Mark Medal (born June 10, 1957 in
Manhattan, NY
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the smallest county by area in the U.S. state of New York. Located almost entirely ...
), is a former professional
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 ...
in the
Light Middleweight
Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in boxing but also may include other combat sports.
Boxing
The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the Intern ...
(154
lb) division. A hard-hitting boxer, he was the
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts. The others are the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing C ...
's inaugural world junior-middleweight champion and won 20 of his 28 contests by knockout.
Professional career
Medal, a
Puerto Rican-American
Stateside Puerto Ricans (), also ambiguously known as Puerto Rican Americans (, ), or Puerto Ricans in the United States, are Puerto Ricans who reside in the Contiguous United States, mainland United States.
Pursuant to the Jones–Shafroth A ...
, turned pro in 1979 and won the vacant IBF Light Middleweight Title with a fifth round
TKO A technical knockout (TKO) is a professional fighting term.
TKO may also refer to:
Sports
* TKO, the name of a professional wrestling move referring to either the cutter or stunner variant
* TKO Group Holdings, a combat sports company
Music Ar ...
win over the also hard-hitting (23-0, with all 23 wins by knockout) Earl Hargrove in 1984, becoming the inaugural champion. He lost the belt in his first defense to
Carlos Santos. In 1986 he took on WBC Light Middleweight title holder
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 ...
, but lost via TKO.
Professional boxing record
Post retirement
After his retirement from boxing at the age of 30 he became a member of the Jersey City Police Department. In 2009 Medal was indicted and charged with conspiracy to possess a controlled dangerous substance, which resulted in him losing his position as a police officer.
See also
*
Afro–Puerto Ricans
Afro–Puerto Ricans (), most commonly known as Puerto Rico#Etymology , Afroboricuas, but also occasionally referred to as ''Afroborinqueños,'' ''Afroborincanos'', or ''Afropuertorros,'' are Puerto Ricans of full or partial Sub-Saharan Africa, ...
*
Boxing in Puerto Rico
The history of the sport of boxing in Puerto Rico is a varied and extensive one. Boxing is a major sport in the Caribbean country, and the sport has produced many champions for the island, both in the amateur and professional ranks, and among men a ...
*
List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions
In Puerto Rico, boxing is considered a major sport, having produced more amateur and professional world champions than any other sport in its history. Puerto Rico ranks 5th worldwide between countries with most boxing world champions in history ...
*
List of world light-middleweight boxing champions
This is a chronological List of World Super Welterweight / Junior Middleweight / Light Middleweight Boxing Champions, as recognized by four of the better-known sanctioning organizations:
* The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the ...
References
External links
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Medal, Mark
1957 births
Living people
American male boxers
Boxers from New York City
Law enforcement officials from New Jersey
Sportspeople from Manhattan
Boxers from New Jersey
American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent
World light-middleweight boxing champions
International Boxing Federation champions
American police officers
20th-century American sportsmen