Billy Fox (boxer)
| Billy Fox | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | William McKinley Fox[1] |
| Weight(s) | Light Heavyweight |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | January 29, 1926 Tatums, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 59 |
| Wins | 49 |
| Wins by KO | 48 |
| Losses | 9 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 0 |
William McKinley Fox (born January 29,[2] February 1,[3] or April 20,[4] 1926), better known as "Blackjack" Billy Fox, is an American retired light heavyweight boxer who is best known for having won a controversial fight against future middleweight champion Jake LaMotta.
Boxing career
Billy Fox, known as "Blackjack", started off his career by winning 37 consecutive fights, all by knockout, before he was knocked out by Gus Lesnevich in ten rounds for the world light heavyweight title-Fox had the champion hurt in round three.[5] He would rack up 7 more wins, including a win in a bout thrown by Jake LaMotta.[6] That fight was fixed by the notorious Frank "Blinky" Palermo, a member of the Philadelphia crime family, who owned Fox under the table.[7] Fox then lost two fights in a row against Red Willis Applegate and Gus Lesnevich, to whom he lost in the first round by a knockout in 1:58 seconds, in a rematch that was also for the world light heavyweight title.[8]
He would fight 12 more fights, and amass a record of 49 wins (48 by knockout), 9 losses, and 1 draw. His knockout streak of 42 fights is the second longest in boxing history. [9]
Popular culture
Billy Fox was portrayed in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull by Eddie Mustafa Muhammad.
References
- ^ Professional Boxing: Hearings Before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly, Eighty-Sixth Congress, Second Session, Eighty-Seventh Congress, First Session, Eighty-Eighth Congress, Second Session, Parts 1-4
- ^ BILLY FOX: 'JUST RIDING INTO EVENING'
- ^ William Mckinley Fox in the U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
- ^ PHILLY BOXING HISTORY: Billy Fox
- ^ "Gus Lesnevich vs. Billy Fox (1st meeting) - BoxRec".
- ^ Jeff Merton, ESPN.com. Page 2 - "Reel Life: 'Raging Bull'" Accessed 7 January 2008.
- ^ "BLINKY PALERMO, MOBSTER WHO RAN BOXING DIES!". Ring Talk. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "Fight:46680 - BoxRec".
- ^ "Most Consecutive Knockouts in the History of Boxing!". 4 August 2022.
External links
- Boxing record for Billy Fox from BoxRec (registration required)
- Articles with short description
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- Articles without Wikidata item
- Pages with login required references or sources
- BoxRec template with ID not in Wikidata
- 1926 births
- Possibly living people
- American male boxers
- Boxers from Oklahoma
- Light-heavyweight boxers
- Sportspeople from Tulsa, Oklahoma