Jackie Beard (born September 10, 1961) is an American former

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 ...

who competed from 1981 to 1995, twice challenging for the WBA

super featherweight Super featherweight, also known as junior lightweight, is a boxing weight classes, weight division in professional boxing, contested between and . The super featherweight division was established by the New York Walker Law in 1920, although firs ...

title between 1989 and 1990. As an amateur, he won a gold medal at the

1979 Pan American Games The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Panamericanos de 1979''), officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15 ...

and the 1979

Boxing World Cup The Boxing World Cup was an international boxing event organized by the International Boxing Association (AIBA), featuring boxers competing in different weight divisions. It was held from 1979 to 1998 as an individual competition and from 2002 to ...

. He was also the first boxer to win three consecutive US amateur championships in the same weight class.

Amateur career

A native of

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States ...

, Beard began boxing at the age of eight, following his brother into the sport. He became an amateur standout in the late 1970s. He won the National AAU bantamweight championship three times (1978, 1979, and 1980), becoming the first boxer to win three straight Senior titles in the same weight class. He also won the bantamweight championship in the 1978

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 Nationa ...

Tournament, upsetting defending champion Wayne Lynumn early in the tournament. For his achievements, Beard was named the 1978 Tennessee Co-Amateur Athlete of the Year. Beard won the bantamweight gold medal at the

in Puerto Rico as a 17-year-old, defeating Luis Pizarro in the final. He also won a gold medal at the

. Beard qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic boxing team, but the U.S. boycott of the Moscow summer games prevented him from the international competition. In 2007 Beard received one of 461

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

s created especially for the spurned athletes.

Professional career

Beard turned professional in 1981 and was undefeated in his first 12 fights before losing a

split decision A split decision (SD) is a winning criterion in boxing, most commonly in full-contact combat sports, in which two of the three judges score one particular competitor as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other competitor. A split dec ...

to contender Jose Caba. Following the loss Beard put together another string of wins but then lost a close decision to Johnny De La Rosa. He worked his way up to a title match against WBA super featherweight title holder Brian Mitchell in 1989, but lost a

technical decision A technical decision is a term used in boxing when a fight has to be stopped because of a headbutt. In boxing fights, referees have to pay deep attention to the action going on between the fighters, especially when the two combatants are fightin ...

. They rematched the following year and Beard lost via

unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighter ...

. Following the loss, Beard's career declined and he lost most of his remaining professional fights. Beard retired in 1995 with a record of 36 Wins, 14 Losses and 22 KO's. He resides in

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beard, Jackie 1961 births Living people People from Jackson, Tennessee Bantamweight boxers National Golden Gloves champions African-American boxers Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers American male boxers Boxers at the 1979 Pan American Games Pan American Games medalists in boxing Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Boxers from Tennessee Congressional Gold Medal recipients Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople Boxers from Detroit