Michael Dokes


Michael Marshall Dokes was an American professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 1997, and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1982 to 1983. As an amateur he won a silver medal in the heavyweight division at the 1975 Pan American Games.

Amateur career

Dokes won a silver medal at the 1975 Pan American Games. He lost a 5–0 decision to Teófilo Stevenson in the finals. He also lost a close decision to John Tate in the Olympic trials in 1976, after which he turned professional.

Amateur accomplishments

Professional career

Dokes turned professional in 1976. He received national exposure in a televised exhibition with Muhammad Ali in 1977, which saw Ali clown and mug while slipping Dokes's punches, but also revealed glimpses of Dokes's potential. He came to real prominence in 1979 by defeating veteran contender Jimmy Young. His career faltered slightly after fighting to a draw with Ossie Ocasio, but Dokes returned to knock out Ocasio in one round soon thereafter. By early 1982, after a first-round knockout of Lynn Ball to win the NABF title, Dokes was in line for a title shot. He was ranked #2 by the WBC and #3 by the WBA. Dokes became WBA heavyweight champion in 1982 by knocking out Mike Weaver in the first round in a match held weeks after the Ray Mancini-Duk Koo Kim lightweight title fight that ended in Kim's death. Because of Nevada State Athletic Commission instructions to referee Joey Curtis regarding the stoppage of the fight in light of the incident, some felt it was premature. In the rematch, Dokes retained his title on a majority draw.
Dokes's reign as the WBA title holder was short-lived. He lost his title by a tenth-round knockout to Gerrie Coetzee. He was later knocked out by future champion Evander Holyfield.
Dokes was knocked out by Donovan Ruddock in 1990. In 1993, Dokes faced newly crowned heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe in his first title defense since defeating Evander Holyfield. Bowe won by TKO in the first round. Although Dokes and his team protested that the fight was stopped prematurely, it was obvious that Dokes was in no condition to continue after taking a vicious barrage of punches from the heavy-hitting Bowe. After a nearly three-year hiatus, Dokes returned to the ring winning three of five matches over a two-year period before retiring for good in 1997.

Life after boxing

In 1999 Dokes was sentenced to between four and 15 years in prison after being convicted of an attack on his fiancée in August 1998. Late in 2008, Dokes was released on parole. Dokes died of liver cancer at a hospice in Akron in August 2012, a day after his 54th birthday.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
61LossPaul PhillipsTKO2 Oct 11, 1997Peels Palace, Erlanger, Kentucky, U.S.
60Loss53–5–2Louis MonacoPTS10Apr 5, 1997Aztlan Theatre, Denver, Colorado, U.S.
59Win53–4–2Doug DavisPTS10Dec 10, 1996Tempe, Arizona, U.S.
58Win52–4–2Dave FiddlerKO2 Jul 27, 1996Lucky Eagle Casino, Rochester, Washington, U.S.
57Win51–4–2Dave SlaughterKO3Nov 18, 1995Aurora, Colorado, U.S.
56Loss50–4–2Riddick BoweTKO1, 2:19Feb 6, 1993Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.For WBA and IBF heavyweight titles
55Win50–3–2Barry ForbesUD10Oct 27, 1992Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
54Win49–3–2Jose RibaltaUD10Oct 6, 1992Mahi Shrine Temple, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
53Win48–3–2Jesse FergusonUD10Jul 28, 1992Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
52Win47–3–2Danny SuttonKO3, 2:54Apr 16, 1992Paramount Theatre, New York City, New York, U.S.
51Win46–3–2Percell DavisRTD5, 3:00Mar 21, 1992CSU Convocation Center, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
50Win45–3–2Danny WoffordTKO9, 2:10Feb 14, 1992The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
49Win44–3–2Danny StonewalkerTKO6, 2:39Jan 21, 1992Union Plaza Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
48Win43–3–2Tyrone ArmstrongKO4, 1:32Dec 27, 1991Union Plaza Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
47Win42–3–2John MortonPTS8Nov 29, 1991The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
46Loss41–3–2Donovan RuddockKO4, 0:53Apr 4, 1990Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Lost WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title
45Win41–2–2Jorge Alfredo DascolaTKO11, 1:05Feb 5, 1990Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.Retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title
44Win40–2–2Lionel WashingtonTKO8, 0:49Nov 13, 1989Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title
43Win39–2–2Wesley WatsonTKO3, 2:25Aug 24, 1989Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
42Win38–2–2Bobby CrabtreeKO1, 1:46Jul 13, 1989Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
41Loss37–2–2Evander HolyfieldTKO10, 1:41Mar 11, 1989Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Lost WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title
40Win37–1–2Rocky SekorskiUD12Dec 9, 1988Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Retained WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title
39Win36–1–2Curtis IsaacTKO4, 2:21Oct 27, 1988Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
38Win35–1–2Manoel De AlmeidaRTD4, 3:00Jul 28, 1988Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
37Win34–1–2Andrew StokesTKO1, 2:58Jun 27, 1988Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
36Win33–1–2James PritchardTKO7, 2:32Apr 28, 1988Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.Won vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title
35Win32–1–2Eddie RichardsonTKO10, 2:15Feb 24, 1988Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
34Win31–1–2Ken LakustaTKO7, 2:52Jan 22, 1988Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
33Win30–1–2Kevin PorterTKO5, 0:25Dec 17, 1987Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
32Win29–1–2Randall Cobb4, 1:03Mar 15, 1985Riviera, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Won vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title;
Majority TD after Dokes was cut from an accidental head clash
31Win28–1–2Young LouisTKO2, 2:29Feb 16, 1985Andy Murphy Midtown Neighborhood Center, Kingston, New York, U.S.
30Win27–1–2Mike JamesonUD10Aug 31, 1984Riviera, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
29Loss26–1–2Gerrie CoetzeeKO10, 3:08Sep 23, 1983Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio, U.S.Lost WBA heavyweight title
28Draw26–0–2Mike Weaver15May 20, 1983Dunes, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBA heavyweight title
27Win26–0–1Mike WeaverTKO1, 1:03Dec 10, 1982Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Won WBA heavyweight title
26Win25–0–1Tommy Franco ThomasKO5, 1:33Mar 20, 1982Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Retained NABF heavyweight title
25Win24–0–1Lynn BallTKO1, 2:56Jan 30, 1982Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Won NABF champions#Heavyweight|NABF heavyweight title]
24Win23–0–1George ChaplinUD10Nov 6, 1981Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
23Win22–0–1Harry TerrellKO1, 1:25Aug 9, 1981Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
22Win21–0–1John L. GardnerKO4, 1:54Jun 12, 1981Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
21Win20–0–1Randall Cobb10Mar 22, 1981Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
20Win19–0–1Tom FischerTKO7, 1:17Oct 2, 1980Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
19Win18–0–1Ossie OcasioTKO1, 2:33Jun 27, 1980San Juan, Puerto Rico
18Draw17–0–1Ossie Ocasio10Apr 19, 1980San Juan, Puerto Rico
17Win17–0Lucien RodriguezUD10Feb 10, 1980Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
16Win16–0Earl TrippKO1, 2:59Jan 13, 1980Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
15Win15–0Jimmy YoungUD10Sep 28, 1979Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
14Win14–0Willie McIntyreKO2, 2:56Jul 20, 1979Auditorium, West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
13Win13–0Greg SorrentinoKO3 May 12, 1979Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
12Win12–0Wendell Bailey10Mar 23, 1979Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
11Win11–0Ira MartinTKO8, 1:51Dec 8, 1978Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
10Win10–0Eugene GreenUD8Oct 27, 1978Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
9Win9–0Terry MimsUD8Sep 26, 1978Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
8Win8–0Dan JohnsonUD6Apr 29, 1978The Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
7Win7–0Abdul Khan8Mar 25, 1978Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
6Win6–0George Holden2 Mar 3, 1978Rif Stadion, Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles
5Win5–0Ed TurnerPTS6Apr 10, 1977Fontainbleau, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
4Win4–0Charlie JordanTKO3 Mar 6, 1977Correctional Facility, Marion, Ohio, U.S.
3Win3–0Dave Wilson4Jan 29, 1977Fontainebleau, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
2Win2–0Sergio Rodriguez2Jan 16, 1977
1Win1–0Al Byrd2, 3:00Oct 15, 1976Hollywood Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, Florida, U.S.

Exhibition boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
10–0 N/A