Former Boxing Champion Frankie Randall Dies At 59

Retired boxing champion Frankie Randall died on Wednesday at age 59. Randall’s former trainer Aaron Sowell announced the news via Facebook after hearing it first hand from Randall’s son DeMarcus. Randall was battling Parkinson’s disease and pugilistic dementia.

Randall was borning in Birmingham, Alabama and later moved to Morristown, Tennessee. He first turned pro in 1981 after working in amateur boxing. While he won his debut in June of that year, he did not box again until 1983. Between the years of 1983 and 1998, Randall’s record was 55-5-1 and he was one of the top fighters in the sport within his weight class during his best years.

Randall was best known for his three boxing matches against Julio Cesar Chavez in the 1990s. In 1994, Randall fought champion Chavez for his title on MGM Grand Garden’s grand opener in Las Vegas. Randall became the first boxer to defeat Chavez, whose record at the time of their fight was 89-0-1. Not only did this victory earn Randall his first world title, but he also earned the nickname, “The Surgeon.”

However, Randall lost the title in their rematch. This was a controversial split decision because the fighters accidentally clashed heads, and Chavez was unable to continue fighting, so a point was deducted from Randall and he ultimately lost the match until it was later named a split decision.

In the third and final fight that “The Surgeon” and Chavez had fought, Chavez had chosen Randall as the opponent for his last fight before going into retirement. Randall lost that 10-round decision that took place in Mexico City.

Randall announced his retirement on January 1, 2005 after losing a fight to boxer Marco Antonio Rubio. Randall is a three-time welterweight champion, having held the WBA, WBC and lineal titles between 1994 and 1997. By the end of his remarkable career, Randall was 58-18-1 and he is due to be inducted into the Alabama Boxing Hall of Fame in 2021.