Tyrell Biggs

Tyrell Biggs, born on December 22, 1960, was an American professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division from 1984 to 1998. With a height of 6 feet 5 inches and a reach of 80 inches, Biggs was a towering figure in the ring. What made him special, even more than his physical attributes, was his remarkable amateur boxing career. Before turning professional, Biggs won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in the super heavyweight division, the 1982 World Championships, and a bronze at the 1983 Pan American Games.

He made his professional boxing debut just a few months after winning an Olympic gold medal, facing Mike Evans on November 15, 1984, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Biggs defeated Evans via a 6 round unanimous decision. He then went on a 14 fight winning streak, stopping 10 of his opponents. In his 15th professional fight, Biggs had his first world title fight against the legendary Mike Tyson on October 16, 1987, for the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles. Unfortunately, he lost to Tyson via a seventh-round TKO.

During his professional boxing career, Biggs won 30 fights out of 40 contests. Out of his 30 wins, 20 of them came by knockout, while he suffered 10 losses, 7 of which came via a knockout. He never won a title fight, nor did he defend a title. His career spanned more than 13 years, retiring from the sport in 1998 after a second-round knockout win against Carlton Davis. Although he did not win any title belts, he was an accomplished boxer and defeated some notable opponents.

Some of his most prominent wins include victories over Shane Sutcliffe, John Jones, Roy Jobe, Mike Faulkner, Carlton Davis, Charles Woolard, and Alan Jamison. He suffered his first loss against a formidable Mike Tyson, which ended his 15-fight win streak. After his first loss, Biggs went on to suffer nine more defeats in non-title bouts and one loss in a title bout, making it a total of 10 losses overall in his professional career.

Of his 10 losses, he lost three fights via decisions and was stopped seven times, which highlights his vulnerability against high-level opponents. Despite his losses, he always came back stronger and determined, proving he was more than just an Olympic champion but a professional fighter willing to take on the toughest opponents.

However, Biggs' on and off-ring issues with drug addiction often hindered his career progression, and he checked himself into rehab a few months after turning pro, which derailed his promising career. The struggles with addiction continued throughout his career, but he still fought between rehab stints.

One of his biggest bouts was against Tyson, which took place on October 16, 1987, at Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. The heavyweight title bout ended in favor of Tyson, who won via a seventh-round TKO. Biggs and Tyson had a feud going on before the fight, and Biggs had trash-talked Tyson before and after the match, which probably played a significant role in Tyson's approach to the bout. Tyson admitted after the contest that he "carried" Biggs to inflict more damage on him, in retaliation for Biggs' pre-match comments.

Throughout his career, Biggs fought other notable boxers, including Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe, Tony Tubbs, and Larry Donald. Though, he lost to all of them by stoppage or decision. Regardless, Biggs' career will always be remembered as one of the best in boxing history, with his amateur career alone earning him a spot amongst the greatest fighters of all time.

In conclusion, Tyrell Biggs may not have won any professional boxing titles, but he certainly had an impressive resume with wins over some notable opponents. His career proved that he had what it took to compete at the highest level but was often subverted by the personal issues he faced outside the ring. Despite this, Biggs' legacy in the sport of boxing will live on, and he will always be remembered as a highly competent athlete who represented the United States at the Olympics and competed valiantly in his professional career.

Tyrell Biggs Fight Record