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LHW from 1967
Johnny Alford Rating 1 USA
LHW 1959-64,67-68
24 wins / 16 losses / 3 draws / 16 KO
Hometown: PHiladlephia, PA
Rating by: Rocco Del Sesto
From october 1959 thru July 1964 Alford compiled a 15-11-3,12KO record with the first 13-2-3,10KO portion of it against the usual local club fighters. The only fight outside the PA, NJ, area being a 6 round draw with middleweight Ernie Smith(15-20-3) in Detroit. In November 1961 he fought Johnny Tucker at Madison Square Garden and lost a 6 round decision to Tucker. Those two fought a rematch at the Garden in January 1962 with Alford winning by TKO in the 6th round after referee Martin stopped the bout after Tucker had been battered in the 5th and 6th rounds according to the New York Times.
A little more then a month later Alfrod took on future heavyweight Jimmy Ellis at the Garden. Both fighters went into this fight weighing in as a middleweight at slightly less then 160 lbs. Ellis won by majority decision in 6 rounds. That was the start of a 1-8-0 skid over the next couple of years including losses to Jesse Smith, Allen Thomas adn ending with consecutive losses to Leotis Martin, Johnny Persol and Giulio Rinaldi(in Rome, Italy, the first of only 2 times Alford fought outside the states). After he dropped the 10 round decision to Rinaldi, Alford left the ring for close to 3 years.
In March 1967 Alford started a comeback dropping a 10 round decision to then undefeated LHW Joe Burns(23-7-1,10). Alford then realed off 6 straight wins including a 7th round KO of Luis Gutierrez. On March 26 1967, three weeks after winning a 10 round decision over Freddie Sullivan, Alfrod lost by 10 round UD to Angel Oquendo. That was followed 2 months later by a 10 round decision loss to Pedro Miranda. After an 8th round knockout of Linnes Johnson a couple weeks after the loss to Miranda, Alford finished out a busy 1967 with a 10 round decision loss to Oquendo. Alford then finished his career for good in 1968 with a 3rd round Ko win, a 10 round descision loss to Harold Johnson and then a 10 round UD win over Juan Carlos Rivero.
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