Gene Fullmer

Gene Fullmer

Male 1931 - 2015

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  • Born  21 Jul 1931 
    Gender  Male 
    Died  27 Apr 2015 
    Buried  South Jordan, cemetery, South Jordan, UT Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • “The Ring Remembers Gene Fullmer”

      Former two-time middleweight champion and 1991 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Gene Fullmer died Tuesday at his home in West Jordan, Utah. Fullmer was 83.
      His brutally physical ring style powered Fullmer to a 55-6-3 (24) record during a 12-year-career that saw him defeat Sugar Ray Robinson (twice), Carmen Basilio (twice), Paul Pender, Gil Turner (twice), Rocky Castellani, Ralph “Tiger” Jones (twice), Charles Humez, Chico Vejar, Ellsworth “Spider” Webb (twice), Florentino Fernandez and Benny “Kid” Paret while closing out his career by going 0-2-1 against fellow Hall-of-Famer Dick Tiger. He is only one of two men ever to defeat Robinson twice in championship fights (Pender was the other) and his first fight with Basilio was named THE RING’s “Fight of the Year” in 1959.
      Fullmer was born July 21, 1931 in West Jordan, Utah and began boxing after his father, Tuff, brought Gene and his younger brothers, Don and Jay, to a gym run by longtime Utah politician and boxing manager Marv Jenson. Fullmer turned pro in June 1951 with a first round knockout over Glen Peck and the man nicknamed “Cyclone” proceeded to blow through his early competition by scoring 11 straight knockouts to begin his career and 18 in his first 21 bouts, 16 in the first four rounds. But as he raised his level of opposition, Fullmer’s true strengths began to emerge – relentless pressure, vicious body punching, painfully clubbing blows over the top, a fierce competitive drive and an excellent chin. Those attributes carried him to 29 straight wins before Philadelphia’s Gil Turner outpointed Fullmer at Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway Arena in April 1955. Fullmer went on to avenge that loss twice over by winning a unanimous decision in his very next fight, then a split nod six fights later.
      Back-to-back decision defeats to Bobby Boyd and Argentine strongman Eduardo Lausse temporarily stalled Fullmer’s progress but he zoomed up the rankings by defeating Turner in their rubber match, Jones and Humez, then the number-two contender. Following a third-round KO over Moses Ward in a tune-up, Fullmer met Robinson for the middleweight title on Jan. 2, 1957 at Madison Square Garden.
    Person ID  I37429  Moon Anderson Family History & Genealogy
    Last Modified  31 Oct 2018 

    Father  Lawrence William Fullmer,   b. 23 Dec 1908, Bellevue, Blaine, ID Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 5 Jun 1984, Salt Lake City, Salt lake, UT Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Mother  Mary Emma Iff,   b. 4 Dec 1905, South Jordan, Salt Lake, UT Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 24 Jul 2000, West Jordan, Salt Lake, UT Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID  F12709  Group Sheet

    Family 1  Dolores Holt,   b. 14 Jul 1931, Murray, Salt Lake, UT Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 2 Jan 1983, Murray, Salt Lake, UT Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Married  13 Oct 1955 
    Last Modified  13 Oct 2017 
    Family ID  F12710  Group Sheet

    Family 2  Karen Davey 
    Married  19 May 1984 
    Last Modified  13 Oct 2017 
    Family ID  F12713  Group Sheet

  • Photos

    » Slide Show
    Fullmer, Gene
    Fullmer, Gene
    Fullmer, Gene - 1
    Fullmer, Gene - 1
    Fullmer, Gene - 2
    Fullmer, Gene - 2


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