Tarvis Simms (born May 1, 1971 in

Norwalk, Connecticut , image_map = Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Norwalk highlighted.svg , mapsize = 230px , map_caption = Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County and ...

) is an American 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 ...

in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

(160 lb) division.

Background

Simms, who grew up in the Roodner Court Projects, is a native of the

South Norwalk South Norwalk is a neighborhood in Norwalk, Connecticut which corresponds to the city's Second Taxing District. Often referred to as SoNo, the neighborhood was originally settled as Old Well, then chartered as the city of South Norwalk on August ...

section of Norwalk,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. His childhood street bears the name "Travis Simms Way", named after his identical twin brother,

Travis Simms Travis Simms (born 1 May 1971) is a Democratic member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, where he represents the 140th Assembly District. The district consists of the central part of the city of Norwalk. He previously served on Norw ...

, who is a former two-time

World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is the oldest and one of four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxi ...

junior middleweight champion. The mayor presented Simms with a key to the city.

Amateur career

Simms had a stellar amateur career, compiling a record of 197 wins and seven defeats.http://www.boxing-records.com/palm/voirpalma.phtml?boxeur=simmstar.html He was a National Golden Gloves champion in 1993 at Middleweight and defeated future super middleweight champion

Byron Mitchell Byron Deangelo-Tarone Mitchell (born October 31, 1973) is an American former professional boxer who fought from 1996 to 2012. He was the Lineal and two-time WBA super middleweight champion, winning the titles in 1999 and 2001. Amateur career ...

as well as future Olympic medalist Roshii Wells. Simms also competed in international tournaments and fought two-time Olympic gold medalist Ariel Hernández of

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 ...

Pro career

Simms turned pro at the age of 26 and stopped his first seven opponents. Although he was undefeated for twelve years and rarely got hit due to his defensive skills, he saw limited action due to promotional difficulties. In 2005, he fought to a highly controversial draw in the hometown of Robert Frazier at the Turning Stone Casino in May, 2005. Following a two-year layoff, Simms won five straight fights before losing for the first time in late 2009 to title contender

Allan Green Allan Lamar Green (born September 20, 1979) is an American professional boxer. He is a former NABO super middleweight champion, and has challenged for world titles at both super middleweight and light heavyweight. Amateur career Green had a st ...

by decision. Simms accepted the bout against Green on eight days' notice. After the close loss to Green, a bout which some ringsiders scored a draw, Simms signed with advisor Matt Yanofsky and inked a promotional deal with New Jersey–based Main Events. He won two consecutive bouts heading into 2012, with his eye on another significant fight.

References

External links

*
Career boxing record
1971 births Living people Middleweight boxers Sportspeople from Norwalk, Connecticut Boxers from Connecticut American twins American male boxers {{US-boxing-bio-stub