Ray Lathon, (October 27, 1966, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

– December 12, 2000, in St. Louis) was an American

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 ...

Amateur career

Known as "Lethal", Lathon was a stellar amateur and, in 1989, he was the U.S. Amateur Middleweight champion and won the

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 ...

and

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titles. He also fought as part of

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

at the World Championships in Moscow.

Professional career

Lathon turned professional in 1990, and suffered his only professional defeat to

Montell Griffin Montell Julian Griffin (born June 6, 1970) is an American former professional boxer. He held the WBC light heavyweight title in 1997, and challenged twice for a world title. Early life Montell Griffin was born June 6, 1970 in Chicago. By age 22 ...

in 1994. Lathon's career record is a 22-1 with 21 knockouts overall.

Murder

On December 12, 2000, after finishing a workout in a St. Louis gym, Lathon was shot and killed execution-style by a masked gunman. Lathon had been in training for an upcoming attempt at the NABF Cruiserweight title. Ahmad Adisa, age 27, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. At his trial, evidence suggested that Adisa was hired to kill Lathon for a $10,000 payment, though no one else has been charged in the case. Assistant Circuit Attorney Dwight Warren told jurors that Lathon was killed in retaliation for his suspected involvement in the kidnapping and torture of a drug dealer in 1999. Authorities said the drug dealer was beaten and burned with cigarettes, but Lathon was never charged.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 23 Wins (21 knockouts, 2 decisions), 1 Loss (1 decision)boxrec.com
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The Spotlight ''The Spotlight'' was a weekly newspaper in the United States, published in Washington, D.C. from September 1975 to July 2001 by the now-defunct antisemitic Liberty Lobby. ''The Spotlight'' ran articles and editorials professing a "populist and na ...

Saint Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which ...

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, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Kevin Robertson , TKO , 1 , 07/12/1999 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Onebo Maxime , KO , 1 , 25/06/1999 , align=left, Station Casino,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Rocky Bentley , TKO , 1 , 04/05/1999 , align=left, The Ambassador,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tracy Barrios , KO , 3 , 26/01/1999 , align=left, UAW Hall,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Harry "Heatwave" Daniels , KO , 1 , 17/11/1998 , align=left, UAW Hall,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Booker T Word , KO , 2 , 15/09/1998 , align=left, UAW Hall,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Earl Abernathy , TKO , 1 , 23/01/1997 , align=left, The Ambassador,

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, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jesus Castaneda , KO , 4 , 13/06/1994 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tim Knight , PTS , 6 , 12/02/1994 , align=left,

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, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Gino Galliano , KO , 1 , 24/01/1994 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Donnie Penelton , KO , 1 , 15/05/1993 , align=left, Eagles Auditorium,

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, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ed Kelly , TKO , 1 , 02/03/1993 , align=left,

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, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jeff Bowman , KO , 4 , 04/05/1992 , align=left,

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, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ken Chisholm , KO , 1 , 03/04/1992 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Anthony Williams , KO , 5 , 04/10/1991 , align=left,

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, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Shawn Jewell , KO , 3 , 11/05/1991 , align=left,

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, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jessie Wade , KO , 1 , 25/04/1991 , align=left, Shriner's Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bruce Stallworth , KO , 1 , 21/09/1990 , align=left,

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, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jeff Summers , KO , 1 , 16/02/1990 , align=left,

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lathon, Ray 1966 births 2000 deaths Middleweight boxers Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers Deaths by firearm in Missouri People murdered in Missouri Male murder victims Murdered African-American people Boxers from St. Louis American male boxers