Boxing’s Greats of the States | Iowa: Michael Nunn

Boxers come from every corner of the globe. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring styles prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best boxer of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it. For example, all-time great heavyweight legend Joe Louis was born in Alabama, but he is identified almost universally with Detroit. ***
Iowa may not be a bastion of Sweet Science excellence, but “The Hawkeye” state has produced a number of noteworthy boxers, including one of the most vicious fighters of the 1990s: Michael Nunn. Born in Davenport, Iowa, in April 1963, Nunn enjoyed success in multiple weight classes during his 17-year career.

A three-time Golden Gloves champion, Nunn nearly made the legendary 1984 Olympic Team that included Meldrick Taylor, Pernell Whitaker and Evander Holyfield. After turning pro, Nunn knocked out former amateur rival Frank Tate to win the IBF middleweight championship on July 28, 1988 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. He defended the title on five occasions -- his reign included wins over Iran Barkley, Donald Curry and Marlon Sterling -- before losing it in an 11th-round knockout loss to James Toney in 1991. Nunn eventually moved up to super middleweight and claimed WBA gold with a split decision over Victor Cordoba a little more than a year later. He later yielded the title to Steve Little following four successful title defenses.

Nunn ran into trouble with the law outside the ring in 2002, when he was caught trying to purchase a kilogram of cocaine from an undercover agent. He was sentenced to 292 months in prison. Nunn finished his career with a stellar 58-4 record, with 37 of those victories coming by knockout.

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