Rydell Tyron Booker (born 17 February 1981) is an American

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 ...

. He was the former number one ranked amateur Heavyweight in the United States.

Incarceration

Shortly after his first professional loss to

James Toney James Nathaniel Toney (born August 24, 1968) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2017. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the IBF and lineal middleweight titles from 1991 to ...

, Booker was convicted for possession of cocaine with intent to deliver over 1000 grams. He was sentenced to 12 to 30 years in prison. After serving over a decade, Booker was released, and won three comeback bouts of six rounds duration, before losing a televised ten round bout by unanimous decision to undefeated heavyweight Jermaine Franklin in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall.

Amateur career

During his amateur career he won the Michigan State and Regional championships every year from 1992 through 2000, his first national title came in 1999. In 2001 he defeated

Devin Vargas Devin Vargas (born December 25, 1981) is an American professional boxer. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 2003 Pan American Games and competed at the 2004 Olympics, both in the heavyweight division. Amateur career Vargas had a ...

at the U.S. Challenge. As the top rated Heavyweight in the United States. Rydell was to represent the USA at the World Championship in Ireland. During Training at Lake Placid, New York, he was accused of stealing a calling card from fellow fighter

Jason Estrada Jason Moses Estrada (born November 30, 1980) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2015. As an amateur, he competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in the super heavyweight division. He also won the gold medal at the 2003 ...

, and decided to leave the team training and turn pro instead.

Professional career

Much later in his professional career, while out of jail on bond and far from tip-top shape, he signed for an IBA world championship heavyweight bout with

. Five months before, Booker had been arrested in Detroit with three other men and charged with possession of cocaine and intent to deliver more than 1,000 grams of the drug. On September 23, 2004 in

Temecula, California Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a t ...

, Rydell fought

for the International Boxing Association heavyweight and WBC Continental Americas heavyweight championships. In the fight Booker was down in the eighth and then went on to lose the twelve-round decision.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Booker, Rydell Boxers from Detroit Heavyweight boxers Cruiserweight boxers 1981 births Living people American male boxers