David Bey (March 11, 1957 – September 13, 2017) was a heavyweight boxer who held the USBA title. He unsuccessfully challenged

Larry Holmes Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 2002 and was world heavyweight champion from 1978 until 1985. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, which led to his boxing nickname of the "Eas ...

for the heavyweight title in 1985. Bey was an outstanding amateur boxer who had taken up the sport to lose weight and eventually competed on the U.S. All Army Boxing Team. He made his professional debut in 1981, defeating future undisputed world heavyweight champion James "Buster" Douglas by a second-round knockout. He built up a record of 14–0, becoming the first man to stop the durable veteran contender George Chaplin (TKO4) as well as defeating future WBA heavyweight champion Greg Page (W12) to capture the United States Boxing Association heavyweight championship. In March 1985 Bey was given a title shot by

IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...

heavyweight champion

. After a strong start, Holmes knocked Bey down twice in the 8th round and the referee stopped the fight in the 10th round. Bey never regained his confidence, losing his USBA title by 11th-round TKO to

Trevor Berbick Trevor Berbick (1 August 1954 – 28 October 2006) was a Jamaican professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 2000. He won the WBC heavyweight title in 1986 by defeating Pinklon Thomas, then lost it in his first defense in the same year to Mi ...

in his comeback fight, then being relegated to 'opponent' status for the remainder of his career, matched against the likes of

James "Bonecrusher" Smith James "Bonecrusher" Smith was born in April 13, 1953 at Mangolia, Nort Carolina, USA. James "Bonecrusher" Smith is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1999, and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1986 to 1987. Ea ...

Joe Bugner József Kreul Bugner (born 13 March 1950) is a Hungarian-born British-Australian former heavyweight boxer and actor. He holds triple nationality, being a citizen of Hungary and a naturalised citizen of both Australia and the United Kingdom. ...

in Australia,

Tyrell Biggs Tyrell Biggs (born December 22, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 1998, and challenged once for the undisputed heavyweight title in 1987. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, having ...

, and

Johnny DuPlooy Johnny du Plooy (27 September 1964 – 12 April 2013) was a former South African heavyweight boxer best known for his win over former WBA World Heavyweight champion Mike Weaver. He challenged once for the WBO World Heavyweight title in 1989. ...

in South Africa. He retired in 1987 after losing to DuPlooy, but made a comeback in 1990 in which he went 3-5-1. In 1994 in his final fight he knocked out

David Jaco David Lee Jaco (born January 24, 1954Steven Ponall (June 22, 2003). "The Fights of His Life". '' The Bradenton Herald'' (Database: NewsBank Retrieved January 26, 2014).) is a retired heavyweight boxer. He spent his career as a journeyman, fighting ...

in China. He lived in China for a time before returning to the States and his old construction job. Bey died in a construction accident in Camden in 2017.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bey, David 1957 births 2017 deaths Accidental deaths in New Jersey American male boxers Boxers from Philadelphia Heavyweight boxers