Maurice Watkins (born August 29, 1956) 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 ...

from

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. Nicknamed ''Termite'', he was born into a family that was in the insect killing business, and he is a professional fumigator.

Professional Boxing Career

Watkins turned professional as a boxer on May 21, 1974, beating Cesar Cortez by

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 round one at Houston. Through his career, Watkins fought some of the best fighters in the Lightweight and Jr. Welterweight divisions. He beat Marion Thomas by a knockout in round seven, Rocky Ramon by a decision in twelve,

Arturo Leon Arturo Leon (born in 1949) is a Mexican-American former boxer from Arizona, United States. He was a junior lightweight who once challenged Alexis Arguello for the Nicaraguan's World Boxing Council's world Junior Lightweight title, losing by 15 ro ...

by decision in ten,

Bruce Strauss Bruce Strauss (born February 6, 1952, in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American retired boxer who is more known for his losses than for his wins. His nickname is The Mouse or simply Mouse. He achieved notoriety in the 1970s and 1980s after fighting, and ...

by knockout in three, Bobby Rodriguez by knockout in one, and others. His fight with former United States Lightweight champion Norman Goins resulted in a three-round no contest. He also lost to

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

gold medalist Howard Davis Jr. and

Alfredo Escalera Alfredo "El Salsero" Escalera (born March 21, 1952) is a Puerto Rican who was a world champion boxer. A native of Carolina, his nickname was "Salsero" because he was a fan of Salsa music. Early boxing career Escalera had his first professiona ...

. On October 2 of 1980, at the

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 ...

hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, he got his only world title shot, losing to

Saoul Mamby Saoul Paul Mamby (June 4, 1947 – December 19, 2019) was an American professional boxer who fought between 1969 and 2008. He held the WBC super lightweight title from 1980 to 1982. Personal Born in South Bronx, New York, Mamby, the child of ...

by a fifteen-round decision for the

WBC WBC may stand for: Business *Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, a former large India broadcaster now folded into CBS *Westpac (New Delhi Exchange code: WBC), a multinational Financial services company *Wholesale Broadband Connect, BT Wholesale's ...

's world Jr. Welterweight title. He retired with 61 wins, 5 losses, 2 draws (tie), one no contest and 48 wins by knockout.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 61 Wins (42 knockouts, 19 decisions), 5 Losses (0 knockouts, 5 decisions), 2 Draws, 1 No Contest''

, - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , -align=center , Win , , align=left, Yaqui Hernandez , PTS , 6 , 16/03/1990 , align=left, Phoenix, Arizona, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Robert "The Line" Dixon , TKO , 2 , 17/02/1990 , align=left, Conroe, Texas, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Joe "Attorney" Garcia , PTS , 10 , 11/12/1989 , align=left,

Pasadena Convention Center The Pasadena Convention Center is a convention center in Pasadena, California. It consists of three buildings. Pasadena Civic Auditorium The Civic Auditorium, one of the major structures in the Pasadena Civic Center District, was built in 1931 a ...

, Pasadena, Texas, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Moses "Governor" Robinson , KO , 2 , 05/10/1989 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, "Candlelight" Virgil Green , KO , 3 , 10/08/1989 , align=left, Billings, Montana, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Raymundo Lopez , KO , 2 , 20/07/1989 , align=left, Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Carlos "Rocky" Gonzalez , KO , 1 , 01/06/1989 , align=left, Phoenix, Arizona, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Anthony "Two Gun" Williams , PTS , 6 , 30/04/1989 , align=left,

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, UD , 10 , 12/11/1982 , align=left, Orange Bowl, Miami, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Paul Gentry , KO , 4 , 22/09/1982 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jose "J-Rod" Rodriguez , KO , 10 , 27/08/1982 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

, KO , 3 , 17/08/1982 , align=left, Blackham Coliseum,

Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette (, ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the most populous city and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth largest incorporated municipality by population and the 234th- ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Billy "The Kid" Smith , KO , 3 , 21/07/1982 , align=left,

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, UD , 15 , 02/10/1980 , align=left,

, Las Vegas, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Larry "Legend" Moore , KO , 3 , 22/05/1980 , align=left, Holland, Michigan, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Sammy Rookard , KO , 4 , 06/04/1980 , align=left, Astro Arena, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Nathan "Famous" Davis , KO , 3 , 22/03/1980 , align=left, Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jimmy "Wakeboard" Martinez , KO , 1 , 09/01/1980 , align=left, Holland, Michigan, United States , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

Howard Davis, Jr. Howard Edward Davis Jr. (February 14, 1956 – December 30, 2015) was an American professional boxer. Growing up on Long Island as the eldest of 10 children, Davis first learned boxing from his father. After being inspired by a movie about Muha ...

, UD , 10 , 14/09/1979 , align=left, Houston Summit,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Roberto "Baby" Perez , KO , 7 , 15/08/1979 , align=left, Beaumont Civic Center,

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat, seat of government of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, metropo ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Teodoro Osuna , PTS , 10 , 09/03/1979 , align=left,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

, New York City, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Richie Lee Roberts , KO , 3 , 16/01/1979 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Arthur "Space Odyssey" Clarke , KO , 7 , 09/12/1978 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Gary "Black" Smith , KO , 5 , 02/11/1978 , align=left,

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Rick Craney , KO , 1 , 15/08/1978 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Joe Medrano , KO , 7 , 16/05/1978 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John "Wolf" Morgan , KO , 4 , 20/04/1978 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Hilbert Stevenson , PTS , 10 , 11/04/1978 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Benny Marquez , PTS , 10 , 19/01/1978 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Steve "Hammer" Homan , PTS , 10 , 01/12/1977 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Freddie "Stepper" Harris , PTS , 10 , 25/10/1977 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Cuyo Mendoza , TKO , 3 , 27/09/1977 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Paulino Garcia , TKO , 5 , 22/09/1977 , align=left,

Curtis Hixon Hall Curtis Hixon Hall was an indoor sports arena, convention center, concert venue, and special events center which was located at 600 Ashley Drive along the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa, Florida. It opened in 1965, and was the primary co ...

, Tampa, Florida, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ernesto Ortega , KO , 7 , 26/07/1977 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , No Contest , , align=left, "Stormin" Norman Goins , ND , 10 , 22/03/1977 , align=left, Memorial Coliseum,

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "'' Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patrici ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jose "Speedy" Gonzalez , PTS , 10 , 16/02/1977 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Augustin Estrada , UD , 10 , 17/11/1976 , align=left, Convention Center Arena, San Antonio, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Otto Breeding , KO , 3 , 26/10/1976 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

, UD , 10 , 21/09/1976 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Rocky Ramon , PTS , 12 , 31/08/1976 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Agustin Estrada , TKO , 7 , 09/08/1976 , align=left, Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Richie Puentes , KO , 6 , 24/07/1976 , align=left, Biloxi, Mississippi, United States , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Adriano Marrero , SD , 10 , 16/03/1976 , align=left, Miami Beach Convention Center,

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and artificial island, man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Valente Ramos , KO , 3 , 09/03/1976 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Lamar Baskin , KO , 2 , 24/02/1976 , align=left, Albuquerque Civic Auditorium,

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Chamaco Cuenca , KO , 5 , 10/02/1976 , align=left, Miami Beach Convention Center,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Juan "and Only" Hidalgo , UD , 10 , 20/01/1976 , align=left, Miami Beach Convention Center,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bobby Flores , TKO , 6 , 18/11/1975 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Larry Peterson , KO , 5 , 19/08/1975 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Gene Prado , UD , 10 , 29/07/1975 , align=left,

Circle Star Theater The Circle Star Theatre was a performing arts venue in San Carlos, San Mateo County, California. Its name is based on it being a theater in the round, featuring a rotating circular stage with none of its 3,743 seats further than 50 feet (15 m) fro ...

San Carlos, California San Carlos (Spanish for "St. Charles") is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population is 30,722 per the 2020 census. History Native Americans Prior to the Spanish arrival in 1769, the land of San Carlos was occupi ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Marion "Tiger" Thomas , KO , 7 , 16/07/1975 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Victor de la Cruz , UD , 10 , 17/06/1975 , align=left, San Jose Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Leroy Walker , TKO , 8 , 21/05/1975 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Rudy Gonzalez , PTS , 10 , 06/05/1975 , align=left, San Jose, California, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Otis Locklear , KO , 3 , 22/04/1975 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mike Whymms , PTS , 8 , 15/04/1975 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Gilbert "Machete" Galvan , PTS , 10 , 17/02/1975 , align=left, Memorial Coliseum,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Dave Kibby , UD , 8 , 29/01/1975 , align=left, Cow Palace, San Francisco, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Vicente Hernandez , PTS , 10 , 17/01/1975 , align=left, San Jose Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, "Sugar" Ray Sears , PTS , 6 , 17/12/1974 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Robert "Baby" Perez , KO , 1 , 10/11/1974 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bobby Rodriguez , KO , 1 , 13/10/1974 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ricky Ramos , KO , 4 , 26/08/1974 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Nick Alfaro , PTS , 8 , 18/08/1974 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Arturo Cirillos , KO , 3 , 05/08/1974 , align=left,

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Harvey "Candyman" Wilson , KO , 6 , 16/07/1974 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Arturo Cirillos , TKO , 4 , 02/07/1974 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Lupe Cantù , KO , 3 , 04/06/1974 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Cesar Cortez , KO , 1 , 21/05/1974 , align=left, Houston, United States , align=left,

After Boxing

After retiring, Watkins went back to Texas to work as a fumigator. He remained in obscurity there for many years. In 2003, the American military, needing personnel to work rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure, contracted him as a fumigator to work on Iraqi homes that had been decaying and infected with insects during Saddam Hussein's presidency. The military did not know of Watkins' background as a boxer. In 2008, writer Suzy Pepper, a former neighbor of Maurice Watkins, released "Termite", a biographical book about Watkins. Also in 2008, a movie based on the book was announced. Termine currently speaks at events as a motivational speaker with emphasis on safety. Houston television news reports that he was hospitalized in Houston fighting Coronavirus COVID-19 and overcame the illness after 18 days in the hospital. He has since fully recovered and continues to focus on the movie, oil and gas industry, and spending time with his wife and family.

In Iraq

After the

IOC The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

announced that Iraq would be allowed to compete in seven sports at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, including boxing, the United States military, overviewing the new Iraqi Olympic committee, set about to find a new boxing coach for the Iraqi national boxing team. With research, they found out about Watkins' background, and invited him to coach a team of young hopefuls in Baghdad. When Watkins arrived there, he saw what he described to a '' Sports Illustrated'' columnist as not too much talent, but a lot of heart. Realizing he needed to train the team in a setting different from Baghdad, he moved his team to a city close to Baghdad, but much quieter than the capital city. He trained nine Iraqi boxers who hoped to reach the Olympics, but, out of those, only

Najah Ali Najah Salah Ali (born c. 1980) is an Iraqi professional boxer, who was the only Iraqi boxer to qualify for the 2004 Athens, Greece Olympics. Career Ali became interested in boxing as a young child, but most boxing gyms in Iraq at the time wer ...

was able to qualify for the games. During the training period of these young prospects, he invented a phrase that has become widely popular in Iraq: Every morning, after arrival to the gym, he would chant ''Iraq! Iraq! Iraq is back!'' to help inspire his boxers. The phrase has become so popular in Iraq that the United States military has ordered 1,000 T-shirts to be printed with the phrase, to be handled among Iraqi citizens.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Maurice 1956 births Living people Boxers from Texas Place of birth missing (living people) American male boxers Boxing in Iraq