Ernie Terrell


Ernest "Ernie" Terrell was a 20th century American professional boxer who competed from 1957 to 1973. He held the WBA heavyweight title from 1965 to 1967, and was one of the taller heavyweights of his era, at a height of. Terrell was the older brother of The Supremes' early 1970s lead singer Jean Terrell. In the 1960s, Jean sang with Ernie's group Ernie Terrell & the Heavyweights.

Early life

Terrell was born on 4 April 1939 in Inverness, Mississippi, and spent his early childhood in Belzoni. He was born into a family of ten children, whose father was a Mississippi sharecroper, who during Terrell's childhood moved the family North to Chicago when he found employment in the factories there. Terrell received his formal education at Farragut School in Chicago. Before turning professional, he won the Chicago Golden Gloves in his youth as a light heavy-weight, and he also formed a pop music singing act called "The Heavyeights" with 3 of his siblings.

Professional career

In his early career, Terrell defeated some good contenders, including Cleveland Williams, Zora Folley, and future Light Heavyweight champion Bob Foster. However, he is best remembered for his fight with World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali, on February 6, 1967—a fight in which he was badly beaten.
Ali was scheduled to fight World Boxing Association champion Ernie Terrell on March 29, but Terrell backed out and Ali won a 15-round decision against substitute opponent George Chuvalo. The World Boxing Association matched Terrell and Eddie Machen for the vacant crown. Terrell defeated Machen to win the belt on March 5, 1965. He held it until February 6, 1967, when he lost to Muhammad Ali. During this time, most in the boxing world continued to recognize Ali as the legitimate champion, since he had not lost his championship in a boxing match. The WBA's rival, the World Boxing Council, had also continued to recognize Ali as champion.
During his reign as WBA Champion, Terrell defended the title twice, beating Doug Jones and George Chuvalo.
In February 1967, Ali and Terrell met to end the debate about who was the legitimate heavyweight champion. Before the bout, Terrell repeatedly called Ali by his birth name. He said later that he had known Clay for years in the amateurs and hadn't gotten used to calling him another name. Ali took offense to this, and vowed he would punish Terrell. For his part, Ali further stoked the prefight ill-will by labeling Terrell "an Uncle Tom nigger who is going to get his ass whupped." Ali won a lopsided 15-round decision, reclaiming the undisputed championship. The Daily Telegraph wrote that the resulting fight was "the nastiest display of Ali's celebrated ring career", describing how he seized Terrell in a headlock and dragged Terrell's eye along the top rope, and declared, "The fight will be remembered for Ali's constant taunts of 'what's my name?' to an opponent he was apparently content not merely to defeat, but also to belittle and humiliate." The match is recounted in the film Ali.
Terrell lost an upset 12-round decision to Thad Spencer later in 1967 in the WBA Heavyweight Tournament which was organized after Ali was stripped of his title in April 1967. He left the sport for three years following the loss, but returned in 1970, winning seven consecutive fights before losing to Chuck Wepner by decision.
In 55 professional fights, Terrell earned a record of 46 wins, nine losses and no draws. He retired from boxing in 1973 following a knockout loss to Jeff "Candy Slim" Merritt..

Later life

After retiring from boxing he began a career as a record producer in Chicago. He ran unsuccessfully for Alderman of Chicago's 34th ward in 1987. He finished second in the primary but lost to Lemuel Austin in a runoff.

Death

Terrell died at the age of 75 on December 16, 2014 in a hospital at Evergreen Park, Illinois, he had been afflicted in his final years with dementia. His body was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois.

Personal life

Terrell married Maxine Terrell in 1974, the couple raised two children.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
55Loss46–9 Jeff MerrittTKO1, 2:42Sep 10, 1973 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
54Loss46–8 Chuck WepnerPTS12Jun 23, 1973 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.For vacant National Americas heavyweight title
53Win46–7 Bill DroverTKO1, 2:28Feb 19, 1973 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
52Win45–7 Jose Luis GarciaKO6 Oct 23, 1972 Caracas, Venezuela
51Win44–7 Roberto DavilaUD10Jul 24, 1971 Playboy Club, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, U.S.
50Win43–7 Luis Faustino PiresUD10May 10, 1971 International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
49Win42–7 Vic BrownUD10Apr 28, 1971 Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
48Win41–7 John HudginsTKO1, 1:58Apr 3, 1971 Playboy Club, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, U.S.
47Win40–7 Sonny MooreUD10Dec 15, 1970 The Eagles Club, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
46Loss39–7 Manuel RamosUD10Oct 14, 1967 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico
45Loss39–6 Thad SpencerUD12Aug 5, 1967 Astrodome, Houston, Texas, U.S.
44Loss39–5 Muhammad AliUD15Feb 6, 1967 Astrodome, Houston, Texas, U.S.Lost WBA heavyweight title
43Win39–4 Doug JonesUD15Jun 28, 1966 Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, U.S.Retained WBA heavyweight title
42Win38–4 George ChuvaloUD15Nov 1, 1965 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaRetained WBA heavyweight title
41Win37–4 Eddie MachenUD15Mar 5, 1965 International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Won vacant WBA heavyweight title
40Win36–4 Henry WallitschRTD6, 0:01Oct 23, 1964 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
39Win35–4 Bob FosterTKO7, 0:58Jul 10, 1964 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
38Win34–4 Jefferson DavisUD10Jun 17, 1964 Municipal Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
37Win33–4 Gerhard ZechUD10Mar 6, 1964 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
36Win32–4 Zora FolleyUD10Jul 27, 1963 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
35Win31–4 Cleveland WilliamsSD10Apr 13, 1963 Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
34Win30–4 Herb SilerTKO3 Mar 7, 1963 Little River Auditorium, Miami, Florida, U.S.
33Win29–4 Young Jack JohnsonUD10Jan 5, 1963 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
32Win28–4 Young Jack JohnsonUD10Dec 14, 1962 Chicago Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
31Win27–4 Reiniero Rey LopezKO3, 2:15Sep 25, 1962 Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
30Win26–4 Eddie JacksonTKO2, 2:54Aug 24, 1962 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
29Win25–4 Amos LincolnUD6Jun 9, 1962 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
28Loss24–4 Cleveland WilliamsTKO7, 1:43Apr 3, 1962 Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, U.S.
27Win24–3 Herb SilerPTS10Feb 28, 1962 Exhibition Hall, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
26Win23–3 Ernie Cab3, 0:01Dec 4, 1961 Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
25Win22–3 Chuck GarrettUD10May 15, 1961 Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
24Win21–3 Willie ColemanKO1 Apr 17, 1961 Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
23Win20–3 Ernie CabTKO8 Feb 6, 1961 Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
22Loss19–3 Wayne BetheaSD10Dec 5, 1960 Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
21Win19–2 Joe HemphillUD8Jul 20, 1960 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Won Illinois heavyweight title
20Win18–2 Frankie DanielsKO7 May 18, 1960 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
19Win17–2 Lee WilliamsUD10Mar 30, 1960 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
18Win16–2 Clay ThomasKO1 Jan 6, 1960 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
17Win15–2 Chuck GarrettPTS6Nov 11, 1959 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
16Win14–2 Tunney HunsakerPTS8Jul 24, 1959 Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
15Loss13–2 Johnny GraySD8Feb 25, 1959 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
14Win13–1 Willie Coleman8Jan 14, 1959 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
13Win12–1 Sid PeaksUD8Nov 3, 1958 Joe Louis Gymnasium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
12Win11–1 John HobartKO1Oct 7, 1958 East Chicago, Indiana, U.S.
11Win10–1 Joe HemphillTKO1 Sep 24, 1958 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
10Win9–1 Billy PickettKO2 Jul 1, 1958 Midwest Gymnasium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
9Loss8–1 Johnny GraySD8Apr 30, 1958 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
8Win8–0 Johnny HarperTKO1 Mar 11, 1958 Midwest Gym, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
7Win7–0 Emil BrtkoTKO2 Feb 4, 1958 Joe Louis Gym, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
6Win6–0 Calvin Butler6Jan 8, 1958 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
5Win5–0 Ted PooleTKO1 Oct 30, 1957 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
4Win4–0 Neal WelchUD6Aug 21, 1957 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
3Win3–0 Ray Griggs1 Jul 24, 1957 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
2Win2–0 Andy Bond1 Jun 26, 1957 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1Win1–0 Norman Bolden4May 15, 1957 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.