- Trevor Berbick
Infobox_Boxer
name = Trevor Berbick flagicon|Jamaica
realname= Trevor Berbick
nickname =
weight =Heavyweight
nationality=Jamaica n flagicon|JAM
birth_date = birth date|mf=yes|1955|8|1|mf=y
birth_place = Norwich,Port Antonio ,Jamaica
death_date = death date and age|mf=yes|2006|10|28|1955|8|1|mf=y
death_place = Norwich,Port Antonio ,Jamaica
home =Norwich, Jamaica
style = Orthodox
total = 62wins = 50
KO = 33
losses = 11
draws = 1
no contests = 0Trevor Berbick (August 1, 1955 [http://jamaicanpride.com/boxing/Articles/trevor_berbick-Neil_Hunter.htm] – October 28, 2006) was a
Jamaica nheavyweight boxer who fought as a professional from 1976 until 2000. He was the victim of a homicide near his hometown of Norwich, Jamaica. Berbick briefly held the WBC heavyweight title in 1986, before losing it toMike Tyson . He was also noted for being the last man to fightMuhammad Ali , winning their 10-round contest inNassau, Bahamas on December 11, 1981 by unanimous decision.Biography
Early life
He was born on August 1, 1955 (though the year is often reported as 1954) in Norwich,
Port Antonio , Jamaica. At the age of 16, he claimed to have had a vision fromGod . This was the first of many colorful incidents in an eventful—if troubled—life that included many run-ins with the law.Amateur career
At 21, Berbick represented his native Jamaica in the
1976 Summer Olympics inMontreal ,Quebec ,Canada as a heavyweight boxer, despite having had only 11 prior amateur bouts. His lack of experience was plainly evident as he lost to the eventual silver medalist,Mircea Simon ofRomania . However, he still displayed a lot of promise as a young heavyweight boxer.He also lost a decision to future heavyweight champion Michael Dokes in the Pan-Am semifinals.Professional career
Berbick left Jamaica after the Olympics. He opted to stay in Canada and fight professionally out of
Montreal and Halifax. He won his first 11 fights (10 by knockout) before losing his first pro fight to another rising contender,Bernardo Mercado , on April 3, 1979. As an amateur, Berbick had soundly beaten Mercado. However, with 10 seconds remaining in the first round of their only professional meeting, Berbick walked into a punch and was knocked out cold. Nevertheless he remained in contention for the heavyweight title.A 1980 upset of ex-champ
John Tate (9th round KO) secured a title shot againstLarry Holmes on April 11, 1981, but he lost a 15-round unanimous decision. In his second fight after the loss, he beat then- 39-year oldMuhammad Ali to secure his place in history as the man who finally ended the career of "The Greatest".In 1982 he beat undefeated red hot prospect Greg Page, and in 1984 he moved to
Miramar, Florida and signed with promoter Don King. Wins over undefeatedMitch "Blood" Green and David Bey scored him another title fight, and he won the WBC world heavyweight title by upsettingPinklon Thomas with an easy unanimous decision on March 22, 1986. However, his reign as champion would be brief.On November 22, in his first defense of the title, he was knocked down two times in the second round by 20-year-old
Mike Tyson before the fight was stopped by refereeMills Lane , resulting in a second round TKO loss. Again, he made boxing history--this time by being the man who Tyson defeated for his first heavyweight title, symbolically bridging the eras of Ali and Tyson, as fight commentatorBarry Tompkins said after the knockout: "And we have a new era in boxing!"In 1991, he went to
Japan to fightNobuhiko Takada in a "wrestler vs. boxer" bout. Berbick claimed that he had been double-crossed and that he had expected the fight to be like Americankickboxing , but it turned out that the rules allowed Takada to kick Berbick below the belt. Berbick refused to mount any offense, instead repeatedly complaining to the referee as Takada kicked him repeatedly in the legs. Takada claimed victory by default when Berbick exited the ring. [http://www.quebrada.net/videos/UWF-I.html] .Afterwards, his career deteriorated further. He eventually fought his last bout in 2000 against Canadian journeyman
Shane Sutcliffe , winning a 12-round unanimous decision. Afterwards, aCAT scan revealed a blood clot in his brain and his boxing license was revoked. His final professional record was 50 wins (33 by knockout), 11 losses, and 1 draw.Outside the ring
From his early life until his remaining moments, Berbick was actively involved in the church. He was a preacher at the
Moments of Miracles Pentecostal church in Las Vegas while he was a fighter and was killed in a church courtyard in 2006.Troubles with the law
Berbick was arrested on a number of occasions throughout his life and was sentenced in Florida to 5 years in prison (he served only 15 months) for sexually assaulting his children's babysitter in 1992 [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/more/10/28/bc.box.obit.berbick.ap/index.html] . In 1997, he violated his parole and was ordered to be deported from the
United States .Feud with Larry Holmes
One of the more memorable sports events in Berbick's life was his well publicized feud with Holmes, whom he fought in 1981. Their feud culminated in a public brawl in 1991 which was caught on tape (see link below) in which Larry Holmes landed a flying drop kick on Berbick off the hood of a car while Berbick was being escorted by police. [http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061030.wberbickbrunt30/GSStory/GlobeSportsOther] .
Retirement
He retired in
Florida to be with his wife and three children (he also had three childrenwith his first wife in Montreal) and started to train boxers at Kenny Barrett's Gym (Tamarac Florida). However, Berbick's problems only escalated. He was again ordered deported from the U.S. on December 2, 2002.Death
On October 28, 2006, he was murdered at a church in Norwich,
Jamaica by an assailant wielding a 2 inch thick steel pipe. He suffered multiple blows to the head which resulted in him dying at the scene of the attack. [cite web | title =Former heavyweight boxing champion found dead | url =http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1934408,00.html
accessdate = 2006-10-28| publisher =The Guardian | date = October 28, 2006]Police have arrested 2 men (one of the men arrested and charged is Berbick's 20-year-old nephew [http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-113berbick,0,1617602.story?coll=sfla-sports-front] ) in connection with the death, and were interrogating him at the Port Antonio police station in Portland as of early in the morning of October 29. [cite web | title =Former heavyweight boxing champion found dead | url =http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/10/29/ap/sports/d8l20t4o0.txt
accessdate = 2006-10-29| publisher =Casper Star-Tribune | date = October 29, 2006] Local residents have indicated that the suspect was involved in a land dispute with Berbick. [cite web | title =Jamaican police make arrest in slaying of ex-boxing champ Trevor Berbick | url =http://www.cbc.ca/cp/sports/061030/s103016.html
accessdate = 2006-10-30| publisher =Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | date = October 30, 2006] On November 3 it was reported that Berbick's nephew, 20-year-old Harold Berbick, and an unidentified 18-year-old man had been charged with his murder by Jamaican police. [ cite web | title =Nephew Charged With Berbick's Slaying | url =http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-Jamaica-Berbick.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
accessdate = 2006-11-03| publisher =New York Times | date = November 3, 2006] On December 20, 2007 Harold Berbick was found guilty of the murder of his uncle. His alleged accomplice, Kenton Gordon, was found guilty of manslaughter. Both were sentenced on January 11, 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3164518References
External links
*
* [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/more/10/28/bc.box.obit.berbick.ap/index.html Sports Illustrated Obituary]
* [http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/4558/trevor-berbick-damn-good-fighter/ Sweet Science Career Recap]
* [http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061030.wberbickbrunt30/GSStory/GlobeSportsOther Globe Sports Eulogy]
* [http://jamaicanpride.com/boxing/Articles/trevor_berbick-Neil_Hunter.htm Trevor Berbick: Trouble Man by Neil Hunter]
* [http://www.americanheritage.com/people/articles/web/20061211-muhammad-ali-trevor-berbick-boxing-drama-in-bahama-george-foreman-heavyweight-champion.shtml American Heritage on Trevor Berbick vs. Muhammad Ali]Persondata
NAME= Berbick, Trevor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Jamaican heavyweight boxer
DATE OF BIRTH= August 1, 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH= Norwich,Port Antonio ,Jamaica
DATE OF DEATH= October 28, 2006
PLACE OF DEATH= Norwich,Port Antonio ,Jamaica
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