One of the very last pleasures that boxing provided Bernard Docusen was witnessing Manny Pacquiao defeat Oscar De La Hoya. Docusen, the former welterweight contender who challenged Sugar Ray Robinson in 1948, was a Pacquiao fan and thoroughly enjoyed his December 6 win over the Golden Boy.
By January 11, Big Duke had passed away.
Docusen was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1927 to a Filipino father and Creole mother. Bernard was a national AAU champion in 1942 and turned pro the next year.
Docusen lost just one of his first 46 pro bouts. He was campaigning as a lightweight at the time and scored wins over Phil Terranova and Lulu Costantino. He would split a pair of bouts with Gene Burton and then beat Charley Salas to set up his challenge of Robinson at Comiskey Park. At the time of the fight, Robinson was 86-1-1 and considered in his prime.
For ten rounds, Docusen fought Robinson on even terms. Then, in the 11th, Sugar Ray scored a knock down to turn the fight in his favor. He retained the title with a unanimous decision win.
“Docusen had a defense like a fortress,” said Mike Silver, author of “The Arc of Boxing, The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science. “You had to be very fast to avoid Robinson’s punches. When I was writing my book, several people kept bringing Docusen’s name up. And it made perfect sense, he fought a prime Sugar Ray Robinson even for 10 rounds.”
In fact, on page 65 of Silver’s book, there is a full-page picture of Docusen.
After the Robinson fight, Docusen fought until 1953. He would beat Milo Savage and champs Johnny Bratton and Tippy Larkin. Docusen, whose brother Maxie was a welterweight contender, retired with a 72-10-6 record. Of those 10 career losses, six came after 1950.
“In my opinion,” said Silver, “Docusen would have beaten Oscar De La Hoya. He had superior talent to De La Hoya. He was quicker than him and there is not question in my mind that he was tougher than De La Hoya. What’s ironic is that De La Hoya will be a hall of famer. But what about Bernard Docusen?”
In his later years, his daughter Patricia helped author a book about her father. When contacted by the Neutral Corner, Patricia said, via email, of her father, “My dad liked Manny Pacquiao and thought he was a great fighter. He was happy for Manny’s win over Oscar.”
Of the Robinson fight, she added, “He felt honored to fight Sugar Ray Robinson. He said Ray was a very nice person. He was a skillful boxer and a challenge for my dad.”
