David Bey
RealnameDavid Bey
NationalityAmerican
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
WeightHeavyweight
Birth dateMarch 11, 1957
Birth placePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Death dateSeptember 13, 2017 (aged 60)
Death placeCamden, New Jersey, U.S.
StyleOrthodox
Total30
Wins18
Ko14
Losses11
Draws1
No contests0

David Bey (March 11, 1957 – September 13, 2017) was an American heavyweight boxer who held the USBA title. He unsuccessfully challenged Larry Holmes for the heavyweight title in 1985.

Bey was an outstanding amateur boxer who had taken up the sport to lose weight and eventually competed on the U.S. All Army Boxing Team. He made his professional debut in 1981, defeating future undisputed world heavyweight champion James "Buster" Douglas by a second-round knockout. He built up a record of 14–0, becoming the first man to stop the durable veteran contender George Chaplin (TKO4) as well as defeating future WBA heavyweight champion Greg Page (W12) to capture the United States Boxing Association heavyweight championship.

In March 1985 Bey was given a title shot by IBF heavyweight champion Larry Holmes. After a strong start, Holmes knocked Bey down twice in the 8th round and the referee stopped the fight in the 10th round.

Bey never regained his confidence, losing his USBA title by 11th-round TKO to Trevor Berbick in his comeback fight, then being relegated to 'opponent' status for the remainder of his career, matched against the likes of James "Bonecrusher" Smith, Joe Bugner in Australia, Tyrell Biggs, and Johnny DuPlooy in South Africa. He retired in 1987 after losing to DuPlooy, but made a comeback in 1990 in which he went 3-5-1. In 1994 in his final fight he knocked out David Jaco in China. He lived in China for a time before returning to the States and his old construction job.

Bey died in a construction accident in Camden in 2017.[1]

Professional boxing record

18 Wins (14 knockouts, 4 decisions), 11 Losses (4 knockouts, 3 decisions), 1 Draw [2]
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRoundDateLocationNotes
Win18–11–1David JacoTKO81994-09-17Macao, China
Loss17–11–1Zeljko MavrovicTKO41993-10-16Koblenz, Germany
Loss17–10–1Terry DavisUD121993-02-27Beijing, ChinaNBA Continental Americas Heavyweight Title.
Loss17–9–1Derek WilliamsTKO61991-09-30London, England
Draw17–8–1David JacoPTS101991-09-07Sarasota, Florida, U.S.
Loss17–8Joe HippTKO71991-02-26Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.Referee stopped the bout at 1:07 of the seventh round.
Loss17–7Bruce SeldonTKO101990-11-01Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Referee stopped the bout at 0:38 of the tenth round.
Win17–6Terry MillerKO21990-08-21Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Win16–6Paul BradshawTKO31990-02-17Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Loss15–6Johnny DuPlooyKO91987-04-27Johannesburg, South Africa
Loss15–5Tyrell BiggsTKO61987-03-07Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.Referee stopped the bout at 2:15 of the sixth round.
Loss15–4Joe BugnerUD101986-11-14Sydney, Australia
Loss15–3James SmithUD101986-08-23Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.
Win15–2Wesley SmithSD10Jan 17, 1986Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.Split Decision win 10 Rounds.
Loss14–2Trevor BerbickTKO111985-06-15Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.USBA Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 2:30 of the 11th round.
Loss14–1Larry HolmesTKO101985-03-15Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.For IBF, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles.
Win14–0Greg PageUD12Aug 31, 1984Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.USBA Heavyweight Title.
Win13–0Leroy CaldwellPTS10Mar 9, 1984Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Win12–0Alf CoffinKO21983-08-17Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Win11–0Grady DanielsKO11983-07-16Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.Daniels knocked out at 2:01 of the first round.
Win10–0Chuck JohnsonTKO31983-02-12Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Win9–0George ChaplinTKO41982-11-26Houston, Texas, U.S.
Win8–0Larry BeilfussTKO11982-10-02Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
Win7–0Jack WatkinsKO21982-08-14Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Win6–0Larry SimsPTS61982-06-27Highland Heights, Ohio, U.S.
Win5–0Laverne BumpersTKO11982-05-02Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
Win4–0D.B. JohnsonKO11982-04-09Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Win3–0Steve FlemesterTKO21982-03-20Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
Win2–0Larry HamTKO11982-02-24Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
Win1–0James DouglasTKO21981-11-06Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.

References

  1. ^ "Industrial accident reportedly kills former boxer who fought Larry Holmes". September 18, 2017.
  2. ^ Boxing record for David Bey. BoxRec.com.