Duane Thomas (February 1, 1961 – June 2000), was an American 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 ...
in the
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 ...
(154
lb) division. He was born in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
.
Professional career
Thomas turned pro in 1979 and won the Vacant USBA Light middleweight title in 1983 against Nino Gonzalez. He would go on to win the WBC Light Middleweight Title with a 3rd-round TKO over
John Mugabi
John Mugabi (born March 4, 1960) is a Ugandan former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1991, and 1996 to 1999. He held the WBC super-welterweight title from 1989 to 1990, and challenged twice for world titles at middleweight, includi ...
in 1986 at
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks.
Caesars P ...
in Las Vegas. Thomas would lose the title eight months later, in Merignac, France, in his first defense to
Lupe Aquino
Isaias Guadalupe "Lupe" Aquino (born 23 January 1963) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1999.
Aquino, known as "Lupe", turned pro in 1981 and won the WBC light middleweight title in 1987 with a decision over Duane ...
by decision. In 1988 he challenged WBC Light Middleweight Title holder
Gianfranco Rosi, but was dominated and TKO'd in the 7th. He was an elite fighter during his era.
Professional boxing record
Death
Duane Thomas had just made a comeback after 11 years out of the ring, when he was murdered in Detroit over a drug dispute, in 2000.
See also
*
List of world light-middleweight boxing champions
This is a chronological List of World Super Welterweight / Junior Middleweight / Light Middleweight Boxing Champions, as recognized by four of the better-known sanctioning organizations:
* The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the ...
*
List of homicides in Michigan
This is a list of homicides in Michigan. This list includes notable homicides committed in the U.S. state of Michigan that have a Wikipedia article on the killing, the killer, or the victim. It is divided into three subject areas as follows:
# M ...
References
External links
*
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Duane
1961 births
2000 deaths
American male boxers
Boxers from Detroit
African-American boxers
World light-middleweight boxing champions
World Boxing Council champions
People murdered in Michigan
Deaths by firearm in Michigan