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Bobby Czyz

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Bobby Czyz
Born
Robert Edward Czyz

(1962-02-10) February 10, 1962 (age 62)
Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesMatinee Idol - Chappie
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Reach69 in (175 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights52
Wins44
Wins by KO28
Losses8

Robert Edward Czyz (/ˈtʃɛz/ CHEZ; 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 Jersey and attended Lakeland Regional High School.[1][2] He is three quarters Italian and one quarter Polish.[3] His younger brother is avant-garde fiction writer Vincent Czyz.[4][5]

Nicknamed "the Matinee Idol", Czyz was a member of the United States amateur boxing team whose other members died aboard LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007 when it crashed in 1980. Czyz did not make the trip, as he was recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident.

Amateur career

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As an amateur, Czyz was doing his best to secure his spot at the U.S. Olympic team for the eventually missed 1980 Moscow Olympics. He was one of a few boxers (along with Sal Cenicola, Marvis Frazier[6] and Tony Tucker) who survived the LOT Flight 7 crash by staying at home in the United States. He finished his amateur career having 26 fights under his belt, with a record of 24 wins, 2 losses.[7]

Professional career

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Czyz had a quick start to his professional boxing career in the early 1980s, and he was soon in line for a shot against world middleweight champion Marvin Hagler. He had to start from scratch, however, after suffering a one-sided, 10-round loss at the hands of veteran Mustafa Hamsho on November 20, 1982 in a bout that was nationally televised.

Czyz went up in weight, put another string of wins together, and in September 1986, he finally found himself in a ring with an undefeated world champion, IBF light heavyweight champion Slobodan Kačar (Olympic Gold medallist of 1980). Czyz beat him in five rounds.

Czyz made three defenses: a one-round defeat of David Sears, a see-saw second-round KO of Willie Edwards, and a fifth-round TKO of Jim McDonald - before taking on 'Prince' Charles Williams in October 1987. Czyz scored an early knockdown of Williams, yet the challenger not only stayed in the fight, but also hammered shut Czyz' left eye en route to scoring a TKO victory and thus seizing the title after eight rounds of boxing.

Czyz then lost a decision to Dennis Andries in May 1988, followed by a couple of victories, in turn followed by two cracks at the world title in 1989. Czyz, despite truly good efforts on his part in both challenges, lost both of them - a 12-round decision to Virgil Hill in North Dakota for the WBA version in March, and a 10th-round TKO loss to Williams in an IBF title rematch in June.

Czyz went on to stop then-undefeated Andrew Maynard in seven rounds (the second undefeated Gold medallist he KO'd) in June 1990, then jumped up to cruiserweight. He challenged Robert Daniels for Daniels' WBA world cruiserweight championship in March 1991, and won a unanimous decision. Two defenses, against Bash Ali and Donny Lalonde, were made (both by unanimous decision) before Czyz vacated the title.

In 1994, Czyz became a television boxing analyst working alongside Steve Albert and Ferdie Pacheco whilst continuing his boxing career. The trio covered fights in many locations worldwide. In December 1994, he covered the first world title fight ever held in Ecuador as a member of Showtime's crew.

In 1996, he stepped up to the heavyweight division, but lost by knockout in five rounds to Evander Holyfield and quickly retired. Czyz fought one last time in 1998, losing by second-round TKO to South African Corrie Sanders. Czyz continued doing color commentary for Showtime, but was let go after pleading guilty to his fourth drunken-driving offense in six years after being caught speeding in Readington Township, New Jersey. Czyz's case received a lot of attention as he was a multiple repeat DUI case, and was a driver behind the NJ Assembly revisiting its legislation.[8] Czyz, who was a Raritan Township, New Jersey resident at the time, was given a six-month license suspension for each of his three drunken driving convictions in 1998, 1999 and 2000. It was discovered that he was sentenced improperly as a first-time offender after his fourth arrest, which occurred in February 2003 in Readington Township, where he was caught driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.14 percent. The state limit at that time was 0.10 percent.[8]

Professional boxing record

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52 fights 44 wins 8 losses
By knockout 28 5
By decision 15 3
By disqualification 1 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
52 Loss 44–8 Corrie Sanders TKO 2 (12), 1:43 12 Jun 1998 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut For WBU heavyweight title
51 Loss 44–7 Evander Holyfield RTD 5 (10), 3:00 10 May 1996 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
50 Win 44–6 Richard Jackson TKO 6 (12), 1:24 5 Dec 1995 Grand Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi Won WBU super cruiserweight title
49 Win 43–6 Jeff Williams UD 10 22 Sep 1995 South Mountain Arena, West Orange, New Jersey
48 Win 42–6 Tim Tomashek TKO 5 (10), 1:24 24 Mar 1995 South Mountain Arena, West Orange, New Jersey
47 Loss 41–6 David Izeqwire RTD 4 (12), 3:00 4 Aug 1994 Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut For IBO cruiserweight title
46 Win 41–5 George O'Mara UD 10 19 Feb 1994 Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina
45 Win 40–5 Donny Lalonde UD 12 8 May 1992 Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada Retained WBA cruiserweight title
44 Win 39–5 Bash Ali UD 12 9 Aug 1991 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey Retained WBA cruiserweight title
43 Win 38–5 Robert Daniels SD 12 8 Mar 1991 Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey Won WBA cruiserweight title
42 Win 37–5 Horacio Rene Brandan TKO 6 (10), 2:05 21 Sep 1990 Taj Mahal's Mark G Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey
41 Win 36–5 Andrew Maynard KO 7 (10), 0:42 24 Jun 1990 Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey
40 Win 35–5 Uriah Grant UD 10 23 Mar 1990 Showboat Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
39 Loss 34–5 Charles Williams RTD 10 (12), 3:00 25 Jun 1989 Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey For IBF light heavyweight title
38 Loss 34–4 Virgil Hill UD 12 4 Mar 1989 Civic Center, Bismarck, North Dakota For WBA light heavyweight title
37 Win 34–3 Mike DeVito TKO 7 (12), 1:18 27 Dec 1988 Lee County Civic Center, Fort Myers, Florida
36 Win 33–3 Leslie Stewart SD 10 25 Oct 1988 Resorts International, Atlantic City, New Jersey
35 Loss 32–3 Dennis Andries MD 10 22 May 1988 Ballys Park Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
34 Loss 32–2 Charles Williams RTD 9 (12), 3:00 29 Oct 1987 Las Vegas Hilton, Outdoor Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada Lost IBF light heavyweight title
33 Win 32–1 Jim MacDonald TKO 6 (12), 0:37 3 May 1987 Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey Retained IBF light heavyweight title
32 Win 31–1 Willie Edwards KO 2 (12), 2:16 21 Feb 1987 Trump Plaza Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey Retained IBF light heavyweight title
31 Win 30–1 David Sears TKO 1 (12), 1:01 26 Dec 1986 South Mountain Arena, West Orange, New Jersey Retained IBF light heavyweight title
30 Win 29–1 Slobodan Kačar TKO 5 (12), 1:10 6 Sep 1986 Las Vegas Hilton, Hilton Center, Las Vegas, Nevada Won IBF light heavyweight title
29 Win 28–1 Murray Sutherland UD 10 26 Jul 1985 Atlantis Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
28 Win 27–1 Mike Fischer UD 10 9 May 1985 South Mountain Arena, West Orange, New Jersey
27 Win 26–1 Tim Broady TKO 4 (10), 1:41 18 Jan 1985 Summit, Houston, Texas
26 Win 25–1 Marvin Mack UD 10 23 Oct 1984 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey
25 Win 24–1 Mark Frazie UD 10 30 May 1984 Atlantic City, New Jersey
24 Win 23–1 Jimmy Baker TKO 1 (10), 0:30 15 Feb 1984 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey
23 Win 22–1 Bill Medei TKO 4 (10), 2:04 25 Oct 1983 Playboy Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
22 Win 21–1 Bert Lee RTD 2 (10), 3:00 9 Sep 1983 Caesars Palace, Outdoor Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
21 Loss 20–1 Mustafa Hamsho UD 10 20 Nov 1982 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
20 Win 20–0 Chris Linson TKO 2 (10) 25 Sep 1982 Great Gorge Playboy Club, McAfee, New Jersey
19 Win 19–0 Manuel Melon TKO 2 (10), 1:24 3 Jul 1982 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey
18 Win 18–0 Bobby Coolidge TKO 4 (10), 3:00 23 Mar 1982 Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
17 Win 17–0 Robbie Sims UD 10 17 Jan 1982 Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
16 Win 16–0 Elisha Obed DQ 6 (10) 12 Nov 1981 Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Obed disqualified for holding
15 Win 15–0 Dan Snyder TKO 2 (10), 2:22 8 Nov 1981 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey
14 Win 14–0 Rick Noggle TKO 7 (10), 1:59 26 Jun 1981 Sun Dome, Tampa, Florida
13 Win 13–0 Reggie Jones RTD 6 (10), 3:00 18 Jun 1981 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey Won New Jersey middleweight title
12 Win 12–0 Oscar Albarado TKO 3 (10), 2:30 21 May 1981 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey
11 Win 11–0 Teddy Mann UD 8 23 Feb 1981 Caesars Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
10 Win 10–0 Danny Long TKO 5 (10), 2:05 8 Feb 1981 Playboy Club, McAfee, New Jersey
9 Win 9–0 Skipper Jones TKO 7 (10) 18 Dec 1980 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey
8 Win 8–0 Tommy Merola TKO 2 (10), 2:49 16 Oct 1980 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey
7 Win 7–0 Johnny Davis TKO 1 (8), 1:40 18 Sep 1980 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey
6 Win 6–0 Leo Ferro UD 8 21 Aug 1980 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey
5 Win 5–0 Bruce Strauss KO 4 (8) 17 Jul 1980 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey
4 Win 4–0 Ronald Cousins TKO 1 19 Jun 1980 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey
3 Win 3–0 Dalton Swift KO 2 22 May 1980 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey
2 Win 2–0 Jamal Arbubakar PTS 4 8 May 1980 Resorts International, Atlantic City, New Jersey
1 Win 1–0 Hank Whitmore KO 1 (4) 24 Apr 1980 Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey Professional debut

Outside the ring

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Czyz married actress and photographer Kimberly Ross (October 8, 1959 – December 19, 2006) on October 27, 1992. Their daughter, Mercedes Czyz, was born September 27, 1993. They were divorced by the time Kimberly died, after a long battle with breast cancer, aged 47.

He has since been inducted into the Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.

Czyz is a member of Mensa,[9][10] the organization for people who have scored in the highest 2% of takers in an IQ test. He even wore a shirt with "MENSA" on it while walking to the ring to fight Evander Holyfield.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Berger, Phil (5 August 1986). "PLAYERS; BOBBY CZYZ FIGHTS BACK". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  2. ^ "THE BOXER WHO BECAME A BAGGER". NJ.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  3. ^ "Boxing: An Interview with Bobby Czyz Part 3: Heavyweights, Heavy Issues, and a Distinctive Legacy". www.hardcoreboxing.net. Archived from the original on 2006-06-13.
  4. ^ Czyz, V (15 June 2018). "The Cold War and its Fallout". Longreads. Auto Mattic. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  5. ^ "Czyz-grant Not A Joke". The New York Times. 8 April 1990. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  6. ^ "Daily News from New York, New York". 15 March 1980.
  7. ^ Bobby Czyz Amateur Record at the BoxingRecords. Last updated : March 1, 2006.
  8. ^ a b [1] Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "BOBBY CZYZ". New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  10. ^ "Prominent Mensans". Mensa International. Archived from the original on 2007-06-10. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
[edit]
Sporting positions
World boxing titles
Preceded by IBF Light heavyweight champion
September 6, 1986 – October 29, 1987 		Succeeded by
Preceded by WBA Cruiserweight champion
March 8, 1991 – 1993
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Orlin Norris
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