Al West (May 13, 1929 – December 21, 1950), alias ''Sonny Boy'', was a

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

professional

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

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. He was a native of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Professional career

West made his professional debut on November 29, 1946, a two-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 ...

win against George Junior. He won his first nine professional matches before losing to Harry LaSane on August 11 of 1947, a loss which he avenged just fourteen days later. West's final record was 46 wins (14 by

), 8 losses, and 1 draw in 55 fights. In his short career West fought such important names as

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

, Redtop Davis,

Sammy Angott Sammy Angott (January 17, 1915 – October 22, 1980) was born Salvatore Engotti in a Pittsburgh area town in Pennsylvania. He was known as a clever boxer who liked to follow up a clean punch by grabbing his opponent, causing him to be known as "Th ...

Ike Williams Isiah "Ike" Williams (August 2, 1923 – September 5, 1994) was a lightweight world boxing champion. He took the World Lightweight Championship in April 1945 and made eight successful defenses of the title against six different fighters prior to ...

Charley Salas Charley may refer to: Places *Charley, Leicestershire, a parish in England *Charley's Flat, alternate name for Dutch Flat, California *Charley's Motel, former name of Star Lite Motel, Minnesota, United States *Charley Ridge, West Virginia, United ...

, and Mario Pacheco.

Death

The career and life of Sonny Boy West ended with a beating at the hands of

Percy Bassett Percy Bassett (January 3, 1930 – July 7, 1993) was a featherweight professional boxer from Pennsylvania. Personal life Percy Bassett was borne in Daneville, VA, in 1930, but his family moved to West Philadelphia when Bassett was 6 years old. B ...

, which caused bleeding in the brain. According to boxrec.com, "West complained of double vision between the 6th and 7th rounds. After he was hurt to the body by Bassett, he was floored by a right hand. As he fell, he landed hard on his head. West died of injuries suffered in this bout on December 21st. The official cause of death was given as a 'inter-cerebral hemorrhage resulting from a cerebral concussion.'"

Notes

Boxers from Washington, D.C. Deaths due to injuries sustained in boxing Lightweight boxers Sports deaths in New York (state) 1929 births 1950 deaths American male boxers {{US-boxing-bio-stub