Larry LaCoursiere, alias "Lightning," is a retired professional

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

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 ...

from

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Boxing career

LaCoursiere made his professional debut with a

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 ...

win against Remuse Caffee at

Roy Wilkins Auditorium Roy Wilkins Auditorium (nicknamed The Roy) is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in St. Paul, Minnesota. Designed by the renowned municipal architect Clarence W. Wigington, it was built in 1932 as an arena extension to the existing ''St. Paul Audi ...

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

on October 24, 1990. After 16 consecutive wins, LaCoursiere took a major step up, facing 12-0 Richie Albrecht in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

in November 1992. The result of the fight with Albrecht was a

split draw A split draw is an outcome in several full-contact combat sports, including boxing, mixed martial arts, and other sports involving striking. In a split draw, one of the three judges scores the contest in favor of one fighter, another judge scores i ...

. LaCoursiere subsequently faced some of the best boxers in the world, losing to

Kostya Tszyu Konstantin Borisovich "Kostya" Tszyu (; rus, Константин Борисович «Костя» Цзю, , kənstɐnʲˈtʲin bɐˈrisəvʲɪtɕ ˈkosʲtʲə ˈdzːʲu; born 19 September 1969) is a Russian Australian former professional bo ...

, Tony Lopez,

Todd Foster Todd Foster (born August 27, 1967, in Great Falls, Montana) is a former American boxer in the Welterweight division. Amateur career Foster was an amateur boxing standout. In the Light welterweight division, he was the 1987 National Golden Gloves ...

Gary Murray Gary Murray (born 19 August 1959) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a forward. Gary is in the Montrose Hall of Fame. Career Born in Dundee, Murray played for Montrose (two spells), Hibernian and Forfar Athletic in the ...

Julio César Chávez Julio César Chávez González (; born July 12, 1962), also known as Julio César Chávez Sr., is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005. A multiple-time world champion in three weight divisions, Chávez was liste ...

, and

Hector Camacho Jr 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 defense o ...

, and defeating former IBO World lightweight champion

Mike Evgen Mike Evgen, alias ''The Rice Street Rocker'', is a retired welterweight professional boxer from Minnesota. Personal life Mike Evgen, as his nickname implies, is from the Rice Street neighborhood in Saint Paul, Minnesota. At 5'6" tall, Evgen was ...

. At the time of his retirement in 2001, LaCoursiere had compiled a professional record of 26-9-1. In 2016 the

Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame The Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame is a commemorative organization with plans to create a museum. It celebrates the history of boxing in the state of Minnesota by honoring individuals whose achievements within the sport are noteworthy. History Thou ...

announced that LaCoursiere would be inducted as a member of the class of 2016.

Notes

1965 births Living people Boxers from Minnesota People from Hastings, Minnesota American male boxers Welterweight boxers {{US-boxing-bio-stub