Al West (May 13, 1929 – December 21, 1950), alias ''Sonny Boy'', was a lightweight professional

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

from Maryland. He was a native of Washington, D.C.

Professional career

West made his professional debut on November 29, 1946, a two-round

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

win against George Junior. He won his first nine professional matches before losing to

Harry LaSane Harry LaSane (30 September 1924 – 1 August 1984) was a featherweight professional boxer from Texas. Personal life LaSane lived in Houston, Texas. Professional career LaSane made his professional debut on March 27, 1946, with a 6-round draw agai ...

on August 11 of 1947, a loss which he avenged just fourteen days later. West's final record was 46 wins (14 by

), 8 losses, and 1 draw in 55 fights. In his short career West fought such important names as

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

, Jimmy Carter, Redtop Davis,

Sammy Angott Sammy Angott (January 17, 1915 – October 22, 1980) was born Salvatore Engotti in a Pittsburgh area town in Pennsylvania. He was known as a clever boxer who liked to follow up a clean punch by grabbing his opponent, causing him to be known as "Th ...

, Ike Williams, Charley Salas, and Mario Pacheco.

Death

The career and life of Sonny Boy West ended with a beating at the hands of Percy Bassett, which caused bleeding in the brain. According to boxrec.com, "West complained of double vision between the 6th and 7th rounds. After he was hurt to the body by Bassett, he was floored by a right hand. As he fell, he landed hard on his head. West died of injuries suffered in this bout on December 21st. The official cause of death was given as a 'inter-cerebral hemorrhage resulting from a cerebral concussion.'"

Notes

Boxers from Washington, D.C. Deaths due to injuries sustained in boxing Lightweight boxers Sports deaths in New York (state) 1929 births 1950 deaths American male boxers {{US-boxing-bio-stub