Donny Lalonde

Donny Lalonde (born March 12, 1960 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) is a retired professional boxer. His nickname is "Golden Boy," after the Golden Boy statue atop the Manitoba Legislative Building in his boxing home town of Winnipeg. Lalonde held the WBC Light Heavyweight Championship from 1987 to 1988.

Early career

Lalonde got into boxing "to try to reestablish self-esteem, respect, pride," he said. "Boxing is a way of doing that." Lalonde had an amateur record of 11-4 and turned professional in 1980.

Early professional career

Lalonde won his first four fights and then lost a six-round decision to Wilbert "Vampire" Johnson in March 1981. They had a rematch seven months later, which Lalonde won by a second-round knockout.

In 1983, Lalonde won the Canadian Light Heavyweight Championship, knocking out Roddie McDonald in ten rounds. He defeated McDonald even though he had a smashed middle knuckle on his right hand and was recovering from surgery on his left shoulder, which he first separated when he crashed into the boards while playing hockey in 1977.

Over the years, the shoulder had separated some thirty times and had become so loose that he was able to pop it back into socket himself. To prepare for his fight with McDonald, he underwent an operation in which doctors inserted a pin to bind the joint, which severely restricted his ability to raise his left arm. It affected Lalonde's style: He would paw with his left, looking to set up his powerful right.

In 1985, with a record of 19-1, Lalonde fought Willie Edwards for the NABF Light Heavyweight Championship. Edwards stopped Lalonde in nine rounds.

Rise to the top

At the end of 1985, Lalonde hired Dave Wolf as his manager and Teddy Atlas as his trainer. Lalonde went 8-0 with Atlas as his trainer, but they clashed in temperament and style. He and Atlas parted ways, and Lalonde hired Tommy Gallagher and Bobby Cassidy as his new trainers.

In his first fight with Gallagher and Cassidy, he outpointed Mustafa Hamsho on May 7, 1987. His next fight was for a world title. On November 27, 1987, Lalonde knocked out Eddie Davis in two rounds to win the vacant WBC Light Heavyweight Championship in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. His first title defense was also in Port of Spain. On May 29, 1988, he knocked out former WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Leslie Stewart in five rounds.^[1]

On November 7, 1988, Lalonde fought Sugar Ray Leonard at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was by far the biggest fight of his career. Lalonde's purse was six million dollars. They fought for Lalonde's WBC Light Heavyweight Championship and the newly created WBC Super Middleweight Championship, which meant that Lalonde had to make 168 lbs. Some were concerned that moving down from the light heavyweight limit of 175 lbs would weaken Lalonde, but he told HBO's Larry Merchant after the fight that he had no trouble making weight, and he felt great on the night of the fight.

Lalonde's size and awkwardness troubled Leonard. In the fourth round, a right hand to the top of Leonard's head dropped him for just the second time in his career. Early in the ninth, Lalonde hurt Leonard with a right to the chin. Leonard fired back and hurt Lalonde with a right. He drove him to the ropes and unleashed a furious assault. Lalonde tried to tie up Leonard, but got dropped with a powerful left hook. He rose but was soon down again, and the fight was stopped. Leonard won his fourth and fifth world titles.^[2]

Retirement and return

After Leonard vacated the WBC Light Heavyweight Championship, Lalonde was scheduled to fight Dennis Andries for the vacant title on June 24, 1989 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Shortly before the fight, Lalonde shocked many by retiring. "I just don't have the desire to hit people anymore," Lalonde said.^[3]

Lalonde returned to boxing in 1991. After four straight wins, he fought Bobby Czyz for the WBA Cruiserweight Championship on May 9, 1992 in Las Vegas. Czyz dropped Lalonde in the first round with a left hook. Lalonde got up and survived the round, but for the rest of the fight, Czyz continued to come forward and land effectively with left jabs and hooks. Czyz retained his title with a twelve-round unanimous decision.^[4]

After losing to Czyz, Lalonde was inactive for four years. He returned to the ring and won three straight fights, then fought a six-round draw with Kevin Pompey in 1998. Lalonde stayed out of the ring again until 2002. After three consecutive wins, Lalonde fought former two-division champion Virgil Hill in Winnipeg on July 7, 2003.

In the first round, Lalonde fell into the ropes after getting hit by a left hook. The referee ruled it a knockdown, but Lalonde said the fall was due more to bad footwork. Lalonde spent most of the fight backpedaling and looking to land his right hand. Hill controlled the fight, landing frequently with jabs and hooks while avoiding Lalonde's powerful right. Hill won by a ten-round unanimous decision. It was Lalonde's last fight. He finished with a record of 41-5-1 with 33 knockouts.^[5]

Teddy Atlas' book revelation

In 2006, Teddy Atlas published his autobiography, Atlas: From the Streets to the Ring: A Son's Struggle to Become a Man. In the book, he revealed that he came close to murdering Lalonde. "When he made six million for Leonard, it tore me up," Atlas wrote. "It made me murderous." If Atlas had not been fired by Lalonde and he had trained him for the Leonard fight, he would've gotten 10% of his purse, $600,000.

Atlas described getting a gun and going to Lalonde's apartment building in New York City. After getting buzzed into the building by another tenant, Atlas went to Lalonde's apartment and knocked on the door. "If he had opened the door, he was dead," Atlas wrote. "I would have pulled the trigger, turned around, and walked away." However, there was no answer.

Atlas waited through the night for Lalonde to return, periodically phoning the apartment. When he finally got through, Lalonde's girlfriend answered. When asked if Lalonde was home, she said yes. Atlas hung up and started making his way over to the apartment. Somewhere along the way, for whatever reason, Atlas changed his mind.

Lalonde knew nothing about it until the book came out and a friend told him about it. "It actually didn't surprise me when I heard it," he said. "Teddy got into fights with trainers and fighters quite a bit when I was with him. He may not be the most stable person walking around."^[6]

Honors

Lalonde was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1990.

T.K.O.O.O

Lalonde is now aiming to help boxers live a healthier life in their golden years through his initiative "TKOOO" (Taking "K"are Of Our Own). Its mission is to educate fighters on the benefits of natural and preventative medicine, including the reduction or elimination of the trauma induced effects of combat sport.^[7]

Professional boxing record

41 Wins (33 knockouts, 8 decisions), 5 Losses (2 knockouts, 3 decisions), 1 Draw
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	48-4	Virgil "Quicksilver" Hill	UD	10	05/07/2003	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Win	17-6-2	Willard "Red Thunder Rock" Lewis	UD	10	14/03/2003	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada	98-92, 98-92, 99-92
Win	29-29-2	Stacy "Goodnight" Goodson	KO	1	06/12/2002	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada	Goodson knocked out at 2:40 of the first round.
Win	75-14-1	Tony Menefee	UD	8	02/10/2002	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada	80-70, 80-70, 80-71.
Draw	32-14-2	"Mr. Excitement" Kevin Pompey	PTS	6	28/05/1998	White Plains, New York, United States	59-57, 57-57, 56-58.
Win	14-3-1	Joe Stevenson	TKO	7	09/04/1997	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Referee stopped the bout at 1:28 of the seventh round.
Win	16-3-3	George Sponagle	KO	3	12/12/1996	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Win	12-2-2	"Irish" Ed Dalton	UD	8	02/11/1996	Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Loss	39-5	Bobby "Matinee Idol" Czyz	UD	12	08/05/1992	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	WBA World Cruiserweight Title. 111-117, 110-116, 113-116.
Win	13-9-1	Dave Fiddler	TKO	3	17/12/1991	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada	Referee stopped the bout at 1:28 of the third round.
Win	5-11	David Bates	KO	4	03/12/1991	Memphis, Tennessee, United States	Bates knocked out at 1:47 of the fourth round.
Win	18-9	Bert Gravley	TKO	7	20/09/1991	Tampa, Florida, United States	Referee stopped the bout at 2:04 of the seventh round.
Win	17-6	Darryl Fromm	TKO	3	05/09/1991	Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Loss	34-1	Sugar Ray Leonard	TKO	9	07/11/1988	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	WBC World Light Heavyweight/Super Middleweight Titles. Referee stopped the bout at 2:30 of the ninth round.
Win	26-2	Leslie "Laventille Tiger" Stewart	TKO	5	29/05/1988	Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago	WBC World Light Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 2:27 of the fifth round.
Win	34-5-1	Eddie Davis	TKO	2	27/11/1987	Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago	WBC World Light Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 0:22 of the second round.
Win	42-3-2	Mustafa Hamsho	UD	12	07/05/1987	New York City, United States	WBC Continental Americas Light Heavyweight Title. 117-110, 116-110, 118-108.
Win	17-3	Benito Fernandez	TKO	9	06/11/1986	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Win	17-6	Charles "Hollywood" Henderson	TKO	8	30/09/1986	Sterling Heights, Michigan, United States	Referee stopped the bout at 1:04 of the eighth round.
Win	7-4-1	Terrence "Top Cat" Walker	TKO	6	28/08/1986	New York City, United States	Referee stopped the bout at 2:28 of the sixth round.
Win	--	Frank "Candy Man" Walters	KO	1	12/08/1986	Ashland, Kentucky, United States
Win	7-8	Lenny Edwards	TKO	3	30/04/1986	Mentor, Ohio, United States
Win	0-2-1	Joe Brewer	TKO	3	06/04/1986	West Orange, New Jersey, United States	Referee stopped the bout at 0:34 of the third round.
Win	0-3	Roberto Rodriguez	TKO	2	08/02/1986	Enid, Oklahoma, United States
Win	0-1	Ronnie Crawford	TKO	2	21/01/1986	Oklahoma City, United States
Win	12-4	Jamie "Featherman" Howe	PTS	10	28/08/1985	Wheeling, West Virginia, United States
Loss	19-2-1	Willie "Sandman" Edwards	TKO	9	16/05/1985	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada	NABF Light Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 0:49 of the ninth round.
Win	0-1	John Jones	TKO	3	26/04/1985	Hammond, Indiana, United States
Win	9-1	Don Hurtle	TKO	6	08/09/1984	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada	Canada Light Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 1:40 of the sixth round.
Win	23-1	Carlos "The Force" Tite	TKO	2	28/06/1984	Merrillville, Indiana, United States	Referee stopped the bout at 2:06 of the second round.
Win	23-4-1	Jimmy Gradson	KO	1	11/02/1984	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada	Canada Light Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 1:30 of the first round.
Win	9-6	Nathaniel "Gator" Akbar	KO	3	25/11/1983	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Win	24-2	Roddy MacDonald	TKO	10	04/07/1983	Waterloo, Ontario, Canada	Canada Light Heavyweight Title.
Win	4-0	Don Hurtle	UD	8	15/11/1982	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	--	Frank Lux	KO	2	07/10/1982	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada	Lux knocked out at 0:26 of the second round.
Win	9-5-1	Jimmy "Schoolboy" Baker	TKO	8	30/09/1982	Kitchener, Ontario, Canada	Referee stopped the bout at 2:29 of the eighth round.
Win	0-4	Akbar Abdullah	TKO	2	23/08/1982	Ramsey, Minnesota, United States
Win	0-8	Ken Johnson	KO	2	29/06/1982	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada	Johnson knocked out at 0:29 of the second round.
Win	2-5	Randy Jackson	KO	2	12/02/1982	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada	Jackson knocked out at 2:40 of the second round.
Win	0-1	Akbar Abdullah	UD	6	10/12/1981	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Win	37-8-1	Jean Claude LeClair	TKO	2	03/11/1981	Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Referee stopped the bout at 1:05 of the second round.
Win	13-1	Wilbert "Vampire" Johnson	TKO	2	10/10/1981	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Loss	6-1	Wilbert "Vampire" Johnson	UD	6	06/03/1981	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Win	--	Jimmy Green	TKO	3	20/01/1981	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada	Referee stopped the bout at 1:47 of the third round.
Win	2-18	Muhammed "Ali" Smith	KO	1	12/11/1980	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Win	--	Edmond Esquirol	UD	4	16/09/1980	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Win	0-1	Ken "Boilermaker" Nichols	TKO	2	24/04/1980	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada	Referee stopped the bout at 2:05 of the second round.

References

1. ↑ Sports Illustrated October 31, 1988
2. ↑ Sports Illustrated November 21, 1988
3. ↑ The Milwaukee Journal May 28, 1989
4. ↑ New York Times May 10, 1992
5. ↑ Lodi News-Sentinel July 7, 2003
6. ↑ Donny Lalonde Responds To Atlas
7. ↑ Boxing 101,"Golden Boy Donny Lalonde Is Taking Care Of His Own", September 26, 2012

Donny ‘Golden Boy’ Lalonde Is Back In Town

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Donny Lalonde

• Professional boxing record for Donny Lalonde from BoxRec
• Donny Lalonde’s biography at Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum