Derrick Jefferson

Derrick Lavon Jefferson (born March 10, 1968) is an American former professional boxer.

Jefferson dropped from college after being shot in the leg during an argument at a party store in November 1993, ending his basketball career.

His brother Kenyatta, a football player, was shot in the head and ended up partially paralyzed.

Jefferson took up boxing in 1994, after a coach of the local boxing gym, Claude Strickland, spotted him shooting hoops at YMCA.

That same year, Jefferson won the National Golden Gloves super heavyweight championship, defeating Michael Grant on points (and handling Grant his only amateur loss) in semifinals, and DaVarryl Williamson by TKO in the final.

Overall, Jefferson spent 1.5 years at amateur level, before turning professional in 1995.

Jefferson made his professional boxing debut on 19 June 1995 against Ismail Muhammad, knocking him out in the first round.

Within three years Jefferson had won 16 fights, winning all but two of them by knockout inside three rounds.

Jefferson, at 6'6" and generally weighing 240 pounds, quickly rose to prominence by combining explosive power with furious combinations. In 1998, he faced his first formidable opponent Marion Wilson. With 11–27–3 record, Wilson was known for his durability and toughness, having never lost inside the distance and occasionally pulling upsets, such as wins over Corey Sanders and Paea Wolfgramm or split draw against Ray Mercer. Jefferson won the fight by unanimous decision, with two judges scoring the bout 79–73 and one judge having a score 77–75.

Having been described as a brawler and a fan friendly attraction, Jefferson became a frequently featured fighter on HBO.

Jefferson then stepped up in competition, knocking out former world heavyweight title challenger Bert Cooper in the second round.

Within two months, Jefferson faced once-highly regarded prospect Obed Sullivan.

This was the first twelve-round fight in Jefferson's professional career.

He won the fight by split decision, with the scorecards being 117–112, 117–113 in favor of Jefferson and 115–114 in favor of Sullivan.

Six months later, Jefferson was scheduled to face Maurice Harris.

Despite having 16–9–2 record, Harris was considered a formidable fighter, with Jim Lampley describing him as "the best 16–9 fighter out there".

Harris' record included wins over then-undefeated David Izon and popular gatekeeper Jimmy Thunder and a split decision loss against faded Larry Holmes.

Coming into the bout, Harris was on a seven-fight winning streak, which included a wide UD win over Jeremy Williams.

The fight took place at the Convention Hall in Atlantic City, in the undercard of the fight between Oleg Maskaev and Hasim Rahman.

The first round started with both fighters standing toe-to-toe and landing hard shots.

In the second round, Jefferson dropped Harris twice.

A few seconds after the second knockdown, Harris turned the tide, dropping Jefferson with a right hand.

The round ended with fighters landing hard shots at each other.

For the majority of the third round, Harris appeared to be more active, attacking Jefferson's body.

At the end of the round, Jefferson landed an uppercut that knocked Harris' mouthpiece off.

After relatively less action-packed fourth and fifth rounds, Jefferson dropped Harris again in the sixth with a series of body shots.

Near the end of the round, Jefferson countered a left hand with the left hook of his own, knocking Harris unconscious.

The fight was widely praised for being a slugfest.

HBO commentator Larry Merchant called the second round "the best in heavyweight boxing since Bowe vs. Holyfield".

The KO was voted by The Ring as "Knockout of the Year".

At the conclusion of 1999, Jefferson was ranked No.9 in heavyweight rankings by The Ring.

This win lined up a shot against David Izon.

Throughout the fight, Jefferson was soundly outboxing Izon, confidently winning rounds.

By the seventh round, HBO commentators suggested the fight to be stopped due to Izon absorbing too much punishment.

In the eighth round, however, Jefferson appeared to have punched himself out.

With 42 seconds left, Izon dropped Jefferson with a right hook.

It appeared as if Jefferson have fallen down mostly due to exhaustion rather than Izon's punch.

He challenged once for the WBO title in 2001, and is perhaps best remembered for his brutal left hook-knockout of Maurice Harris in 1999.

Jefferson grew up in Detroit, Michigan, having attended Martin Luther King High School.

In high school, Jefferson played basketball and football, and was a Division I basketball player during his college years.