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Trevor Berbick
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Trevor Berbick (August 1, 1955 – October 28, 2006) was a Jamaican heavyweight boxer who fought as a professional from 1976 until 2000. He was the victim of a homicide near his hometown of Norwich, Jamaica. Berbick briefly held the WBC heavyweight title in 1986, before losing it to Mike Tyson. He was also noted for being the last man to fight Muhammad Ali, winning their 10-round contest in Nassau, Bahamas on December 11, 1981 by unanimous decision .
as born on August 1, 1955 (though the year is often reported as 1954) in Norwich, Port Antonio, Jamaica.
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Encyclopedia
Trevor Berbick (August 1, 1955 – October 28, 2006) was a Jamaican heavyweight boxer who fought as a professional from 1976 until 2000. He was the victim of a homicide near his hometown of Norwich, Jamaica. Berbick briefly held the WBC heavyweight title in 1986, before losing it to Mike Tyson. He was also noted for being the last man to fight Muhammad Ali, winning their 10-round contest in Nassau, Bahamas on December 11, 1981 by unanimous decision .
Biography
Early life
He was born on August 1, 1955 (though the year is often reported as 1954) in Norwich, Port Antonio, Jamaica. At the age of 16, he claimed to have had a vision from God. This was the first of many colorful incidents in an eventful—if troubled—life that included many run-ins with the law.
Amateur career
At 21, Berbick represented his native Jamaica in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada as a heavyweight boxer, despite having had only 11 prior amateur bouts. His lack of experience was plainly evident as he lost to the eventual silver medalist, Mircea Simon of Romania. However, he still displayed a lot of promise as a young heavyweight boxer.He also lost a decision to future heavyweight champion Michael Dokes in the Pan-Am semifinals.
Professional career
Berbick left Jamaica after the Olympics. He opted to stay in Canada and fight professionally out of Montreal and Halifax. He won his first 11 fights (10 by knockout) before losing his first pro fight to another rising contender, Bernardo Mercado, on April 3, 1979. As an amateur, Berbick had soundly beaten Mercado. However, with 10 seconds remaining in the first round of their only professional meeting, Berbick walked into a punch and was knocked out cold. Nevertheless he remained in contention for the heavyweight title.
A 1980 upset of ex-champ John Tate (9th round KO) secured a title shot against Larry Holmes on April 11, 1981, but he lost a 15-round unanimous decision. In his second fight after the loss, he beat then- 39-year old Muhammad Ali to secure his place in history as the man who finally ended the career of "The Greatest".
In 1982 he beat undefeated red hot prospect Greg Page, and in 1984 he moved to Miramar, Florida and signed with promoter Don King. Wins over undefeated Mitch "Blood" Green and David Bey scored him another title fight, and he won the WBC world heavyweight title by upsetting Pinklon Thomas with an easy unanimous decision on March 22, 1986. However, his reign as champion would be brief.
On November 22, in his first defense of the title, he was knocked down two times in the second round by 20-year-old Mike Tyson before the fight was stopped by referee Mills Lane, resulting in a second round TKO loss. Again, he made boxing history--this time by being the man who Tyson defeated for his first heavyweight title, symbolically bridging the eras of Ali and Tyson, as fight commentator Barry Tompkins said after the knockout: "And we have a new era in boxing!"
In 1991, he went to Japan to fight Nobuhiko Takada in a "wrestler vs. boxer" bout. Berbick claimed that he had been double-crossed and that he had expected the fight to be like American kickboxing, but it turned out that the rules allowed Takada to kick Berbick below the belt. Berbick refused to mount any offense, instead repeatedly complaining to the referee as Takada kicked him repeatedly in the legs. Takada claimed victory by default when Berbick exited the ring. .
Afterwards, his career deteriorated further. He eventually fought his last bout in 2000 against Canadian journeyman Shane Sutcliffe, winning a 12-round unanimous decision. Afterwards, a CAT scan revealed a blood clot in his brain and his boxing license was revoked. His final professional record was 50 wins (33 by knockout), 11 losses, and 1 draw.
Outside the ring
From his early life until his remaining moments, Berbick was actively involved in the church. He was a preacher at the Moments of Miracles Pentecostal church in Las Vegas while he was a fighter and was killed in a church courtyard in 2006.
Troubles with the law
Berbick was arrested on a number of occasions throughout his life and was sentenced in Florida to 5 years in prison (he served only 15 months) for sexually assaulting his children's babysitter in 1992 . In 1997, he violated his parole and was ordered to be deported from the United States.
Feud with Larry Holmes
One of the more memorable sports events in Berbick's life was his well publicized feud with Holmes, whom he fought in 1981. Their feud culminated in a public brawl in 1991 which was caught on tape (see link below) in which Larry Holmes landed a flying drop kick on Berbick off the hood of a car while Berbick was being escorted by police..
Retirement
He retired in Florida to be with his wife and three children (he also had three children
with his first wife in Montreal) and started to train boxers at Kenny Barrett's Gym (Tamarac Florida). However, Berbick's problems only escalated. He was again ordered deported from the U.S. on December 2, 2002.
Death
On October 28, 2006, he was murdered at a church in Norwich, Jamaica by an assailant wielding a 2 inch thick steel pipe. He suffered multiple blows to the head which resulted in him dying at the scene of the attack.
Police arrested 2 men, one of the men arrested and charged is Berbick's 20-year-old nephew in connection with the death, and were interrogating him at the Port Antonio police station in Portland as of early in the morning of October 29. Local residents have indicated that the suspect was involved in a land dispute with Berbick. On November 3 it was reported that Berbick's nephew, 20-year-old Harold Berbick, and an unidentified 18-year-old man had been charged with his murder by Jamaican police.
On December 20, 2007 Harold Berbick was found guilty of the murder of his uncle. His alleged accomplice, Kenton Gordon, was found guilty of manslaughter. Both were sentenced on January 11, 2008.
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