Bobby Joe Young (born March 4, 1959) is a former boxer from

Steubenville Steubenville ( ) is a city in Jefferson County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Ohio River west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 census. The Weirton–Steubenville metropolitan area has an es ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. Young is best known as the only man to have a professional win over

Aaron Pryor Aaron Pryor (October 20, 1955 – October 9, 2016) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 1990. He was a two-time light welterweight world champion, having held the WBA title from 1980 to 1983, and the IBF title from 1984 ...

Amateur career

Young had a solid amateur career, and allegedly lost two close fights in the amateurs to

Thomas Hearns Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 2006. Nicknamed the "Detroit, Motor City Cobra", and more famously "the Hitman", Hearns's tall, slender build and long arms and shoulders al ...

Professional career

Young turned professional in 1980 amidst high expectations, and lost his first bout to Pedro Vilella in the

Felt Forum The Theater at Madison Square Garden is a Theater (structure), theater located in New York City's Madison Square Garden (MSG). It seats between 2,000 and 5,600 people and is used for concerts, shows, sports, meetings, and other events. It is situ ...

. In 1987 he dealt Pryor his lone loss, by a technical knockout in the seventh round. In 1989, Young got his first and only title shot, against Simon Brown for the IBF welterweight title. Young was knocked out in the 2nd round. He retired after the loss with 31 wins, 7 losses and 23 wins by knockout. At one point, Young was considered one of the welterweights of the future, along with Milton McCrory,

Donald Curry Donald Curry (born September 7, 1961), is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1991, and in 1997. He held the WBA world welterweight title from 1983 to 1986, the undisputed world welterweight title from 1985 to 1986 ...

, and

Marlon Starling Marlon Starling (born August 29, 1959) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 1990. He held the World Boxing Association, WBA welterweight title from 1987 to 1988 and the World Boxing Council, WBC welterweight title f ...

. Bobby Joe Young now works at Curtis High School in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Bobby Joe 1959 births Living people Boxers from Ohio Sportspeople from Steubenville, Ohio American male boxers Welterweight boxers 20th-century American sportsmen