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A Journey of Epic Proportions: David Reid Comes Full Circle
WED July 6, BRIAN SKJOLD - When I sit down and think back on some of the greatest boxers of all time, I begin to realize the names that start popping into my head are probably not names that would show up on most lists.
Obviously men like Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey and Muhammad Ali have made immeasurable contributions to our great sport, and should be on any boxing list I could think of, but not everyone that graces this list is a hall-of-famer.
One name in particular that’s on my list and probably isn’t on yours is David Reid. When I think of the greatest men who happened to also be professional boxers, David Reid is right there near the top. The question of course is…WHY?
I’ve read the “Whatever Happened to David Reid” threads on all of the sites and I’ve heard all of the arguments against giving David Reid what’s due to him from the boxing world, but I’m not one to dwell on the negative, and maybe that’s just what this sport needs? I think everything surrounding “The American Dream” is 100% positive.
Maybe I’m biased, being a Northern Michigan University alumnus, where David began his amateur career and lived while training at the USOEC. Maybe it’s because I followed him through his career and feel like I’ve ridden this rollercoaster ride right along beside him. After all “The American Dream” was (almost) from my home town and I remember being awed the first time I saw him fight.
But, to properly put the career of David Reid in perspective one needs to look at what was accomplished as a whole, and the caliber of fighters whose names he will forever be etched in stone with. By making the Olympic boxing team in 1996 Reid accomplished what the majority of professional fighters today were never able to, and that alone puts him in some pretty exclusive company.
Now to go on and win the Olympic Gold and then to win a professional world title puts a fighter on an even higher plain with fellow greats such as Pernell Whitaker, Oscar De la Hoya, Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Forman, Lennox Lewis, Leon Spinks, and Michael Spinks, among others. But, I know many of you out there reading this are saying…”Come on buddy, he just got lucky.”
Well, you’re right. The way I see it, he did get lucky, but just once. The luckiest thing that ever happened to David was meeting up with boxing guru Al Mitchell as a kid in Philadelphia. Al’s the one who got him started in the sport and brought him up to Marquette to train at the Olympic Training Center. But, it wasn’t luck that got him to the 1996 Olympics in the first place. It was David Reid himself who worked hard and became an unlikely U.S. hopeful. I say unlikely because it was Antonio Tarver, Fernando Vargas, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Lawrence Clay-Bey, Eric Morel and others that were slated for stardom, and even the golds that year...Reid wasn’t supposed to do any better than bronze.
When the dust settled in Atlanta it was Reid that brought home the sole gold medal for Team U.S.A. thanks to one devastating right hand that is considered by many to be “The most dramatic punch in U.S.A. boxing history”. Tarver, Mayweather Jr., and others settled for bronze medals, while some US “stars” didn’t even medal at all. Call it what you want, but it can’t be all luck when you out last a cast of fighters like this. An athlete needs that little bit of something extra to win an Olympic gold medal, and David Reid had it.
Ok, now that we’ve cleared that up let’s get to another excuse. “Look who he fought to win his world title”. Fine, I’ll concede that Laurent Boudouani is not the most fearsome competitor to ever toe the line, but…the key here is that this was only Reid’s twelfth professional fight. And, he beat the seasoned 38-2-1 Frenchmen who was making his 5th defense of the WBA title he won by knocking out Julio Cesar Vasquez, who in turn had handed Winky Wright his first professional loss two years earlier.
So, let’s stop for a minute to take a closer look at some of today’s greatest fighters and see what they were up to in their twelfth fight. We’ll start with the obvious…Tito (who many agree basically ended Reid’s career). For his 12th fight, Trinidad was in Florida scoring a TKO win over a 10-4-1 boxer named Manual Salas. Manual ended his career 11-19-1 and the loser in a bout for the vacant Columbian Welterweight title.
Now let’s take a look at a few of the pound for pound best in the sport. First up, Bernard Hopkins. B-Hop beat a 4-3 Pedro Marquez for his pro fight number 12. He got his first title shot 10 fights later and it was a USBA title, certainly not the same caliber as Reid’s WBA title. And what about the incomparable Winky Wright? He fought Lennell Strohman in his twelfth fight. Strohman was 5-5 at the time and ended up finishing his career at 9-29-1. Now let’s check out Reid’s fellow Olympic teammate Floyd Mayweather Jr.. He squared off against Angelo Nunez in his 12th contest and TKO’ed him in the 3rd. Nunez was 14-11-3 at the time, and never fought again. But I would be remiss if I didn’t give “Pretty Boy” some credit. He did win his first title before David was able to capture his prize. But, it took him 18 fights to do so. Just for good measure we’ll throw in the youngest heavyweight champ in the history of the sport. In his 12th pro fight Mike Tyson took only one round to KO Eddie Richardson who was 11-2 at the time. Richardson finished his career 14-21 the loser in his last 12 fights.
Ok, let’s turn the pages back a few years just to be fair and balanced. First we’ll take a peek at The Greatest of all time, Muhammad Ali. Ali (Clay) defeated, by TKO, a fighter named Don Warner in his 12th pro fight and no title was at stake. Ali’s first title shot came 8 fights later. And what about the second installment of “Sugar Ray”? In his 12th bout fellow Gold medalist Ray Leonard battled the 22-8-1 Rafael Rodriguez and won a 10 round decision. But he was still 12 fights removed from his win over Pete Ranzany for the NABF title.
Well, I think you get the point. Reid might not have fought a hall-of-famer to win his WBA title, but he won it and in a pretty decisive manner. Considering his young age and his lack of professional experience it is an impressive feat. Not to mention the fact that David took on the 36-0 (30 ko’s) undisputed welterweight champ a mere 3 fights later…
And of course, I can still hear some of you saying, “Well, if he was so good, why isn’t he still around the boxing world?” Well the short answer, of course, is that he is. David has come full circle and is now back up in Marquette MI with his old friend and coach, Al Mitchell. He is currently coaching potential Olympians at the USOEC where he undoubtedly serves as a role model for many young fighters lending unparalled advice and encouragement. As part of his training duties Reid travels with the team and assists in the corners for many of the new guys. He is certainly around and certainly making a huge difference in the lives of a group of what just might be tomorrow’s biggest names in boxing. David of course has had setbacks throughout his life and his career. The multiple eye surgeries that didn’t go so well, and the devastating loss to Felix Trinidad being a couple key ones. But, he has made a life for himself that unlike some of the most famous of boxers, does not include squandering his small fortune or getting thrown in prison for crimes ranging anywhere from drug convictions to rape to even worse. Instead David Reid hung up his gloves and went back to school. He is now back at work doing what he loves and lives a pretty modest and useful life in Marquette.
I believe that it’s not only what a boxer does in the ring itself that makes him a role model, but it’s who the real man is behind those gloves that is his lasting legacy. If I could choose any boxer for my two little girls to grow up to admire, David Reid would be the guy. He was a highly decorated and skilled amateur that over came many obstacles to make it to the pinnacle of amateur sports, and it all culminated with a huge knockout win for the Olympic Gold despite being down on the scorecards in the final round. With this fight alone he showed that his fighting spirit is matched by none. He was rushed through the pro ranks and got a title shot very early on and he handled the pressure with admirable poise and determination. And above all that he was able to make a better life for himself long after the professional boxing world has forgotten about him. With that being said, I challenge anyone to come up with a reason why David shouldn’t be on your list as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Not too long ago I had the honor of training with David Reid and got to witness first hand some of the razor sharp skills that are still intact. And later I had the pleasure of interviewing him for the purposes of this article. He is a quiet, humble and modest guy. When asked a question, his answers were short and to the point. He also noted proudly that through it all his relationship with Al Mitchell, his good friend and father-figure, hasn’t changed. He was reluctant to elaborate on his role in the USOEC as though he didn’t want to brag about the work he is doing there, and the differences he is making in the lives of these young men and (one woman) who are all striving to achieve the heights that he has already ascended to. He jokingly blew off his world title win, saying it was too long ago to remember. It seemed at times that maybe all of the talk had finally convinced even David Reid himself that he wasn’t a great fighter after all and that he didn’t deserve all the credit in the world for the things he’s achieved. I know that I’m just one guy in this big world of boxing, David, but all this talk certainly hasn’t convinced me. It’ll never convince me.
I would like to personally thank David Reid for his time and effort given for this piece. It was a very rewarding experience for me. I would also like to thank Steven Richards a close personal friend of both David and I for all his help making this happen. Thanks guys!
Questions? Comments? E-mail me: bskjold@talkingboxing.com
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