Berbick fought from 1976 to 2000, finishing with a record of 50-11 with a draw and 33 knockouts. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. I pray he never fights again, added referee Davey Pearl, who, along with Randy Shields, served as Dunphys color commentator. With seven WBC title defenses since 1978, Holmes was an established champion coming off the first marquee win of his title reign: a pitiful butchering of the feeble Muhammad Ali. Thanks for signing up! But Berbick immediately jumped to his feet. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. At 5:40 p.m., just hours before stepping into the ring, Berbick got his money thanks to SelecTV, the pay-cable channel airing the card. Thanks for your help! After his release, Berbick returned to the ring in the mid-1990s and only a failed CAT Scan in 2000 kept Berbick from continuing his farcical career into his fifties. Only Berbicks fatigue in the final minute saved Ali from oblivion, but another benefit of being 27 was that all he needed to revive himself was the 60-second rest period. Berbick's career soured following the loss to Tyson and he began to run into legal trouble. I dont remember if Ali started punching him at that point, but Berbick was asserting his dominance and playing with Alis mind. Trevor Berbick, who made his reputation by beating the legendary Muhammad Ali in a 10-round unanimous decision in 1981, was found dead the morning of Oct. 28 in a church courtyard next to his . O'Connor Mortuary Arrangement Center - Irvine 4010 Barranca Pkwy, Ste 200 There was an error deleting this problem. Trevor Berbicks life came to a tragic end on October 28, 2006. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. If the slurring were due to permanent damage, it would be there all the time, he said, adding that fatigue and stress were the most common triggers. Nephew Is Convicted in the Death of Trevor Berbick, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/22/sports/othersports/22berbick.html. You have the wake and then the funeral, but this fight was like the headstone dedication, he said. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. Berbick, whose contempt was now replaced by compassion, yelled at Clayton to stop the fight but the onetime Harlem Globetrotter held firm and allowed the battering to continue. Ali, looking bored at times, said nothing as he shadowboxed while Berbick refused to look Ali in the eyes. Former world lightheavyweight champ Freddie Mills died of gunshot wounds to the head in 1965. Ali had carried boxing in America, almost-singlehandedly, in the 1970s but the early 1980s was a great time. Verify and try again. If you couldnt beat Trevor Berbick there was really no point in going on. After Holmes I had excuses: I was too light, I didnt breathe right. But then he got tired and he just couldnt (keep going). The Ali Era was over. The assembled media had either followed Ali from the very beginning or jumped on the bus sometime during its 61 stops. Recognizing his depleted state, Ali set a modest goal for himself. He served 15 months in a Florida jail for sexual assault and was later deported from the United States. Berbick (left) stood up to Larry Holmes rocket left jab for 15 rounds. It wasnt to be. Photo by The Ring Magazine/ Getty Images. Today, of course, Guantanamo Bay is notorious for its U.S. detention camp, but in the early 1970s, it was primarily known as a military base. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. From Florida, Berbick was deported to Jamaica, where he moved in with his mother and began menacing his neighbourhood. Berbick continued his fighting career but never got a shot at any of the major heavyweight titles again. The . Berbicks late rally overcame Alis early surge as he out-landed the legend 22-17 despite being out-thrown 59-56 and forged a huge 18-6 lead in landed power shots. I came out all right for an old man. Today marks the 40th anniversary of the final fight of Muhammad Alis professional career, his 10-round decision defeat against Trevor Berbick in what was incongruously called The Drama in the Bahamas. Although the event was enveloped by sadness and dreariness, the impact of Alis legacy remained unaffected, for not only did his entry into the sport come at a most fortuitous time, he laid the groundwork for the glorious era that was already in progress by the time he entered the ring against Berbick: The era of The Four Kings.. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Though Berbick was believed to be 52, according to boxing records, other reports said he was as old as 56 or as young as 49. There was a brief pause after Tyson connected and then Berbick plummeted, seemingly in slow motion, and crashed onto his back. Failed to report flower. And dont forget: I was coming to the Bahamas off Leonard-Hearns. We all grow old. (10). Trevor Berbick was a Jamaican professional boxer. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, August 1, 1954 - October 28, 2006 KINGSTON | Age 52 Ex-heavyweight champ Trevor Berbick found dead at 52. The 548th round of Alis 21-year professional career started as the first against Tunney Hunsaker had on his toes, using the jab and firing right hands over the top. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. He was brutalized in that fight and he wouldnt quit. Inactive for nearly a year after winning the WBC title, Thomas decided that he would not only be a manager and a trainer but also an R&B singer. Trevor Berbick holds an interesting place in boxing history. Alis immense pride, the asset that fueled his greatest triumphs, couldnt stomach the thought that a TKO loss while sitting on the stool would be the final scene of what had been a theatrical boxing career. San Jose, CA 95112. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. A 2-inch-thick metal pipe found at the scene is believed to be the murder weapon, police said. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Norma "Jean" Sooter passed away on December 20, 2022, at 90 years of age after a short illness. The fight card started late because organizers couldnt find the key that unlocked the front gate of the stadium. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Berbick's reign was short, however, as a 20-year-old Tyson knocked Berbick out in the second round on Nov. 22, 1986, to become the youngest heavyweight champion. Im here, God!, Trevor Berbick was born in Port Antonio, Jamaica, in either 1952 or 1954, and spent five years in Guantanamo Bay as immigrant labour. Even hard-bitten veterans Bob Waters, Dick Young, Dave Anderson and Ed Schuyler were moved by the occasion. He later had legal problems, including convictions for sexual assault, grand theft and burglary, that led to his being deported from the United States to his native Jamaica. For his part, Berbick out-landed Ali 22-16 overall and landed 19 of his 38 power shots (50%) to Alis 5 of 13 (39%). Because of me, Ali said, the whole world watches boxing now. (11), Years into his retirement, Ali gets ready to participate as a guest referee in the inaugural Wrestlemania at Madison Square Garden in 1985. He was born in Norwich, Port Antonio, Jamaica on August 1, 1954. His midnight-blue suit, gaudy tie, white pocket square kerchief, and sunglasses out of place among the pastel shirts, Zubaz, and tracksuits. The press conference was actually on my floor where I was staying. Cornelius persisted, and eventually he found a place willing to stage an Ali fight. The fights opening seconds yielded an encouraging sign for Ali fans because in walking out of the corner, firing three soft jabs and landing with an overhand right, he already showed more life than he had in most of the Holmes bout. Trevor Berbick. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Lambert had known Trevor Berbick from the day he was born. The former champ was also deported from the U.S. on two separate occasions and his life came to a tragic end in 2006 when he was brutally murdered in his home country of Jamaica by his very own nephew. His shock win over Thomas, who had been a 6/1 favorite going into the fight, set Berbick on the path to an astronomical payday. According to Nack, Ali, wearing a rubber corset, walked more than he ran during roadwork, shadowboxed listlessly, then climbed into a waiting limousine that took him back to his hotel. Berbicks body blasts and hurtful hooks broke the spell that had ensnared so many others. In January 2003, The Guardian reported that he was on the run from police in his hometown of Port Antonio, accused of stealing a TV and stereo equipment. That fight was like watching a mugging. He was murdered by an assailant wielding a hatchet or machete who inflicted a fatal wound to Berbick's head. Nearly a minute into round four, Berbick showed what 27 could do and Ali showed what 39 wouldnt allow him to do. Photo from The Ring/ Getty Images. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. But in the fall of 1981 rumors of yet another Ali comeback began to stir. Essentially banished from America, Ali took his circus act offshore, to the Bahamas, roughly 50 miles from the Florida coast. Or, visit our funeral home in person at your convenience. Berbick, a 27-year-old Jamaican fighting out of Canada, was rated fourth by the WBA and sported a 19-2-1 record that included 17 knockouts. In the ninth round, a right hand sent Tate wobbling across the ring, and Berbick, in hot pursuit, clubbed him repeatedly until Tate was out cold on the canvas. All rights reserved. Muhammad Ali vs. Trevor Berbick, billed as "Drama in Bahama", was a ten-round boxing match that took place in Nassau, Bahamas on December 11, 1981. Ali tried but was outworked by Berbick for most of the fight. Berbickwas also convicted of second-degree grand theft in 1992 for forging his ex-wife's signatureto get a mortgage on a home. Resend Activation Email. The bout was Ali's last in a career that spanned three decades.