David Izonritei (born 29 April 1968) is a Nigerian former

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. Also known as David Izon, Izonritei won the Heavyweight silver medal at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

. During his professional career, he defeated world title challengers

Derrick Jefferson Derrick Lavon Jefferson (born March 10, 1968) is an American former professional boxer. He challenged once for the WBO title in 2001, and is perhaps best remembered for his brutal left hook-knockout of Maurice Harris in 1999. Early life Jeffers ...

and

Lou Savarese Louis "''Lou''" Savarese (born July 14, 1965) is an American former professional boxer and mixed martial artist who competed 1989 to 2013. He is from Greenwood Lake, New York. In January 1996, Savrese won IBF USBA Heavyweight title by knocking ...

Amateur career

Izon had an amateur record that included a silver medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. On his way to the silver medal Izon beat the highly regarded pair of

David Tua Mafaufau Tavita Lio Mafaufau Sanerivi Talimatasi (born 21 November 1972), known as David Tua, is a Samoan-New Zealand former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2013. A highly ranked heavyweight contender for most of his career, Tua w ...

of New Zealand, and

Kirk Johnson Kirk Cyron Johnson (born June 29, 1972) is a Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2010, and challenged once for the WBA heavyweight title in 2002. Amateur career Johnson represented Canada at the 1992 Olympics in Bar ...

of Canada. He lost to

Félix Savón Félix Savón Fabre (born 22 September 1967) is a Cuban former amateur boxer who competed from 1980 to 2000. Considered one of the all-time greatest amateurs, he became three-time Olympic gold medalist, and the World Champion six times in a ...

of Cuba in the final.

Professional career

Izon began his pro career with 18 consecutive victories prior to being upset by

Maurice Harris Wilbur Maurice Harris (born February 21, 1976), nicknamed "Sugar Moe", is the former United States Boxing Association heavyweight champion. A professional competitor since 1992, he holds notable victories over Siarhei Liakhovich, David Izon, Jam ...

. In his next fight Izon took on

, and after 11 rounds of action, Tua knocked out Izon. Izon notably defeated Lou Savarese before losing to Michael Grant, who was undefeated at the time of the fight. Izon then put together a streak of wins before losing his last three fights and retiring from boxing in 2003.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 27 Wins (23 knockouts, 4 decisions), 6 Losses (4 knockouts, 2 decisions

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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Joe Mesi "Baby" Joe Mesi (born November 27, 1973) is an American retired boxer and Democratic Party politician from Tonawanda, New York. During his career, he defeated former world champion Vassily Jirov as well as former title challengers Bert Cooper, ...

, KO , 9 , 18/10/2002 , align=left,

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

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Fres Oquendo Fres Oquendo (born April 1, 1973) is a Puerto Rican former professional heavyweight boxer. He had a successful amateur record before turning professional in 1997. He unsuccessfully challenged three times for world heavyweight titles. Amateur car ...

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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 ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mike Sedillo , TKO , 3 , 20/10/2000 , align=left,

Auburn Hills, Michigan Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Detroit, Auburn Hills is located about north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 24,360. Auburn Hills is home to ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Reynaldo Minus , TKO , 2 , 20/05/2000 , align=left,

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It lies on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, bordering the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport to its west. The adjacent cities ar ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

, TKO , 9 , 15/01/2000 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Garing Lane , UD , 8 , 28/08/1999 , align=left,

Tunica, Mississippi Tunica is a town in and the county seat of Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, near the Mississippi River. Until the early 1990s when casino gambling was introduced in the area, Tunica had been one of the most impoverished places in the U ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Terrence Lewis , KO , 5 , 04/06/1999 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Darroll Wilson Darroll Lamont Wilson (born June 8, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2006. He is best known for his gutsy performances against some of the best fighters of his day, and his upset third-round TKO win over Sh ...

, KO , 4 , 14 Nov 1998 , align=left,

Mashantucket, Connecticut Mashantucket is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northeastern part of the town of Ledyard, New London County, Connecticut, United States. It consists of land held by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. The Foxwoods Resort Casino Foxwoods Re ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Marion Wilson Marion Wilson may refer to: * Marion Wilson (boxer) (born 1956), American heavyweight boxer * Marion Wilson (murderer) (1976–2019), American convicted murderer * Marion Wilson (artist), American artist and professor {{hndis, Wilson, Mario ...

, UD , 8 , 18 Jul 1998 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Michael Grant , TKO , 5 , 17/01/1998 , align=left,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

, KO , 5 , 01/11/1997 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Harry Daniels , KO , 1 , 11/09/1997 , align=left,

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, TKO , 12 , 21/12/1996 , align=left,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, UD , 8 , 15/03/1996 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Brian Morgan , TKO , 8 , 15/12/1995 , align=left,

Sedan, Ardennes Sedan () is a commune in the Ardennes department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. It is also the chef-lieu (administrative centre) of the arrondissement of the same name. Sedan is notable as the site of two major battles between ...

, France , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Cleveland Woods , TKO , 8 , 04/11/1995 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Kimmuel Odum , TKO , 5 , 24/10/1995 , align=left,

Levallois-Perret Levallois-Perret () is a Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department and Île-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It lies on the right bank of the Seine, some from the Kilometre z ...

, France , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

, DQ , 5 , 23/08/1995 , align=left,

Le Cannet Le Cannet (; ; older ) is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Administration Le Cannet was part of Cannes until 1778, when it was made a separate commune. Location Le Cannet is located in the north of Canne ...

, France , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Dan Kosmicki , TKO , 5 , 02/07/1995 , align=left,

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Arturo Lopez , KO , 2 , 11/04/1995 , align=left,

, France , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bill Corrigan , KO , 1 , 01/04/1995 , align=left,

, France , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ali Allen , KO , 2 , 04/03/1995 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mike Robinson , TKO , 5 , 04/02/1995 , align=left, Beziers, France , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, William Campudani , KO , 1 , 03/12/1994 , align=left,

Salta Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Salta Province, the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the List of cities in Argentina, 7th most-populous ...

, Argentina , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Isaac Poole , KO , 2 , 16/11/1994 , align=left,

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, Argentina , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Rick Sullivan , PTS , 6 , 29/10/1994 , align=left,

Menucourt Menucourt () is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France. Population Education Schools include:Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

, Monaco , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Laszlo Paszterko , TKO , 3 , 17/04/1994 , align=left,

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, , ; or simply ; ) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its metropolitan area () had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 ...

, France , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Phillipe Houyvet , TKO , 5 , 19/03/1994 , align=left,

, France , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jean Michel Vauquelin , TKO , 2 , 12/02/1994 , align=left,

Cergy-Pontoise Cergy-Pontoise () is a new town and an agglomeration community in France, in the Val-d'Oise and Yvelines departments, northwest of Paris on the river Oise. It owes its name to two of the communes that it covers, Cergy and Pontoise. Its population ...

, France , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Earl Talley , KO , 1 , 16/10/1993 , align=left,

, France , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Carlos Guerreiro , TKO , 1 , 06/03/1993 , align=left,

, France , align=left,

Personal

David's brothers, Roger and

Emmanuel Izonritei Emmanuel Weingkro Izonritei (Izon-Eritei) (born 31 October 1978) is a boxer from Bayelsa State of Nigeria.Boxer at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games India (Gold Medallist). He was an athlete in the 2004 Summer Olympics for Nigeria, where he lost ...

, are also professional boxers.(6 April 2004
Boxer Izonritei aims a step higher than brother
''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'', Retrieved 28 October 2010 David lives in Pensacola, FL with his wife, Laurence (French) and two children, Melissa and Ian.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Izonritei, David 1963 births Living people Boxers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers for Nigeria Olympic silver medalists for Nigeria Boxers from Lagos Olympic medalists in boxing Nigerian male boxers Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics African Games gold medalists for Nigeria African Games gold medalists in boxing Boxers at the 1991 All-Africa Games Heavyweight boxers 20th-century Nigerian sportsmen