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Mark Breland

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Mark Breland
Breland (left) and Serik Konakbayev (right) in 2010
Born
Mark Anthony Breland

May 11, 1963 (1963-05-11) (age 61)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Statistics
Height6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (189 cm)[1]
Reach77+1⁄2 in (197 cm)[1]
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights38 as a professional
Wins35
Wins by KO25
Losses3
Draws1
Medal record
Men's boxing
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1984 Los Angeles Welterweight
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1982 Munich Welterweight

Mark Anthony Breland (born May 11, 1963) is an American boxing trainer. As an amateur, he was a Gold Medal winner at the 1984 Summer Olympics, with a 110-1 record as an amateur and is regarded among the greatest amateur fighters ever. He competed as a professional from 1984 to 1997, and held the WBA welterweight title twice between 1987 and 1990. He later became an actor with a wide range of movie and television credits, having made his debut in The Lords of Discipline, and also appeared in the music video for The Pointer Sisters' 1985 hit single, "Dare Me".

Amateur career

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Breland was born in Brooklyn, New York. He began fighting when he was 7 years old, taking on challengers in the lobby and hallways of the housing project where he lived. At 9 years old, he earned a spot on Muhammad Ali's youth boxing camp at his Deer Lake, Pennsylvania, training camp. At 13 he entered the gym and embraced boxing as a way of life.[2] He won five New York Golden Gloves titles (1980–84) with a record of 21–0 (19 KO's), with 14 knockouts coming in the 1st round, surpassing Sugar Ray Robinson for the most wins in the history of the Golden Gloves. Breland is notably the only amateur boxer to have ever been featured on the cover of Ring magazine, and the only amateur whose picture hangs in Colorado Springs U.S. Olympic Training Center.[as of?] The Smithsonian Museum for African American History and Culture in Washington, DC displays an honorary picture of Mark Breland & his coveted 1984 Olympic team in recognition of their achievements.[as of?]

At age 18 in 1981 Breland was already being offered huge sums up to $300,000 by boxing promoters to sign a professional contract. Still, he turned them down, partly in anticipation of participating in the 1984 Olympics (and the exposure the Games would bring), and in part scorn: "It's not 'cause I need the money. It's 'cause they need the money. Hey, I can get hurt." Breland always sought to take the fight game on his terms; even then he planned to leave the ring before turning 30.[2]

Breland compiled an impressive amateur ring record of 110–1 (with 73 knockouts).[3] His single loss, to Darryl Anthony[citation needed] was even by a 3rd round TKO over Anthony as a professional in a scheduled 10 round bout.[citation needed] Plus one unaccounted loss by medical disqualification,[4] due to withdrawal because of toxic poisoning, which caused Breland to spend most of the fight week in a New York hospital.[5]

Breland won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, was awarded the 1982 Boxer of the Year by USAABF,[5] and rated #1 amateur welterweight in the world by AIBA in 1984.[6]

Breland was so exceptional as an amateur that he had been having trouble getting sparring partners in the Bedford-Stuyvesant Boxing Association Gym. Fighters were known to delay their trip to the coveted NYC Daily News Golden Gloves during Mark Breland's five year consecutive reign in order to avoid facing him. In June 1984, when he was preparing himself for the forthcoming National Olympic Trials, he went to Grossinger, New York, to train with the Kronks, there he sparred with WBC Super Welterweight champion Thomas Hearns, who in turn was preparing to fight Roberto Durán. At that time Breland was being trained by Emanuel Steward.[7] At that time he narrowly escaped bigger troubles, falling under destructive influence of his teammate Ricky Womack, who happened to be an authoritative figure for Breland, eventually was sentenced and jailed.[8]

Professional career

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Main articles: Mark Breland vs. Marlon Starling and Marlon Starling vs. Mark Breland II

Breland turned professional in 1984. In 1987 he won the vacant WBA welterweight title by defeating Harold Volbrecht by TKO in the seventh round. He lost it in his first defense to Marlon Starling. In 1989 Breland again won the vacant WBA welterweight title by defeating another contender, Seung Soon Lee, by first round knockout on 4 February, 1989, in Las Vegas, Nevada.[9] He made four successful title defenses (most notably, one against Lloyd Honeyghan) before losing it to Aaron Davis in a back-and-forth 9-round contest that was nearly called off twice because of injuries to Davis' eye before Breland was knocked out in round 9.

Breland retired in 1997 with a professional record of 35–3–1 (25 KOs). His losses were to Jorge Vaca, Aaron Davis, and Marlon Starling, with whom he also earned his only draw.

Boxing Trainer

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Breland has served as a boxing trainer, having had Vernon Forrest and former WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder among other notable clients.[10] In recent years, he has been an assistant trainer for Jermall Charlo.

Amateur highlights

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Professional boxing record

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39 fights 35 wins 3 losses
By knockout 25 3
By decision 10 0
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
39 Win 35–3–1 Rick Haynes UD 10 Mar 21, 1997 Riverfront Sports Arena, Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
38 Win 34–3–1 Bobby Butters TKO 2 (10), 1:49 Jan 10, 1997 Riverfront Sports Arena, Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
37 Win 33–3–1 Darryl Lattimore UD 10 Jun 7, 1996 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
36 Win 32–3–1 Buck Smith KO 3 (10), 0:25 May 19, 1996 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.
35 Win 31–3–1 Ricardo Smith TKO 3 (10), 0:30 Jan 27, 1996 Schwartz Athletic Center, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
34 Loss 30–3–1 Jorge Vaca TKO 6 (10), 1:37 Sep 13, 1991 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S.
33 Win 30–2–1 Julian Samaha TKO 1 (10), 0:44 Jul 12, 1991 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S.
32 Win 29–2–1 Henry Anaya Jr. UD 10 Jun 10, 1991 Meadowlands Convention Center, Secaucus, New Jersey, U.S.
31 Win 28–2–1 Ariel Conde KO 1 (10), 0:23 Apr 9, 1991 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.
30 Loss 27–2–1 Aaron Davis KO 9 (12), 2:56 Jul 8, 1990 Harrah's, Reno, Nevada, U.S. Lost WBA welterweight title
29 Win 27–1–1 Lloyd Honeyghan TKO 3 (12) Mar 3, 1990 Wembley Arena, London, England, U.K. Retained WBA welterweight title
28 Win 26–1–1 Fujio Ozaki TKO 4 (12), 0:34 Dec 10, 1989 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Retained WBA welterweight title
27 Win 25–1–1 Mauro Martelli TKO 2 (12), 1:15 Oct 13, 1989 Patinoire des Vernets, Geneva, Switzerland Retained WBA welterweight title
26 Win 24–1–1 Rafael Pineda TKO 5 (12), 1:14 Apr 22, 1989 Trump Castle, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained WBA welterweight title
25 Win 23–1–1 Seung-Soon Lee TKO 1 (12), 0:54 Feb 4, 1989 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Won vacant WBA welterweight title
24 Win 22–1–1 Ozzie O'Neal KO 1 (10), 1:46 Oct 7, 1988 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.
23 Win 21–1–1 Pablo Baez KO 1 (10), 1:43 Aug 11, 1988 DiVinci Manor, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
22 Draw 20–1–1 Marlon Starling SD 12 Apr 16, 1988 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. For WBA welterweight title
21 Win 20–1 Juan Alonso Villa TKO 3 (10), 2:03 Feb 5, 1988 Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
20 Win 19–1 Javier Suazo UD 10 Dec 5, 1987 Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
19 Loss 18–1 Marlon Starling TKO 11 (15), 1:38 Aug 22, 1987 Township Auditorium, Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. Lost WBA welterweight title
18 Win 18–0 Juan Bautista Rondon UD 10 Jul 10, 1987 Forte Village Resort, Sardinia, Italy
17 Win 17–0 Harold Volbrecht TKO 7 (15), 2:07 Feb 6, 1987 Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Won vacant WBA welterweight title
16 Win 16–0 Orlando Orozco TKO 2 (10), 1:46 Nov 13, 1986 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
15 Win 15–0 Ralph Twinning KO 1 (10), 2:08 Oct 15, 1986 Township Auditorium, Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
14 Win 14–0 Reggie Miller KO 2 (10), 1:41 Sep 14, 1986 Harrah's, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
13 Win 13–0 John Munduga TKO 6 (10), 2:18 Jun 21, 1986 The Sands, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
12 Win 12–0 Ricky Avendano KO 1 (10), 1:06 May 15, 1986 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
11 Win 11–0 Darryl Anthony TKO 3 (10), 2:14 Apr 12, 1986 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey, U.S.
10 Win 10–0 Richard Aguirre KO 1 (10), 1:33 Mar 2, 1986 Lancaster Host Resort, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.
9 Win 9–0 Troy Wortham UD 10 Jan 25, 1986 Lancaster Host Resort, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.
8 Win 8–0 Hedgemon Robertson UD 8 Dec 21, 1985 Pavilion Convention Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
7 Win 7–0 Donald Gwinn KO 2 (8), 1:32 Oct 18, 1985 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
6 Win 6–0 Don Shiver TKO 1 (8), 2:18 Jul 20, 1985 Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
5 Win 5–0 Dario DeJesus KO 2 (6), 2:49 Jun 19, 1985 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey, U.S.
4 Win 4–0 Vince Dunfee KO 2 (6), 2:13 May 17, 1985 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 Steve Little UD 6 Apr 6, 1985 Coliseum, San Angelo, Texas, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 Marlon Palmer UD 6 Jan 5, 1985 Harrah's Marina, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Dwight Williams UD 6 Nov 15, 1984 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b ABC Sports tale of the tape prior to the Aaron Davis fight.
  2. ^ a b Norman, Michael (December 13, 1981). "Golden Boys Of The Ghetto". The New York Times. p. 55. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
  3. ^ Boxers Chase Olympic Berth, by Ed Schuyler Jr. AP Sports Writer, Wilson Daily Times, July 6, 1984, p. 11.
  4. ^ Boxing, U.S. Amateur (UPI,) European Stars And Stripes, December 14, 1982, p. 25.
  5. ^ a b Essett advances to USABC finals by David Knight, The Indianapolis Star, December 17, 1982, p. 68.
  6. ^ Boxing Ratings, UPI, February 27, 1984.
  7. ^ 1984 Olympic Boxing Trials in Fort Worth, Texas, hosted by Howard Cosell.
  8. ^ Becoming Holyfield: A Fighter's Journey, 2008, pp. 41-42.
  9. ^ "BoxRec: Event".
  10. ^ Kim, Steve. "Deontay Wilder parts ways with co-trainer Mark Breland". ESPN.COM. Disney Advanced Media. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
[edit]
Sporting positions
Amateur boxing titles
Previous:
Darryl Robinson 		U.S. welterweight champion
1982–1983 		Next:
Darryl Lattimore
World boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Lloyd Honeyghan 		WBA welterweight champion
February 6, 1987 – August 22, 1987 		Succeeded by
Vacant
Title last held by
Tomás Molinares 		WBA welterweight champion
February 4, 1989 – July 8, 1990 		Succeeded by
Awards
Previous:
Kenny Baysmore 		The Ring Prospect of the Year
1984 		Next:
Mike Tyson
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