Pinklon Thomas (born February 10, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1978 to 1993. He was boxing's first 'Centennial Champion' (1886-1986), and held the WBC

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the W ...

title from 1984 to 1986, along with being the first IBO heavyweight champion, holding the title from 1992 to 1993. Thomas' distinguishing characteristics were his pink boxing trunks and a powerful left

jab A jab is a type of punch used in martial arts. Several variations of the jab exist, but every jab shares these characteristics: while in a fighting stance, the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended from the side of th ...

Early life

A native of Pontiac, Michigan, who also lived on military bases in

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, Thomas eventually settled in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

Professional career

Thomas turned professional after just three

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History ...

fights. By 1984, with a record of 24–0–1, he would get his first world title shot against reigning WBC

champion Tim Witherspoon in August 1984, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Thomas won the WBC Heavyweight Championship with a hard-fought 12-round battle over "Terrible" Tim Witherspoon on August 31, 1984. Ten months later, he defended his title against ex-champion Mike Weaver, stopping Weaver with a single punch in the eighth round. Thomas lost the WBC title to Trevor Berbick in March 1986 by a decision.

Thomas vs. Tyson

Thomas came back and reeled off three ko wins before setting up a May 1987 challenge to WBC and WBA Heavyweight champion

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is con ...

. Although Thomas allegedly took the fight with a serious shoulder injury, he enjoyed success outjabbing Tyson. After a long break for a torn glove, action resumed in the 6th round where Tyson knocked Thomas out with a brutal fifteen punch salvo, knocking the extremely durable Thomas down for the first and last time in his lengthy career. Although he got up inside the count, the fight was waved off.

Later career

Thomas went in and out of retirement over the following years, taking fights against top contenders. In December 1988 he returned from a 19-month layoff to fight #1 heavyweight contender

Evander Holyfield Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the Undisputed championship (boxing), undisputed champion at cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight in the late 1 ...

. Thomas looked rusty as he was outmatched over 7 rounds, after which he was pulled out of his corner. Long-time trainer

Angelo Dundee Angelo is an Italian masculine given name and surname meaning "angel", or "messenger". People People with the given name * Angelo Accattino (born 1966), Italian prelate of the Catholic Church * Angelo Acciaioli (bishop) (1298–1357), Italian ...

advised Thomas to retire and stopped working with him. Thomas returned in 1990 to outpoint Curtis Isaac over 10 rounds, before being outpointed himself by the erratic and unpredictable Mike "The Bounty" Hunter. A few months later he fought

Riddick Bowe Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1989 and 2008. He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1992, and as an amateur he won a silver medal in the super heav ...

and pulled out after 8 rounds. Bowe would go on to defeat Holyfield and become undisputed world heavyweight champion. In February 1991 he took on hard hitting heavyweight Tommy Morrison but was cut and shaken up in the opening round, and pulled out on his stool. Morrison went on to win the WBO belt. Thomas attempted one final comeback in 1992, winning twelve fights before outpointing Craig Payne. In his final fight in January 1993 he was upset by journeyman "Poncho" Carter. A comeback fight in 1999 with old foe Tim Witherspoon was not to be, because a fight with Larry Holmes for the winner could not be confirmed.

Retirement

Thomas now has a foundation, Project P.I.N.K. (Pride in Neighborhood Kids), and is a motivational speaker.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Pinklon 1958 births Living people Boxers from Michigan Sportspeople from Pontiac, Michigan World Boxing Council champions American male boxers African-American boxers World heavyweight boxing champions International Boxing Organization champions 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople