Aaron Pryor
Statistics
Real name	Aaron Pryor
Nickname(s)	Hawk
Rated at	Light Welterweight
Height	5 ft 6.50 in (1.69 m)
Nationality	American
Birth date	October 20, 1955 (1955-10-20) (age 52)
Birth place	Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	40
Wins	39
Wins by KO	35
Losses	1
Draws	0
No contests	0

Aaron Pryor (born October 20, 1955) is a former boxer from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the former world Junior Welterweight champion. // The light welterweight class (also called junior welterweight or super lightweight) is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Cincinnati redirects here. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... For other meanings of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer. ... Cincinnati, Ohio viewed from the SW, across the Ohio River from Kentucky. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... For other uses, see World (disambiguation). ...

Amateur career

Pryor, nicknamed The Hawk, had a record of 204 wins and 16 losses as an amateur. He won a silver medal at the 1975 Pan American Games, and participated in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal as an alternate. In 1972 he was the National AAU Champion at 132 lb, having outpointed Robert Newton of Boston. He beat future great Thomas Hearns in the finals of the 1976 National Golden Gloves. The boxing tournament at the 1975 Pan American Games was held in Mexico City, Mexico, from October 12 to October 26. ... The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were celebrated in 1976 in Montreal, Quebec. ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Region Montréal Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ... Robert Newton as Long John Silver. ... Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958, in Memphis, Tennessee), is an American 7-time world champion professional boxer. ... Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. ...

Professional career

Pryor turned professional on November 11, 1976, with a win over Larry Smith. In 1977, Pryor fought eight fights, winning all but two by knockout. Among the fighters he defeated was Johnny Summerhayes. The only two fighters who heard the final bell versus Pryor that year were Summerhayes and Jose Resto. After the fight with Summerhayes. Pryor won 26 fights in a row by knockout, in one of the longest knockout streaks in the history of boxing. is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Larry Smith (born 1951 in Hudson, Quebec) is a Canadian athlete and businessperson. ... A boxer is knocked down and receives the 10-count. ... For other meanings of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer. ...

In 1978, Pryor won five fights, and in 1979 he won six. However, during 1979, Pryor experienced a rise in competition level, and in his last fight that year, he was pitted for the first time ever against a former or future world champion, when he faced former Junior Welterweight champion of the world Alfonso Fraser, Peppermint, of Panama, who lasted five rounds with The Hawk. After that fight, Pryor entered the WBA rankings. World Boxing Association (WBA) is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title, at the professional level. ...

He only kept on going up in the rankings for the first part of 1980. He beat Julio Valdez, Leonidas Asprilla and Carl Crowley before a world title bout was set up by the WBA, versus two time world champion Antonio Cervantes of Colombia at Cincinnati. Pryor was dropped in round one, but he rose and knocked out Cervantes in round four in front of a national television audience, becoming a world champion. He finished the year knocking out Gaetan Hart to retain his title. Antonio Cervantes (born December 23, Colombian boxing trainer and former two time world Jr. ... Gaétan Hart (born 1953, Canada) is a former lightweight/welterweight boxer from Buckingham, Quebec. ...

1981 brought Pryor up to the ring against Lennox Blackmore and Dujuan Johnson. Pryor beat Blackmore in two rounds, but had to work more against Johnson, once again visiting the floor in round one before winning by knockout in six.

In 1982 he defeated fringe contender Miguel Montilla by a knockout in 12 to begin the year, then put his title on the line versus Akio Kameda. Once again, Pryor went to the floor in round one but got up to knock the Japanese challenger out in round six.

Bouts with Arguello

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In what promoter Bob Arum nicknamed The Battle of The Champions, Pryor defeated Alexis Arguello by a technical knockout in 14 in front of an HBO audience. The fight was named Fight Of The Year and later the Fight Of The Decade by Ring Magazine. Bob Arum (born December 8, 1931 in New York, New York), is a Harvard-educated lawyer of Jewish descent who helped the White House during President John F. Kennedys time there. ... The Battle of the Champions, a term used by promoter Bob Arum regarding the November 12, 1982 boxing match between Aaron Pryor and Alexis Arguello. ... Alexis Argüello (born April 19, 1952), is a former world champion Nicaragua. ... HBO (Home Box Office) is a premium cable television network with headquarters in New York City. ... Front cover of the first issue of Ring Magazine Ring Magazine is a boxing magazine that was first published in 1922. ...

The fight sparked controversy however, because Pryor's trainer, Panama Lewis, introduced a second water bottle which he described as "the bottle I mixed" after round 13. The boxing press which had been heavily 'promoted' by promoter Bob Arum to support Alexis Arguello, seized upon these few words to claim that Pryor's overwhelming knockout victory in this fight was undeserved. ^[1] Carlos Panama Lewis is a well-known and highly controversial boxing trainer who achieved his greatest notoriety in the 1980s. ...

Adding to the controversy, the Florida State Boxing Commission failed to administer a post-fight urine test. Because there was no urine test, the boxing press and the Florida boxing commission was free to speculate that the water bottle was tainted. Aaron pryor and Alexis Agruello met after the fight and Arguello asked Pryor if there was a substance in the bottle. Pryor told Arguello there wasn't anything in the bottle that gave him and advantage.

1. ^ Panama Lewis - Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia

Alexis Arguello vs. Aaron Pryor (1st meeting)[legendary nights hbo - Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia]</ref> ^[1]

In 1983, after defending his crown against former WBC world champion Sang Hyun Kim (KO 3), Pryor defended against Arguello again, this time winning by a knockout in 10 rounds. WBC logo mark The World Boxing Council was initially created by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo López...

1st Retirement

After the fight, both Pryor and Arguello announced their retirement, with Pryor leaving the WBA crown vacant.

Pryor took back his decision of retiring soon after, however, and the IBF immediately recognized him as their world champion. 1984 proved to be a frustrating year for Pryor. His proposed fight with world Lightweight champion Ray Mancini fell through when Mancini lost his title against Livingstone Bramble, and Pryor was able to defend his IBF world title only once, against Nick Furlano, who became the first guy in 27 fights to last the distance with Pryor, losing to Pryor on points in 15 rounds in Canada. IBF redirects here. ... Ray Mancini (born March 4, 1961) is an Italian American former boxer from the south side of Youngstown, Ohio. ... Livingstone Bramble (born September 30, 1960) is a boxer from St. ...

In 1985, Pryor would only fight once, retaining his title versus future world champion Gary Hinton in 15 rounds, again by points.

2nd Retirement

After the win over Hinton, Pryor retired and began to have drug problems. ^[2] He ran into trouble with the police a few times and stories of alleged abuse against members of his family made the headlines.

Comeback

In 1987 he made a short comeback, suffering his lone loss by a knockout in seven to Bobby Joe Young, a fringe contender of the era.

In 1988 and 1989, he attempted another comeback, winning three fights, all by knockout, against lower opposition.

Final Retirement

In 1990 it was discovered that Pryor had been fighting with eye problems, and he was never allowed to box again. After Pryor's retirement the loyal fans of Alexs Arguello has continued to suggest that Pryor used steriods in his two fights with Arguello, but Pryor has never admitted to taking any steriods. In fact the boxers of that particular era, inculding Aaron Pryor, believed steriods would make the muscles to bulky and tight to effectively throw multiple punches ovet 15 rounds.

In 1996, Pryor was elected to the International Boxing Hall Of Fame. The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta. ...

He retired with 39 wins, 1 loss and 35 wins by knockout.

Personal

Pryor lives in his hometown of Cincinnati with his wife, Frankie Pryor, and their four children – Aaron, Jr., Antwan, Stephan, and Elizabeth. Pryor is an ordained deacon at New Friendship Baptist Church and travels the world making personal appearances and spreading his anti-drug message. In the 1990s, Pryor opened a gym in his hometown where he helps children learn boxing and stay off the streets. He remains active in the sport of boxing training both professional and Golden Gloves amateur boxers. The Pryor boxing legacy continues today with Aaron, Jr. and Stephan following in their dad’s footsteps. Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. ...

Recent Activities

Aaron Pryor has been used as a motivational speaker for the 2006 New York Jets. Coach Eric Mangini is a huge Aaron Pryor fan and has used Aaron Pryor's attitude and career as a source of motivation for his team. Aaron filmed a short clip saying it was "New York Jets time." City East Rutherford, New Jersey Other nicknames Gang Green, the Green and White, Jersey Jets Team colors Hunter green and white Head Coach Eric Mangini Owner Woody Johnson General manager Mike Tannenbaum League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Eastern Division (1960-1969) National Football League (1970–present) American... Eric Mangini (born January 19, 1971 in Hartford, Connecticut) is the current head coach of the New York Jets of the NFL. At the age of 35, he was the youngest head coach in the NFL, as well as the youngest coach in the four major North American sports, including...

After 25 years, boxer admits to tampering[1]==References==

External links

• Professional boxing record for Aaron Pryor from Boxrec
• Official Homepage