Virgil Akins
Encyclopedia
Virgil Akins was an American boxer who won the undisputed Welterweight
Championship of the World in 1958. Nicknamed ‘Honeybear’, Akins was the first World Champion boxer from St. Louis
.
.
Akins was considered lanky, but proved nevertheless to be a powerful hitter with either hand. He began his career as a Lightweight
in 1948, continuing to fight in that division for 6 years before finally growing into the Welterweight
class. He was long considered to be an effective operator and boasted wins over future World Champions Joe Brown
and Wallace ‘Bud’ Smith, as well as ending the incredible forty-seven fight winning streak of Ronnie Delaney, by way of knock-out in 1955.
Akins had powered his way up the rankings in both divisions and finally got his chance of a World title once Carmen Basilio
relinquished the Welterweight
Championship to concentrate on defending his new Middleweight
crown. An elimination tournament including six of the World’s top-rated Welterweights was swiftly established in an effort to find Basilio’s successor. Akins emerged the victor and new World Champion on June 6, 1958 by pounding favourite Vince Martinez to a fourth round destruction. All told, Martinez went down nine times, having never seriously recovered from a shattering right delivered early in the First.
Akins's reign would not last long however. Six months later, he lost his title to Don Jordan
by way of unanimous decision and in only his first defense. Akins disputed the result but fared no better in the return, held the following Spring. From that moment on, it was downhill all the way for the former champion, who would win just ten of his last twenty-three fights before hanging up his gloves in 1962.
Akins's contract was "owned" under the table by the notorious Frank "Blinky" Palermo
, a member of the Philadelphia crime family
. Palermo was imprisoned in 1961 for conspiracy and extortion for the covert ownership of prizefighters..
Akins died at the age of 82 on January 22 of 2011.
, The Ring Book Shop Inc., 1959). See p. 4. (ii) STL Today http://www.stltoday.com/.
2. Details of Akin’s Ring Record from: (i) The Boxing Records Archive http://www.boxrec.com/print.php?boxer_id=023154. (ii) The Cyber Boxing Zone http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/akins-v.htm.
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
Championship of the World in 1958. Nicknamed ‘Honeybear’, Akins was the first World Champion boxer from St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
Career
Akins was born and died in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
Akins was considered lanky, but proved nevertheless to be a powerful hitter with either hand. He began his career as a Lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
in 1948, continuing to fight in that division for 6 years before finally growing into the Welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
class. He was long considered to be an effective operator and boasted wins over future World Champions Joe Brown
Joe Brown (boxer)
Joe Brown was an accomplished boxer who won the undisputed Lightweight Championship of the World in 1956, making 11 successful defences before losing his crown in his old age to Carlos Ortiz in 1962. Brown was a classic boxer and a knockout puncher...
and Wallace ‘Bud’ Smith, as well as ending the incredible forty-seven fight winning streak of Ronnie Delaney, by way of knock-out in 1955.
Akins had powered his way up the rankings in both divisions and finally got his chance of a World title once Carmen Basilio
Carmen Basilio
Carmine Basilio better known in the boxing world as Carmen Basilio, is an American former professional boxer who was a two weight world boxing champion...
relinquished the Welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
Championship to concentrate on defending his new 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...
crown. An elimination tournament including six of the World’s top-rated Welterweights was swiftly established in an effort to find Basilio’s successor. Akins emerged the victor and new World Champion on June 6, 1958 by pounding favourite Vince Martinez to a fourth round destruction. All told, Martinez went down nine times, having never seriously recovered from a shattering right delivered early in the First.
Akins's reign would not last long however. Six months later, he lost his title to Don Jordan
Don Jordan
Don Jordan was a boxer born in Los Angeles, California and was the undisputed Welterweight Champion of the World from 1958 to 1960. His nickname was ‘Geronimo’...
by way of unanimous decision and in only his first defense. Akins disputed the result but fared no better in the return, held the following Spring. From that moment on, it was downhill all the way for the former champion, who would win just ten of his last twenty-three fights before hanging up his gloves in 1962.
Akins's contract was "owned" under the table by the notorious Frank "Blinky" Palermo
Frank Palermo
Frank "Blinky" Palermo was an organized crime figure who surreptitiously owned prize-fighters and fixed fights best known for fixing the Jake LaMotta-Billy Fox fight in 1947. An associate of the Philadelphia crime family, Palermo also ran the City of Brotherly Love's biggest numbers racket...
, a member of the Philadelphia crime family
Philadelphia crime family
The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Scarfo crime family, Bruno crime family, Philadelphia Mafia, or Philly Mob, is an Italian American criminal organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of the most active American Mafia families outside of the Five Families of New York...
. Palermo was imprisoned in 1961 for conspiracy and extortion for the covert ownership of prizefighters..
Akins died at the age of 82 on January 22 of 2011.
Honors
- Named The Ring magazine Progress of the Year fighter for 1958.
- Elected to the Gateway Classic Walk of Fame
Sources
1. Biographical Information from: (i) The Ring Record Book & Boxing Encyclopedia, 1959 (Nat FleischerNat Fleischer
Nathaniel Stanley Fleischer was a noted American boxing writer and collector. Fleischer inaugurated in 1922, encouraged by Tex Rickard, the Ring Magazine publication...
, The Ring Book Shop Inc., 1959). See p. 4. (ii) STL Today http://www.stltoday.com/.
2. Details of Akin’s Ring Record from: (i) The Boxing Records Archive http://www.boxrec.com/print.php?boxer_id=023154. (ii) The Cyber Boxing Zone http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/akins-v.htm.