On This Day In Boxing History 1975: Georges Carpentier Passes!

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On This Day In Boxing History!

1975: Georges Carpentier Passes!

Georges Carpentier

Born: January 12th, 1894

Place of Birth: Lievin, Pas-de-Calais, France

Residence: Paris, France

Pro-Debut: November 1st, 1908

Alias: The Orchid Man

Division: Flyweight to Heavyweight

Stance: Orthodox

Height: 5′ 11″

Reach: 73″

Record: 90-14-6, 59Ko’s

Bouts: 111

Rounds: 861

Ko’s: 53%

Death: Age 81, October 28th, 1975

Georges Carpentier: French boxer who fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasting from 1908-26. Nicknamed the "Orchid Man", he stood 5 feet 11½ inches (1.816 m) and his fighting weight ranged from 125 to 175 pounds (57 to 79 kg). Carpentier was known for his speed, his excellent boxing skills and his extremely hard punch. Carpentier lost to Jack Dempsey in boxing's first $1million.

Born in Liévin near Lens, Pas-de-Calais, Carpentier began his career by progressing up through the weight divisions, fighting in every division from welterweight upwards. With his first professional bout at age 14, he was welterweight champion of France and of Europe in 1911, middleweight champion of Europe in 1912, and light heavyweight champion of Europe in 1913. On June 1, 1913, he beat "Bombardier" Billy Wells in Ghent, Belgium to become heavyweight champion of Europe. He defended his title in December against Wells, in January 1914 against Pat O'Keefe and in London on July 16 he beat Ed "Gunboat" Smith to add the "White Heavyweight Champion of the World" to his European title. Carpentier was also a referee during the early stages of his career, supervising a number of fights including the world title bout between Jack Johnson and Frank Moran in June 1914. Carpentier was an aviator during World War I and was awarded two of the highest French military honors, the Croix de Guerre and the Médaille Militaire. This served to heighten his already phenomenal popularity, not only in France but in the United States and England as well.

Carpentier defended his title twice again in 1919 before dropping down a weight to challenge Battling Levinsky for the light heavyweight championship of the world. The fight took place on October 12, 1920, in Jersey City and Levinsky was knocked out in the fourth. Carpentier's attempt at the heavyweight Championship of the world came on July 2, 1921, again in Jersey City, when he faced Jack Dempsey in front of boxing's first million-dollar gate. Carpentier was badly beaten around before suffering a knockout in the second minute of the fourth round. Carpentier never fought again for that title. He lost his world light heavyweight title and his European heavyweight and light heavyweight titles the following year, on September 24, 1922, in a controversial bout with Senegalese fighter Battling Siki. His last truly noteworthy fight was on July 24, 1924, with Gene Tunney at the Polo Grounds in New York; Carpentier lost the bout by TKO after fifteen rounds. He retired from the ring after a final exhibition bout in 1927.

Following his retirement from boxing, Carpentier spent a number of years a vaudeville song-and-dance man, mostly in England and the US. He also appeared in half a dozen motion pictures, starring in both silent films and talkies. He made three films in Hollywood, one for director J. Stuart Blackton in England and two in his native France. His last screen appearance was in 1934. Soon after, he became proprietor of an upmarket bar, Chez Georges Carpentier, in a chic Paris neighborhood. In several different locations, this is the profession he would exercise until shortly before his death.

Beginning in 1921 and continuing throughout the rest of their lives, he and one-time opponent Jack Dempsey would remain close friends, visiting back and forth in New York and Paris, getting together to commemorate anniversary of their famous bout and exchanging birthday greetings.

Carpentier died in Paris in 1975 of a heart attack, and was buried in the Cimetiere de Vaires-sur Marne, Seine-et-Marne, France.

He was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.

2006: Former Heavyweight Champion

Trevor Berbick Was Found Dead!

Trevor Berbick

Born: August 1st, 1954

Birth Place: Port Antonio, Jamaica

Residence: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Pro-Debut: September 27th, 1976

Division: Heavyweight

Stance: Orthodox

Height: 6′ 2″

Reach: 78″

Career: 1976-2000

Bouts: 61

Rounds: 442

Ko’s: 54.1%

Record: 49-11-1, 33Ko’s

Died: Age 52, October 28th, 2006

Trevor Berbick, born in Norwich, Jamaica, on August 1, 1954, Berbick rose from humble beginnings to become WBC heavyweight champion and the final man to share a ring with Muhammad Ali. His life, both inside and outside the ropes, reflected the extremes of fame and failure that so often define boxing legends.

Berbick’s raw talent was apparent early on, though his path to prominence was far from typical. With only 11 amateur bouts under his belt, he represented Jamaica at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games at age 21. Lacking experience, he was eliminated by Romanian Mircea Şimon, the eventual silver medalist. Yet Berbick’s determination and physical strength stood out. Just one year earlier, at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City, he had earned a bronze medal despite losing to future heavyweight champion Michael Dokes—a sign of the power and resilience that would shape his professional career.

After the Olympics, Berbick made a life-changing move to Canada, settling first in Halifax before fighting out of Montreal. Canada became both a platform for his ambitions and a complex chapter in his life. Under Canadian trainers and promoters, Berbick transitioned rapidly from a promising prospect to a legitimate contender.

He began his professional career in 1976 and won his first 11 bouts—10 of them by knockout—before suffering his first defeat to Bernardo Mercado in April 1979. Ironically, Berbick had beaten Mercado as an amateur, but in their professional meeting he was caught by a devastating punch in the final seconds of the first round. Despite the loss, Berbick’s toughness and persistence kept him in contention.

Berbick’s breakthrough came in 1980 with a stunning ninth-round knockout of former WBA champion John Tate. That victory earned him a title shot against Larry Holmes for the WBC heavyweight championship in April 1981. Although Holmes outpointed him over 15 grueling rounds, Berbick’s effort proved he belonged at the elite level.

Later that year, in December 1981, Berbick made history by facing Muhammad Ali in what would become the final fight of Ali’s storied career. Fighting in Nassau, The Bahamas, Berbick used his youth and strength to outwork Ali over ten rounds. The victory, bittersweet as it came against an aging idol, placed Berbick forever in boxing’s historical record as the man who closed the book on Muhammad Ali’s extraordinary career.

In the mid-1980s, Berbick alternated between triumph and frustration. He scored notable wins over Greg Page, Mitch “Blood” Green, and David Bey, all of whom were rising contenders. Under promoter Don King, Berbick secured another world title shot—this time for the WBC championship against defending champion Pinklon Thomas. On March 22, 1986, using pressure and conditioning, Berbick outpointed Thomas over twelve rounds to capture the title.

His reign would be short-lived but unforgettable. Just eight months later, Berbick faced a 20-year-old Mike Tyson in Las Vegas. That night, on November 22, 1986, Tyson made history by dismantling Berbick in two rounds, becoming the youngest heavyweight champion ever. The image of Berbick attempting to rise—only to stumble and collapse repeatedly—became one of boxing’s most replayed moments. Yet behind that defeat was a fighter who had achieved what few Jamaicans ever had: a world heavyweight crown.

Trevor Berbick remains the only man to have fought Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, and Mike Tyson—three generations of heavyweight greatness. That distinction alone affirms his place in boxing history. His durability, work ethic, and unflinching self-belief carried him across eras and continents.

After losing the title, Berbick continued to fight. In 1991, he took part in an infamous “boxer vs. wrestler” exhibition in Japan against Nobuhiko Takada, where confusion over rules led to a bizarre ending as Berbick left the ring mid-bout. He later returned to traditional boxing, appearing frequently on the USA Network’s Tuesday Night Fights program. He earned a few upsets, including a win over Melvin Foster, but soon began losing to younger prospects like Jimmy Thunder and Hasim Rahman. His final fight came in 2000, a decision victory over Shane Sutcliffe in Canada, after which medical scans revealed a blood clot that ended his career with a record of 49 wins, 11 losses, and 1 draw.

Outside the ring, Berbick’s life was chaotic. A preacher at the Moments of Miracles Pentecostal Church in Las Vegas, he often spoke about redemption and divine purpose. Yet his personal struggles overshadowed his sermons. In 1992, he was convicted in Florida of raping his children’s babysitter, serving 15 months of a five-year sentence. He later violated parole and was deported, sparking residency battles between the United States, Canada, and Jamaica. Despite legal turmoil, Berbick regained permission to reside in Canada in 1999.

Amid these troubles, Berbick’s name made headlines again when his long-standing rivalry with Larry Holmes escalated into a fistfight outside a hotel in 1991. A video of Holmes leaping off a car to attack Berbick became a viral moment of early sports tabloid television.

Berbick spent his final years in Florida and Jamaica, training fighters and living quietly with his family. But peace eluded him. On October 28, 2006, he was found dead outside a church in Norwich, Jamaica, bludgeoned with a steel pipe. Police later determined that the killing was the result of a family land dispute. Among the arrested were his nephew Harold Berbick, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, and accomplice Kenton Gordon, sentenced to 14 years for manslaughter. Trevor Berbick was buried at the Berbick Family Plot in Portland Parish, Jamaica.

Trevor Berbick’s life defies simple characterization. He was a national symbol, a world champion, a preacher, and a man plagued by personal demons. Within the ring, he embodied resilience—an athlete unwilling to retreat from any challenge. Beyond it, his flaws reflected the struggles of a man seeking redemption amid fame and failure.

His victory over Muhammad Ali and brief reign as WBC champion secured his place in boxing legend. Yet the contradictions that marked his life—discipline and defiance, triumph and ruin—make his story a haunting portrait of what it means to rise from obscurity, reach greatness, and fall as fiercely as one fought.

October 28th

1894: Ted "Kid" Lewis Was Born

1895: George Dixon D10 Young Griffo

1901: Abe Attell W15 George Dixon

1924: Jimmy McLarnin W4 Fidel LaBarba

1938: John Henry Lewis KO4 Emilio Martinez

1960: Joe Brown W15 Cisco Andrade

1961: Joe Brown W15 Bert Somodio

Alfredo Urbina W10 Carlos Rios

Luis Folledo KO10 Jose Navarro Paredes

Farid Salim W10 Teddy Wright

1972: Antonio Cervantes KO10 Alfonzo Frazer

1975: Georges Carpentier, 81, dies in Paris.

1978: Wilfredo Gomez KO5 Carlos Zarate

1979: Yoko Gushiken KO7 Tito Abella

1982: Jean Pascal was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

1987: Jorge Vaca Tech WTD8 Lloyd Honeyghan

1988: Greg Haugen KO10 Gert Bo Jacobson

1992: Mike Tyson's father, Jimmy Kirkpatrick, dies in Brooklyn, NY. Tyson does not ask for a leave to attend the funeral.

2000: Kristina Krek W4 Sonja Perreira

2006: Former heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick was found dead, bludgeoned him to death by his nephew, Harold Berbick, and Kenton Gordan. The motive for the killing was a land dispute.

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2011: Moruti Mthalane TKO7 Andrea Sarritzu

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2012: Naoko Fujioka W10 Victoria Argueta

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