Lamar Clark.
LaMar Clark, born December 1, 1933 in Cedar City, Utah, fought in the heavyweight division from 1958 to 1961. He fought 46 times in 3 years of professional career, most of these fights were in his home state of Utah. The Guinness Book of World Records listed Clark as the boxer with the most consecutive knockouts with 44, and also the most knockouts in one night of 6.
* * *
Clark had an amateur record of 25–2, with a win in the regional Golden Gloves championship. Clark was managed by Merv Jensen, and made his professional debut on January 4, 1958, winning a six round points decision over John Hicks.
* * *
Then Clark won his next 44 bouts by knockout. Clark's streak of knockouts earned him nationwide media recognition, but some commentators have criticized the ability of his opponents.
* * *
The Historical Dictionary of Boxing describes the poor quality of the opposition in these bouts. None of these fighters was rated contenders and most of them had little or no professional boxing experience.
* * *
In a December 1959 column describing Clark's interesting successive KO's, Red Smith wrote: "Up to now Clark has been whipping sheep herders and streetcar conductors".
* * *
On October 13, 1958, Jensen arranged Clark to fight twice in one night and he won both bouts by KO. Clark followed this up by knocking out three opponents on November 10, 1958. Then he knocked out six opponents on December 1, 1958 including five in the first round and one within 7 seconds.
* * *
One of Clark's victories was against Tony Burton, who later starred in the Rocky movies, in a bout refereed by Jack Dempsey. On January 11, 1960, Clark knocked out Kenneth Hayden, his 44th consecutive knockout, surpassing the previous record held by Billy Fox.
* * *
In April 1960, Clark fought Bartolo Soni, described by experts as a "tough journeyman" who had never tasted a knock out. Clark was unable to KO Soni and was instead stopped in the ninth round. Clark then fought Pete Rademacher, a 1956 Olympic gold medalist and a former heavyweight title contender. Rademacher won by a tenth round knockout.
* * *
His last fight was on April 19, 1961 against Cassius Clay (later named Muhammad Ali). Clay broke Clark's nose and knocked him out in the second round. Clark retired after this fight. He died on November 5, 2006 at the age of 72.
* * *
NBA Top Single Game Scorers:
Wilt Chamberlain 100
Kobe Bryant 81
Wilt Chamberlain 78
David Thompson 73
Wilt Chamberlain 73 (2x)
Wilt Chamberlain 72
Donovan Mitchell 71
David Robinson 71
Elgin Baylor 71
Devin Booker 70
Wilt Chamberlain 70
Michael Jordan 69
Pete Maravich 68
Wilt Chamberlain 68
Wilt Chamberlain 67 (4x)
Wilt Chamberlain 66
Comments
Share your thoughts on the above article by Maloney L. Samaco.