Boxing

In Memoriam (Part 3) Compact sketches of those we lost in boxing in 2025

Published

7 months ago

January 12, 2026

Eric Bottjer

JAMES COOK, 66, London super middleweight, died in June of bladder cancer. A native of Jamaica, Cook was 25-10 (14 KOs) from 1982 to 1994, winning the English and European championships. Cook scored valuable domestic victories over Mark Kaylor, Errol Christie and Sam Storey, but failed to beat world-class fighters Herol Graham and Graciano Rocchigiani. Cook’s best win on paper was over Michael Watson, who was 7-0 when he met Cook in 1986 and left the ring after losing a half-point decision. In retirement, Cook has been a trainer and most recently worked with lithe heavyweight contender Anthony Yard.

JOHN COONEY (28), Irish super featherweight, died in February as a result of injuries suffered on February 1 during a fight with Nathan Howells in Belfast. Cooney was arrested in the 9th^vol round of the scheduled 10 and was taken to hospital immediately after the match. Just 30 minutes after arriving at the hospital, he underwent surgery to relieve pressure in his brain caused by internal bleeding. Cooney died a week later. Mark Dunlop, Cooney’s manager, when asked what kind of person Cooney was, replied: “When John was at my house, he made his bed in the morning before coming to the gym.”

DANNY CORBETT, 67, a middleweight from Miami, died “peacefully” in North Carolina in November. Corbett was 4-2 (2 KO) from 1977-1980. Corbett was born in Pittsburgh, lived in various places on the East Coast, and made his living as a painter. Sometimes he trained amateur boxing.

RAFAEL CORREA (78), a coach from Recent York, died in August. No cause of death was given, but Correa spent the last years of his life in a nursing home in Alabama. Correa was a longtime assistant to famed Recent York trainer Jimmy Glenn, who managed the Times Square gym for decades. Correa, born in Puerto Rico, was a respectable welterweight, going 15-11-3 (8 KOs) from 1967-1974.

LB CROFFORD, 70, middleweight, of Virginia, died in February at a hospital in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Crofford, who worked in construction, had two fights in 1984, earning victories over boxers with a 1-3 record.

FLOYD “Jumbo” CUMMINGS, 75, heavyweight trials horse, died in August. His death was announced on social media. No cause was given, but Cummings had been in destitute health in recent years due to breathing problems. Cummings, a heavily muscled 6-foot-10 figure, didn’t start boxing until he was 29 and was known for two things: serving multiple prison sentences (a total of 29 years, including 13 years for a murder he committed at age 17) and “holding” the returning Joe Frazier to a draw (listed in parentheses here because Jumbo was robbed (Frazier never fought again). Unfortunately, Jumbo he stole from others and in 2002 was sentenced to life under the “three strikes” law (a third conviction carries a life sentence) for stealing a Subway sandwich shot. He was released on parole in 2016. Cummings retired in 1983 with a record of 15-6-1 (13 KOs) He never won a match after the Frazier fight Frazier, claiming he was entitled to financial compensation from the station. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2009.

MIKE CUNNINGHAM, 76, the Kentucky referee who officiated the Greg Page-Dale Crowe match that resulted in Page’s life-changing injuries, died in November at a Louisville hospital. Cunningham was the chief of police in Lynnview. He officiated professional matches sporadically from 1987 to 2001, when one March night in Louisville he counted out Page in the final round of Crowe’s fight. Page suffered brain damage and was bedridden for the rest of his life. Cunningham was later appointed to the Kentucky Boxing Commission (claiming that if he had headed the commission at the time of Page’s fight, Page would not have been able to fight that night because he had not undergone a brain scan).

LOU DANIELS, 67, lightweight, Trenton, died in April. Daniels turned professional after winning the featherweight Golden Gloves in Recent Jersey in 1976, going 6-1 (1 KO). In 1979, Daniels went 6 rounds against Ray Mancini 1-0.

JEAN DANTAS, 90, French lightweight, died in March. Dantas was 15-18-6 (1 KO) from 1958 to 1966, losing his only chance to win the French lightweight title in 1964 by decision.

STEVE DARNELL, 61, super middleweight from Michigan, died in October in Brighton. “Stevie D” was 26-5-2 (15 KOs) from 1984-1993 and was undefeated in his first 22 fights. Darnell fought numerous fights against world-class opponents, defeating Lindell Holmes, Antoine Byrd and Kevin Watts. As reported, there is no cause of death. His family asked on Darnell’s behalf for donations to be made to CTE research at Boston University.

MARK DiGIOVANNI, 55, welterweight from Recent Jersey, died in March. DiGiovanni, who fought out of Kearny, won the Recent Jersey Golden Gloves in 1989 and turned professional in 1990, going 5-3-1 (2 KOs) over six years. Mark worked as an amateur trainer after ending his own career in the ring.

RAYMUNDO DIAS, 84, Brazilian lightweight, died in October. Dias was 25-10-8 (15 KOs) from 1964 to 1972, winning the Brazilian lightweight title in October 1970, but lost three weeks later in his only world title shot against WBC champion Bruno Arcari (KO by 3). A year later, Dias stopped future champion Chango Carmona by chop, but lost the rematch seven months later. Dias dropped a decision to Esteban DeJesus in September 1972 (Six weeks later DeJesus would be Roberto Duran) and prevailed in 1973, winning a decision in Colorado.

DANNY DILIBERTO, 85, Buffalo, lightweight, died in February. DiLiberto, who fought under the name Dan Toriani, went 12-0-2 from 1957 to 1959 and retired after a series of hand injuries. DiLiberto spent his boxing career in Miami, training at 5^vol Street gym. DiLiberto became a renowned pool player and was inducted into the Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.

JOHN DOTA, 94, of Youngstown, Ohio, died in July. Dota, a military veteran, had one professional fight in 1951 in Las Vegas, losing in 4 rounds.

FRANCISCO DURANGO (75), Colombian featherweight, died in October. Durango was 23-7-2 (15 KOs) from 1972-1978, with all but three of his fights coming in Colombia. Before retiring, he won his country’s super featherweight title in one fight.

FRANK ECHEVARRIA, 96, Idaho collegiate boxing champion, died in December. Echevarria was an alternate for the 1952 United States Olympic bantamweight team, losing in the Trials championship match to future world champion Davey Moore. Echevarria won the collegiate title later that year despite losing part of the fingers on his left hand in a farming accident. Echevarria was 32-5 as a college boxer, but he followed Tony Zale’s advice (“don’t go pro – go home, marry your girlfriend and start a family”), working farm and remaining married for 73 years.

DON ELBAUM, 94, a Runyonesque boxing figure whose promotions and matchmaking spanned SEVEN decades, died in Erie, Pennsylvania, in July after a brief illness. Elbaum wore all the professional hats in boxing: promoter, matchmaker, publicist, and even boxer. During his appearances in the 1960s, Elbaum replaced himself four times. He never won, but remained respectable, drawing once and losing to Tommy Shaffer 14-15. In one such fight, when Elbaum was hurt by a punch, he grabbed his opponent and whispered, “Remember who’s paying you.” But it was thanks to the promoter that Elbaum gained fame. He hosted his first show at the age of 18 and became the quintessential club promoter, living out of a suitcase, spending most of his time in two-star motels and producing some of the best club acts on the East Coast. Don was a master of artistic storytelling and lived for tricks. And they often made comical mistakes (one boxer joked that if Don opened a funeral home, people would stop dying). When he announced a main event between two of the “worst fighters in the world,” the loser had to retire as per the agreement. They fought for a draw. When Don promoted a heavyweight fighter to be 7 feet high and a reporter confronted the boxer and told Don he was nowhere near that height, Elbaum replied, “He’s miniature for his height.” Elbaum rose to the top in the 1980s, hosting weekly shows at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City and promoting welterweight champion Simon Brown. But Don lost the Trop series in 1986, and Brown left it in 1990 for Don King. He served four months in a minimum security facility for tax evasion (“I knew a lot of people there,” he said, this time without exaggeration). He was rightly inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. No one ever loved boxing more than Don Elbaum.

EBO ELDER, 46, Georgia lightweight, died in December of brain cancer. The elder made himself known by taking part in the second series of Contender (losing in the first round). An accomplished amateur, Elder turned professional in 2000 and enjoyed mid-level success, winning the NABO title in 2004 and defending it on Shobox for 12^volround break against Courtney Burton in a fight that announcer Steve Farhood called the most exhilarating fight he’s seen this series. A deeply religious Elder suddenly retired in 2006 at the age of 28 and became a preacher. The elder finished the fight with a score of 22-3 (14 KO).

ED ESPOSTI, AKA “Eddie Post,” 78, Recent York boxer, died of cancer in June. “Elegant Ed” was the face of Spartan, a boxing equipment and clothing company. In the 1970s, Post developed a boxing program for Recent York City prisoners. Fasting became well known in the Recent York boxing scene as a prolific fundraiser.

LUIS ESTABA (86), former lithe heavyweight world champion, died in February. Known as “Lumumba,” the Venezuelan was 37 years senior when he won the newly created WBC lithe heavyweight title in 1975 and defended it 11 times before losing it to Freddy Castillo three years later (it was later discovered that the man Lumumba had beaten for the vacant title in 1975 – Rafael Lovera – was making his professional debut. Lovera, who never boxed again, died a few months before the fight with Estaba death). Estaba fought for the WBC belt again five months after losing it (to fighter Thia, who had defeated Castillo) and retired after being knocked out in five rounds. The WBC announced that Estaba had been in destitute health in recent years and had donated money to cover medical and living expenses since 2020.

Boxing

David Price Analyzes Conor Benns Chances Against Ryan Garcia for World Championship Glory

Published

20 hours ago

August 14, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

David Price Analyzes Conor Benn's Chances Against Ryan Garcia for World Championship Glory

Former British champion and Olympic bronze medallist David Price has assessed whether his countryman, Conor Bennpossesses the necessary hand speed to defeat Ryan Garcia.

The two welterweights will square off at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on September 12, with Garcia making a first defence of his WBC world title.

It was arguably a career-best performance that saw him dethrone Mario Barrios in February, scoring a first-round knockdown before winning a wide unanimous decision.

But despite coming off this dominant display, Garcia was far less impressive when he returned from a year-long doping ban and lost on points to Rolando Romero in May 2025.

Still, many would argue that the 28-year-old has shown signs of world-class quality, while Benn remains glaringly unproven at the top level.

The 29-year-old has also not fought at 147lbs since 2022, with his last two outings resulting in unanimous decision victories over faded versions of Chris Eubank Jr and Regis Prograis.

Against Eubank, in particular, Benn’s speed seemed a key factor in their two middleweight encounters last year, despite him suffering a points defeat the first time around.

As he approaches this welterweight contest against Garcia, though, former heavyweight contender Price has told The Smith Brothers that he sees Benn contending with an unfamiliar disadvantage.

“I think I [favour Garcia]. Conor Benn’s got great hand speed, but I think [Garcia’s] hand speed could make the difference in the fight.”

Like Garcia, Benn tested positive for a banned substance – clomifene – and was eventually removed from his cancelled 2022 encounter with Eubank.

Boxing

World Champion Risks Title Stripping by Avoiding David Benavidez Showdown

Published

21 hours ago

August 14, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"World Champion Risks Title Stripping by Avoiding David Benavidez Showdown"

David Benavidez has the full support of WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman as he looks to further establish himself in the cruiserweight division.

The 29-year-old made his 200lb debut in May, becoming a three-division world champion by dethroning Gilberto Ramirez with an emphatic sixth-round stoppage.

In doing so, Benavidez claimed the WBO and WBA titles while also retaining his WBC light-heavyweight strap, so as to afford himself the option of moving back down to 175lbs.

Since then, though, it would seem that the American has decided to remain at cruiserweight, having successfully lobbied the WBC to position him as its mandatory challenger.

WBC champion Noel Mikaelian, meanwhile, was already rumoured to be facing Jai Opetaia, who became Zuffa Boxing’s cruiserweight titlist by unanimously outpointing Brandon Glanton earlier this year.

But while their contest has now been announced for September 12featuring on the undercard of Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, Mikaelian could soon be forced to relinquish his world title.

This is because, according to BoxingSceneSulaiman has threatened to strip the 35-year-old of his belt unless he and promoter Don King agree to a fight with Benavidez.

From an outside perspective, it seems the Benavidez showdown is becoming increasingly unlikely, given that Mikaelian has reportedly signed to face Opetaia, a former IBF champion, and is attempting to distance himself from the notorious King.

Benavidez, however, is set to secure his three-belt unification match regardless, potentially with WBC ‘interim’ champion Michal Cieslak standing in the opposite corner.

The Polish veteran claimed his secondary title against Jean Pascal, who he stopped in four rounds, but has not fought since their cruiserweight contest in June 2025.

Boxing

Prichard Colón Passes Away at 33 After Brave 11-Year Battle

Published

2 days ago

August 13, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Prichard Colón Passes Away at 33 After Brave 11-Year Battle

Prichard Colón, the former undefeated boxing prospect who became a symbol of hope during an extraordinary fight for life lasting almost eleven years, has died at the age of 33.

Colón’s family confirmed the devastating news on Thursday, bringing an end to a battle that began after the Puerto Rican suffered catastrophic brain injuries following his final professional fight in October 2015.

For World Boxing News, Prichard was never simply another boxer whose tragedy we reported. He was our friend.

Prichard was one of the longer-term friendships WBN struck up with a boxer during the early years of the website, beginning before he had even made his professional debut, and it was Prichard himself who started it.

A Friendship Before His First Fight

On February 13, 2013, ten days before making his professional debut, an unexpected message arrived from the 20-year-old Puerto Rican.

“Hi Phil D. Jay, My name is Prichard Colon im an ex-member of the Puerto Rican Boxing Olympic Team, where i represented my country around the world,” Prichard wrote.

He explained that he was about to turn professional on a Miguel Cotto and Golden Boy Promotions card before making a simple request.

“I was wondering if you could help me with a interview.”

Of course, the answer was yes, and what began as a young boxer trying to get some coverage became a friendship that continued as Prichard’s career took off.

When he moved to 2-0 with two knockouts in March 2013, Prichard was straight back in touch.

“Hey champ, hope your doing well.. Just to let you know i got that W last saturday in the second round 2-0 (2ko),” he wrote.

Over the next two years, there were messages about opponents, fights and possible sponsorship. Prichard sent his Fight Mode videos for WBN to publish, shared photographs and made sure we knew whenever something was happening in his career.

But it wasn’t always about boxing, as there were Christmas and New Year messages and conversations that simply began with Prichard asking how things were going.

He was a fun-loving, outgoing young man chasing one overriding ambition: Prichard wanted to become a world champion.

The Night Everything Changed

By October 2015, Colón had built a 16-0 professional record with 13 knockouts when he faced Terrel Williams at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia.

The fight became engulfed in controversy over punches to the back of Colón’s head. He complained during the contest, with Williams penalized a point, before Colón was eventually disqualified after his corner mistakenly removed his gloves before the final round.

Nobody knew then how insignificant the result would become.

Colón suffered dizziness and vomiting after returning to his dressing room before being taken to hospital. Doctors discovered bleeding on his brain and performed emergency surgery.

WBN reported that nightfollowing confirmation from his brother Ricardo, that Prichard was in a coma and fighting for his life. He remained in a coma for 221 days.

The boxer we had been communicating with about fights, opponents and his ambitions was suddenly fighting something infinitely bigger than anything he could ever have encountered inside a ring, and that fight would last almost eleven years.

My Final Messages to Prichard

Looking back through my conversations with Prichard now brings home just how abruptly everything changed.

On July 8, 2015, just over three months before his final fight, Prichard checked in as he had done many times before.

“Hey Phil hows everything going.?”

I replied the following morning and asked how he was doing.

“Thats good to hear Phil, i’m doing well training hard for my next fight in August,” Prichard responded.

I didn’t know it then, but they would be the final words Prichard ever sent me.

Three months later, after learning what had happened following the Williams fight, I went back to the same conversation we had been using since before his professional debut.

On October 18, 2015, I wrote: “Thoughts are with you my friend….”

There was no response, and four days later, I tried again.

“Thinking of you and updating everytime I can. Hope to hear from you after your recovery Prichard.”

For almost eleven years, that message remained at the bottom of our conversation, but the reply never came.

Prichard Became a Symbol of Hope

Prichard’s family refused to give up on him, with his mother, Nieves, dedicating her life to caring for her son, sharing his therapy, his progress and the small victories that became enormous moments for those who followed his recovery.

The boxing community followed with her.

Prichard became far more than a former prospect whose career had been taken away. He became a symbol of hope to thousands of people who watched him continue fighting against circumstances few could comprehend.

The WBC eventually named Prichard an honorary champion and presented him with the world championship belt he had dreamed of winning inside the ring, recognition of a different kind of fighter.

WBN continued covering Prichard throughout those years, from his rehabilitation and medical procedures to the support his family received and the constant attempts to ensure his story never disappeared.

In 2025, WBN even approached Virginia authorities in an attempt to have the only defeat on Prichard’s professional record changed to a no-contest, but the request was denied.

His official record remained 16-1 with 13 knockouts, but it never told anything close to the full story.

Prichard Colón Cannot Become Another Statistic

Prichard was a shining light to many, and feelings ran incredibly deep within the boxing community over how that devastating night unfolded.

His death shouldn’t become a catalyst for that hatred to be prolonged. The focus now should be on him.

Prichard was a fun-loving, outgoing man who wanted nothing more than to become a world champion boxer.

His tragic circumstances were sadly nothing new in this sport, but writing about Prichard over the years and doing our small part to keep his story alive was a privilege that was never taken lightly.

Abruptly no longer being able to communicate with someone who had become a friend was tough to take, but unfortunately, it’s something boxing writers can be forced to deal with during their careers.

The sport is dangerous and unforgiving, but Prichard Colón cannot become just another statistic.

WBN’s Tribute to Prichard

As our own small tribute, WBN will add Prichard permanently to our Boxers page, an area predominantly reserved for today’s biggest boxing stars and the Hall of Fame legends of the past.

Prichard belongs there, and it’s our own small way of ensuring that the young fighter who contacted WBN before he had even thrown a professional punch remains part of this website long after his fight for life has ended.

Prichard survived the catastrophic injuries he suffered that night in 2015 and battled on for almost eleven more yearswhich perhaps tells us more about the fighter Prichard Colón was than his 16 victories and 13 knockouts ever could.

He never got the opportunity to become the world champion he dreamed of being when that first message arrived in 2013, but he fought like a champion for almost eleven years afterward.

Prichard Colón will never be just another statistic here. He was our friend, and Digget will not be forgotten.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.