Ringside Report Looks Back at Heavyweight Contender Duane Bobick

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

I was just 7 years old, the television screen each night was already dominated as I grew up in Scotland with international images and the maps of progress or otherwise of American troops during the Vietnam War. International affairs were a big deal in the news. Even in Bonnie Scotland.

The respite was sport. What could possibly go wrong in sport? Yes, it was competitive and yes it could involve some harsh words, but any violence was registered and controlled – surely.

The 1972 Olympics blew that away.

Black September’s attack on the Israeli athletes, and their Jewish state, brought back for many of the older generations, uncomfortable feelings. Memories were stirred of a time, less than 30 years previously, where the images of the Jewish people meant more than simple statistics. Today it would be the equivalent of remembering what happened just before the 20th Century became the 21st; it was raw in the memory.

The hostages in the Olympic Village became the headline, and the sporting prowess of each nation became a byline for the world. It was a great pity as many good things ought to have obliterated the bad and they rose from their podia and walked away to do good.

Born in 1950, in Minnesota, Duane Bobick, 48-4, 42 KOs, was a US boxer who had an impressive amateur career which included gold at the Pan American Games in 1971. It was the first of a very busy three years where in ‘71, he won that gold, ‘72 he competed at the Olympics and then turned professional in ‘73.

His entire professional career was then kept in the 1970’s as he retired from the professional game in 1979 – Duane Bobick certainly was no slouch and never hung around!

He was part of a big boxing family, and certainly in the amateurs he was a notable prospect. In his Pan American win, he managed to beat Cuban legend Teofilo Stevenson and getting to the Olympic Team meant he had to dispense with Larry Holmes in the trials!

The blots on his amateur record were a couple of one punch losses to Big Ron Lyle. Clearly, they did not halt his career in the amateur code, but it will have been enough for others to fear him a little less.

Bobick also served. He was a Navy heavyweight champion, all service heavyweight champion and an international champion whilst in the service of his country.

And so he turned up at the 1972 Olympics with a fearsome reputation – what could possibly go wrong?

A rematch with Cuban legend Teofilo Stevenson perhaps?

It was an evenly matched contest after two rounds, until Stevenson hit Bobick with an overhand right in the third. Bobick was stunned, dropped and the fight was eventually stopped as Stevenson piled on the pressure.

The USA’s Golden Gloves champion was out the competition.

It was time to turn pro.

Bobick was reportedly no slouch in the gym, and he was managed by the legendary Joe Frazier with whom he trained. His first pro fight was in Minneapolis against Tommy Burns on the 10th of April in 1973. It was a first-round knockout.

The next 18 were won by knockout too and he was certainly proving himself to be a fan friendly professional boxer. By the tail end of 1974, Bobick was taking the moniker of “The Great White Hope” from Jerry Quarry. It was a title much to do with the time rather than one people would wish to have attached to them. Bobick’s manager, Smokin Joe was getting close to retirement and Frazier looked into the future and saw with the combination of Bobick and himself that it promised a bright future for one and riches for the other.

For many, the 1970s were the golden era of heavyweight boxing and being active during that time meant your name would be associated with some legendary names and big fights. Bobick was able to dispatch the likes of Randy Neumann, Scott LeDoux in the Minnesota heavyweight title fight in Bloomington in April 1976, and Chuck Wepner to make him one of the leading contenders during a time that those of us with rose tinted glasses believe there was never a dull fight.

In 1976, he even had a tentative contract apparently to face Ali. It never happened.

Instead, he found himself sharing a ring with Ken Norton. By now, undefeated in 38 fights professionally with 32 knockouts he was not just fan friendly, he was box office. Apparently, Frazier had advised Bobick not to take the fight but what could go wrong with that record in the professionals?

An overhand right perhaps?

Thrown within the first minute of the fight it was followed by a flurry of activity from Norton that saw Bobick, stunned, staggering and out for the count. Officially the fight lasted 58 seconds. And so on the 11th of May 1977, in Madison Square Gardens, Norton found redemption after having been beaten by Ali in a contentious fight the previous September in the Yankee Stadium, Norton was now back in the mix. Bobick stood in his way. But he was a mammoth ask. Although Bobick did not have the same pedigree as Norton, he had the ability and the punch to beat him. Unfortunately, he was unable to land it in time!

Just what Bobick lost, in terms of opportunity was best summed up in the Ring Magazine’s review of the Norton/Bobick fight, “The heavyweight division was wide open in 1977. Ali was ready to be taken, Frazier was in retirement and Foreman had been outpointed by Jimmy Young.”

In the same article, Norton was quoted from a post-fight interview with NBC, “Once I had him hurt it was just a matter of putting punches together and I was very lucky.”

But Bobick dusted himself down and got back in the ring rematching LeDoux on the 28th of July 1977 in Bloomington for the Minnesota heavyweight title – he stopped LeDoux in the 8th of 10. By the end of 1977, he had still only one loss – spectacular though it was – to have a record of one loss in forty-one professional contests is pretty remarkable.

1978 saw his second defeat. To Kallie Knoetze on the 4th of February in Johannesburg, South Africa where he was beaten by … an overhand right. His continued rise towards another championship fight however was helped by continuing to beat other contenders just under world title level by knockouts.

1979 beckoned, and so did the guy who lost to Teofilo Stevenson in the 1976 Olympics, John Tate. On the 17th of February in Indianapolis, he faced Tate as a new man. He claimed, in his prefight publicity, that he had recommitted himself to training, was essentially more serious than he had ever been in his quest to become a world champion and was ready to prove to the world that he was ready to take somebody’s crown.

What could go wrong?

Tate hit him in the first round … with an overhand right. Bobick didn’t recover and was counted out just over two minutes into the contest.

His final professional contest came on the 3rd of July in Atlantic City when he took on George Chaplin. Stopped due to horrendous cuts on both of his eyelids, Bobick decided to retire. He was 28 years of age.

If you search for him, the Norton fight appears most. But like most fighters who put on gloves, his career was more than the minutes he shared in the ring with anyone. It was the hard road work, the temptation denied by the diet and the sparring endlessly in dark evenings with no crowd not instant reward. It was a dedication to a sport that shone when he got to share a ring.

That one fight ended badly should never overshadow the triumphs, the medals, the championships and the effect he had on the people around him.it is for that we shall always salute you.