Born: 8 February 1943
Died: 28 December 2010
Profession: 1962 to 1982
Report: 96 fights 66 wins (53 by KO/TKO), 24 losses (1 by KO/TKO), 5 attracts, 1ND
Division: Welterweight, Middleweight, Tremendous Middleweight
Stance: Orthodox
Titles: Pennsylvania State welterweight and middleweight, NABF middleweight
Main Contests
Scored wins over: Charley Scott, Percy Manning (twice), George Benton, Jimmy Lester, Gene Bryant, Jose Gonzalez (twice), Charley Austin (twice), Vicente Rondon **, Tito Marshall, Joe Shaw, Tom Bethea*, Carlos Marks, Juarez de Lima, Rafael Gutierrez, Luis Vinales, Artwork Hernandez, Billy Douglas, Ruben Arocha, Willie Warren(twice), Tony Mundine*, Stanley Hayward* , Eddie Mustafa Muhammad **, Eugene Hart, Jean Mateo, Tony Chiaverini,
Misplaced to: Percy Manning, Tito Marshall, Stanley Hayward*, Luis Rodriguez** (twice), Yoland Leveque, Juarez de Lima, Joe Shaw, Luis Vinales, Carlos Monzon **, Rodrigo Valdes (3 times)**, Emile Griffith**, Vito Antuofermo **, Marvin Hagler**, Vinnie Curto*, Clement Tshinza,
Drew with: Carlos Monzon**, Vicente Rondon**, Vinnie Curto*, Eugene Hart, Emile Griffith**,
**Previous/ future holder of a model of a world title
* Unsuccessful challenger for a model of a world title
Bennie Briscoe’s Story
When the topic of nice fighters who by no means received a world title is mentioned, Bennie Briscoe’s title is nearly sure to come back up. He had three world title photographs, shedding to Carlos Monzon and twice to Rodrigo Valdes, each nice middleweights. Over a 20-year 96-bout profession through which he confronted eight world champions and a lot of the finest middleweights of his day, Briscoe was solely floored 4 instances, and his solely inside-the-distance loss got here in opposition to Valdes.
He was a relentlessly aggressive, intimidating fighter, a brutal physique puncher with an iron chin, and he had braveness and energy in equal measure. Early in his profession, Yancey Durham, who skilled Joe Frazier, skilled Briscoe, who got here from the identical mould as Frazier.
Briscoe was born in Augusta, Georgia and was considered one of fourteen youngsters in a poor household. At Excessive College in Augusta, he was an impressive soccer participant and monitor and subject competitor. When dwelling in Augusta, he as soon as caddied for President Dwight Eisenhower. When he was 16, he moved to Philadelphia to reside with relations and located a job there with the native council the place his early duties included being a rat catcher.
He progressed to working as a bin man with the sanitation division a job he liked and continued to do all through his boxing profession and for nearly forty years. He started to coach for boxing on the Police Athletic Health club and skilled alongside many native boxers, together with Frazier (under). He received quite a few native AAU tournaments and was a quarter-finalist at welterweight in 1961 and a silver medallist in 1962 on the Nationwide AAU Championships.
He had his first skilled struggle in September 1962, and in March 1964, after eleven wins, he moved as much as important occasion standing on the Philadelphia Area and stopped skilled Charley Scott within the first spherical of their twelfth-round struggle for the Pennsylvania State welterweight title. Scott had scored wins over opponents similar to Ralph Dupas, Garnett Hart, and Gaspar Ortega.
Briscoe misplaced his unbeaten tag in his thirteenth struggle, dropping a break up choice in opposition to Percy Manning in March 1965. He had overwhelmed Manning in June 1964 and ultimately received their collection 2-1 by knocking Manning out in 1969. Losses to Tito Marshall and Stanley Hayward noticed Briscoe finish 1965 with a 17-3 file. He had solely three fights in 1966, together with a ninth-round retirement victory in opposition to George Benton.
His “struggle anybody” angle noticed him lose twice that 12 months to former welterweight champion Luis Rodriguez on factors and, in an undervalued achievement, maintain Carlos Monzon to a majority attract Buenos Aires. Monzon had an unbeaten run of 30 fights when he confronted Briscoe for the primary time and would lengthen that run to 80 fights by the point he retired.
The sample for Briscoe’s profession diverse little. He would struggle top-quality opposition in struggle after struggle and 12 months after 12 months. In 1968, he beat Jose Gonzalez and Pedro Miranda and misplaced to future WBA gentle heavyweight champion Vicente Rondon. In 1969, he would get revenge wins over Rondon, Percy Manning and Tito Marshall (Corridor of Fame promoter Russell Peltz’s first boxing promotion) however lose to Juarez de Lima and former Olympian Joe Shaw.
In 1970 and 1971, he would run up 9 wins, beating Shaw in six rounds, stopping Tom Bethea in six, knocking out Carlos Marks in 5 and Juarez de Lima in two. He additionally knocked out powerful Mexican Rafel Gutierrez within the second spherical after he had himself been on the ground twice within the first spherical so Gutierrez was accountable two of solely 4 instances Briscoe was knocked down in his profession.
Two wins early in 1972 have been adopted by a break up choice loss in opposition to Luis Vinales in April and once more Briscoe confirmed that beating Briscoe solely made him mad as he floored and stopped Vinales within the seventh spherical.
Lastly, in November 1972, he was given a title shot in opposition to Carlos Monzon for the WBA and WBC middleweight titles once more in Buenos Aires. Monzon was 5’ 11 ½” with a 76” attain. Briscoe was 5’8” with a 71” attain. It was a brutal struggle. Briscoe saved coming ahead, strolling by way of jabs, hooks, and uppercuts from Monzon in each spherical.
Monzon was completely on the again foot, profitable the rounds, however was unable to maintain Briscoe out. There was drama within the ninth. With Monzon in a nook, Briscoe landed a ferocious proper to the pinnacle that spun Monzon round and had him gazing out within the crowd badly shaken however Monzon had a fantastic chin and champion restoration powers and he fought off Briscoe’s makes an attempt to land one other bomb and went on to win the struggle by a large unanimous choice.
It was again to enterprise for Briscoe in 1973. He began with a win over modest Argentinian Carlos Salinas, who had the excellence of flooring Briscoe within the fourth earlier than being knocked out within the fifth with Briscoe, then stopping Artwork Hernande and Billy Douglas (the daddy of Buster Douglas, who can be the primary to beat Mike Tyson as knowledgeable) however shedding on factors in opposition to Colombian Rodrigo Valdes.
He had solely three fights in 1974 however once more they have been huge struggle as he first knocked out Tony Mundine in Paris after which misplaced once more to Valdes in Could. This time they have been combating for the vacant WBA title after the WBC had stripped Monzon in February. Briscoe was reduce, floored and stopped within the seventh spherical the one inside the space loss in his 96-bout profession. He closed 1974 with a loss on a majority choice in opposition to Emile Griffith (under).
He was unbeaten in 1975 with victories over future WBA gentle heavyweight champion Eddie Mustafa Muhammed and fellow Philadelphia Stanley Hayward and attracts with Vinnie Curto and Eugene Hart. Included in his 5 fights in 1976 was a first-round kayo of Hart and a draw with Emile Griffith.
Briscoe’s had received a few fights in France which had seen him change into an enormous favorite there the place he was nicknamed “The Black Robotic” a caricature in L’Equipe portrayed Briscoe as a robotic with hammers for fingers.
In March 1977, he scored a tenth-round stoppage of Jean Mateo and, in July, beat Sammy Barr, giving him a run of 13 fights with out defeat. That noticed him get a return with Colombian Valdes who had added the WBC title to the WBA held after they first clashed. Valdes received on a unanimous choice, marking Briscoe’s third and final title shot.
He once more confronted top-level opponents in 1978, shedding on factors to future WBA/WBC champion Vito Antuofermo, stopping Tony Chiaverini in Kansas Metropolis, crushing native hope Chiaverini in eight rounds and drawing a file crowd for a boxing match there of greater than 10,000. A file was set once more when Briscoe confronted future middleweight champion Marvin Hagler in Philadelphia.
Richard Mackson/USA Immediately Sports activities
Hagler received a unanimous choice in entrance of a crowd of just about 15,000 the biggest indoor crowd for a non-title struggle in Pennsylvania historical past and he and Briscoe remained mates for all times. The Hagler struggle was Briscoe’s final main struggle and at 36 and after 96 fights in opposition to the most effective welterweights and middleweights on the planet he was now not the pressure he had been and between 1979 and 1982 he was 6-7 earlier than retiring on the finish of 1982.
Briscoe was elected to the Pennsylvania Boxing Corridor of Fame in 2007 and the World Boxing Corridor of Fame in 2010. The “Briscoe Award” was created to honor excellent Philadelphian fighters, and in 2003, Ring Journal ranked Briscoe thirty fourth amongst all-time punchers.
He fought in France, Switzerland, Monaco, Argentina, Puerto Rico, New Caledonia, and Belgium, however Philadelphia was his house. He fought 24 instances on the Philadelphia Area, 22 instances on the Philadelphia Spectrum, and 9 instances on the Blue Horizon, so he had 55 exhibits and practically all ten-round important occasions.
If 24 losses appear so much, then it’s important to keep in mind that 12 months after 12 months, Briscoe fought the most effective. There was no finesse to his model. In the event you have been going to struggle Bennie Briscoe, you knew he would convey ten rounds of stress and he would stroll by way of no matter you threw at him and fighters similar to Percy Manning, Tito Marshall, Stanley Hayward, Juarez de Lima, Joe Shaw, Luis Vinales and Vinnie Curt discovered that what might need labored of their first struggle with Briscoe didn’t within the second.
Briscoe had labored for the sanitation division all through his profession and continued to take action after he put away his gloves. Regardless of his ruthlessness within the ring, Briscoe was a extremely revered man in his group and a much-loved father to 6 youngsters. He handed away after a brief sickness on 28 December 2010.
