"Joltin'" Jeff Chandler (born September 3, 1956, in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a former
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 ...
. Chandler reigned as the
Lineal and
WBA world Bantamweight Champion from November 1980 to April 1984.
Professional boxing career
The 5'7" (67 inches - 1.70 metres) tall Philadelphian began his professional career with a four-round draw in 1976 after only two amateur bouts. Chandler then began a four-year string of victories culminating in a challenge for the world's lineal and WBA 118-pound championship held by
Julian Solís. On November 14, 1980, Chandler won the title by a fourteenth-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 ...
in
Miami, becoming the first American fighter to hold the bantamweight crown in over 30 years.
Chandler's first defence was against former champion
Jorge Luján, winning on points in fifteen rounds. He then travelled to Japan to face
Asian champion
Eljiro Murata, and although he was almost floored in the early rounds, Chandler came back to hold his title with a draw. Many ringside observers felt Chandler deserved a clear points victory. With his status in the boxing world rising, Chandler followed this up with a repeat victory over Solis, this time in seven rounds. Chandler finished 1981 against Murata, earning a thirteenth-round knockout rematch win.
In March 1982, Chandler faced the only opponent who ever defeated him as an amateur, fellow Philadelphian
Johnny Carter. The tables were turned this time as he scored a sixth-round knockout on national television. Soon after, Chandler was sidelined by an injury sustained in a street-fight. During a traffic altercation in Philadelphia, he was stabbed on the right shoulder with a broken bottle, leaving a distinctive circular scar, but doing no permanent damage. Chandler went on to defend his title by beating
Miguel Iriarte
Miguel Iriarte is a Panamanian former professional boxer who, on October 27, 1982, challenged American Jeff Chandler for the American's WBA's world Bantamweight championship, losing to the International Boxing Hall of Famer by a ninth-round tec ...
before finishing 1982.
In 1983, Chandler ventured into the
Super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to .
There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanctioning organizations or ...
ranks, winning a ten-round decision over
Hector Cortez
In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defe ...
. He then faced tough
Angelino Oscar Muniz
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology), ...
in another non-title bout. Muniz took the fight to Chandler, winning narrowly on points over ten rounds, Chandler's first defeat in the professional ranks. He defended once more against Murata (another knockout, in the tenth round), then faced Muniz again, this time with the title on the line. A severe cut over Muniz's eye brought a stoppage in the seventh round, enabling Chandler to retain his belt by a seventh-round technical knockout.
On April 7, 1984, Chandler faced the undefeated contender
Richie Sandoval. This time his skills were not enough to stop an eager young foe. Sandoval took the title with a fifteenth-round knockout. This turned out to be Chandler's last fight. He elected to have surgery on cataracts that had been diagnosed the year before. Rather than risk blindness, Chandler retired from boxing.
He finished his career with a record of 33 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws. Jeff Chandler provided boxing fans with many memorable performances. In 2000, he was elected to the
International Boxing Hall of Fame at
Canastota, New York.
Professional boxing record
See also
*
List of world bantamweight boxing champions
References
External links
*
Jeff Chandler - CBZ Profile
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandler, Jeff
1956 births
Living people
American male boxers
Boxers from Philadelphia
African-American boxers
World bantamweight boxing champions
World Boxing Association champions
The Ring (magazine) champions
International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees