Lou Savarese

Lou Savarese (born July 14, 1965) is an American former professional boxer and mixed martial artist who competed 1989 to 2013.

He is from Greenwood Lake, New York.

Savarese won the 1985 Super-Heavyweight Novice Championship and the 1986 Super-Heavyweight Open Championship.

In 1985 Savarese stopped (RSC-2) Jonathan Hill of Gleason's Gym in the finals to win the Championship and in 1986 Savarese defeated Alex Stewart of the Uptown Gym in the finals to win the Championship.

In July 1986 he won gold at the U.S. Olympic Festival in Houston, Texas, defeating Kevin Ford on points (5–0) in the finals.

In 1987 Savarese advanced to the finals of the Super Heavyweight Open division.

He was to have met future Heavyweight Champion Riddick Bowe but Savarese was injured and could not box.

In October 1987 he won the National PAL Championships in Jacksonville, Florida, defeating Farns Bryant.

Savarese trained at the Cage Recreation Center in White Plains, New York.

Savarese is originally from Greenwood Lake, New York.

He now resides in Houston.

His ex-wife Louisa is the biological daughter of the famous musician and outdoorsman Ted Nugent.

Savarese, a Roberts Elementarian, began his professional boxing career on April 30, 1989, knocking out James Smith (not the former world Heavyweight champion) in four rounds at Galveston, Texas.

Savarese's first win by first round knockout came on his second fight, against Terrence Roberts, on May 25, at Atlantic City.

Savarese won his first eight fights by knockout.

On April 19, 1990, Savarese was forced to fight an entire boxing fight for the first time, when he defeated Mike Robinson in Poughkeepsie, New York, by a six-round decision.

So the Savarese management team came with an ingenious, and not very often seen, way to draw the public's attention towards Savarese: a Lou Savarese fan club was created, and, by the middle 1990s, the fan club was being advertised on major boxing magazines, such as Ring and KO.

The advertisement offered free membership to anyone, and promised free personalized, autographed photos to each new member.

He proceeded to win his next seven fights by knockout, and, in 1991, Kayo boxing cards published a trading card featuring Savarese.

On September 20 of that year, he and Robinson had a rematch, with Savarese knocking Robinson out in the fourth round.

His next fight, against Mike Faulkner on November 26, at White Plains, New York, resulted in a five-round disqualification win for Savarese.

Savarese ran his record to 36–0, with 30 knockouts, but he was a relatively unknown fighter: apart from the 1991 Kayo boxing trading card, no other type of media attempted to make Savarese's name a household one, partly because of the type of opposition he had met.

Of Savarese's thirty six opponents, none was known to most boxing fans.

On November 21, 1992, Savarese fought Larry Givens, who is mostly famous for his incredible lack of success as a professional boxer.

Givens retired with a record of 3–46.

Savarese managed to KO Givens in the 2nd round.

The idea worked, and Savarese was next faced with his first relatively known opponent, Buster Mathis Jr.. This fight was for the NABF's vacant regional Heavyweight title, and Savarese won the title on November 1, 1996, by knocking Mathis out in round seven, at Indio, California.

Next was a major fight against former two-time world Heavyweight champion George Foreman.

On April 26, 1997, he challenged for the Lineal Heavyweight Championship, and lost by a controversial split decision to the Lineal World Heavyweight Champion George Foreman.

The fight was held on April 26, 1997, in Atlantic City.

It was Savarese's HBO Boxing television show's debut, and for the WBU "world Heavyweight title" and the Lineal Heavyweight Championship.

While Savarese lost for the first time, he nevertheless impressed boxing critics and fans, many of whom felt he deserved the split decision that was given to Foreman.

Savarese lost by scorecards of 110–118, 112-115 and a favorable 114–113.

A year later on June 25, 1998, Savarese won the IBA World Heavyweight title against former Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Buster Douglas by way of a first-round knockout.

On June 24, 2000, he lost by a first-round technical knockout to former Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson.

On September 22, 2002, Savarese won the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight title, by way of a fifth-round TKO against former two-time World Heavyweight Champion Tim Witherspoon.

On June 30, 2007, Savarese fought former four-time World Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield.

He fought with great heart but lost by unanimous decision to a sharp looking Holyfield.

Savarese announced after the fight that he had given it his all but it wasn't good enough, and this would be his last bout.

Savarese won two New York Golden Gloves Championships.