M ichael Nunn turned pro in December 1984, one month after six standouts of the triumphant U.S. Olympic boxing team (Tyrell Biggs, Evander Holyfield, Virgil Hill, Mark Breland, Pernell Whitaker and Meldrick Taylor) made their anticipated debuts live on ABC. Nunn’s debut received a fraction of their fanfare, but it didn’t take the ultra-talented middleweight long to establish himself as a potential superstar. By the end of 1987, Nunn was already viewed as a better pro than most of his medal-winning contemporaries on the ’84 squad, including the celebrated Breland, heavyweight hopeful Biggs and even Hill, the undefeated light heavyweight titleholder who narrowly beat Nunn for the 165-pound spot on the team.
“I told them, ‘I sold drugs. I didn’t use drugs.’” Although he’s often viewed as an underachiever or a could-have-been great, what Nunn accomplished was considerable. He won world titles at middleweight and super middleweight, making a combined nine successful defenses. Nunn’s middleweight reign was especially noteworthy. He lifted the IBF title with a ninth-round stoppage of unbeaten ’84 gold medalist (and amateur rival) Frank Tate in July 1988 and turned back the challenges of Juan Roldan (KO 8), Iran Barkley (MD 12), Marlon Starling (MD 12) and Donald Curry (KO 10). His best middleweight victory was his first-round KO of fellow titleholder Sumbu Kalambay in 1989. It was a shocking result produced by a single arcing left – fired from Nunn’s
hip and perfectly timed off a slipped jab – that landed on the point of Kalambay’s chin. The Congolese- Italian instantly froze and collapsed onto his back. The HBO-televised bout was waved off at 1:28 of the round. “Some boxing writers thought Kalambay was the favorite in the matchup, and I could see why,” Nunn said. “He had beat [Mike] McCallum, [Doug] DeWitt, [Iran] Barkley – tough guys that were known to American fans. The WBA stripped him just before the fight, but he still had his reputation. “Sugar Ray Leonard was one of HBO’s
My First Time Michael Nunn As told to Doug Fischer
With natural ability on par with Whitaker, Nunn was viewed as a real threat to the old guard – Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran – that still inhabited the 160- and 168-pound divisions in the late ’80s. His athleticism and physical gifts – he stood 6-foot-1 with a 77-inch wingspan – convinced many that he was the middleweight heir apparent to recently retired Marvelous Marvin Hagler. With fast hands, fleet footwork, fluid combinations and sneaky power, the smooth-boxing southpaw from Davenport, Iowa, streaked to a 36-0 record by the end of 1990.
commentators for that fight. He called it an even matchup, like he wasn’t sure who would win. I could hear his voice during the round. When I landed that big punch, Ray got quiet. (laughs) “That knockout received Ring Magazine’s first KO of the Year award. Bob [Arum] bought a car for me as a bonus, a brand new 1989 four-door Mercedes. The great Jim Murray from the L.A. Times wrote a hell of a story on me after that fight. Those were good times.” THE FIRST TIME I LACED UP GLOVES “I must have been around 12. It was probably late 1975, because I had my first amateur bouts in early ’76. It was at Pena’s Davenport Boxing Club, run by Alvino Pena, a legendary boxing coach in Iowa. He trained a lot of Golden Gloves fighters. He was a military man out of the U.S. Army, so he knew how to keep us in line. He didn’t take no crap from nobody. Mothers loved him because a lot of us
However, James Toney abruptly snapped Nunn’s ascent with a come-from-behind 11th-round TKO in May 1991. Nunn fought on but never fully regained his career momentum, eventually succumbing to the street life. In 2002, he was arrested for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and in 2004 he received a 40-year prison sentence (later reduced to 24) due to his suspected ties to drug trafficking rings. “I was making millions from boxing, but also millions from my street business,” admitted Nunn, who ultimately served 16½ years. A 55-year-old Nunn was released in February 2019, repentant, grateful for his freedom and amazingly healthy. He won a four-round kickboxing match against MMA legend Pat Miletich in 2020. “Some folks were surprised that I looked and sounded good when I got out,” Nunn said. “I take care of myself.
RINGMAGAZINE.COM 63
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker