Mike Evgen
Encyclopedia
Mike Evgen, alias The Rice Street Rocker, is a retired welterweight
professional boxer
from Minnesota
.
implies, is from the Rice Street neighborhood in Saint Paul
, Minnesota
. At 5'6" tall, Evgen was unusually short for a welterweight fighter.
of Rick Caldwell. He won his first 16 professional fights, losing for the first time to Terry Ford in June 1991. Nevertheless Evgen continued to fight and to win, and by the time he fought for the IBO
light welterweight
championship in April 1992 he was sporting a 19-1 record. He defeated Louie Lomelli for that vacant title in a twelve-round split decision
. Evgen relinquished the IBO title without defending it. Evgen's career continued until July 1997, when he suffered an unexpected third-round knockout loss to Steve Valdez. He retired with a record of 31 wins (13 by knockout) and 6 losses.
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
from Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
Personal life
Mike Evgen, as his nicknameNickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
implies, is from the Rice Street neighborhood in Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. At 5'6" tall, Evgen was unusually short for a welterweight fighter.
Professional career
Evgen made his professional debut in January 1989 with a first round knockoutKnockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
of Rick Caldwell. He won his first 16 professional fights, losing for the first time to Terry Ford in June 1991. Nevertheless Evgen continued to fight and to win, and by the time he fought for the IBO
International Boxing Organization
The International Boxing Organization is a for-profit organization that sanctions professional boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships.- Origins :...
light welterweight
Light welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
championship in April 1992 he was sporting a 19-1 record. He defeated Louie Lomelli for that vacant title in a twelve-round split decision
Split decision
A split decision is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking in which two of the three judges score for the same fighter as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other...
. Evgen relinquished the IBO title without defending it. Evgen's career continued until July 1997, when he suffered an unexpected third-round knockout loss to Steve Valdez. He retired with a record of 31 wins (13 by knockout) and 6 losses.