Ron Stander (October 17, 1944 – March 8, 2022) was an American professional boxer, who fought from 1969 to 1982. The highlight of Stander's pro career came on May 25, 1972 when he challenged for the world heavyweight championship in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

. Stander lost to champion

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011), nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He was known for his strength, durability, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure ...

by fifth-round

technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

when the ring doctor stopped the fight after the fourth round. Prior to his unsuccessful match versus Frazier, Stander had scored a fifth-round knockout victory over hard-punching

Earnie Shavers Earnie Dee Shaver (August 31, 1944 – September 1, 2022), best known as Earnie Shavers, was an American professional boxer who competed between 1969 and 1995. A two-time world heavyweight championship challenger, he is known as one of the hard ...

in 1970, and a decision win over contender

Thad Spencer Thaddeus Spencer Jr. (March 28, 1943 – December 13, 2013) was an American heavyweight boxer. A native of Portland, Oregon, Spencer made his professional boxing debut in May 1960. After building up a 31-5 record, which included wins over conte ...

in 1971. An award-winning documentary titled "The Bluffs Butcher," after his adopted hometown of

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area. It is loc ...

, produced by journalism student Andrew Batt, was released in 2004. The documentary tells the story of Iowa's arguably best shot at a World Heavyweight Boxing Title and chronicled Stander's journey from virtual unknown to boxing's largest stage.

Frazier-Stander Fight

Stander was largely an unknown commodity when he was given the opportunity to fight for the world heavyweight title in Omaha. The fight prompted Stander's then wife Darlene Stander, to famously compare it to putting a

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post ...

to compete at the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of India ...

race, when she said "You don't take a Volkswagen into the Indy 500, unless you know of a hell of a shortcut". It marked the first time a world heavyweight title fight had been held in Nebraska. Stander had a solid 23-1-1 record entering the bout and was clearly the fans' favorite based on the huge, enthusiastic ovation he received when he was introduced. Frazier was the undefeated champion and entered the ring as a 10-1 betting favorite. He was booed after being introduced. Both men employed the same aggressive fighting style of pushing forward and fighting at close quarters, which made for an exciting contest. Stander was quite competitive in the first round, even buckling Frazier's knees with one blow late in the round. However, by the second round, Frazier's superiority in class began to show and the champion was getting the better of the frequent exchanges. In the third round Frazier opened a cut on the bridge of Stander's nose and severely staggered him late in the round. Stander was not knocked down, however. By the fourth round Stander was bleeding profusely from the cut and again was badly staggered towards the end of the round as Frazier landed numerous telling blows to Stander's face. Between rounds four and five the fight was stopped by veteran referee Zack Clayton on the advice of the ring doctor. Officially Frazier was credited with a victory by a fifth-round technical knockout.

Personal life and death

Stander died from complications of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

on March 8, 2022, at the age of 77.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 38 Wins (29 knockouts, 9 decisions), 21 Losses (9 knockouts, 12 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 , Loss , 38–21–3 , align=left, Otis Bates , PTS , 10 , July 6, 1982 , align=left, Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 38–20–3 , align=left, Les Myers , TKO , 6 , October 24, 1981 , align=left,

Dodge City, Kansas Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States, named after nearby Fort Dodge. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. The city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier to ...

, U.S. , , - , Loss , 38–19–3 , align=left, Jeff May , UD , 4 , June 25, 1981 , align=left, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. , align=left, , - , Draw , 38–18–3 , align=left, Otis Bates , PTS , 10 , July 27, 1980 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 38–18–2 , align=left, Jeff Shelburg , PTS , 10 , May 24, 1980 , align=left,

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 38–17–2 , align=left,

James Tillis James Tillis (born July 5, 1957) is a retired American professional boxer and actor. Known as "Quick", he was known for his fast hand speed, quite astonishing for a man of his size and build. A natural southpaw, Tillis turned around to orthodo ...

, TKO , 7 , March 3, 1980 , align=left,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, U.S. , , - , Loss , 38–16–2 , align=left, Scott Frank , TKO , 1 , January 8, 1980 , align=left,

Totowa, New Jersey Totowa (pronounced "TO-tuh-wuh" ) is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 10,844,Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 38–14–2 , align=left, Jim Pearish , TKO , 5 , August 16, 1979 , align=left,

North Platte, Nebraska North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the west-central part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River. T ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 37–14–2 , align=left, James Dixon , UD , 12 , June 25, 1979 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 37–13–2 , align=left, James Dixon , UD , 10 , April 28, 1979 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 37–12–2 , align=left, Rick Howe , TKO , 5 , April 3, 1979 , align=left,

Marshalltown, Iowa Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States, located along the Iowa River. It is the seat and most populous settlement of Marshall County and the 16th largest city in Iowa, with a population of 27,591 at ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 36–12–2 , align=left, Charles Atlas , KO , 1 , November 29, 1978 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 35–12–2 , align=left, Charley Polite , UD , 10 , October 25, 1978 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 34–12–2 , align=left, Bill Jackson , KO , 1 , July 26, 1978 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 33–12–2 , align=left, Jesus Montes , KO , 3 , June 20, 1978 , align=left, Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 32–12–2 , align=left, Clyde Mudgett , TKO , 4 , March 23, 1978 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 31–12–2 , align=left, Horace Robinson , KO , 5 , November 30, 1977 , align=left,

White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = , subdivisi ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 31–11–2 , align=left, Raul Hernandez , KO , 4 , November 15, 1977 , align=left, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 30–11–2 , align=left, Boone Kirkman , TKO , 7 , July 19, 1977 , align=left,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 30–10–2 , align=left,

Gerrie Coetzee Gerhardus Christian Coetzee (born 8 April 1955) is a South African former professional boxer who competed from 1974 to 1986, and in 1993 and 1997. He was the first African ever to fight for, and win, a world heavyweight championship, having hel ...

, KO , 8 , July 17, 1976 , align=left,

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

, South Africa , align=left, , - , Win , 30–9–2 , align=left, Beau Williford , KO , 3 , June 1, 1976 , align=left, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 29–9–2 , align=left,

Ken Norton Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. (August 9, 1943 – September 18, 2013) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1967 to 1981, and held the WBC world heavyweight championship in 1978. He is best known for his fights with Muhammad Ali, in ...

, TKO , 5 , April 30, 1976 , align=left,

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 so ...

, U.S. , , - , Win , 29–8–2 , align=left, Jesus Montes , KO , 3 , January 26, 1976 , align=left,

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 28–8–2 , align=left, Willie Jackson , KO , 1 , January 6, 1976 , align=left, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 27–8–2 , align=left,

Scott LeDoux Alan Scott LeDoux, nicknamed "The Fighting Frenchman," (January 7, 1949 – August 11, 2011) was a politician, professional heavyweight boxer, professional wrestler, and referee. Career Boxing LeDoux began his professional boxing career in 1 ...

, UD , 10 , December 10, 1975 , align=left, Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 27–7–2 , align=left, Terry Daniels , TKO , 1 , November 20, 1975 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 26–7–2 , align=left, Morris Jackson , TKO , 2 , September 4, 1975 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 25–7–2 , align=left, Bruce Scott , TKO , 2 , August 5, 1975 , align=left, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. , , - , Loss , 24–7–2 , align=left, Fred Askew , UD , 10 , May 7, 1975 , align=left, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 24–6–2 , align=left, Rodney Bobick , UD , 10 , July 31, 1974 , align=left, Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S. , align=left, , - , Draw , 24–5–2 , align=left, Morris Jackson , PTS , 10 , March 22, 1974 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 24–5–1 , align=left, Charlie James , PTS , 10 , February 19, 1974 , align=left,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the islan ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 24–4–1 , align=left, Jeff Merritt , TKO , 3 , November 28, 1973 , align=left, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. , , - , Win , 24–3–1 , align=left, Walker Smith , TKO , 3 , September 10, 1973 , align=left,

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 23–3–1 , align=left, John Jordan , UD , 10 , March 29, 1973 , align=left,

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metro ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , 23–2–1 , align=left,

, TKO , 5 , May 25, 1972 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 23–1–1 , align=left, Johnny Mac , UD , 10 , March 20, 1972 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 22–1–1 , align=left, Mike Boswell , UD , 10 , February 14, 1972 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Loss , 21–1–1 , align=left, Rico Brooks , SD , 10 , January 22, 1972 , align=left,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

, U.S. , , - , Win , 21–0–1 , align=left, Clyde Brown , TKO , 3 , December 20, 1971 , align=left,

Elgin, Illinois Elgin ( ) is a city in Cook and Kane counties in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. Elgin is located northwest of Chicago, along the Fox River. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 114,797, the seventh-larg ...

, U.S. , , - , Win , 20–0–1 , align=left, Jesse Crown , KO , 3 , October 26, 1971 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Win , 19–0–1 , align=left, Manuel Ramos , UD , 10 , August 26, 1971 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Win , 18–0–1 , align=left,

Jack O'Halloran Jack O'Halloran (born April 8, 1943) is an American actor and former boxer. O'Halloran fought in 57 professional boxing matches (including fights with future heavyweight champions George Foreman and Ken Norton), but he is best known for acting ...

, UD , 10 , July 29, 1971 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Win , 17–0–1 , align=left, Lee Carr , KO , 6 , May 24, 1971 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Win , 16–0–1 , align=left,

, UD , 10 , April 23, 1971 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Win , 15–0–1 , align=left, Frank Bullard , KO , 6 , March 30, 1971 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Win , 14–0–1 , align=left, Joe Murphy Goodwin , KO , 1 , November 3, 1970 , align=left,

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...

, U.S. , , - , Draw , 13–0–1 , align=left, Manuel Ramos , PTS , 10 , September 17, 1970 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Win , 13–0 , align=left, Bill Hardney , KO , 1 , August 28, 1970 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Win , 12–0 , align=left, Ray Ellis , TKO , 3 , July 17, 1970 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Win , 11–0 , align=left, Eddie Dembry , UD , 8 , June 8, 1970 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Win , 10–0 , align=left,

, KO , 5 , May 11, 1970 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Win , 9–0 , align=left, Woody Parks , TKO , 1 , April 9, 1970 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Win , 8–0 , align=left, Joe Harris , KO , 4 , March 23, 1970 , align=left, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. , , - , Win , 7–0 , align=left, Lee Powell , KO , 1 , March 2, 1970 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Win , 6–0 , align=left, Roy Rodriguez , UD , 6 , January 29, 1970 , align=left,

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 67,314, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. The city is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Fall ...

, U.S. , , - , Win , 5–0 , align=left, Joe Byrd , PTS , 6 , December 19, 1969 , align=left, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. , , - , Win , 4–0 , align=left, Wilbert Elbert , KO , 1 , November 17, 1969 , align=left,

, U.S. , , - , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Lee Estes , TKO , 2 , September 29, 1969 , align=left, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. , , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Red Ferris , KO , 1 , August 15, 1969 , align=left,

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

, U.S. , , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Bobby Street , KO , 1 , August 7, 1969 , align=left,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, U.S. ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stander, Ron 1944 births 2022 deaths American male boxers Heavyweight boxers Sportspeople from Columbia, South Carolina Deaths from diabetes Place of death missing