Isiah Thomas (born January 30, 1989) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
. As an amateur, he won a gold medal at the first-ever
Junior World Boxing Championship for the United States at the 2005 Cadet World Championships.
Amateur career
A natural
southpaw, Thomas had his first bout in 2002 and continued his winning ways en route to becoming a two-time Junior Olympic National Champion as well as easily winning the World Championships, garnering praise from
Emanuel Steward
Emanuel "Manny" Steward (July 7, 1944 – October 25, 2012) was an American boxer, trainer, and commentator for HBO Boxing. He was also called the Godfather of Detroit Boxing. Steward trained 41 world champion fighters throughout his care ...
: "I have a kid who will be the next big thing—Isiah Thomas. I don't have to teach him much, he's a gifted athlete. I haven't seen anyone as good since Mays."
His amateur career, however, stalled somewhat as his two losses against compatriots in 2006 and his loss to
Deontay Wilder
Deontay Leshun Wilder (; born October 22, 1985) is an American professional boxer. He held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020, making 10 successful defenses. By winning the title, Wilder became the first American world heavyweight ch ...
at the 2007 National
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 ...
attested.
Professional career
He turned professional at
light heavyweight
Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional
In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...
in 2008.
In December 2015, Thomas fought
Murat Gassiev
Murat Georgievich Gassiev (russian: Мурат Георгиевич Гассиев; os, Гасситы Георгийы фырт Мурат; born 12 October 1993) is a Russian professional boxer from North Ossetia-Alania. He is a former unifi ...
in a fight that was ruled a
no contest
' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense.
In criminal Trial (law), trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the def ...
after Thomas was hit after the bell in the third round.
References
External links
*
Amateur record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Isiah (boxer)
Living people
Boxers from Detroit
Heavyweight boxers
Southpaw boxers
1989 births
African-American boxers
American male boxers
21st-century African-American sportspeople