Paul Vaden
Encyclopedia
Paul "The Ultimate" Vaden (born December 29, 1967 in San Diego, California) is a retired professional boxer. Vaden held the IBF
light middleweight
championship from August 12, 1995 to December 16, 1995. Vaden compiled a professional record of 29–3 with 16 knockout
victories, and one loss by knockout
.
career, compiling an outstanding amateur record of 317–10 or 327–10.
In 1990 Vaden became the United States national amateur light middleweight champion. (Link to – United States national amateur boxing light middleweight champions). Vaden was also a bronze medal winner in the 71 kg (156 lbs) division at the 1990 Goodwill Games
. A top candidate to make the 1992 U.S. Olympic team Vaden instead decided to turn professional, citing dissatisfaction with amateur boxing's newly implemented scoring system, and the sport's political nature as chief among his reasons.
481–8, Donald Curry
400–4 or 400–6, Mark Breland
110–1, Terry Norris
291–4, Oscar De La Hoya
223–5, Nino Benvenuti 120–0 or 119–1, and Sugar Ray Robinson
85–0 or 85–1 represent a sampling of amateur boxers, among others existing, whose winning percentages are superior to Vaden's.
Inter-Continental Junior Middleweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over veteran John Montes.
On August 12, 1995 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
as a decided underdog, Vaden defeated Vincent Pettway
by 12th round TKO to win Pettway's IBF
154 lb title. Pettway built an early lead but faded as the fight went on. Vaden came on strong in the later rounds, and the referee, Richard Steele
, stopped the fight with 27 seconds left in the 12th round. At the time of the stoppage Vaden, despite appearing to be winning the fight to ringsiders, was surprisingly behind by 1 point on all three judges' scorecards.
in Philadelphia, Vaden met WBC
light-middleweight champion Terry Norris
in a title unification bout. The pre-fight build-up was notable for the animosity displayed between the two fighters.
The fight itself turned out to be one-sided, Norris dominated Vaden and scored a decisive unanimous decision
to claim Vaden's IBF
title. Judge George Hill scored the fight 119–109, judge Barbara Perez scored it 118–110, and judge William James scored the fight 120–108.
middleweight
champion Keith Holmes on December 5, 1997 at the Pompano Beach Amphitheatre, Pompano Beach, Florida
. Vaden was knocked down twice in the 4th, and once in the 11th round. Referee Brian Garry stopped the bout shortly after the knockdown in the 11th.
On November 20, 1999 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey
, Vaden won the vacant USBA junior middleweight title by knocking out Stephan Johnson in the 10th round. Johnson never regained consciousness and died 15 days later. Johnson had lost by knockout 7 months prior to his fight with Vaden, and it is suspected he might have entered the bout with Vaden with a pre-existing brain injury. Vaden was to retire shortly after the Johnson fight.
In Vaden's final bout he lost his USBA light-middleweight title to NABA champion Jose Alfredo (Shibata) Flores by unanimous decision on April 15, 2000.
IBF
IBF may refer to:*International Boxing Federation is one of several boxing organisations* International Bandy Federation former name of Federation of International Bandy , an international governing body for bandy...
light middleweight
Light middleweight
Light Middleweight , is a weight division in professional boxing, above 147 pounds and up to 154 pounds ....
championship from August 12, 1995 to December 16, 1995. Vaden compiled a professional record of 29–3 with 16 knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
victories, and one loss by knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
.
Amateur career
Known as "Kid Ultimate", Vaden had a highly accomplished amateurAmateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
career, compiling an outstanding amateur record of 317–10 or 327–10.
In 1990 Vaden became the United States national amateur light middleweight champion. (Link to – United States national amateur boxing light middleweight champions). Vaden was also a bronze medal winner in the 71 kg (156 lbs) division at the 1990 Goodwill Games
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
. A top candidate to make the 1992 U.S. Olympic team Vaden instead decided to turn professional, citing dissatisfaction with amateur boxing's newly implemented scoring system, and the sport's political nature as chief among his reasons.
Amateur record
An internet search of Vaden will often bring up the erroneous phrase, "as an amateur he amassed a 327–10 record, still considered the highest winning percentage in amateur boxing history." This phrase likely began with an inaccurate Wikipedia posting that was copied and disseminated throughout the internet. While Vaden possessed a sterling amateur record (see above) it is not the highest winning percentage in amateur boxing history. Amateur boxing records can often be difficult to verify, but the generally accepted winning percentages of Bernard TaylorBernard Taylor (boxer)
Bernard Taylor "The B.T. Express" is a retired boxer from the United States, who competed in the featherweight division.-Amateur career:...
481–8, Donald Curry
Donald Curry
Donald Curry is a retired boxer from Fort Worth, Texas, United States. Nicknamed the "Lone Star Cobra," Curry was the Undisputed World Welterweight Champion and the WBC Super Welterweight Champion.-Amateur career:...
400–4 or 400–6, Mark Breland
Mark Breland
Mark Anthony Breland is a former world champion boxer, who won five New York Golden Gloves Titles and a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics...
110–1, Terry Norris
Terry Norris
Terry Wayne Norris is a retired American boxer and a three-time world champion in the light middleweight division. Originally from Lubbock, Texas, he fought out of San Diego.-Early boxing career:...
291–4, Oscar De La Hoya
Oscar de la Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya is a retired American boxer of Mexican descent. Nicknamed "The Golden Boy", De La Hoya won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games shortly after graduating from Garfield High School. De La Hoya comes from a boxing family. His grandfather Vicente, father Joel Sr., and brother...
223–5, Nino Benvenuti 120–0 or 119–1, and Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson was an African-American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson's performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create "pound for pound" rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight...
85–0 or 85–1 represent a sampling of amateur boxers, among others existing, whose winning percentages are superior to Vaden's.
Pro career
Vaden, now campaigning as "The Ultimate", turned pro April 5, 1991 and began his career with 18 consecutive wins. On March 25, 1994 he won the IBFIBF
IBF may refer to:*International Boxing Federation is one of several boxing organisations* International Bandy Federation former name of Federation of International Bandy , an international governing body for bandy...
Inter-Continental Junior Middleweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over veteran John Montes.
On August 12, 1995 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
as a decided underdog, Vaden defeated Vincent Pettway
Vincent Pettway
Vincent Pettway Vincent Pettway Vincent Pettway (born November 9, 1965 in Baltimore, MD, was a professional boxer in the super welterweight (154lb) division.- Professional career :...
by 12th round TKO to win Pettway's IBF
IBF
IBF may refer to:*International Boxing Federation is one of several boxing organisations* International Bandy Federation former name of Federation of International Bandy , an international governing body for bandy...
154 lb title. Pettway built an early lead but faded as the fight went on. Vaden came on strong in the later rounds, and the referee, Richard Steele
Richard Steele
Sir Richard Steele was an Irish writer and politician, remembered as co-founder, with his friend Joseph Addison, of the magazine The Spectator....
, stopped the fight with 27 seconds left in the 12th round. At the time of the stoppage Vaden, despite appearing to be winning the fight to ringsiders, was surprisingly behind by 1 point on all three judges' scorecards.
Terry Norris
On December 16, 1995 at the SpectrumSpectrum
A spectrum is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary infinitely within a continuum. The word saw its first scientific use within the field of optics to describe the rainbow of colors in visible light when separated using a prism; it has since been applied by...
in Philadelphia, Vaden met 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...
light-middleweight champion Terry Norris
Terry Norris
Terry Wayne Norris is a retired American boxer and a three-time world champion in the light middleweight division. Originally from Lubbock, Texas, he fought out of San Diego.-Early boxing career:...
in a title unification bout. The pre-fight build-up was notable for the animosity displayed between the two fighters.
The fight itself turned out to be one-sided, Norris dominated Vaden and scored a decisive unanimous decision
Unanimous decision
A unanimous 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 in which all three judges agree on which fighter won the match....
to claim Vaden's IBF
IBF
IBF may refer to:*International Boxing Federation is one of several boxing organisations* International Bandy Federation former name of Federation of International Bandy , an international governing body for bandy...
title. Judge George Hill scored the fight 119–109, judge Barbara Perez scored it 118–110, and judge William James scored the fight 120–108.
Later career
Vaden was to challenge one more time for a world title, losing by TKO in 11 rounds to WBCWorld 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...
middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
champion Keith Holmes on December 5, 1997 at the Pompano Beach Amphitheatre, Pompano Beach, Florida
Pompano Beach, Florida
Pompano Beach ) is a city in Broward County, Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean just to the north of Fort Lauderdale. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 99,845...
. Vaden was knocked down twice in the 4th, and once in the 11th round. Referee Brian Garry stopped the bout shortly after the knockdown in the 11th.
On November 20, 1999 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Vaden won the vacant USBA junior middleweight title by knocking out Stephan Johnson in the 10th round. Johnson never regained consciousness and died 15 days later. Johnson had lost by knockout 7 months prior to his fight with Vaden, and it is suspected he might have entered the bout with Vaden with a pre-existing brain injury. Vaden was to retire shortly after the Johnson fight.
In Vaden's final bout he lost his USBA light-middleweight title to NABA champion Jose Alfredo (Shibata) Flores by unanimous decision on April 15, 2000.