Morris East
Encyclopedia
Morris East is a retired Filipino
boxing
champion.
As a teenager, East moved to Cebu City
and was spotted by Lito Cortes who brought him to the Cebu Coliseum gym. Promoter Sammy Gello-ani then offered him amateur fights to keep him earning for his meals.
East turned professional in 1989 and won the WBA
light welterweight title by defeating Akinobu Hiranaka
with an 11th round TKO victory in Tokyo on 9 September 1992. With the victory, East became the youngest ever Filipino to hold a world championship in boxing at the age of 19 years and 31 days old. The victory over Hiranaka was named Ring Magazine Knockout of the Year for 1989. He lost the title in his first defense against Juan Martin Coggi
, who knocked him out in the 8th round. He never fought for a major title again and retired in 1995.
Born of a Filipina and black American U.S. Navy sailor, East didn't meet his father until he became champion. He traveled from the Philippines to the United States a month after winning his WBA belt to locate his father, Morris East, Sr. With the help of a CNN
news team, the father was located in Oakland, California
and their first meeting was broadcast by CNN. Morris, Jr. improved his father's living condition but his father, suffering from bad health, died of a massive heart attack a few months later.
East moved to San Diego, California
in 1996 and later moved to Las Vegas
, where he works as a fight trainer in the Johnny Tocco gym. In 2011, he worked with IBF
lightwelterweight titleholder Zab Judah
and WBC
/WBO
bantamweight
champion Nonito Donaire
.
He has five children were born out of relationships with three different women, supporting each with $150 per month out of his $3,000 monthly salary.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
boxing
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...
champion.
As a teenager, East moved to Cebu City
Cebu City
The City of Cebu is the capital city of Cebu and is the second largest city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and known as the oldest settlement established by the Spaniards in the country.The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was...
and was spotted by Lito Cortes who brought him to the Cebu Coliseum gym. Promoter Sammy Gello-ani then offered him amateur fights to keep him earning for his meals.
East turned professional in 1989 and won the WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
light welterweight title by defeating Akinobu Hiranaka
Akinobu Hiranaka
Akinobu Hiranaka is a former boxer in the Light welterweight division...
with an 11th round TKO victory in Tokyo on 9 September 1992. With the victory, East became the youngest ever Filipino to hold a world championship in boxing at the age of 19 years and 31 days old. The victory over Hiranaka was named Ring Magazine Knockout of the Year for 1989. He lost the title in his first defense against Juan Martin Coggi
Juan Martin Coggi
Juan Martin Coggi is a former boxer from Argentina. A native of Santa Fe , which was also the birthplace of Carlos Monzón, Coggi was a three time world light welterweight champion. He had 75 wins, 5 losses and 2 draws, with 44 wins by knockout...
, who knocked him out in the 8th round. He never fought for a major title again and retired in 1995.
Born of a Filipina and black American U.S. Navy sailor, East didn't meet his father until he became champion. He traveled from the Philippines to the United States a month after winning his WBA belt to locate his father, Morris East, Sr. With the help of a CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
news team, the father was located in Oakland, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and their first meeting was broadcast by CNN. Morris, Jr. improved his father's living condition but his father, suffering from bad health, died of a massive heart attack a few months later.
East moved to San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1996 and later moved to Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, where he works as a fight trainer in the Johnny Tocco gym. In 2011, he worked with IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
lightwelterweight titleholder Zab Judah
Zab Judah
Zabdiel Judah is an American professional boxer. Judah has won five world titles between the junior welterweight and welterweight divisions, and is a former undisputed welterweight champion....
and 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...
/WBO
World Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. The organization is recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the IBHOF alongside the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the...
bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
champion Nonito Donaire
Nonito Donaire
Nonito Donaire, Jr. is a Filipino-American professional boxer, who is widely known as "The Filipino Flash." He is a three-division world champion, having won five titles across three different boxing weight classes. He is a known switch-hitter with the ability to fight either southpaw or orthodox...
.
He has five children were born out of relationships with three different women, supporting each with $150 per month out of his $3,000 monthly salary.