Darrin Van Horn (born September 7, 1968) is an American former 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 ...

. He held the

IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...

Super Middleweight title from 1991 until 1992, as well as the IBF Junior Middleweight title from 1989 until 1990.

Professional boxing career

Van Horn boxed as an amateur for four years, winning

Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States, where they are awarded a belt and a ring. And the title of nations champion is awarded. The Golden Gloves is a term used to refer to the Nation ...

and Junior Olympic titles. With his father as his manager and trainer, he made his professional debut in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, on September 2, 1984. Van Horn was just five days short of his 16th birthday. Since Van Horn was still a high school student when he turned professional, he was given the nickname "Schoolboy." In 1986, he moved to Lexington, Kentucky, to attend the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Boxing with the letters "UK" on his trunks, the "Schoolboy" angle was played up heavily. He compiled a record of 38-0 before challenging for a world title. Van Horn, a 2-1 underdog, defeated Robert Hines by a 12-round unanimous decision to win the

Junior Middleweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the International Boxing Federation, IBF or ...

Championship on February 5, 1989, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. On July 15, 1989, Van Horn returned to Atlantic City to make his first title defense against Gianfranco Rosi, the former WBC

Super Welterweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the IBF or super welterweight in the WBA an ...

Champion. Rosi, a decided underdog, took the title by winning by a 12-round unanimous decision. After five consecutive wins, Van Horn had a rematch with Rosi in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

on July 21, 1990. Although Van Horn fought better than he did in the first fight against Rosi, he was unable to regain the title. Rosi once again won by a 12-round unanimous decision. Van Horn moved up in weight and won the IBF Super Middleweight Championship with an 11th-round knockout of Lindell Holmes in Italy on May 18, 1991. In his first title defense, he scored a third-round knockout of mandatory challenger John Jarvis in

Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...

, on August 17, 1991. On January 10, 1992, Van Horn lost the title to

Iran Barkley Iran Barkley (born May 6, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1999. He held world championships in three weight classes, including the WBC middleweight title from 1988 to 1989, the IBF super middleweight ti ...

, the former WBC Middleweight Champion, by a second-round technical knockout in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Barkley, a 2-1 underdog, wobbled Van Horn with a left hook early in the first round and floored him three times in the second. In May 1992, Van Horn graduated from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism. Van Horn was scheduled to face

James Toney James Nathaniel Toney (born August 24, 1968) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2017. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the IBF and lineal middleweight titles from 1991 to 1 ...

for the IBF Super Middleweight Championship in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, on October 29, 1993, but he pulled out of the fight after claiming a shoulder injury. ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' reported: "Sadly, word around boxing says his real problem has been near-constant headaches that recently forced him to stay in a darkened room for days at a time." The Van Horn camp denied that was true, but one fight figure was quoted as saying: "It would be child abuse for his father to put him back in the ring. When I was with him, he knew me and why I was there, but every 15 or 20 minutes he'd ask, 'Why are you guys here?' It's pretty sad." Van Horn was scheduled to face

Nigel Benn Nigel Gregory Benn (born 22 January 1964) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1987 to 1996. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBO middleweight title in 1990 and the WBC super-middleweight ti ...

for the WBC Super Middleweight Championship in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on September 10, 1994, but the fight was called off. According to ''

Boxing Monthly ''Boxing Monthly'' was a London-based, worldwide monthly boxing magazine. History and profile ''Boxing Monthly'' was founded in May 1989. The monthly periodical was mainly feature-based, with a focus on UK and international fighters. It included ...

'', it was cancelled after Van Horn failed a brain scan. However, during an interview with '' Boxing News'' in 2015, Van Horn said: "I never failed any scan, not ever. I have no idea where that came from. I fought a few times after the Barkley fight. Rumors and things come up, it's just ridiculous. I just became disenchanted with the sport. I said to myself I was going to step back for a while and get a few things done; like going back to college, and my intention was to come back to boxing. But I never did."''Boxing News'', February 2, 2015
/ref>

Retirement

Van Horn won his final six fights. His last bout took place in Harlingen, Texas, on August 3, 1994. He defeated

journeyman A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that fie ...

Willie Bell by a second-round technical knockout. After retiring from boxing, Van Horn became a state trooper.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 53 Wins (29 knockouts, 24 decisions), 3 Losses (1 knockout, 2 decisions) , - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , -align=center , Win , , align=left, Willie Ball , TKO , 2 , 03/08/1994 , align=left, Harlingen, Texas, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ricky Thomas , PTS , 10 , 15/12/1992 , align=left,

Foxwoods Resort Casino Foxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel and casino complex owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on their reservation located in Ledyard, Connecticut. Including six casinos, the resort covers an area of . The casinos have more th ...

Mashantucket, Connecticut Mashantucket is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northeast part of the town of Ledyard, New London County, Connecticut, United States. It consists of land held by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. The Foxwoods Resort Casino Foxwoods Resort ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Rollin "Chiller" Williams , UD , 10 , 16/10/1992 , align=left,

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown ar ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bill "Fireball" Bradley , RTD , 2 , 29/09/1992 , align=left,

Bismarck Civic Center The Bismarck Event Center (formerly Bismarck Civic Center) is a 10,100-seat multi-purpose facility located in Bismarck, North Dakota. It was known as the Bismarck Civic Center until September 2014. Ritterbush Brothers received an Award of Merit f ...

, Bismarck, North Dakota, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Martin Amarillas , UD , 10 , 04/09/1992 , align=left,

Country Club A country club is a privately owned club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Typical athletic offe ...

Reseda, California Reseda is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1912, and its central business district started developing in 1915. The neighborhood was devoted to agriculture for many years. Earthquake ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, "Little" Nicky Walker , UD , 10 , 30/06/1992 , align=left,

Pensacola Civic Center Pensacola Bay Center (formerly Pensacola Civic Center) is an indoor arena located in Pensacola, Florida. It is owned by Escambia County and operated by ASM Global. The Bay Center has a capacity of 8,049 for hockey games, and as much as 10,000 ...

, Pensacola, Florida, United States , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, TKO , 2 , 10/01/1992 , align=left, Paramount Theatre,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, "Big" John Jarvis , KO , 3 , 17/08/1991 , align=left,

Bren Events Center The Donald Bren Events Center, commonly known as the Bren Events Center or simply the Bren, is a 5,608-seat indoor arena on the campus of the University of California, Irvine, in Irvine, California, United States. Construction and history It wa ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Lindell Holmes , KO , 11 , 18/05/1991 , align=left, Palazzo Dello Sport,

Verbania Verbania (, , ) is the most populous ''comune'' (municipality) and the capital city of the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. It is situated on the shore of Lake Maggiore, about north-west of Milan and ...

, Italy , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, "Very" Randy Williams , PTS , 10 , 28/12/1990 , align=left, Lexington, Kentucky, United States , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Gianfranco Rosi , UD , 12 , 21/07/1990 , align=left, Palazzo del Ghiaccio,

Marino, Lazio Marino ( la, Marinum or , local Romanesco: ) is an Italian city and ''comune'' in Lazio (central Italy), on the Alban Hills, Italy, southeast of Rome, with a population of 37,684 and a territory of . It is bounded by other communes, Castel Ga ...

, Italy , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jake Torrance , PTS , 8 , 14/04/1990 , align=left, Loew's Hotel,

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

, Monaco , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ruben Cortina , KO , 1 , 02/03/1990 , align=left,

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Salim Muhammad , UD , 10 , 09/10/1989 , align=left, Roy Wilkins Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mike Sacchetti , PTS , 10 , 25/09/1989 , align=left, Nogent-le-Phaye, France , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Steve Langley , PTS , 10 , 13/09/1989 , align=left, Metairie, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Gianfranco Rosi , UD , 12 , 15/07/1989 , align=left, Trump Castle, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Robert "Bam Bam" Hines , UD , 12 , 05/02/1989 , align=left, Trump Castle, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Miguel Angel Hernandez , TKO , 5 , 03/11/1988 , align=left,

Showboat Hotel and Casino The Showboat Hotel and Casino, known as the Castaways Hotel and Casino from 2000-2004, was a hotel and casino located at the north end of the Boulder Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The hotel consisted of a 19 story tower containing 445 rooms, a ca ...

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jake Torrance , UD , 10 , 20/09/1988 , align=left, Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, Kentucky, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Juan Elizondo , KO , 3 , 05/05/1988 , align=left,

Fairgrounds Stadium Cardinal Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. It was on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, and was called Fairgrounds Stadium when it first opened for an NFL exhibition football game between the Baltimore Colt ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John Munduga , TKO , 7 , 21/02/1988 , align=left,

Hilton Hotel Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton. The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...

, Frankfort, Kentucky, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Joe "Indian" Summers , UD , 10 , 05/12/1987 , align=left,

Atlantic City Convention Center The Atlantic City Convention Center is a large convention center located in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Opened on May 1, 1997, the center includes of showroom space, 5 exhibit halls, 45 meeting rooms with of space, a garage with 1,400 parking sp ...

, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Juan Alonso Villa , PTS , 10 , 17/10/1987 , align=left,

Harrah's Atlantic City Harrah's Resort Atlantic City is a casino hotel in the marina district of Atlantic City, New Jersey, owned by Vici Properties and operated by Caesars Entertainment. Harrah's is one of the largest hotels in New Jersey. The casino is one of three ...

, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , align=left, 98-92, 98-93, 99-91 , - , Win , , align=left, Norberto Bueno , KO , 3 , 17/09/1987 , align=left,

Felt Forum The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden is a theater located in New York City's Madison Square Garden. It seats between 2,000 and 5,600, and is used for concerts, shows, sports, meetings, and other events. It is located beneath the main Madiso ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Greg "Tool Man" Taylor , UD , 8 , 25/08/1987 , align=left, Continental Inn, Lexington, Kentucky, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Luis Santana , UD , 10 , 21/06/1987 , align=left, Lexington, Kentucky, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Elio Diaz , UD , 10 , 20/04/1987 , align=left,

Rupp Arena Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center is an arena located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Since its opening in 1976, it has been the centerpiece of Central Bank Center (formerly Lexington Center), a convention and shopping facility o ...

, Lexington, Kentucky, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John "Papa" Moore , TKO , 6 , 24/02/1987 , align=left, Continental Inn, Lexington, Kentucky, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, "Dangerous" Danny Thomas , PTS , 10 , 13/01/1987 , align=left, Continental Inn, Lexington, Kentucky, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Sammy Floyd , UD , 10 , 09/09/1986 , align=left,

, Lexington, Kentucky, United States , align=left, Floyd took the fight on short notice after Bruce Curry pulled out. , - , Win , , align=left, Keheven Johnson , KO , 8 , 01/07/1986 , align=left,

Louisiana Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Donald Gwinn , TKO , 5 , 24/06/1986 , align=left, Continental Inn, Lexington, Kentucky, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, David "Dexter" Ramsey , KO , 4 , 15/04/1986 , align=left, Lafayette, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Norberto Sabater , TKO , 2 , 06/03/1986 , align=left, Landmark Hotel, Metairie, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ed Modicue , UD , 8 , 21/01/1986 , align=left, Landmark Hotel, Metairie, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Reggie Dixon , PTS , 6 , 15/10/1985 , align=left, Landmark Hotel, Metairie, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Javier Muniz , KO , 5 , 02/10/1985 , align=left, Houma, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Pablo Valdez , TKO , 4 , 17/09/1985 , align=left, Landmark Hotel, Metairie, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Earl White , KO , 5 , 06/09/1985 , align=left,

Terrytown, Nebraska Terrytown is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,198 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Scottsbluff, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. Terrytown is located on the bank of the North Platte River ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Robert "Hot Dog" Manous , KO , 3 , 11/07/1985 , align=left,

Sports Palace Palace of Sports or Sports Palace (russian: Дворец спорта) is a generic name of comprehensive indoors sports venues introduced in the Soviet Union (compare with Palace of Culture) of big size that includes various sports halls and auxil ...

, Morgan City, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Reggie Dixon , UD , 6 , 26/06/1985 , align=left, Lafayette, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Alonzo Stringfellow , TKO , 1 , 10/06/1985 , align=left, Landmark Hotel, Metairie, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John Wesley Morton , SD , 6 , 07/05/1985 , align=left, Landmark Hotel, Metairie, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ronald Paige , KO , 1 , 18/04/1985 , align=left, Monroe, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, James "Colonel" Sanders , KO , 4 , 20/03/1985 , align=left, Lafayette, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Derrick Earvin , SD , 4 , 07/03/1985 , align=left,

Convention Hall Convention Hall was a convention center in Kansas City, Missouri that hosted the 1900 Democratic National Convention and 1928 Republican National Convention. It was designed by Frederick E. Hill and built at the corner of 13th and Central and cos ...

, Gadsden, Alabama, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jessie Hopkins , KO , 1 , 04/03/1985 , align=left, Landmark Hotel, Metairie, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, "Little" Jimmy Mitchell , TKO , 5 , 21/02/1985 , align=left, Morgan City, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, David "Barber" Seville , KO , 2 , 08/02/1985 , align=left, Lafayette, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mike "The Spike" French , TKO , 1 , 16/01/1985 , align=left, Lafayette, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jamie Hobbs , KO , 1 , 18/12/1984 , align=left, Morgan City, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Rodney "King" Jones , KO , 2 , 04/12/1984 , align=left, St Bernard Civic Auditorium,

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Willie Rimmer , PTS , 6 , 20/11/1984 , align=left, Jefferson City, Missouri, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Richard "Zach" Morris , TKO , 2 , 13/11/1984 , align=left, Municipal Auditorium, Lafayette, Louisiana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Leon Kerlinger , KO , 2 , 02/09/1984 , align=left,

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, United States , align=left,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Horn, Darrin 1968 births Boxers from Kentucky Boxers from Louisiana International Boxing Federation champions Living people People from Morgan City, Louisiana Sportspeople from Lexington, Kentucky American male boxers Super-middleweight boxers

Professional boxing career

Retirement

Professional boxing record

See also

References

External links