Johnny 'Bump City' Bumphus (August 17, 1960 – January 31, 2020) was an American

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

who held the WBA

super lightweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...

title in 1984 and challenged once for the WBC and IBF

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

titles in 1987.

Amateur career

Bumphus began boxing as an amateur at the age of eight at the Tacoma Boy's Club Boxing Club, located on 25th and Yakima Avenue. He was one of four World Champions to begin boxing in Tacoma, the others being Freddie Steele,

Rocky Lockridge ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weath ...

and

Leo Randolph Leo Randolph (born February 27, 1958) is an American former boxer, who won the Flyweight Gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Amateur career Randolph had an outstanding amateur career. Randolph was a product of the Tacoma Boys Club amateur ...

. His amateur highlights were: *Winning the 1977 National AAU Featherweight Championship by decisioning Lee Simmons of Akron, Ohio, in the final. *Winning the 1979 National

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 ...

Championship in the lightweight division (132 lbs) by defeating Efrain Nieves at Indianapolis. *Being ranked #1 U.S. Lightweight by the U.S. Amateur Boxers and Coaches Association in 1979, while also serving as a

deputy sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is commonly ...

with the Nashville Sheriff's Department in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. Bumphus qualified for the 1980 American Olympic boxing team, but did not compete due to the American boycott of the Moscow Olympics. He was the

torch bearer ''The Torch Bearer'' is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by William Russell and Jack Prescott. The film stars Charlotte Burton. Cast * Charlotte Burton as Janet Dare * Harry Keenan as William Wendell * Marie Van Tassell as Mrs. ...

for the American Olympians. In August 1980, he signed with boxing promoter

Bob Arum Robert Arum (born December 8, 1931) is an American lawyer and boxing promoter. He is the founder and CEO of Top Rank, a professional boxing promotion company based in Las Vegas. Prior to becoming a boxing promoter, Arum was employed as an attorn ...

reportedly for $500,000.

Highlights

National 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 ...

(125 lbs),

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, March–April 1977: *1/2: Defeated Larry Tatman by decision *Finals: Lost to Bernard Taylor by decision United States National Championships (125 lbs),

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

, May 1977: *1/2: Defeated Jerry Smith by decision *Finals: Defeated Leo Simmons by decision USA–Poland Duals (125 lbs),

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 ...

, August 1977: *Lost to Roman Gotfryd (Poland) by unanimous decision, 0–3 USA–Romania Duals (125 lbs),

Caesars Tahoe Bally's Lake Tahoe (formerly Park Tahoe, Caesars Tahoe, and MontBleu Resort Casino) is a casino hotel in Stateline, Nevada. It is owned by Edgewood Companies and operated by Bally's Corporation. The property includes a casino and a 438-room hote ...

Stateline, Nevada Stateline is a census-designated place (CDP) on the southeastern shore of Lake Tahoe in Douglas County, Nevada, Douglas County, Nevada, United States. It lies next to the border with California and is conurbated with South Lake Tahoe, California ...

, January 1978: *Defeated

Gheorghe Ciochina Gheorghe is a Romanian and Aromanian given name and surname. It is a variant of George, also a name in Romanian but with soft Gs. It may refer to: Given name * Gheorghe Adamescu (1869–1942), Romanian literary historian and bibliographer * ...

(Romania) by decision USA–Yugoslavia Duals (132 lbs),

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 ...

, February 1978: *Defeated

Ace Rusevski Ace Rusevski (born November 30, 1956, in Kumanovo) is a retired Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian boxing, boxer who represented Yugoslavia at the Boxing at the 1976 Summer Olympics, 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. There he ...

(Yugoslavia) by decision United States National Championships (132 lbs),

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 ...

, April 1978: *1/8: Defeated Mike Hess by decision *1/4: Lost to

Davey Armstrong Davey Lee Armstrong (June 9, 1956 – February 8, 2021) was a boxer from the United States. Amateur career Armstrong was born in Puyallup, Washington, and began boxing at the Tacoma Boys Club, along with future world champions Rocky Lockridge a ...

by decision USA–USSR Duals (132 lbs),

, January 1979: *Defeated Dmitriy Grubov (Soviet Union) by decision Cuba–USA Duals (132 lbs),

Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Adolfo Horta (Cuba) by decision Southern Golden Gloves (132 lbs),

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

, March 1979: *Defeated Arnaldo Maura RSC 3

(132 lbs),

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, March 1979: *1/2: Defeated Melvin Paul by decision *Finals: Defeated Efrain Nieves by decision National Sports Festival (139 lbs), July 1979: * (no data available) Pan Am Trials (132 lbs),

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, May–June 1979: *1/2: Defeated Robert Hines by decision *Finals: Lost to

by decision USA–FRG Duals (139 lbs),

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City is the county seat of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is located on the eastern slope of the Black Hills in western South Dakota and was named after Rapid Creek (South Dakota), Rapid Creek, where the settlement deve ...

, August 1979: *Defeated

Werner Schäfer Werner Schäfer (born 29 December 1952) is a German boxer. He competed in the men's bantamweight event at the 1972 Summer Olympics. At the 1972 Summer Olympics, he lost to Joe Destimo Joseph Destimo (born 22 September 1943) is a Ghanaian bo ...

(West Germany) by unanimous decision, 3–0 Nashville Sheriff's Dept. vs. Jackson Boxing Club (139 lbs), Clearview Shopping Center gym,

Mount Juliet, Tennessee Mt. Juliet (also referred to as Mount Juliet) is a city located in western Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. A suburb of Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, it is approximately east of downtown Nashville. Mt. Juliet is located mostly between ...

, January 1980: *Defeated Will Sommerville Jackson Boxing Club vs. Nashville Sheriff's Dept. (139 lbs), Jackson Coliseum,

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis and 130 Miles Southwest of Nashville, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population wa ...

, February 1980: * (no data available) 46th Midstate Golden Gloves Tournament (139 lbs), Franklin Optimist Center,

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020 Uni ...

, February 1980: *Defeated Freddie Bostic RSCH 2 USA–Cuba Duals (139 lbs),

Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles Coliseum, which was called Charlotte ...

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, February 1980: *Defeated Armando Martínez (Cuba) by decision Southern Golden Gloves (139 lbs),

, March 1980: * (no data available) GDR–USA Duals (139 lbs),

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch Low German: ''Swerin''; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Zwierzyn''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germ ...

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

, March 1980: *Defeated

Karl-Heinz Krüger Karl-Heinz Krüger (born 25 December 1953) is a retired boxer who represented East Germany at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union. There he won the bronze medal in the welterweight division (– 67 kg), after being defeated in ...

(East Germany) by unanimous decision, 3–0 GDR–USA Duals (139 lbs),

Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...

, March 1980: *Defeated

Dietmar Schwarz Dietmar Schwarz (born 30 July 1947 in East Berlin) is a German coxswain who competed for the SC Dynamo Berlin / Sportvereinigung (SV) Dynamo The Sportvereinigung Dynamo () (''Dynamo Sports Association'') was the Sports associations (East Ge ...

(East Germany) by decision USA–Scandinavia Duals (139 lbs),

, April 1980: *Defeated Fleming Pederson (Denmark) KO 2 Southern AAU Tournament (139 lbs), Franklin Optimist Center,

, April 1980: *Defeated Walter Webster by medical walkover United States National Championships (139 lbs),

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 ...

, May 1980: *1/2: Defeated Harry Arroyo by decision *Finals: Defeated Darryl Anthony by unanimous decision, 5–0 Olympic Trials (139 lbs),

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, June 1980: *1/4: Defeated Darryl Anthony by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/2: Defeated Terry Silver DQ 3 *Finals: Defeated

Ronnie Shields Ronnie Shields (born June 6, 1958 in Port Arthur, Texas) is a former professional boxer in the featherweight division and is currently a boxing trainer. Amateur career Shields had a stellar amateur career. In 1974 he was the National Junior Ol ...

by unanimous decision, 5–0 National Junior Olympics Multi-Sports Festival (139 lbs),

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

Santa Clara, California Santa Clara ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "Clare of Assisi, Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities and towns i ...

, August 1980: * (no data available) Bumphus finished his amateur career at 341–16, (or 354–16.)

Olympics

Bumphus qualified at 139 pounds and was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic boxing team that died in the crash of

LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007 LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007 was an Ilyushin Il-62 that crashed near Warsaw-Okecie Airport in Poland, on 14 March 1980, as the crew aborted a landing and attempted to go-around, killing all 77 passengers and 10 crew members on board. It was ...

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, on March 14, 1980 en route to the USA vs. Poland Box-off as part of "USA vs. the World" event. Bumphus was not with the team. Among the USA Boxing teammates who were killed in the crash were Lemuel Steeples from St. Louis, Calvin Anderson from Connecticut, Paul Palomino - the brother of

Carlos Palomino Carlos Palomino (born August 10, 1949) is a Mexican former professional boxer. Palomino is a former World Welterweight Champion and member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Palomino is also an actor who has been featured in several telev ...

, George Pimental and the Olympic coach, Sarge Johnson. Members of the team who were also not aboard included

Bobby Czyz Robert Edward Czyz ( ; born February 10, 1962) is an American retired boxer and commentator. Czyz was a two-division world titleholder at light heavyweight and cruiserweight. Czyz was born in Orange, New Jersey. He grew up in Wanaque, New Jer ...

Alex Ramos Alex Ramos (born January 17, 1961) is a former middleweight boxer from the 1980s. A native of Manhattan, New York, whose parents were from Puerto Rico, Ramos won four Golden Gloves titles in New York City in the late 1970s (1977–1980) and wa ...

and

James Shuler James Shuler (May 29, 1959 – March 17, 1986) was a U.S. Olympic and professional boxer from Philadelphia known as "Black Gold." Amateur career Shuler was trained by Joe Frazier.

. Bumphus earned his place on the team with a win over

. Bumphus did not compete in the Olympics, due to the

1980 Summer Olympics boycott The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was the largest boycott in Olympic history and one part of a number of actions initiated by the United States to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, which hosted the 1980 Summ ...

. In 2007, he received one of 461

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...

s created especially for the spurned athletes. His reaction to the

LOT Polish Airlines Flight 7 LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007 was an Ilyushin Il-62 that crashed near Okecie airport, Warsaw-Okecie Airport in Poland, on 14 March 1980, as the crew aborted a landing and attempted to go-around, killing all 77 passengers and 10 crew members on ...

crash, where several of his teammates were killed, was: "We were going in the same direction a week ahead on the same plane and everything, so I'm just grateful it wasn't me that went down in the crash."No More Overseas Flights For Boxer
(AP,) ''The Indianapolis Star'', March 15, 1980, p. 31.

Professional career

Dubbed "Bump City", Bumphus began his professional career as a hot prospect, winning his first 22 fights, including the vacant WBA Light Welterweight Title with a decision win over Lorenzo Luis Garcia in 1984. Bumphus lost the belt to Gene Hatcher in June 1984 in

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 ...

. Hatcher scored an 11th-round technical knockout that had Hatcher knocking Bumphus down, then slipping and falling on a follow-up attempt, then throwing Bumphus down to the mat when both fighters clinched. A post-fight melee in the ring then ensued, as Hatcher was celebrating in triumph while the now-deposed champion was slugging away in frustration. The fight was named as ''

Ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

'' magazine's

Upset of the year ''The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has since named an Upset of the Year since 1970. The award, based on the magazine's writers' criteria, is given to a fight that resulted in an outcome that was highly contrary to general expectati ...

for 1984. In 1987, Bumphus took on

Lloyd Honeyghan Lloyd Honeyghan (born 22 April 1960) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1995. He reigned as the undisputed championship (boxing), undisputed welterweight champion from 1986 to 1987, and held the World Boxing Counci ...

for the WBC and IBF Welterweight Title, but lost via a second-round technical knockout. He retired after the loss, with a record of 29-2-0. Those in Tacoma's Hilltop area knew of the lure drugs had for Bumphus. Towards the end of his boxing career he developed an addiction to cocaine, which he briefly kicked. When he returned to Tacoma, through a series of bad friends and choices, he resumed taking drugs in 1989, becoming addicted to crack cocaine. In 1995, he spent a year in rehab, and then left Tacoma to work as a trainer for his former manager

Lou Duva Louis Duva (May 28, 1922 – March 8, 2017) was an American boxing trainer, manager and boxing promoter who handled nineteen world champions. The Duva family promoted boxing events in over twenty countries on six continents. Duva was inducted in ...

in West Palm Beach, Florida. As a trainer, he worked with

Kassim Ouma Kassim Ouma (born 12 December 1978) is a Ugandan professional boxer. He held the IBF junior middleweight title from 2004 to 2005, and has challenged twice for a world middleweight title in 2006 and 2011. Early life Born into poverty, at the age ...

and Emmett Linton.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bumphus, Johnny 1960 births 2020 deaths American male boxers Boxers from Washington (state) Sportspeople from Tacoma, Washington Congressional Gold Medal recipients Southpaw boxers National Golden Gloves champions Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers African-American boxers Welterweight boxers World light-welterweight boxing champions World Boxing Association champions 20th-century American sportsmen