Ernest Mateen (June 3, 1966 – November 6, 2012, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

), nicknamed 'M-16', was a

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and IBU

Cruiserweight (boxing) Cruiserweight, also referred to as junior heavyweight, is a weight class (boxing), weight class in professional boxing between light heavyweight and heavyweight. Before the advent of the current cruiserweight class, "light heavyweight" and "cruis ...

champion. He was shot to death by his wife in a case of probable self-defense.

Amateur career

As an amateur boxer 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 ...

, M-16 Mateen won two New York

Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves of America is an organization that promotes annual competitions of amateur boxing in the United States, in which winners are awarded a belt and a ring, and the title of national champion. The organization currently owns 30 fr ...

Championships. Mateen won the 1988 and 1989 178 pound Open Championships. In 1988, Mateen defeated Clinton Mitchell of the Police Athletic League in the finals to win the Championship. Mitchell then turned pro and defeated

Bernard Hopkins Bernard Hopkins Jr. (born January 15, 1965) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2016. He is one of the most successful boxers of the past three decades, having held multiple world championships in two weight class ...

on December 11, 1988, in their professional debuts. M-16 Mateen remained an amateur, and in 1989 repeated as 178 pound Open Champion again by defeating Jade Scott of the Police Athletic League in the New York

championship final. Mateen trained at the Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn BA in 1988 and at

Gleason's Gym Gleason's is a boxing gym located on the Brooklyn waterfront. The gym was founded by Peter Gagliardi, a former bantamweight, who changed his name to Bobby Gleason. It moved to Manhattan and then to Brooklyn. Gleason's is now owned by Bruce Silverg ...

in 1989.Ernest Mateen - Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia
/ref> He was trained in the amateurs by his father, Ernest Mateen Sr., an auto mechanic and a father of nine, who was shot and killed in mid-afternoon in a crowded open-air vegetable market in

Canarsie, Brooklyn Canarsie ( ) is a mostly residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of Brooklyn, New York City. Canarsie is bordered on the east by Fresh Creek Basin, East 108th Street, and Louisiana Avenue; on the north by Linden Boulevard; on th ...

in May 1990.

Professional career

M-16 Mateen turned pro in the

Light heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

boxing division on January 13, 1991, and won by decision over undefeated David Telesco, who went on to become the USBA

champion ranked # 1 by the WBC, WBA and IBF. Mateen drew with, then later defeated Tim Wilson, and won by decision over David Telesco again. M-16 Mateen went undefeated in his first twenty professional bouts, including wins over 12-0 Steve Pannell and 20-0 Billy Lewis. M-16 Mateen also defeated Kevin Watts, Dale Jackson, and Drake Thadzi (who later defeated

James Toney James Nathaniel Toney (born August 24, 1968) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2017. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and lineal ...

), fighters with a combined 65 wins, en route to winning the

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

State and

World Boxing Council The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...

Continental Americas

boxing title and rising as high as # 2 in the world ratings, before losing his title in the tenth round to Charles Williams (boxer). Williams had fought in 11 consecutive IBF

world title fights before fighting Mateen. In a controversial ending, M-16 Mateen was later disqualified in the fifth round of a

world title bout against champion

. M-16 Mateen went on to decision John Scully twice, later known as the trainer of

Chad Dawson Chad Dawson (born July 13, 1982) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2019. He held multiple world championships at light heavyweight, and was one of the most highly regarded boxers in that weight class between 2006 ...

, and drew with future

champion O'Neil Bell. M-16 went on to win the United States Boxing Organization Cruiserweight title by 12-round decision over Joey DeGrandis. M-16 Mateen went on to win the International Boxing Union version of the

title, stopping

Uriah Grant Uriah Grant (born January 20, 1961) is a Jamaican former professional boxer who held the IBF Cruiserweight Title. Professional career Grant turned pro in 1984 as a light heavyweight and lost to Henry Tillman in his second pro fight. In 1986 he ...

twice in title bouts. Grant went on to stop

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 ...

. M-16 Mateen finished with a professional record 30-12-3 with 10 knockouts. In his last two fights, M-16 Mateen lost to future top contender

Matt Godfrey Matt Godfrey (born January 16, 1981) is a Wampanoag former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2012. He challenged for the World Boxing Organization, WBO Cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight title in 2010. Amateur career Godfrey, who is ...

, but finished his career with a ten-round unanimous decision over veteran Terry Porter in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, on June 10, 2006, leaving the ring a winner at age 40.Ernest Mateen - Boxer
/ref>

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 30 Wins (10 knockouts, 20 decisions), 12 Losses (10 knockouts, 2 decisions), 3 Draws''

, - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , -align=center , Win , align=left, , align=left, Terry Porter , UD , 10 , 10/06/2006 , align=left,

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, TKO , 2 , 13/02/2006 , align=left, Dunkin Donuts Center,

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Olive Branch, Mississippi Olive Branch is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, sixth most populous city in Mississippi, US, located in DeSoto County, Mississippi, DeSoto County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 39,711. Olive Branch ...

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, TKO , 8 , 15/11/2003 , align=left,

Boynton Beach, Florida Boynton Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is situated about north of Miami. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded a population of 80,380. Boynton Beach is located in the Mi ...

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Vassiliy Jirov Vassiliy Valeryevich Jirov (; born 4 April 1974), sometimes known as Vasily Zhirov, is a Kazakhstani former professional boxer who competed from 1997 to 2009, and held the IBF cruiserweight title from 1999 to 2003. As an amateur he won a gold ...

, TKO , 7 , 07/08/2003 , align=left, Pechanga Resort and Casino,

Temecula, California Temecula (; , ; Luiseño language, Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corpora ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Rich LaMontagne , TKO , 6 , 02/05/2003 , align=left,

Foxwoods Resort Casino Foxwoods Resort Casino is an integrated resort owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on their Indian reservation, reservation located in Ledyard, Connecticut. Including six casinos, the resort covers an area of . The casino ...

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,

, TD , 9 , 09/11/2002 , align=left, South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center,

West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Joey DeGrandis , UD , 12 , 27/09/2002 , align=left,

Ramada Ramada is a large American multinational hotel chain owned by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. As of December 31, 2022, it operates 851 hotels with 120,344 rooms across 63 countries under the Ramada brand. Name The ''Ramada'' name derives from th ...

, Rosemont, Illinois, U.S. , align=left, , - , align=center style="background:#abcdef;", Draw , , align=left, O'Neil Bell , TD , 3 , 26/04/2002 , align=left,

Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located immediately northwest of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 3,952. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Iceman John Scully , UD , 8 , 19/04/2001 , align=left,

New Haven Coliseum New Haven Coliseum, formally known as New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, was a sports and entertainment arena located in downtown New Haven, Connecticut. Construction began in 1968 and was completed in 1972. The Coliseum was officially closed o ...

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

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

Antonio Tarver Antonio Deon Tarver (born November 21, 1968) is an American former professional boxer and boxing commentator. In boxing he competed from 1997 to 2015, and held multiple light heavyweight world championships, including the WBA (Unified), WBC, ...

, KO , 1 , 29/02/2000 , align=left,

Plaza Hotel & Casino The Plaza Hotel & Casino is a hotel and casino located in Downtown Las Vegas, downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. It currently has 995 rooms and suites, an casino and more than of event space. The Plaza Hotel also has a showroom, rooftop swimming poo ...

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 ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Will Taylor , TKO , 6 , 07/11/1997 , align=left,

First Union Center Wells Fargo Center (to be renamed to Xfinity Mobile Arena effective September 1, 2025) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Philadelphia. It serves as the home of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Philadel ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , align=center style="background:#abcdef;", Draw , , align=left, Chris Johnson , TD , 3 , 03/10/1997 , align=left, Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Iceman John Scully , UD , 10 , 29/06/1997 , align=left, Dressler Arena,

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, David Telesco , TKO , 8 , 11/04/1997 , align=left, Capitol Theater,

Port Chester, New York Port Chester is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the largest part of the town of Rye (town), New York, Rye in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County by populati ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Imamu Mayfield , TKO , 4 , 03/05/1996 , align=left,

Somerset, New Jersey Somerset is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Franklin Township, in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

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

, DQ , 5 , Sep 9, 1995 , align=left,

Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesar ...

Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an Unincorporated towns in Nevada, unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Tim Hillie , PTS , 10 , 29/04/1995 , align=left,

US Air Arena The Capital Centre (later USAir Arena and US Airways Arena) was an indoor arena in the eastern United States, located in Landover, Maryland, a suburb east of Washington, D.C. The seating capacity was 18,756 for basketball and 18,130 for ice ho ...

Landover, Maryland Landover is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 25,998. Landover is contained between Sheriff Road and Central Avenue to the ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Garry Delaney , TKO , 7 , 18/03/1995 , align=left,

Green Glens Arena The Green Glens Arena (sometimes referred to as Millstreet Arena) is a public entertainment location in Millstreet, in County Cork, Ireland. There is a outdoor estate for equestrian sporting events and an indoor arena measuring 80 metres by ...

Millstreet Millstreet () is a town in north County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2022 census, it had a population of 1,722. Millstreet is within the civil parish of Drishane, and within a Poor Law Union also called Millstreet. The Millstreet Union encompasse ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ron Preston , PTS , 10 , 18/11/1994 , align=left,

Webster, Massachusetts Webster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,776 at the 2020 census. Named after statesman Daniel Webster, the town was founded by industrialist Samuel Slater, and was home to several early Amer ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Luis Oliveira , TKO , 1 , 30/09/1994 , align=left,

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Rudy Nix , TKO , 2 , 30/06/1994 , align=left, Trump Castle, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Charles Williams , TKO , 10 , 07/04/1994 , align=left,

Robinsonville, Mississippi Tunica Resorts,Hotel Pennsylvania The Hotel Pennsylvania was a hotel at 401 Seventh Avenue (15 Penn Plaza) in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, across from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden. Opened in 1919, it was once the largest hotel in the world. It remained t ...

, New York City, New York, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John McClain , UD , 10 , 09/12/1993 , align=left, Paramount Theatre, New York City, New York, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Billy Lewis , TKO , 10 , 06/10/1993 , align=left,

Harrah's Atlantic City Harrah's Resort Atlantic City is a casino hotel in the marina district of Atlantic City, New Jersey, owned by Vici Properties and operated by Caesars Entertainment. Harrah's is one of the largest hotels in New Jersey. The casino is one of thre ...

, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tim St Clair , UD , 10 , 30/07/1993 , align=left,

, New York City, New York, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Drake Thadzi Drake Thadzi (born November 23, 1964, in Lilongwe) is a Malawian former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 1998, twice challenging for a light heavyweight world title in 1995 and 1998. As am amateur, he competed at the 1984 Summer Olympi ...

, MD , 10 , 13/05/1993 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Steve Pannell , TKO , 1 , 08/04/1993 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Kevin Watts , TKO , 4 , 26/02/1993 , align=left,

Hauppauge, New York Hauppauge ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the towns of Islip and Smithtown in western Suffolk County, New York, on Long Island. Its population in 2022 was estimated at 20,401 by the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite the offici ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John Spiros , TKO , 4 , 30/01/1993 , align=left, New York City, New York, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Roosevelt Williams , TKO , 7 , 04/12/1992 , align=left, Bushkill, Pennsylvania, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Hector Rosario , PTS , 10 , 23/10/1992 , align=left, Bushkill, Pennsylvania, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jamal Arbubakar , DQ , 2 , 18/09/1992 , align=left, Bushkill, Pennsylvania, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Art Bayliss , UD , 8 , 31/07/1992 , align=left,

Bushkill, Pennsylvania Bushkill is an unincorporated community in Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States. Portions of Bushkill were seized by the United States government during the controversial Tocks Island Dam project and are now part of the Delaware Water Ga ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Keith Providence , TKO , 3 , 28/05/1992 , align=left,

Monticello, New York Monticello ( ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village located in Thompson, New York, Thompson, Sullivan County, within the Catskills region of New York, United States. It is the seat for the town of Thompson, and the county ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Dale Jackson , PTS , 8 , 08/05/1992 , align=left,

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, it is the List o ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John Spiros , SD , 4 , 10/04/1992 , align=left, New York City, New York, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Julio Hernandez , TKO , 3 , 23/03/1992 , 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, Exum Speight , UD , 4 , 06/03/1992 , align=left, Callicoon, New York, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tim Wilson , UD , 4 , 16/01/1992 , align=left,

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Westchester County Center The Westchester County Center is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in White Plains, New York. It hosts various local concerts and sporting events for the area. The County Center was conceived by the Westchester Recreation Commission in 1924 as a ...

White Plains, New York White Plains is a city in and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, and a commercial hub of Westchester County, a densely populated suburban county that is home to about one milli ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Rick Beechum , TKO , 2 , 24/08/1991 , align=left,

Shawnee State University Shawnee State University (SSU) is a public university in Portsmouth, Ohio, United States, established in 1986. It is the southernmost member of the University System of Ohio. History Although its roots date back to 1945 when Ohio University est ...

Portsmouth, Ohio Portsmouth is a city in Scioto County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in southern Ohio south of Chillicothe, Ohio, Chillicothe, it lies on the north bank of the Ohio River, across from Kentucky and just east of the mouth of th ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , align=center style="background:#abcdef;", Draw , , align=left, Tim Wilson , PTS , 4 , 17/05/1991 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, David Telesco , PTS , 4 , 22/03/1991 , align=left, Callicoon, New York, U.S. , align=left,

Life after retirement

Mateen worked as a licensed professional boxing trainer in New York and New Jersey, with particular attention to the career of his brother, rising light heavyweight boxer Hamid-Abdul Mateen.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mateen, Ernest Cruiserweight boxers American boxing trainers 1966 births 2012 deaths People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn American male boxers Boxers from Brooklyn Deaths by firearm in New York (state) Mariticides 20th-century American sportsmen