Thomas William McNeeley Jr. (February 27, 1937 – October 25, 2011) was a

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 Wo ...

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 1950s and 1960s. He hailed from

Arlington, Massachusetts Arlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The town is six miles (10 km) northwest of Boston, and its population was 46,308 at the 2020 census. History European colonists settled the Town of Arlington in 1635 as a village w ...

, and played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

for

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

. His son,

Peter McNeeley Peter McNeeley (born October 6, 1968) is an American former heavyweight boxer, best known for his 1995 fight with Mike Tyson, before which McNeeley had said he would wrap Tyson in a "cocoon of horror." McNeeley fought aggressively but was kn ...

, and father, Tom McNeeley Sr., were also boxers.

Career

Tom McNeeley had his first professional bout at the Norwood Stockcar Arena July 17, 1958. On December 4, 1961, McNeeley challenged

Floyd Patterson Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1972, and twice reigned as the world heavyweight champion between 1956 and 1962. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in hi ...

for the world heavyweight championship, McNeeley's most famous bout. McNeeley was on the November 13, 1961 cover of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

''. He later served eight years as the boxing commissioner of the

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

State Boxing Commission.

Death

McNeeley died on October 25, 2011 at the age of 74 of complications from a seizure.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 37 Wins (28 knockouts, 8 decisions, 1 DQ), 14 Losses (5 knockouts, 8 decisions, 1 D

, - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", 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 , -align=center , Loss , , align=left, Curtis Bruce , MD , 10 , 14/06/1966 , align=left, Four Seasons Arena,

Walpole, Massachusetts Walpole is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Walpole Town, as the Census refers to it, is located about south of downtown Boston and north of Providence, Rhode Island. The population of Walpole was 26,383 at the 2020 censu ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Boston Jacobs , PTS , 10 , 24/03/1966 , align=left,

Portland Exposition Building The Portland Exposition Building, also known as The Expo, is a sports and exhibition venue (convention center) building complex in Portland, Maine, Portland, Maine. The complex includes five inter-connected buildings with 24,000 square feet of e ...

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jean-Claude Roy , SD , 10 , 08/03/1966 , align=left, Lewiston City Hall,

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is List of cities in Maine, the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, August ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Dick Greatorex , TKO , 7 , 12/02/1966 , align=left, Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Marion Connor , TKO , 9 , 13/12/1965 , align=left, Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Marion Connor , UD , 12 , 15/10/1965 , align=left, Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

José Torres José ("Chegüi") Torres (May 3, 1936 – January 19, 2009) was a Puerto Rican-born American professional boxer. As an amateur boxer, he won a silver medal in the junior middleweight division at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. In 1965, he d ...

, UD , 10 , 31/07/1965 , align=left,

Hiram Bithorn Stadium Hiram Bithorn Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Hiram Bithorn) is a baseball park in San Juan, Puerto Rico, built in 1962 and designed by Puerto Rican architect Pedro Miranda. It is operated by the municipal government of the city of San Juan. Its name ho ...

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, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, James J Beattie , KO , 5 , 27/03/1965 , align=left, Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Arnie Brower , TKO , 10 , 13/02/1965 , align=left, Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

Thad Spencer Thaddeus Spencer Jr. (March 28, 1943 – December 13, 2013) was an American heavyweight boxer. A native of Portland, Oregon, Spencer made his professional boxing debut in May 1960. After building up a 31-5 record, which included wins over cont ...

, KO , 5 , 09/11/1964 , align=left, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium,

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Hal Carter , KO , 5 , 13/10/1964 , align=left, Woodhouse Arenatorium,

North Dartmouth, Massachusetts Dartmouth (Massachusett: ) is a coastal town in Bristol County, Massachusetts. Old Dartmouth was the first area of Southeastern Massachusetts to be settled by Europeans, primarily English. Dartmouth is part of New England's farm coast, which co ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Oscar Bonavena , TKO , 5 , 21/08/1964 , align=left, Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Leslie Borden , KO , 4 , 16/07/1964 , align=left,

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Don Quinn , TKO , 4 , 25/04/1964 , align=left, Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Doug Jones , TKO , 5 , 03/02/1964 , align=left,

New York Coliseum The New York Coliseum was a convention center that stood at Columbus Circle in Manhattan, New York City, from 1956 to 2000. It was designed by architects Leon Levy and Lionel Levy in a modified International Style, and included both a low bui ...

, New York City, New York , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Duke Sabedong , UD , 10 , 09/12/1963 , align=left, Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Duke Sabedong , DQ , 2 , 14/10/1963 , align=left, Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Earl Atley , TKO , 2 , 16/09/1963 , align=left, Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bill Nielsen , TKO , 8 , 17/06/1963 , align=left,

Omaha Civic Auditorium Omaha Civic Auditorium was a multi-purpose convention center located in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of CHI Health Center ...

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

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

Brian London Brian Sidney Harper (19 June 1934 – 23 June 2021), known professionally as Brian London, was an English professional boxer who competed from 1955 to 1970. He held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight title from 1958 to 1959, and twice ...

, PTS , 10 , 29/01/1963 , align=left,

London Olympia Olympia London, sometimes referred to as the Olympia Exhibition Centre, is an convention center, exhibition centre, event space and conference centre in West Kensington, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London, England. A ran ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Bob Cleroux , SD , 10 , 14/12/1962 , align=left, Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Billy Tisdale , TKO , 7 , 15/11/1962 , align=left, Mechanics Hall, Worcester, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Earl Atley , TKO , 8 , 01/11/1962 , align=left, Mechanics Hall,

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Don McAteer , DQ , 6 , 08/06/1962 , align=left, Celtic Hall,

Totowa, New Jersey Totowa (pronounced "TO-tuh-wuh" ) is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 10,844,Willie Pastrano Wilfred Raleigh Pastrano (November 27, 1935 – December 6, 1997) was an American former professional boxer who competed from 1951 to 1965. He held the undisputed WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' light heavyweight titles between 1963 and 1965. Earl ...

, UD , 10 , 01/05/1962 , align=left, Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Don Prout , UD , 10 , 16/03/1962 , align=left, Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Don Prout , SD , 10 , 22/01/1962 , align=left, Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, KO , 4 , 04/12/1961 , align=left,

Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Kitione Lave Kitione Takitau Lavemai (16 April 1934 – 2 June 2006), who fought under the name Kitione Lave, was a Tongan heavyweight boxer from the island of Hunga, Vava'u and Kotu, Ha'apai. At the age of 18 he became the South Pacific heavyweight champ ...

, TKO , 3 , 21/03/1961 , align=left, Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, George Logan , UD , 10 , 20/12/1960 , align=left, Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, George Logan , MD , 10 , 15/11/1960 , align=left, Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jim Wyley , TKO , 3 , 17/10/1960 , align=left,

Rhode Island Auditorium Rhode Island Auditorium was an indoor arena in Providence, Rhode Island, at 1111 North Main Street. It hosted the NBA's Providence Steamrollers from 1946 until 1949, and the Providence Reds ice hockey team until the Providence Civic Center (now t ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ulli Ritter , TKO , 8 , 16/05/1960 , align=left, Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Tunney Hunsaker Tunney Morgan Hunsaker (September 1, 1930 – April 27, 2005) was a mid-20th century American professional boxer, who also served as the Police Chief of Fayetteville, West Virginia. Early life He was born in the Western Kentucky town of Princet ...

, TKO , 9 , 12/04/1960 , align=left, Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Willi Besmanoff William David Besmanoff (October 4, 1932 – October 20, 2010) was a German boxer who was a heavyweight contender in the 1950s. He was born in Munich, Germany. His father was Jewish American. When Willi was 11, he was imprisoned in the Buche ...

, PTS , 10 , 14/03/1960 , align=left, Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, George Logan , TKO , 4 , 01/01/1960 , align=left, Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Louis Jones , TKO , 4 , 27/11/1959 , align=left, Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Louis Jones , UD , 6 , 31/07/1959 , align=left, Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Cardell Farmos , KO , 3 , 27/06/1959 , align=left, Hill Arena,

West Yarmouth, Massachusetts West Yarmouth is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Yarmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,012 at the 2010 census. Geography West Yarmouth is located in the southwest quarter of the town o ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jeff Holmes , KO , 2 , 25/05/1959 , align=left, Arcadia Ballroom,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Charlie Lopes , KO , 1 , 02/05/1959 , align=left,

Boston Arena Matthews Arena (formerly Boston Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the world's oldest multi-purpose athletic building still in use, as well as the oldest arena in use for ice hockey. The arena opened in 1910 on wh ...

, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Leo Pinto , KO , 2 , 21/04/1959 , align=left, Woodrow Wilson Hall,

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Joe Louis Brown , KO , 2 , 17/03/1959 , align=left,

Boston Garden The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (lat ...

, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Art Mayorga , KO , 3 , 30/01/1959 , align=left, Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bobby Halpern , PTS , 4 , 19/12/1958 , align=left, Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mossie Walker , KO , 1 , 28/11/1958 , align=left, Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Eddie Allen , KO , 3 , 17/10/1958 , align=left,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Eddie Walker , KO , 1 , 06/10/1958 , align=left, Mechanics Hall, Boston, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Temple Jones , KO , 3 , 14/08/1958 , align=left,

Mark's Stadium Mark's Stadium is a former soccer stadium located in North Tiverton, Rhode Island. During the 1920s and early 1930s it was the home of Fall River Marksmen, one of the era’s most successful soccer teams. It is one of the earliest examples of a ...

Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bob Harris , KO , 5 , 04/08/1958 , align=left, Arena, Norwood, Massachusetts , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Richie Norden , KO , 2 , 17/07/1958 , align=left,

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

, Norwood, Massachusetts , align=left,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McNeeley, Tom Boxers from Massachusetts 1937 births 2011 deaths People from Arlington, Massachusetts American male boxers Michigan State Spartans football players Heavyweight boxers Sportspeople from Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Career

Death

Professional boxing record

See also

References

External links