mar 1985 | K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| 10 | Win | 7–3 | Esperno Postl | TKO | 3 | 27 Oct 1984 | Mariehamn, Finland | |
| 9 | Loss | 6–3 | Jose Seys | TKO | 5 | 21 May 1984 | Urheilutalo, Helsinki, Finland | |
| 8 | Loss | 6–2 | Anthony Holt | MD | 8 | 11 May 1984 | Felt Forum, New York City, New York, US | |
| 7 | Win | 6–1 | Juan Munoz Holgado | KO | 3 (6) | 18 Feb 1984 | Idrætshuset, Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| 6 | Win | 5–1 | Martin McEwan | KO | 2 | 17 Dec 1983 | Hotel Arkipelag, Mariehamn, Finland | |
| 5 | Loss | 4–1 | Dick Katende | PTS | 8 | 5 Nov 1983 | Mannheim, West Germany | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Maurice Bufi | TKO | 5 | 18 Sep 1983 | Jyväskylä, Finland | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Andre Mongelema | RTD | 5, 3:00 | 9 Apr 1983 | Blendecques, France | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Deano Wallace | KO | 2 | 1 Oct 1982 | Helsinki, Finland | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Mick Morris | PTS | 6 | 25 Jun 1982 | Hanko, Finland | Professional debut |
References
- Kilpakenttien sankarit. Tammi. 1992. pp. 50–54.
Further reading
- Rantalainen, Simo (2017). Tare: mestarinyrkkeilijän muotokuva (in Finnish). Johnny Kniga. ISBN 978-951-0-41968-7.