Boxing: Former champ Berbick found dead

[Dmac]

Former champ Berbick found dead

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/7209/42251314berbickali203uf5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Trevor Berbick, the last boxer to fight Muhammad Ali, was killed in Jamaica on Saturday by an assailant wielding a hatchet or machete, police said.

He suffered a serious head wound and was found near a church in Norwich, his hometown, 90 miles east of Kingston.

Aged either 51 or 52 - his birthdate is disputed - he was pronounced dead in hospital early on Saturday.

Berbick beat Ali in 1981 and briefly held the WBC heavyweight title in 1986 before losing to Mike Tyson.

Berbick represented Jamaica at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, losing to the eventual silver medallist.

He opted to stay in Montreal and fight professionally out of Canada.

A promising and powerful heavyweight, he won his first 11 bouts before losing to another rising talent Bernardo Mercado in 1979.

He bounced back from that defeat to secure a world title shot against Larry Holmes in April 1981. He lost that fight to a unanimous decision after 15 rounds.

After beating a jaded Ali over 10 rounds in the Bahamas in December 1981, Berbick moved to Florida and signed up with promoter Don King.

Nearly five years after his defeat to Holmes, Berbick, who claimed as a teenager to have had a vision of God, upset Pinklon Thomas to win the WBC version of the heavyweight belt.

But his reign lasted only eight months as he lost his first defence to the 20-year-old Tyson when he was stopped in the second round.

He never quite recovered from that defeat, although he continued boxing for another 14 years, and his later career saw him combine arrests with bizarre episodes such as fighting Japanese sumo wrestler Nobuhiko Takada in a 1991 TV stunt.

His boxing licence was eventually revoked in 2000 when a CAT scan following his a 12-round win over Canadian Shane Sutcliffe revealed a blood clot on his brain.

By that time, however, he had already been ordered out of the US for violating his parole following a conviction for sexual assault on a family babysitter. He was again ordered to be deported in 2002.

In spanning the Ali and Tyson eras, Berbick beat such fighters as Iran Barkley, Greg Page and John Tate. Among his losses were those to Buster Douglas, Renaldo Snipes and Larry Holmes.

When asked once about his age, a detail that was never nailed down during his lifetime, Berbick said: "Legally, I'm a spirit. I have no age."

Credit - BBC Sport

[LionDen]

Even with a colorful past, sad to see a great fighter from the past pass away R.I.P

[Dark Drakan]

Heard about this yesterday, he had his run-ins with people but always sad to hear about things like this.

[Just KC]

The following is off the AP Newswire:

Berbick nephew charged in Jamaica with killing former boxing champion

By HOWARD CAMPBELL, Associated Press Writer
November 3, 2006

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) -- A 20-year-old nephew of former heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick and another man have been charged with beating him to death and leaving his body in a church courtyard, police said Friday.

Harold Berbick, who had been involved in a land dispute with his uncle, allegedly killed him as part of the long-running feud, police Sgt. Jubert Llewellyn said.

The nephew and Kenton Gordon, an 18-year-old from the same eastern region of the Caribbean island, were detained earlier this week and charged late Thursday. At a court hearing Friday, they were ordered to remain in custody in Portland parish, about 80 miles east of Kingston.

They confessed to the crime during an interrogation, said Detective Sgt. Kenneth Bailey of the Port Antonio police. A telephone call seeking comment from Berbick's lawyer was not immediately returned; Gordon does not have an attorney. Their next court appearance is set for Nov. 7.

The body of Berbick, who was believed to be 51, was discovered Oct. 28 outside a Portland church. Berbick grew up in the area and returned to live there following his deportation from the United States in 2002.

Berbick was the last boxer to face Muhammad Ali in the ring and briefly held the WBC heavyweight title before losing it to Mike Tyson in 1986.

The retired fighter died from multiple blows to the back of his head, police said. A 2-inch-thick metal pipe recovered from the scene was believed to be the weapon used.

The nephew's mother, who also feuded with Berbick, was detained for questioning and released, police said.

Berbick was charged with larceny for breaking into his sister-in-law's house in 2002 and was later cleared. Earlier this year, Berbick was charged with assault for allegedly punching the woman.

The two suspects were charged with murder. At the Nov. 7 hearing in Portland, a magistrate is to determine whether to upgrade the charge to capital murder, which could lead to more severe penalties, including life sentences.

Berbick fought at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. He defeated Ali by unanimous decision in the famed champion's final bout in 1981. Berbick won the WBC heavyweight title in 1985 with a decision over Pinklon Thomas, but Tyson -- who was then 20 -- knocked out Berbick in the second round on Nov. 22, 1986, to become the youngest heavyweight champ.

Berbick fought from 1976 to 2000, finishing with a record of 50-11 with one draw and 33 knockouts.

Following his retirement from the ring, Berbick was convicted in the U.S. for sexual assault, grand theft and burglary.
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wow now that just sad and pathetic, Trevor Berbick was a great boxer and a great guy and to be killed by family is just down right wrong