Michael Dokes


Michael Marshall Dokes was an American professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 1997, and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1982 to 1983. As an amateur he won a silver medal in the heavyweight division at the 1975 Pan American Games.

Amateur career

Dokes won a silver medal at the 1975 Pan American Games. He lost a 5-0 decision to Teófilo Stevenson in the finals. He also lost a close decision to John Tate in the Olympic trials in 1976, after which he turned professional.

Amateur accomplishments

Dokes turned professional in 1976. He received national exposure in a televised exhibition with Muhammad Ali in 1977, which saw Ali clown and mug while slipping Dokes' punches, but also revealed glimpses of Dokes' potential. He came to real prominence in 1979 by defeating veteran contender Jimmy Young. His career faltered slightly after fighting to a draw with Ossie Ocasio, but Dokes returned to knock out Ocasio in one round soon thereafter. By early 1982, after a first-round knockout of Lynn Ball to win the NABF title, Dokes was in line for a title shot. He was ranked #2 by the WBC and #3 by the WBA. Dokes became WBA heavyweight champion in 1982 by knocking out Mike Weaver in the first round in a match held weeks after the Ray Mancini-Duk Koo Kim lightweight title fight that ended in Kim's death. Because of Nevada State Athletic Commission instructions to referee Joey Curtis regarding the stoppage of the fight in light of the incident, some felt it was premature. In the rematch, Dokes retained his title on a majority draw.
Dokes's reign as the WBA title holder was short-lived. He lost his title by a tenth-round knockout to Gerrie Coetzee. He was later knocked out by future champion Evander Holyfield.
Dokes was knocked out by Donovan Ruddock in 1990. In 1993, Dokes faced newly crowned heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe in his first title defense since defeating Evander Holyfield. Bowe won by TKO in the first round. Although Dokes and his team protested that the fight was stopped prematurely, it was obvious that Dokes was in no condition to continue after taking a vicious barrage of punches from the heavy hitting Bowe. After a nearly three-year hiatus, Dokes returned to the ring winning 3 out 5 matches over a two-year period before retiring for good in 1997.

Life after boxing

In 1999 Dokes was sentenced to between four and 15 years in prison after being convicted of an attack on his fiancee in August 1998. Late in 2008, Dokes was released on parole. Dokes died of liver cancer at a hospice in Akron in August 2012, a day after his 54th birthday.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
61Loss53–6–2 Paul PhillipsTKO2 Oct 11, 1997 Peels Palace, Erlanger, Kentucky, U.S.
60Loss53–5–2 Louis MonacoPTS10Apr 5, 1997 Aztlan Theatre, Denver, Colorado, U.S.
59Win53–4–2 Doug DavisPTS10Dec 10, 1996 Tempe, Arizona, U.S.
58Win52–4–2 Dave FiddlerKO2 Jul 27, 1996 Lucky Eagle Casino, Rochester, Washington, U.S.
57Win51–4–2 Dave SlaughterKO3Nov 18, 1995 Aurora, Colorado, U.S.
56Loss50–4–2 Riddick BoweTKO1, 2:19Feb 6, 1993 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.For WBA, IBF, and lineal heavyweight titles
55Win50–3–2 Barry ForbesUD10Oct 27, 1992 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
54Win49–3–2 Jose RibaltaUD10Oct 6, 1992 Mahi Shrine Temple, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
53Win48–3–2 Jesse FergusonUD10Jul 28, 1992 Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
52Win47–3–2 Danny SuttonKO3, 2:54Apr 16, 1992 Paramount Theatre, New York City, New York, U.S.
51Win46–3–2 Percell DavisRTD5, 3:00Mar 21, 1992 CSU Convocation Center, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
50Win45–3–2 Danny WoffordTKO9, 2:10Feb 14, 1992 The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
49Win44–3–2 Danny StonewalkerTKO6, 2:39Jan 21, 1992 Union Plaza Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
48Win43–3–2 Tyrone ArmstrongKO4, 1:32Dec 27, 1991 Union Plaza Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
47Win42–3–2 John MortonPTS8Nov 29, 1991 The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
46Loss41–3–2 Donovan RuddockKO4, 0:53Apr 4, 1990 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Lost WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title
45Win41–2–2 Jorge Alfredo DascolaTKO11, 1:05Feb 5, 1990 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.Retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title
44Win40–2–2 Lionel WashingtonTKO8, 0:49Nov 13, 1989 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title
43Win39–2–2 Wesley WatsonTKO3, 2:25Aug 24, 1989 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
42Win38–2–2 Bobby CrabtreeKO1, 1:46Jul 13, 1989 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
41Loss37–2–2 Evander HolyfieldTKO10, 1:41Mar 11, 1989 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Lost WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title
40Win37–1–2 Rocky SekorskiUD12Dec 9, 1988 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Retained WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title
39Win36–1–2 Curtis IsaacTKO4, 2:21Oct 27, 1988 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
38Win35–1–2 Manoel De AlmeidaRTD4, 3:00Jul 28, 1988 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
37Win34–1–2 Andrew StokesTKO1, 2:58Jun 27, 1988 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
36Win33–1–2 James PritchardTKO7, 2:32Apr 28, 1988 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.Won vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title
35Win32–1–2 Eddie RichardsonTKO10, 2:15Feb 24, 1988 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
34Win31–1–2 Ken LakustaTKO7, 2:52Jan 22, 1988 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
33Win30–1–2 Kevin PorterTKO5, 0:25Dec 17, 1987 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
32Win29–1–2 Randall Cobb4, 1:03Mar 15, 1985 Riviera, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Won vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title;
Majority TD after Dokes was cut from an accidental head clash
31Win28–1–2 Young LouisTKO2, 2:29Feb 16, 1985 Andy Murphy Midtown Neighborhood Center, Kingston, New York, U.S.
30Win27–1–2 Mike JamesonUD10Aug 31, 1984 Riviera, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
29Loss26–1–2 Gerrie CoetzeeKO10, 3:08Sep 23, 1983 Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio, U.S.Lost WBA heavyweight title
28Draw26–0–2 Mike Weaver15May 20, 1983 Dunes, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBA heavyweight title
27Win26–0–1 Mike WeaverTKO1, 1:03Dec 10, 1982 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Won WBA heavyweight title
26Win25–0–1 Tommy Franco ThomasKO5, 1:33Mar 20, 1982 Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Retained NABF heavyweight title
25Win24–0–1 Lynn BallTKO1, 2:56Jan 30, 1982 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Won NABF heavyweight title
24Win23–0–1 George ChaplinUD10Nov 6, 1981 Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
23Win22–0–1 Harry TerrellKO1, 1:25Aug 9, 1981 Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
22Win21–0–1 John L. GardnerKO4, 1:54Jun 12, 1981 Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
21Win20–0–1 Randall Cobb10Mar 22, 1981 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
20Win19–0–1 Tom FischerTKO7, 1:17Oct 2, 1980 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
19Win18–0–1 Ossie OcasioTKO1, 2:33Jun 27, 1980 San Juan, Puerto Rico
18Draw17–0–1 Ossie Ocasio10Apr 19, 1980 San Juan, Puerto Rico
17Win17–0 Lucien RodriguezUD10Feb 10, 1980 Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
16Win16–0 Earl TrippKO1, 2:59Jan 13, 1980 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
15Win15–0 Jimmy YoungUD10Sep 28, 1979 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
14Win14–0 Willie McIntyreKO2, 2:56Jul 20, 1979 Auditorium, West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
13Win13–0 Greg SorrentinoKO3 May 12, 1979 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
12Win12–0 Wendell Bailey10Mar 23, 1979 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
11Win11–0 Ira MartinTKO8, 1:51Dec 8, 1978 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
10Win10–0 Eugene GreenUD8Oct 27, 1978 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
9Win9–0 Terry MimsUD8Sep 26, 1978 Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
8Win8–0 Dan JohnsonUD6Apr 29, 1978 The Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
7Win7–0 Abdul Khan8Mar 25, 1978 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
6Win6–0 George Holden2 Mar 3, 1978 Rif Stadion, Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles
5Win5–0 Ed TurnerPTS6Apr 10, 1977 Fontainbleau, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
4Win4–0 Charlie JordanTKO3 Mar 6, 1977 Correctional Facility, Marion, Ohio, U.S.
3Win3–0 Dave Wilson4Jan 29, 1977 Fontainebleau, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
2Win2–0 Sergio Rodriguez2Jan 16, 1977
1Win1–0 Al Byrd2, 3:00Oct 15, 1976 Hollywood Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, Florida, U.S.