DEATHS OUTSIDE THE RING

I have no idea whether fighters die stranger deaths than the average man or not. But it sure seems that these guys walk awfully close to the line and tend to go out sooner. Here are some.

Benny Leonard-The ATG lightweight dies the day after his 51st birthday. He referees six consecutive fights at famous St Nicolas Arena and has a heart attack in the ring before the seventh.

Carlos Monzon-After throwing his wife off a balcony killing her, the ATG middleweight survived the fall himself, was jailed and dies in a one car accident while on furlough. Many speculate it was suicide by automobile. Monzon was 52.

Dick Tiger-One of the finest men ever to enter the ring. He passed only 18 months after his last fight of liver cancer. He was 42.

Harry Greb and Tiger Flowers-Both died in their early thirties during relatively minor facial surgeries.

Al "Bummy" Davis-Trying to prevent the robbery of a friend's bar, the barehanded welterweight knocked out the first of four armed gunman, chased the other three into the street where they killed him. He was 25.

Joe Gans-The Old Master was likely dying of TB even during his fighting days. It killed him at 35.

Rocky Marciano-Dies in the crash of a small plane in bad weather. The Rock would have been 46 the next day.

Salvador Sanchez and Masao Obha-Both reigning champions die at 23 in car accidents.

Sonny Liston-A man who supposedly never took drugs and feared needles is found dead at 38 of a heroine overdose?

Billy Miske-The HOFer Dies of Bright's Disease a week or so after KOing Bill Brennan in four rounds. He was 29.

Bill Brennan-Only six months after the Miske fight Brennan, who twice challenged Jack Dempsey, was shot to death by mobsters who wanted a piece of the bar he owned. Brennan was 30.

Oscar Bonovena-Ringo, who challenged both Ali and Frazier, was gunned down at the Mustang Ranch at 33.

Edwin Valero-Hanged himself in a jail cell. He was 27.

Stanley Ketchell-The ATG middleweight was mortally wounded at 24, as he ate breakfast, by a jealous husband named Walter Dipley.

Marcel Cerdan-The HOFer died at 33 in the crash of a commercial airliner in the Azores as he flew to the US for a rematch with Jake Lamotta.

Zora Folley-The heavyweight contender died under weird circumstances near a swimming pool at 41.

Eddie Machen-A heavyweight contender of the same era threw himself out a window at 40.

Arturo Gatti-Apparently killed himself by hanging. He was 37.

Ezzard Charles-Died of Lou Gherig's disease at 53.

Victor Galindez-The former light heavy champ takes up auto racing upon his retirement and is killed in his first race when he gets out of his car and is struck by another car. He was 31.

Young Stribling and Diego Corrales -Both are killed at 29 in motorcycle accidents.

Randy Turpin-The HOFer commits suicide at 37.

Carlos Teo Cruz-The lightweight champion and his family die in a commercial plane crash at 32.

Davey Moore-The former 154 champion is crushed beneath a car in his driveway at 28.

Pancho Villa-Parties himself to death after surgery at 23.

I'm sure there are others but a depressing thought keeps coming into my head. Don King still lives.

Not to forget Arguello's weird death as well as his tumultuous life after boxing.

flapanther2001 wrote:

Not to forget Arguello's weird death as well as his tumultuous life after boxing.

I just couldn't bring myself to write it. I hate that he struggled so outside the ring. He was such an exemplary man inside it.

Day before weigh ins probably would have saved these men.

marbleheadmaui wrote:

flapanther2001 wrote:

Not to forget Arguello's weird death as well as his tumultuous life after boxing.

I just couldn't bring myself to write it. I hate that he struggled so outside the ring. He was such an exemplary man inside it.

Yeah...I concur..it's so hard to survive in a third world nation where violence is the norm. Anybody that tries to make a positive difference usually ends up dead.

hardcoreBEE24 wrote:

Day before weigh ins probably would have saved these men.

Yeah but conversations with Wolfgangsta would have had more of them taking Valero's way out!

Vernon Forrest and Trevor Berbick both murdered defending their property.

hardcoreBEE24 wrote:

Vernon Forrest and Trevor Berbick both murdered defending their property.

Didn't Berbick's newphew or cousin kill him?

marbleheadmaui wrote:

hardcoreBEE24 wrote:

Vernon Forrest and Trevor Berbick both murdered defending their property.

Didn't Berbick's newphew or cousin kill him?

Yes, ironically both deaths involved nephews of the victims. One murdered his uncle the other wanted candy.

hardcoreBEE24 wrote:

marbleheadmaui wrote:

hardcoreBEE24 wrote:

Vernon Forrest and Trevor Berbick both murdered defending their property.

Didn't Berbick's newphew or cousin kill him?

Yes, ironically both deaths involved nephews of the victims. One murdered his uncle the other wanted candy.

Aye yi yi

Good post. The amount of suicides surprised me. I knew about most of them though I never saw them listed together. They're more than I thought. The research today indicates that repeated head trauma and concussions cause depression.

nice post. i didnt know most of these. i am also surprised at the amount of suicides. i guess that people get depressed and stop caring.

I still don't believe Gatti killed himself. I don't know why.

As for getting punched in the head causing a higher likelihood of depression and suicide (by looking at the list in general): I believe that to be true.

captainanddew wrote:

I still don't believe Gatti killed himself. I don't know why.

As for getting punched in the head causing a higher likelihood of depression and suicide (by looking at the list in general): I believe that to be true.

Im curious if football players and hockey players have the same problems.

captainanddew wrote:

I still don't believe Gatti killed himself. I don't know why.

As for getting punched in the head causing a higher likelihood of depression and suicide (by looking at the list in general): I believe that to be true.

No way Gatti killed himself. I think she killed him or had someone do it.

James Schuler avoided the trip that killed many members of the 1980 U.S. boxing team but died later after buying a motorcycle a week after his fight with Thomas Hearns.

Johnny Pretzie was shot outside a South Boston pub at the age of 69 in 1989.He was a friend of my father's,who fought the likes of Jake LaMotta,Marciano,Layne and Charlie Norkus.

hardcoreBEE24 wrote:

captainanddew wrote:

I still don't believe Gatti killed himself. I don't know why.

As for getting punched in the head causing a higher likelihood of depression and suicide (by looking at the list in general): I believe that to be true.

Im curious if football players and hockey players have the same problems.

Certainly doesn't seem to be such a problem. I can't think of one NHLer who killed himself. Could be that these guys are better taken care of by players unions, so the other exacerbating factors in depression (e.g. poverty) might not be such a big deal.

I don't think Gatti killed himself either. Awesome job by the Brazilian police on that one, BTW

Did anyone put Diego Corrales?

soonermark890 wrote:

Did anyone put Diego Corrales?

The OP has it.

hardcoreBEE24 wrote:

soonermark890 wrote:

Did anyone put Diego Corrales?

The OP has it.

I missed it. Thanks

soonermark890 wrote:

hardcoreBEE24 wrote:

soonermark890 wrote:

Did anyone put Diego Corrales?

The OP has it.

I missed it. Thanks

No problem.

Damn ...RIP

hardcoreBEE24 wrote:

captainanddew wrote:

I still don't believe Gatti killed himself. I don't know why.

As for getting punched in the head causing a higher likelihood of depression and suicide (by looking at the list in general): I believe that to be true.

Im curious if football players and hockey players have the same problems.

Yes, they most definitely do. An intense study by a Harvard Grad who, of all things, chose professional wrestling as a profession, did a very involved study that was shown by "Inside Sports." Depression and suicide is caused by repeated head trauma.

hardcoreBEE24 wrote:

captainanddew wrote:

I still don't believe Gatti killed himself. I don't know why.

As for getting punched in the head causing a higher likelihood of depression and suicide (by looking at the list in general): I believe that to be true.

Im curious if football players and hockey players have the same problems.

It hasn't been analyzed in a complete way, but there are some real anecdotal examples of football players going off the rails in college and the pros. The recent brain analysis of a couple of college football suicides were rather startling. There's a reason the football helmet today is so very different than the one we old guys wore 25 years ago.

Of course in some ways all that does is make it a better weapon.