Zuri Lawrence
Encyclopedia
Zuri Lawrence is a professional heavyweight boxer (born on June 22, 1970 in Poughkeepsie, New York
) best known to score a few notable wins over famous boxers but never reaching contender status.
Lawrence has never fought for a major heavyweight title (WBC, WBA, IBF or WBO) but he is an important test for many up-and-coming prospects. Notable losses include a technical knockout loss in 11 (after being down 4 times) to Russian prospect Sultan Ibragimov
and being brutally rendered unconscious by Calvin "the Boxing Banker" Brock.
Notable wins include upsetting the comeback trail of Jameel McCline
after McCline's second heavyweight title loss and being the first to defeat highly touted Italian Olympic medallist and prospect Paolo Vidoz
.
Lawrence is a quick and skilled boxer who is rarely stopped and can give 12 rounds of technical boxing; this combined with his seeming lack of the ability to knock an opponent out (0 knockouts in 40 fights) makes Lawrence a popular opponent amongst matchmakers looking to get some notice for their prospects. Prior to their fight Calvin Brock gave an example of this thinking in an interview with Tiger Boxing: “Zuri Lawrence? Sure. He’s good, but he doesn’t have any power, so I wouldn’t call it a high-risk fight."
In November 2007 Lawrence took on Hasim Rahman
on short notice on the Versus Channel. In a close battle in which Versus' viewers had Lawrence leading, he was knocked out by Rahman in the 10th and final round. The scores at the time of stoppage were 86-84 Lawrence, 86-84 and 88-82 Rahman. In a rare feat, Lawrence was knocked out of the ring and onto the arena floor, only to return to the ring prior to the 20 count and continue fighting.
In July 2008 Lawrence won in a huge upset over heavyweight prospect Albert Sosnowski
after taking the fight on late notice.
He fought Jason Estrada
on September 2, 2009 and which Lawrence was knocked down once in the second and once in the seventh before the referee stopped the fight at 2:33.
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
) best known to score a few notable wins over famous boxers but never reaching contender status.
Career
He stands 6'4" (193 cm) and has a typical fight night weight of between 230 and 240 pounds. His professional record stands at 24 wins (22 by unanimous decision, 1 by disqualification), 14 loses (6 by unanimous decision, 5 by technical knockout, 1 by knockout) and 4 draws with 1 no contest (as of November 1, 2007).Lawrence has never fought for a major heavyweight title (WBC, WBA, IBF or WBO) but he is an important test for many up-and-coming prospects. Notable losses include a technical knockout loss in 11 (after being down 4 times) to Russian prospect Sultan Ibragimov
Sultan Ibragimov
Sultan-Ahmed Magomedsalihovich Ibragimov, is a retired professional boxer and a former WBO heavyweight champion. He is of Avar Dagestani Muslim descent...
and being brutally rendered unconscious by Calvin "the Boxing Banker" Brock.
Notable wins include upsetting the comeback trail of Jameel McCline
Jameel McCline
Jameel “Big Time” McCline is a professional heavyweight boxer notable for his speed, strength, and size at 6'6" and 269 lbs. Currently ranked at number 9 in the WBCworld heavyweight ratings...
after McCline's second heavyweight title loss and being the first to defeat highly touted Italian Olympic medallist and prospect Paolo Vidoz
Paolo Vidoz
Paolo Vidoz is a boxer from Italy, who won the Olympic bronze medal, twice won the bronze medal at the World Amateur Boxing Championships: 1997 and 1999 and also won a silver medal at the European Championships....
.
Lawrence is a quick and skilled boxer who is rarely stopped and can give 12 rounds of technical boxing; this combined with his seeming lack of the ability to knock an opponent out (0 knockouts in 40 fights) makes Lawrence a popular opponent amongst matchmakers looking to get some notice for their prospects. Prior to their fight Calvin Brock gave an example of this thinking in an interview with Tiger Boxing: “Zuri Lawrence? Sure. He’s good, but he doesn’t have any power, so I wouldn’t call it a high-risk fight."
In November 2007 Lawrence took on Hasim Rahman
Hasim Rahman
Hasim Sharif Rahman is an American professional boxer. Rahman is the former Lineal, WBC, IBO, & IBF heavyweight champion...
on short notice on the Versus Channel. In a close battle in which Versus' viewers had Lawrence leading, he was knocked out by Rahman in the 10th and final round. The scores at the time of stoppage were 86-84 Lawrence, 86-84 and 88-82 Rahman. In a rare feat, Lawrence was knocked out of the ring and onto the arena floor, only to return to the ring prior to the 20 count and continue fighting.
In July 2008 Lawrence won in a huge upset over heavyweight prospect Albert Sosnowski
Albert Sosnowski
Albert Dariusz Sosnowski is a Polish professional boxer who fights in the heavyweight division.-Debut fight:...
after taking the fight on late notice.
He fought Jason Estrada
Jason Estrada
Jason Moses Estrada is a boxer who represented the United States at the 2004 Olympic Games in the super heavyweight division. In 2003 he won the gold medal at the Pan American Games....
on September 2, 2009 and which Lawrence was knocked down once in the second and once in the seventh before the referee stopped the fight at 2:33.