Samson Po'uha (born June 2, 1971) is a Tongan former

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 ...

who competed from 1992 to 2002.

Background

Po'uha was born into a

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into severa ...

family in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and was raised in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

Boxing career

Amateur

Highly-touted as an amateur, Po'uha was a

National 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 Nationa ...

Super Heavyweight Champion in 1991 and United States ( National AAU) amateur Super Heavyweight champion in 1992. During his amateur career, he defeated Larry Donald,

Darroll Wilson Darroll Lamont Wilson (born June 8, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2006. He is best known for his gutsy performances against some of the best fighters of his day, and his upset third-round TKO win over S ...

, and

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

n star Roberto Balado.

Professional

After turning professional in 1992, Po'uha showed good power, but was often out of shape. He lost to former amateur

Craig Payne Craig Payne (May 22, 1961 – April 7, 2017) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2001, challenging for the IBO heavyweight title in 1992. As an amateur, he won the National Golden Gloves super heavyweight title in 1983. ...

, (then 11-8), in 1994, and never became a major contender. He lost by technical knockout to then-undefeated

Andrew Golota Andrzej Jan Gołota (; born 5 January 1968), best known as Andrew Golota, is a Polish former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2013. He challenged four times for a heavyweight world title (by all four major sanctioning bodies), and as ...

in a fight, where Golota was nearly knocked out by Po'uha, out of desperation he resorted to biting Po'uha on the side of his neck during a clinch. Po'uha later lost to a journeyman

Jesse Ferguson Jesse Ferguson (born March 20, 1957) is a retired American boxer who fought in several noteworthy boxing matches in the 1980s and 1990s. His professional career is filled with matches with champions and contenders and his name is linked with nu ...

. Overall he had a pro career record of 20-5-1 with 18 KOs. He retired in 2003.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 20 Wins (18 knockouts, 2 decisions), 5 Losses (3 knockouts, 2 decisions), 1 Draw''

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Laughlin, Nevada Laughlin is an unincorporated resort town and census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is located on the Colorado River, directly across from the much larger Bullhead City, Arizona. Laughlin lies south of Las Vegas, in ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Frankie Swindell , PTS , 5 , 30/01/2002 , align=left, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Louis Monaco Louis "The Facelifter" Monaco (born April 28, 1968) is a professional boxer in the heavyweight division and the former CAM (Canadian American Mexican) heavyweight champion. Nicknamed "The Facelifter," Monaco is a clubfighter who fought several ...

, KO , 8 , 05/05/2000 , align=left,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, David Vedder , PTS , 6 , 12/06/1999 , align=left, Saint George, Utah, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, TKO , 8 , 31/05/1997 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Bert Cooper Bertram Cooper (January 10, 1966 – May 10, 2019), nicknamed Smokin' Bert Cooper, was an American professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2012. He fought Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Riddick Bowe, Michael Moorer, Chris Byrd, Ray ...

, TKO , 4 , 22/04/1997 , align=left, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Frankie Swindell , SD , 10 , 05/04/1997 , align=left, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jimmy Haynes , TKO , 2 , 28/01/1997 , align=left, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Patrick Freeman , UD , 4 , 15/07/1996 , align=left,

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, TKO , 5 , 16/05/1995 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Martin Foster , TKO , 1 , 19/01/1995 , align=left, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jeff Lally , KO , 1 , 08/12/1994 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John Morton , KO , 1 , 17/11/1994 , align=left, Saint George, Utah, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, TKO , 6 , 30/06/1994 , align=left,

Mesquite, Nevada Mesquite is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States adjacent to the Arizona state line and northeast of Las Vegas on Interstate 15. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 20,471. The city is located in the Virgin River valle ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, David Graves , KO , 7 , 14/01/1994 , align=left, Saint George, Utah, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mike Rouse , TKO , 8 , 16/11/1993 , align=left,

Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi Bay St. Louis is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Mississippi, in the United States. Located on the Gulf Coast on the west side of the Bay of St. Louis, it is part of the Gulfport– Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As o ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jason Waller , TKO , 1 , 05/10/1993 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Carl McGrew , TKO , 1 , 04/09/1993 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Al Shoffner , TKO , 2 , 30/08/1993 , align=left, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Eddie Gonzales , KO , 1 , 05/08/1993 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Domingo Monroe , TKO , 2 , 15/07/1993 , align=left,

Mashantucket, Connecticut Mashantucket is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northeast part of the town of Ledyard, New London County, Connecticut, United States. It consists of land held by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. The Foxwoods Resort Casino Foxwoods Resort ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mike Acklie , KO , 1 , 26/06/1993 , align=left, Saint George, Utah, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Warren Williams , TKO , 1 , 06/06/1993 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Willie Jackson , TKO , 1 , 03/04/1993 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Patrick Smith , TKO , 4 , 14/02/1993 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Steve Cortez , KO , 1 , 25/11/1992 , align=left,

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Po'uha, Samson 1972 births Living people American male boxers Tongan male boxers Heavyweight boxers National Golden Gloves champions Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers Boxers from Los Angeles Boxers from Utah American people of Tongan descent