Jimmy Bivins
Bivins in 1942
Born
James Louis Bivins

(1919-12-06)December 6, 1919
Dry Branch, Georgia, U.S.
DiedJuly 4, 2012(2012-07-04) (aged 92)
Cleveland, Ohio
NationalityAmerican
Statistics
Weight(s)Light Heavyweight
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights112
Wins86
Wins by KO31
Losses26
Draws1

James Louis Bivins, (December 6, 1919 – July 4, 2012) was an American light heavyweight boxer whose professional career ran from 1940 to 1955. He was born in Dry Branch, Georgia. Although he was never given the opportunity to fight for a world title, despite at one point being the number one contender in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, Bivins fought and defeated many of the great fighters of his era and won the "Duration" Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight titles.[1] In recognition of his achievements in the ring - among other things, he defeated eight of the eleven world champions he faced - Bivins was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999. He was also the one-time husband of Dollree Mapp, the subject of prominent Supreme Court case regarding the rights of search and seizures.

Boxing career

Although he was born in Georgia, Bivins fought out of Cleveland, Ohio for the entirety of his career. He made his professional debut on January 15, 1940, winning by knockout in the first round, and went on to win his first nineteen fights, all fought in 1940, before losing a split decision to Anton Christoforidis, whom he had previously beaten. Bivins won his first four fights of 1941, including contests with Teddy Yarosz and Curtis Sheppard, but lost three of his other four contests that year, which included a points loss to Melio Bettina. He began 1942 with wins against Billy Soose and Gus Lesnevich and a split-decision loss to Bob Pastor. After this loss, Bivins had a twenty-seven fight undefeated streak that lasted for four years; it was during this period that Bivins established himself as one of the great heavyweights of his era - a remarkable achievement given that, at 5' 9", he was often significantly smaller than his opponents.

Bivins first fight after losing to Pastor was a split-decision win against Joey Maxim, a fellow Cleveland fighter who went on to become a member of the hall of fame. Bivins fought four more contests in 1942, including a rematch with Bob Pastor and a bout with Lee Savold, and won them all. He began 1943 with a remarkable win against Ezzard Charles, in which he recorded seven knockdowns against the future heavyweight world champion. On February 23, 1943 he defeated Anton Christoforidis on points for the duration light heavyweight title - as all the world titles had been frozen for the duration of World War II, this was the closest he ever came to holding a world title. In the three years after this fight Bivins went on to defeat Tami Mauriello, Pat Valentino, Lloyd Marshall, Melio Bettina, Curtis Sheppard and Archie Moore, whom he knocked-down six times en route to a knockout victory. Bivins served with the United States Army from March, 1944 until his honorable discharge in November of the same year - during 1944 he fought only one professional fight, a points victory over Lee Q. Murray.

On February 25, 1946 Bivins fought Jersey Joe Walcott at the Cleveland Arena. The fight was Bivins' first loss in four years, the split decision was interesting in that one official had the fight 6-4 to Bivins, the second had it 9-1 to Walcott and the last had it 5-4-1 to Bivins but gave the fight to Walcott because of a third round knockdown in his favour. After losing his long unbeaten streak, Bivins' record as a fighter became somewhat average. After his loss to Walcott, Bivins went on to lose his next two contests, against Lee Q. Murray and Ezzard Charles, before winning the following four. Bivins suffered a knockout loss to Ezzard Charles on March 10, 1947 and went on to lose a further two of his final seven fights that year, to Lee Q. Murray and Archie Moore. He went on to win six of his nine fights in 1948, losing only to Joey Maxim, Ezzard Charles and Archie Moore. In 1949 he won five of his eight fights, but lost to both Archie Moore and Harold Johnson. He only fought twice in 1950, but returned to fighting regularly the following year. In 1951 he defeated Ted Lowry on points, but was once again knocked-out by Archie Moore and lost by unanimous decision to both Joe Louis and the undefeated Bob Baker. Bivins had a further eleven fights after his loss to Baker, and won eight of them. His only big-name opponent during these final fights was Ezzard Charles, who won by decision on November 26, 1952. Bivins retired following a victory over the journeyman Chubby Wright in June 1953, but returned for two final fights, both of which he won, a couple of years later.

Retirement and later life

Following his retirement, Bivins earned a living as a bakery truck driver. In his spare time, he coached young people in boxing. Bivins' first two marriages ended in divorce. His third wife, Elizabeth, died in 1995. In April 1998, Bivins was discovered living in the unheated attic of his daughter and son in law's home in Collinwood, wrapped in a urine and feces caked blanket. The former boxer's weight had dwindled to 110 pounds. Bivins was then moved into his sister's home in Shaker Heights. In 2009, Bivins was moved into MacGregor Home, a care facility for the elderly.[2] He died in 2012 at the age of 92 in Cleveland, Ohio.[3][4]

Awards and honors

  • Entered into Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 1978
  • Entered into The Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame in 1988
  • Entered into The World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994
  • Entered into The International Boxing Hall of Fame (class of 1999)
  • Jimmy Bivins Park dedicated in Cleveland (2000)
  • Entered into The California Boxing Hall of Fame 2015

Professional boxing record

112 fights 86 wins 25 losses
By knockout 31 5
By decision 55 20
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
112 Win 86–25–1 Mike DeJohn PTS 6 Oct 28, 1953 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
111 Win 85–25–1 Dan Moray RTD 3 (8) Aug 31, 1953 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
110 Win 84–25–1 Chubby Wright PTS 10 Jun 9, 1953 Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.
109 Win 83–25–1 Claude Rolfe UD 10 Apr 24, 1953 Latin-American Arena, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
108 Loss 82–25–1 Tommy Harrison UD 10 Apr 6, 1953 Dinner Key Auditorium, Coconut Grove, Florida, U.S.
107 Loss 82–24–1 Ezzard Charles UD 10 Nov 26, 1952 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
106 Loss 82–23–1 Tommy Harrison UD 10 Nov 3, 1952 Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
105 Win 82–22–1 Wes Bascom MD 10 Oct 22, 1952 Arena, Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S.
104 Win 81–22–1 Coley Wallace KO 9 (10) Sep 19, 1952 St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
103 Win 80–22–1 Aaron Wilson TKO 3 (10) Mar 31, 1952 Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
102 Win 79–22–1 Charley Williams SD 10 Nov 21, 1951 St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
101 Loss 78–22–1 Bob Baker UD 10 Nov 5, 1951 Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
100 Loss 78–21–1 Joe Louis UD 10 Aug 15, 1951 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
99 Loss 78–20–1 Clarence Henry UD 10 Jun 26, 1951 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
98 Win 78–19–1 Willie Bean UD 10 May 29, 1951 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
97 Win 77–19–1 Ralph Hooker PTS 10 May 18, 1951 Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
96 Win 76–19–1 Willie Bean UD 10 May 4, 1951 Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S.
95 Loss 75–19–1 Archie Moore RTD 9 (10) Feb 21, 1951 St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
94 Win 75–18–1 Ted Lowry UD 10 Feb 12, 1951 Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
93 Win 74–18–1 Young Harry Wills KO 4 (10) Jan 22, 1951 Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
92 Loss 73–18–1 Sid Peaks PTS 10 Feb 6, 1950 Laurel Garden, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
91 Win 73–17–1 Willis Applegate UD 10 Feb 1, 1950 Miami Stadium, Miami, Florida, U.S.
90 Loss 72–17–1 Harold Johnson UD 10 Oct 26, 1949 Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
89 Win 72–16–1 Clarence Henry TKO 8 (10) Sep 27, 1949 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
88 Win 71–16–1 Leonard Morrow UD 10 Sep 21, 1949 Auditorium, Oakland, California, U.S.
87 Win 70–16–1 Watson Jones KO 2 (10) Jul 15, 1949 Last Frontier Sportsdrome, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
86 Loss 69–16–1 Leonard Morrow UD 10 Jul 5, 1949 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
85 Win 69–15–1 Willie Bean UD 10 Jun 20, 1949 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
84 Loss 68–15–1 Archie Moore KO 8 (10) Apr 11, 1949 Sports Arena, Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
83 Win 68–14–1 Rusty Payne SD 10 Mar 21, 1949 Aragon Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
82 Loss 67–14–1 Joey Maxim SD 10 Dec 7, 1948 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
81 Win 67–13–1 Johnny Flynn MD 10 Oct 11, 1948 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
80 Loss 66–13–1 Ezzard Charles UD 10 Sep 13, 1948 Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C., U.S.
79 Loss 66–12–1 Archie Moore MD 10 Jun 28, 1948 Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
78 Win 66–11–1 Pat Valentino UD 10 Apr 20, 1948 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
77 Win 65–11–1 Billy Thompson TKO 7 (10) Apr 12, 1948 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
76 Win 64–11–1 Turkey Thompson UD 10 Mar 9, 1948 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
75 Win 63–11–1 Johnny Haynes TKO 4 (10) Mar 1, 1948 Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
74 Win 62–11–1 Johnny Shkor UD 10 Jan 13, 1948 Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S.
73 Win 61–11–1 Sid Peaks PTS 10 Nov 12, 1947 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
72 Loss 60–11–1 Archie Moore RTD 8 (10) Sep 8, 1947 5th Regiment Armory, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
71 Win 60–10–1 Bobby Zander SD 10 Jul 1, 1947 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
70 Win 59–10–1 Lee Q Murray SD 10 Jun 9, 1947 Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
69 Win 58–10–1 Omelio Agramonte TKO 2 (10) Jun 2, 1947 Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
68 Loss 57–10–1 Lee Q Murray UD 10 May 9, 1947 Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
67 Win 57–9–1 Curtis Sheppard UD 10 Apr 21, 1947 Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
66 Loss 56–9–1 Ezzard Charles KO 4 (10) Mar 10, 1947 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
65 Win 56–8–1 Curtis Sheppard UD 10 Feb 17, 1947 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
64 Win 55–8–1 Booker Beckwith KO 4 (10) Feb 3, 1947 Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
63 Win 54–8–1 Johnny Flynn UD 10 Jan 16, 1947 Uline Arena, Washington, D.C., U.S.
62 Win 53–8–1 Colion Chaney KO 5 (10) Dec 5, 1946 Armory, Akron, Ohio, U.S.
61 Loss 52–8–1 Ezzard Charles UD 10 Nov 12, 1946 Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
60 Loss 52–7–1 Lee Q Murray UD 10 Jun 10, 1946 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
59 Loss 52–6–1 Jersey Joe Walcott SD 10 Feb 25, 1946 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
58 Win 52–5–1 Yancey Henry KO 10 (10) Feb 11, 1946 Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
57 Win 51–5–1 Oakland Billy Smith PTS 10 Jan 30, 1946 Auditorium, Oakland, California, U.S.
56 Win 50–5–1 Johnny Haynes KO 2 (10) Jan 22, 1946 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
55 Win 49–5–1 Watson Jones TKO 6 (10) Jan 7, 1946 Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S.
54 Win 48–5–1 Yancey Henry UD 10 Sep 26, 1945 Uline Arena, Washington, D.C., U.S.
53 Win 47–5–1 Archie Moore KO 6 (10) Aug 22, 1945 Lakefront Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
52 Win 46–5–1 Curtis Sheppard UD 10 Jul 26, 1945 Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
51 Win 45–5–1 Russell Scott KO 4 (10) Jun 12, 1945 Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C., U.S.
50 Draw 44–5–1 Melio Bettina PTS 10 Mar 16, 1945 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
49 Win 44–5 Johnny Flynn PTS 10 Feb 27, 1945 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
48 Win 43–5 Buddy Walker KO 2 (10) Feb 19, 1945 Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
47 Win 42–5 George Parks TKO 4 (10) Feb 5, 1945 Uline Arena, Washington, D.C., U.S.
46 Win 41–5 Lee Q Murray PTS 10 Feb 29, 1944 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
45 Win 40–5 Lee Q Murray UD 10 Dec 1, 1943 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
44 Win 39–5 Melio Bettina UD 10 Sep 15, 1943 Lakefront Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
43 Win 38–5 Herbert Marshall KO 6 (10) Aug 24, 1943 Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C., U.S.
42 Win 37–5 Lloyd Marshall KO 13 (15) Jun 8, 1943 Lakefront Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. Retained duration light heavyweight title
41 Win 36–5 Pat Valentino UD 10 Apr 26, 1943 Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S.
40 Win 35–5 Watson Jones UD 10 Apr 6, 1943 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
39 Win 34–5 Tami Mauriello MD 10 Mar 12, 1943 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
38 Win 33–5 Anton Christoforidis UD 15 Feb 23, 1943 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. Won vacant duration light heavyweight title
37 Win 32–5 Ezzard Charles UD 10 Jan 7, 1943 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
36 Win 31–5 Lee Savold UD 10 Nov 27, 1942 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
35 Win 30–5 Bob Pastor SD 10 Oct 20, 1942 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
34 Win 29–5 Tami Mauriello SD 10 Sep 15, 1942 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. Won vacant duration heavyweight title
33 Win 28–5 Joe Muscato KO 5 (10) Jul 23, 1942 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
32 Win 27–5 Joey Maxim SD 10 Jun 23, 1942 Lakefront Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
31 Loss 26–5 Bob Pastor SD 10 Apr 17, 1942 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
30 Win 26–4 Gus Lesnevich UD 10 Mar 11, 1942 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
29 Win 25–4 Billy Soose UD 10 Jan 13, 1942 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
28 Loss 24–4 Melio Bettina UD 10 Nov 17, 1941 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
27 Win 24–3 Nate Bolden UD 10 Oct 20, 1941 Marigold Gardens, Chicago, U.S.
26 Loss 23–3 Tony Musto SD 10 Sep 10, 1941 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
25 Loss 23–2 Lem Franklin TKO 9 (10) Jul 14, 1941 Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
24 Win 23–1 Curtis Sheppard PTS 10 Jul 2, 1941 Hickey Park, Millvale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
23 Win 22–1 Buddy Knox PTS 10 Apr 2, 1941 Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
22 Win 21–1 Teddy Yarosz PTS 10 Mar 5, 1941 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
21 Win 20–1 Pete Tamalonis TKO 1 (10) Feb 19, 1941 Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
20 Loss 19–1 Anton Christoforidis MD 10 Dec 2, 1940 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
19 Win 19–0 Anton Christoforidis UD 10 Nov 15, 1940 Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
18 Win 18–0 Vince Pimpinella UD 10 Oct 22, 1940 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
17 Win 17–0 Larry Kellum KO 1 (10) Sep 23, 1940 Hickey Park, Millvale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
16 Win 16–0 Johnny Barbara TKO 7 (8) Sep 9, 1940 Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
15 Win 15–0 Charley Burley UD 10 Sep 3, 1940 Hickey Park, Millvale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
14 Win 14–0 Johnny Barbara KO 2 (10) Aug 5, 1940 Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
13 Win 13–0 Paul Frazier PTS 8 Jul 15, 1940 Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
12 Win 12–0 Mose Brown PTS 6 Jul 1, 1940 Hickey Park, Millvale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
11 Win 11–0 Frankie Hughes PTS 8 Jun 24, 1940 Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
10 Win 10–0 Stoney Jackson TKO 1 (6) Jun 13, 1940 Hickey Park, Millvale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
9 Win 9–0 Paul Frazier KO 1 (8) May 13, 1940 Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
8 Win 8–0 Enzo Iannozzi KO 1 (8) Apr 25, 1940 Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
7 Win 7–0 Marine Johnny Dean KO 3 (6) Apr 15, 1940 Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
6 Win 6–0 Nate Bolden PTS 8 Apr 8, 1940 Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
5 Win 5–0 Young Flowers TKO 3 (4) Mar 27, 1940 Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
4 Win 4–0 Joe Sutka PTS 8 Mar 18, 1940 Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 Joe Sutka PTS 8 Feb 26, 1940 Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 Tito Taylor PTS 4 Feb 12, 1940 Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Emory Morgan TKO 2 (4) Jan 15, 1940 Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.

References

  1. ↑ Segall, Grant (July 4, 2012). "Jimmy Bivins, a top Cleveland boxer, has died". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Jimmy Bivins, a top Cleveland boxer, has died". 4 July 2012.
  3. ↑ "Boxer Jimmy Bivins dead at the age of 92". wkyc.com. Archived from the original on 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
  4. ↑ Martin, Douglas (6 July 2012). "Jimmy Bivins, Top Boxing Contender, Dies at 92". The New York Times.
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