Greg Richardson (boxer)
Encyclopedia
Greg "The Flea" Richardson (born February 7, 1958, in Youngstown, Ohio
) is a former African-American
boxer
who was WBC
Bantamweight Champion between February 25, 1991, and September 19, 1991.
He was born on the East Side of Youngstown, where he launched his amateur career in the late 1960s. In 1974, Richardson was the National AAU
and National Golden Gloves
flyweight champion.
Richardson's professional career peaked in February 1991, when he scored an upset victory over Raúl Pérez
and won the WBC bantamweight title. Trained by Earl Charity, Richardson's quick reflexes were credited with earning him a 12-round unanimous decision over Perez, who held the title for almost 28 months. He defended the title only once times before losing the belt to Joichiro Tatsuyoshi
in 1991. In 1992, he moved down in weight to take on WBC super flyweight title holder Sung-Kil Moon
, but lost a majority decision
. He retired in 1996. He
is the uncle of former Florida Gators
Cornerback Keiwan Ratliff.
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
) is a former African-American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
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...
who was WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
Bantamweight Champion between February 25, 1991, and September 19, 1991.
He was born on the East Side of Youngstown, where he launched his amateur career in the late 1960s. In 1974, Richardson was the National AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
and National Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
flyweight champion.
Richardson's professional career peaked in February 1991, when he scored an upset victory over Raúl Pérez
Raúl Pérez
Raúl Pérez is a former boxer from Mexico. He has won world titles in two weight divisions.- Professional career :...
and won the WBC bantamweight title. Trained by Earl Charity, Richardson's quick reflexes were credited with earning him a 12-round unanimous decision over Perez, who held the title for almost 28 months. He defended the title only once times before losing the belt to Joichiro Tatsuyoshi
Joichiro Tatsuyoshi
is a former World Boxing Council world bantamweight champion from Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan. His record is 19–6–1 .He is popular for his fight style and unique personality, and has appeared in several television variety shows....
in 1991. In 1992, he moved down in weight to take on WBC super flyweight title holder Sung-Kil Moon
Sung-Kil Moon
Moon Sung-Kil is a former two-division world champion boxer from South Korea. His name is also rendered Sung Kil Moon.- Amateur career :...
, but lost a majority decision
Majority decision
A majority 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...
. He retired in 1996. He
is the uncle of former Florida Gators
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
Cornerback Keiwan Ratliff.