Ringside Report Looks Back at Former World Champion Frankie “The Surgeon” Randall Who is Fighting Parkinson’s Disease!

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By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

Anyone who has the nickname “The Surgeon” has just got to be taken seriously. This American fighter who graced not one but four different weight divisions professionally, fought 77 times professionally, being active from 1982 through to 2005. Frankie Randall, 58-18-1, 42 KO’s beat Julio Cesar Chavez, SR. for the first time, was a three times light welterweight world champion with the WBA and WBC and held the lineal title.

The win against Chavez, SR. was exceptional because in 90 fights nobody had beaten him, the closest had been a draw.

Randall, born in Alabama, grew up in Tennessee but was raised through a massive number of fights that cemented not just his legacy but also his place amongst some of the best fighters in his era.

Making his debut in 1982 it was a birth and difficult early childhood in the professional game as he started in 1982 but didn’t fight in 1983. By 1986 he was precocious enough to get a second fight against Freddie Pendleton for the USBA title. The first and only draw he suffered, provided Pendleton with a title shot and not him.

Six fights and fifteen months later he got knocked out by Primo Ramos for the NABF belt.

Getting to the teenage years of his career he signed with Don King and spent 6 ½ years touring round underneath title fights on undercards. He won all 17 of his fights and it was time.

His progression to early adulthood as a professional boxer saw him fight on the grand opening of the MGM Grand Garden, in late January 1994, as he fought Chavez, SR. Chavez, SR. was an overwhelming favorite and Randall was far from reckoned to be in the same league as Chavez.
The fight saw Randall take the early rounds, ensure that he was still well in front in the middle rounds and then when Chavez, SR. managed to come back at him, he floored Chavez, SR. Chavez, SR. was also deducted two points for low blows by the referee – he blamed his loss on this fact – but Randall could still only take away a split decision win. He was the new WBC welterweight champion. In the aftermath of the fight as his son was later to reminisce, he called out to the world, “I wanna say hello to my little boy back in Tennessee. Marcus, I love you, buddy!’”
As his trainer, on the night, Aaron Snowell, was to reflect in later years, “Just to knock down Julio Cesar Chavez, who had never been off of his feet before, was one great accomplishment, but to beat him, it’s part of boxing history.” It was not his only reflection as he was to remark many years later in interviews for Ring Magazine, about the man and his relationship with his son. “Frankie Randall loved his job. After the fight, Frankie’s son was riding in the van with us and crying because his father was feeling something from the fight. Frankie replied, ‘Stop crying, stop crying, you have always been my lucky charm…’”

Chavez, SR. got a rematch in May of the same year. Having got to the top of the summit as a young man in his professional career, yet more controversy followed in his rematch. An accidental clash of heads led to Chavez , SR. being unable to continue and Randall got a point taken off for the incident and thereby lost the fight, another split decision, and this time the docked point being significant in a loss for Randall and the belt was gone.

Randall then took on Juan Martin Coggi for the WBA light welterweight title. Randall won by a comfortable points gap.

Coggi got a rematch. In the meantime, Randall had defended the title twice but his ability to win rematches once again eluded him as he lost to Coggi. Again, a clash of heads led to the fight being called off, this time after four rounds. Randall lost his title. Randall was behind on each scorecard by a single point in each one.

He was to get it back, 7 months on in his third fight with Coggi. It was on points but no great omen as he then went on to lose it in his first defense to Khalid Rahilou, being stopped in the 11th. It was now 1997. The time would have been good to stop but as former trainer and his own son knew, because he kept on saying it, Randall loved his job.

His middle years went to a lay off as he took 18 months away from the fight game before returning. It was now 1998 and after a couple of wins he got to 1999 and took another loss to Oba Carr over 10 rounds.

He was now in his boxing twilight years and he was unable to resist a return to a ring with Julio Chavez, SR in Mexico City. It was now May the 22nd in 2004. He lost over 10 rounds to Chavez, SR. in Chavez, SR.’s 113th fight.

Retirement beckoned and into it he went with plenty memories and great results as a fighter. Of course, like many who find it hard to retire properly, he stuttered in his retirement, announcing it after his fight against Marco Antonio Rubio on New Year’s Day 2005, coming back to face Mauro Lucero in February, another loss, and then again to take on Craig Weber in July.

Of his last 16 fights, he lost 13 of them – leaving you to realize that he was fighting long past his sell by date. Of course he could reflect on those loses including to Michele Piccirillo for the WBU welterweight title, against Peter Manfredo for the IBU super welterweight title, and against Antonio Margarito.

It is perhaps easy to see the temptation…

In one of his fights against Coggi he had been accused of doping as he tested positive for drugs that included cocaine and theophylline, according to the Argentinian Boxing Federation, but it did not lead to any bans.

He was a hard warrior with tough fists, but could also both mix it and box. Unfortunately, he boxed on for too long and is now in a care facility in Tennessee. With both Parkinson’s and pugilistic dementia, these last 16 fights clearly have caused some damage to a man we can remember standing fists high and taking world titles. Marcus Randall, his son has spoken publicly about his father but refuses to tell us where he resides – a decision with which I can fully agree as dignity for all should be preserved. What he has left us with, however, is a shed load of memories that outweigh any deterioration he may have suffered in others eyes.

His trainer Aaron Snowell in that interview caught the mood precisely as he said, “I still talk with Frankie. He’s now fighting the exact same thing Muhammad Ali had to fight – Parkinson’s. His son came out and spoke about it recently. I knew what was going on but I stayed quiet. The night Frankie beat the great Chavez, SR, that was also a great night for me as trainer, in the corner. That was special. So many great memories.”

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