LaMar Clark
LaMar Freeman Clark | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 1, 1933 |
| Died | November 5, 2006 (aged 72) |
| Nationality | American |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 46 |
| Wins | 43 |
| Wins by KO | 42 |
| Losses | 3 |
LaMar Freeman Clark (December 1, 1933 – November 5, 2006) was an American professional boxer who fought in the heavyweight division. He was active from 1958 to 1961 and fought a recorded 46 times in his 3 year-career, mostly in his home state of Utah. The Guinness Book of World Records lists Clark as the boxer with the most consecutive knockouts (42), and also the most knockouts in one night (six).[1] Clark's knockout streak garnered him nationwide press attention,[2] though some commentators have derided the poor quality of his opposition.
Amateur career
Clark claimed an amateur record of 25–2, winning a regional Golden Gloves championship in the process.[3]
Professional career
Clark was managed by Merv Jensen, who also managed middleweight champion Gene Fullmer.[3] He made his professional debut on January 4, 1958, winning a six-round decision over John Hicks. Subsequently, Clark won his next 44 bouts by knockout. The Historical Dictionary of Boxing describes the quality of his opposition in these bouts as "poor".[3] None was a rated contender and most had little or no professional experience. In a December 1959 column reflecting on Clark's long KO streak, Red Smith wrote: "Up to now Clark has been whipping sheep herders and streetcar conductors", and thus reserved judgement on his ability.[4] To build publicity for Clark, Jensen arranged for him to fight twice in one night; Clark won both bouts by KO. Clark followed up by knocking out three opponents on 10 November 1958 and six opponents on 1 December 1958 (including five in the first round and one within 7 seconds).[3] Another of Clark's wins was against Tony Burton, who later appeared in the Rocky movies, in a bout refereed by Jack Dempsey. On 11 January 1960, Clark knocked out Kenneth Hayden, his 44th consecutive knockout, surpassing the previous record held by Billy Fox.[5] In April 1960, Clark was matched with Bartolo Soni, described as a "tough journeyman" who had never been knocked out.[3] Clark was unable to KO Soni and was himself stopped in the ninth round. Clark then fought Pete Rademacher, the 1956 Olympic gold medalist and former heavyweight title contender; Rademacher won by a tenth-round knockout. His last fight was on April 19, 1961, against Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali). Clay broke Clark's nose and knocked him out in the second round. Clark retired after this fight.[6][7][8] Other sources state that Clark had 42 or 45 knockouts.[9][3]
Personal life
After retiring from boxing, Clark worked as a track foreman for the railroad operations at Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine until retiring in 1984.[10] Clark died on November 5, 2006, aged 72. Clark was survived by his wife of 46 years, Brenda and his daughters Nicole Clark-Romano, Cherese Jones and Theresa Clark. As well as son-in-laws Tony Romano and Brent Jones and Theresa's son, Dillen LaMar Clark.[11]
Professional boxing record
| 46 fights | 43 wins | 3 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 42 | 3 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Loss | 43–3 | United States Cassius Clay | KO | 2 (10), 1:27 | 1961-04-19 | United States Freedom Hall State Fairground, Louisville, Kentucky, USA | |
| 45 | Win | 43–2 | United States Chuck Wilburn | KO | 2 (10) | 1961-03-04 | United States Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | |
| 44 | Loss | 42–2 | United States Pete Rademacher | TKO | 10 (10), 2:27 | 1960-06-29 | United States Derks Field, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | |
| 43 | Loss | 42–1 | Dominican Republic Bartolo Soni | TKO | 9 (10), 2:02 | 1960-04-08 | United States Weber High School Gymnasium, Ogden, Utah, USA | |
| 42 | Win | 42–0 | United States Kenneth Hayden | KO | 1 (6), 0:59 | 1960-01-11 | United States Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | |
| 41 | Win | 41–0 | United States Kooey Garcia | KO | 1 (8), 1:07 | 1960-01-02 | United States West Jordan, Utah, USA | |
| 40 | Win | 40–0 | United States Charley Davis | KO | 1 (8) | 1959-12-04 | United States George Nelson Field House, Logan, Utah, USA | |
| 39 | Win | 39–0 | United States Tony Borne | KO | 1 (8) | 1959-05-04 | United States Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | |
| 38 | Win | 38–0 | United States Treach Phillips | KO | 1 (8) | 1959-05-04 | United States Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | |
| 37 | Win | 37–0 | United States Tony Burton | KO | 4 (6) | 1959-04-04 | United States Polo Grounds, Palm Springs, California, USA | |
| 36 | Win | 36–0 | United States Rod Orell | KO | 1 (8), 1:29 | 1959-03-20 | United States Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | |
| 35 | Win | 35–0 | United States Ferrin Barr | KO | 1 (8) | 1959-02-07 | United States Helper, Utah, USA | |
| 34 | Win | 34–0 | United States Ferrin Barr | KO | 2 (6) | 1959-01-26 | United States Eldred Recreation Center, Provo, Utah, USA | |
| 33 | Win | 33–0 | United States Bob Hall | KO | 1 (8) | 1959-01-24 | United States Helper, Utah, USA | |
| 32 | Win | 32–0 | United States Ox Anderson | KO | 2 (8) | 1959-01-23 | United States Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | |
| 31 | Win | 31–0 | United States Phil Paxton | KO | 1 (8), 1:39 | 1959-01-16 | United States Uintah High School Gym, Vernal, Utah, USA | |
| 30 | Win | 30–0 | United States Dennis Forsland | KO | 1 (8), 1:31 | 1958-12-26 | United States Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | |
| 29 | Win | 29–0 | United States Ferrin Barr | KO | 2 (8) | 1958-12-22 | United States Cedar City, Utah, USA | |
| 28 | Win | 28–0 | United States Cornell Butler | KO | 1 (8), 1:21 | 1958-12-15 | United States Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, USA | |
| 27 | Win | 27–0 | United States Allan Hedge | KO | 1 (8), 0:35 | 1958-12-15 | United States Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, USA | |
| 26 | Win | 26–0 | United States Del Randall | KO | 1 (8), 0:22 | 1958-12-01 | United States Bingham, Utah, USA | Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 25 | Win | 25–0 | United States John Lowd | KO | 1 (8), 1:19 | 1958-12-01 | United States Bingham, Utah, USA | Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | United States Dick Pierce | KO | 1 (8), 0:44 | 1958-12-01 | United States Bingham, Utah, USA | Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | United States Jack Read | TKO | 1 (8), 0:07 | 1958-12-01 | United States Bingham, Utah, USA | Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | United States Tom Kidd | KO | 1 (8) | 1958-12-01 | United States Bingham, Utah, USA | Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | United States Wayne Ennis | KO | 2 (8), 1:37 | 1958-12-01 | United States Bingham, Utah, USA | Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | United States Sain Thompson | KO | 1 (8) | 1958-11-29 | United States Kanab, Utah, USA | Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | United States Jimmy King | KO | 1 (8), 2:12 | 1958-11-28 | United States Kanab, Utah, USA | Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | United States Hal Crump | KO | 2 (8), 1:40 | 1958-11-28 | United States Kanab, Utah, USA | Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | United States Ken Howard | KO | 1 (4), 1:35 | 1958-11-10 | United States Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | United States Dick Tanner | RTD | 2 (4), 3:00 | 1958-11-10 | United States Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | United States Maurice Leniece | KO | 1 (4), 2:11 | 1958-11-10 | United States Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | United States Ricky Smith | KO | 1 (4), 2:32 | 1958-10-13 | United States West Jordan Elementary School, West Jordan, Utah, USA | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | United States Oscar Talley | KO | 1 (4), 0:55 | 1958-10-13 | United States West Jordan Elementary School, West Jordan, Utah, USA | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | United States Rusty Davis | KO | 1 (6), 2:01 | 1958-09-11 | United States Derks Field, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | United States Joe Sullivan | KO | 4 (8) | 1958-07-26 | United States Arena, West Jordan, Utah, USA | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | United States Willie Dalton | KO | 1 (8) | 1958-07-17 | United States West Jordan, Utah, USA | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | United States Dynamite Jackson | KO | 1 (6), 0:37 | 1958-07-07 | United States West Jordan, Utah, USA | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | United States Buck Dixon | KO | 4 (4), 0:39 | 1958-06-04 | United States West Jordan Park, West Jordan, Utah, USA | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | United States Jerry Olster | KO | 2 (8) | 1958-04-05 | United States Cedar City, Utah, USA | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | United States Buck Dixon | KO | 1 (4), 2:30 | 1958-03-03 | United States Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | United States Keith Jacobsen | KO | 1 (4), 1:02 | 1958-01-28 | United States Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | United States Jack Read | KO | 2 (8) | 1958-01-21 | United States Cedar City, Utah, USA | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | United States John Hicks | KO | 3 (8) | 1958-01-18 | United States Cedar City, Utah, USA | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | United States Willard Whitaker | KO | 2 (10) | 1958-01-11 | United States Cedar City, Utah, USA | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | United States John Hicks | PTS | 6 (6) | 1958-01-04 | United States Cedar City, Utah, USA |
References
- ↑ "Most consecutive knockouts". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ↑ "Boxer Lamar Clark Ties Knockout Record, 43 in a Row". The Washington Post. 4 January 1960.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 John Grasso (14 November 2013). Historical Dictionary of Boxing. Scarecrow Press. pp. 102–103. ISBN 978-0-8108-7867-9.
- ↑ "Lamar Clark, Knockout Artist". The York Dispatch. 11 December 1959.
- ↑ "Clark Shatters Knockout Record By Blasting Hayden In First". Deseret News and Salt Lake Telegram. 12 January 1960.
- ↑ "Muhammad Ali's ring record". ESPN. 19 November 2003. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
- ↑ Thomas Hauser (1991). Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. Simon & Schuster. pp. 38. ISBN 9780671688929.
- ↑ Felix Dennis & Don Atyeo (2003). Muhammad Ali: The Glory Years. miramax books. p. 58.
- ↑ David L. Hudson Jr. (13 May 2009). Combat Sports: An Encyclopedia of Wrestling, Fighting, and Mixed Martial Arts. ABC-CLIO. pp. 63–. ISBN 978-0-313-34384-1.
- ↑ "Clark". kennecott-groundbreakers.com. RioTinto. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ↑ "Utah boxing great Clark dies at age 72". The Salt Lake Tribune. 8 November 2006.
External links
- Boxing record for LaMar Clark from BoxRec (registration required) (history)