Remembering a Heavyweight Fighter Who Was Nicknamed “Wimpy” Out of Oklahoma City

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Boxing promoters always love those fighters who will fight anyone at any time, especially those fighters who will take matches on short notice. Forgotten at times are those boxers who contribute to the sport by filling in and competing when called upon. One of these individuals that answered the call whenever the phone rang was a fighter named Jerry Halstead.

Jerry “Wimpy” Halstead, 84-19-1, 62 KO’s, who was a heavyweight contender in the 1980’s. A tough kid from Oklahoma, “Wimpy” was a very active fighter who relied on staying aggressive in the ring, utilizing a good left jab and his experience to win a lot of his bouts. Halstead played spoiler for the early part of his career, but later became a journeyman that faced some of the biggest names in the heavyweight division.

The colorful Jerry Halstead began his career by knocking out Leonard Patterson on June 10, 1980. Fighting out of Oklahoma City for most of his career, the six-foot-two “Wimpy” won seventeen fights over his first two years, nine of those coming against boxers making their pro debuts.

Inactivity plagued “Wimpy” during the next couple of years, winning just six times and also losing his first two bouts. Once again, most of Halstead’s opponents were fighters in the early stages of their careers. Fulfilling his role as spoiler for young fighters, Wimpy defeated Earl McFadden twice in the stretch. McFadden, 6-2, 2 KO’s ended his brief career after only eight pro fights. However, the phone would begin to ring more often over the course of the next several years for Jerry.

Halstead fought eleven times in 1986 and defeated a lineup of club fighters at the Trade Winds Central Inn in Oklahoma City, including Rick Kellar and Charles Atlas, both with losing records. The call would come in for Jerry to face a legitimate top contender, and he would finally take his show on the road to Las Vegas, Nevada.

On November 22, 1986, “Wimpy” was knocked out in the eighth round by Greg Page, the former WBA Heavyweight champion. Page, who was the heavyweight champion from December 1984 to April 1985 before losing the title in his first defense, was coming off a knockout loss to Mark Anthony Willis back in June, and had lost five of his previous seven bouts. Halstead, who was probably too small for the heavyweight division, was the perfect opponent for Page to re-establish himself as a contender.

“Wimpy” fought eighteen times in 1987, losing only once during the year. Jerry defeated a slew of journeymen including Al Jones (only 11 wins in 46 bouts) and Stan Johnson (only 2 wins in 25 bouts). Continuing to be a promoter’s friend, Wimpy would answer the call to take on another former champion who was trying to get back on track.

On May 30, 1987, Wimpy, despite being undersized for the contest, fought courageously and lost a unanimous decision to Tony “TNT” Tubbs at the Las Vegas Hotel. Tubbs won the WBA heavyweight title in 1985 by defeating Greg Page, but lost it in his first defense against Tim Witherspoon the following year. After the setback, Halstead would reel off fourteen straight victories, including a knockout win over Lorenzo Byrd to win the Oklahoma State Heavyweight championship on September 1, 1987.

Making his home more often at the Central Plaza Hotel in Oklahoma City, “Wimpy” would rack up some more meaningless victories over sub-par fighters. Halstead would defend and defeat Bobby Crabtree by unanimous decision to defend the Oklahoma State heavyweight title on December 1, 1987. Crabtree was one of the few boxers that actually had a winning record before facing Halstead, but most of his fights came in the cruiserweight division.

Benefitting from an inflated record built on fighting club fighters, Halstead received another an opportunity to face a world title contender when he was paired against James “Buster” Douglas in Las Vegas. On April 16, 1988, Douglas, who had just lost to Tony Tucker a few months earlier for the IBF Heavyweight title, was able to use his three-inch reach and twenty- pound advantage to stop “Wimpy” after nine rounds. Often leaving his left hand low, Halstead was caught with several big right hands throughout the fight. “Wimpy”, after getting knocked down twice in the third round, was dropped two more times in the ninth by right hands, prompting the referee to stop the mismatch.

Fighting on the undercard of Barkley – Hearns II at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 20th, 1992, Tommy “The Duke” Morrison stopped “Wimpy” in the fifth round with a straight right hand- short left uppercut combination. Morrison, who would later go on and win the WBO Heavyweight title, was trying to rebound from his loss to Ray Mercer just a few months earlier. For Halstead, he gave the heavier Morrison a formidable challenge early on, but the fight was later marred by excessive holding on Jerry’s part. Able to slip power punches in the beginning, Halstead could not avoid Morrison’s bombs in the fifth round.

Despite the loss, another big name in the heavyweight division would dial up Wimpy’s phone number for a fight. Ray Mercer, who had just lost a big match against former Larry Holmes, was the next big opponent who battered Halstead, dropping the smaller fighter near the end of the second round. The fight was actually stopped after the round due to a cut that Jerry had received above his right eye.

Young prospects, Alex Stewart and Herbie Hide, both would score stoppage wins over Halstead over the next couple of months. Jerry would rally to win a few more fights by taking on lesser opponents, but would once again face more up-and-coming fighters. Unfortunately, the losses would start to pile up for the fighter from Sooner country. Wimpy would close out his professional career by being stopped four consecutive times. The fourth and final time came against a young rising star and future champion by the name of Wladimir Klitschko in Germany on December 6, 1997.

Often viewed as a character inside and outside the ring, “Wimpy” was seen as a fun guy to be around. There was a story about Jerry Halstead throughout the years about a time when “Wimpy” missed a punch so badly, that he hit himself in the back of the head and knocked himself to the canvas. Whether or not the story is true, one thing was certain, Halstead came to fight every time the phone rang for him.