James Broad (January 27, 1958 – November 20, 2001) was an American heavyweight boxer who was an amateur star and, prior to the boycott, set to represent America in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. As a pro he won the NABF heavyweight title and was a regular sparring partner of a peak Mike Tyson. He fought the likes of James Smith, Razor Ruddock,

Tony Tucker Tony Craig Tucker (born December 27, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1998. He won the IBF heavyweight title in 1987, and was the shortest-reigning world heavyweight champion at just 64 days. In an inte ...

Tim Witherspoon Tim Witherspoon (born December 27, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 2003. He was a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the WBC title in 1984, and the WBA title in 1986. Witherspoon also wo ...

, Johnny du Plooy,

Francesco Damiani Francesco Damiani (born 4 October 1958) is an Italian former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 1993. He was the first WBO heavyweight champion, having held the title from 1989 to 1991, as well as the European heavyweight title from 19 ...

, and Greg Page.

Military service

James Broad took up boxing while serving in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, being a Specialist 4th class stationed at

Fort Ord Fort Ord is a former United States Army post on Monterey Bay of the Pacific Ocean coast in California, which closed in 1994 due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action. Most of the fort's land now makes up the Fort Ord National Monument, ...

Amateur career

Broad took up boxing when he joined the army in 1976. He beat Chris McDonald on points, and scored a first-round-knockout victory over

Marvis Frazier Marvis Frazier (born September 12, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who fought in the heavyweight division. Early life Marvis is the son of former heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer, Joe Frazier. Marvis was at ringside for all ...

in the 1980 Olympic Trials finals,James Broad Amateur Record
at the BoxingRecords. Last updated: April 12, 2006. where he qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic Boxing team which ultimately did not compete due to President

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, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

's order to boycott the Olympics. He also lost a decision to

Tony Tubbs Tony Tubbs (born February 15, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2006, and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1985 to 1986. Amateur career As an amateur, Tony Tubbs competed in 253 bouts, compiling a reco ...

Highlights

Interserivce Boxing Championships,

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune () is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( Wilming ...

, April 10, 1980: *Finals: Defeated Stan Butler by decision U.S. All-Army Championships,

Fort Bragg, North Carolina Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within C ...

, March 1980 *Finals: Defeated Woody Clark by decision U.S. Olympic Trials,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, June 1980: *1/4: Defeated Freddy Guzman KO 1 *1/2: Defeated

KO 1 *Finals: Defeated Chris McDonald by split decision, 3–2 FRG–USA Duals,

West Berlin, West Germany West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under ...

, July 1980: *Defeated Peter Hussing (West Germany) RSC 2 *Defeated Georg Helm (West Germany) KO 1 Gold Cup,

Nairobi, Kenya Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

, September 1980: *Finals: Defeated Abdallah Kent (Kenya) by decision USA–Hungary Duals,

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

, February 1981: * Defeated József Réder (Hungary) by decision

Professional career

Nicknamed "Broad-Axe", Broad turned pro in 1981 and put together 12 wins, including a 4th-round knockout of future Heavyweight Champ

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 ...

. His weight was already a problem at this early stage of his career, but Broad worked down to 228 for his first big fight, against fellow undefeated prospect

. Broad rocked Frazier with his signature uppercuts but was unable to replicate his knockout victory in the amateurs, and he was outworked over 10 rounds. Broad bounced back to outpoint Larry Alexander over 12 rounds in 1983 then knockout contender Eddie Gregg in 8 rounds to win the NABF title in 1984. For his first title defense Broad scaled a whopping 261 lbs and was knocked out in 2 rounds by once and future world champion

in 1985.

Later years

Broad was unable to get back into serious shape for the remainder of his career, and his results suffered. He lost a 12-round decision to top contender and future world champion

for the USBA title in 1986, and in 1987 was twice outpointed over 10 rounds, by

in Italy and then by ex-world champ Greg Page, in a fight where both men were down. Broad outpointed future cruiserweight world title-challenger Patrick Lumumba but went to South Africa and was poleaxed in 4 rounds by

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. B ...

. In his next fight he was stopped on his feet, in questionable circumstances, by rising contender Donovan "Razor" Ruddock. During all this time Broad was a sparring partner for a peak Mike Tyson and took many punches in the gym.

Death

In 1992 Boxing Illustrated reported that Broad intended to make a comeback and wanted to be world champion, despite the fact he was banned in Nevada and California both for failing a neurological exam and testing positive for

Hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes ( jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal ...

. He somehow managed to get 4 more fights, losing 3 of them. By 2000 Broad was said to be homeless in Las Vegas and badly brain damaged, and James died in 2001 aged only 43.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 23 Wins (15 knockouts, 8 decisions), 10 Losses (3 knockouts, 7 decisions

, - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opp
Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , - , Loss , , align=left, Calvin Jones , MD , 10 , 20/08/1993 , align=left,

Melrose Park, Illinois Melrose Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb of Chicago. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 24,796. Melrose Park had long been home to a large Italian-American population. The suburb was the home o ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Philipp Brown , PTS , 8 , 26/06/1993 , align=left, Saint George, Utah, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Daniel Dăncuță , UD , 4 , 14/02/1993 , 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, Billy Wright , UD , 6 , 06/10/1992 , align=left, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Maurice Smith , TKO , 4 , 05/10/1991 , align=left,

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

, Canada , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

Donovan Ruddock Donovan "Razor" Ruddock (born December 21, 1963) is a Jamaican-born Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 2001 and in 2015. He is known for his two fights against Mike Tyson in 1991, a fight against Lennox Lewis in 1992, and ...

, TKO , 1 , 06/12/1988 , align=left,

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

, Canada , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Johnny du Plooy , KO , 4 , 27/02/1988 , align=left,

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

, South Africa , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Patrick Lumumba , PTS , 10 , 01/08/1987 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Greg Page , MD , 10 , 30/05/1987 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, UD , 10 , 11/04/1987 , align=left,

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

, Italy , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Tony "TNT" Tucker , UD , 12 , 26/09/1986 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Wesley Smith , KO , 2 , 28/06/1986 , align=left,

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bobby Crabtree , KO , 5 , 03/05/1986 , align=left,

Glens Falls, New York Glens Falls is a city in Warren County, New York, United States and is the central city of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,700 at the 2010 census. The name was given by Colonel Johannes Glen, the falls ref ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Rodney Frazier , TKO , 1 , 25/01/1986 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, "Terrible" Tim Witherspoon , KO , 2 , 29/04/1985 , align=left,

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Sterling Benjamin , TKO , 2 , 14/12/1984 , align=left,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Eddie Gregg , TKO , 8 , 23/08/1984 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tommy Franco Thomas , TKO , 3 , 03/05/1984 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Larry Alexander , SD , 12 , 17/11/1983 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Leroy Diggs , TKO , 8 , 18/08/1983 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, UD , 10 , 10/04/1983 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tony Pulu , KO , 3 , 10/03/1983 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Walter Santemore , UD , 12 , 06/01/1983 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Donnie Long , MD , 10 , 17/10/1982 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Randy Mack , TKO , 8 , 16/09/1982 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Art Robinson , DQ , 4 , 04/08/1982 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Lonnie Chapman , KO , 2 , 18/07/1982 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Harold Rice , PTS , 8 , 02/04/1982 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Lou Benson, Jr. , PTS , 8 , 11/02/1982 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Robert Evans , TKO , 6 , 17/12/1981 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

, TKO , 4 , 05/11/1981 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Greg Stephany , KO , 3 , 16/09/1981 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Albert Collins , KO , 1 , 11/08/1981 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left,

References

External links

*
Olympic team 1980
{{DEFAULTSORT:Broad, James 1958 births 2001 deaths African-American boxers Boxers from North Carolina Sportspeople from Greensboro, North Carolina Heavyweight boxers American male boxers 20th-century African-American sportspeople