Bobby Czyz
Encyclopedia
Robert Edward "Bobby" Czyz (tʃɛz, ; born February 10, 1962) is a retired American
boxer
. A New Jersey
native of mostly Polish
and Italian
descent, he is both a former world light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion.
Czyz was born in Orange, New Jersey
. He lived in Wanaque, New Jersey
and attended Lakeland Regional High School
.
Nickname
d "Matinee Idol", Czyz was a member of the United States
amateur boxing
team whose other members died in the LOT Polish Airlines
plane crash in Poland
in 1980. Because of an auto accident one week before the fatal trip, Czyz was not on the plane.
champion Marvin Hagler
. He had to start from scratch, however, after suffering a 10-round loss at the hands of veteran Mustafa Hamsho
in November 1982.
Czyz went up in weight, put another string of wins together, and in September 1986, he finally found himself in a ring with an undefeated world champion, IBF
light heavyweight champion Slobodan Kacar
(Olympic Gold medallist of 1980). Czyz beat him in five rounds.
Czyz made three defenses - a one-round defeat of David Sears, a see-saw second-round KO of Willie Edwards, and a fifth-round TKO of Jim McDonald - before taking on 'Prince' Charles Williams
in October 1987. Czyz scored an early knockdown of Williams, yet the challenger not only stayed in the fight, but also hammered shut Czyz' left eye on way to scoring a TKO victory and thus seizing the title after eight rounds of boxing.
Czyz then lost a decision to Dennis Andries
in May 1988, followed by a couple of victories, in turn followed by two cracks at the world title in 1989. Czyz, despite truly good efforts on his part in both challenges, lost both of them - a 12-round decision to Virgil Hill in North Dakota for the WBA version in March, and a 10th-round TKO loss to Williams in an IBF title rematch in June.
Czyz went on to stop then-undefeated Andrew Maynard in seven rounds (the second undefeated Gold medallist he KO'd) in June 1990, then jumped up to cruiserweight. He challenged Robert Daniels
for Daniels' WBA
world cruiserweight championship in March 1991, and won a unanimous decision. Two defenses, against Bash Ali and Donny Lalonde
, were made (both by unanimous decision) before Czyz vacated the title.
In 1994, Czyz became a television boxing analyst working alongside Steve Albert
and Ferdie Pacheco
whilst continuing his boxing career.The trio covered fights in many locations worldwide. In December 1994, he covered the first world title fight ever held in Ecuador
as a member of Showtime's crew.
In 1996, he stepped up to the heavyweight division, but lost by knockout
in five rounds to Evander Holyfield
and quickly retired. Czyz fought one last time in 1998, losing by second round TKO to South African Corrie Sanders
. Czyz continued doing color commentary for Showtime, but was let go after pleading guilty to his fourth drunken-driving offense in six years after being caught speeding in Readington Township, New Jersey
. Czyz's case received a lot of attention as he was a multiple repeat DUI
case, and was a driver behind the NJ Assembly revisiting its legislation. Czyz, who was a Raritan Township, New Jersey resident at the time, was given a six-month license suspension for each of his three drunken driving convictions in 1998, 1999 and 2000. It was discovered that he was sentenced improperly as a first-time offender after his fourth arrest, which occurred in February 2003 in Readington Township, where he was caught driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.14 percent. The state limit at that time was 0.10 percent.
He has since been inducted into the Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.
Czyz is a member of Mensa
, the organization for people who have scored in the highest 2% of takers in an IQ test. He even wore a shirt with "MENSA" on it while walking to the ring to fight Evander Holyfield.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. A New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
native of mostly Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
and Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
descent, he is both a former world light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion.
Czyz was born in Orange, New Jersey
Orange, New Jersey
The City of Orange is a city and township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 30,134...
. He lived in Wanaque, New Jersey
Wanaque, New Jersey
Wanaque is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 11,116.Wanaque was incorporated as an independent Borough on February 23, 1918, when Pompton Township was split up into three Boroughs, along with Bloomingdale and...
and attended Lakeland Regional High School
Lakeland Regional High School
Lakeland Regional High School is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school and school district serving students from two communities in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States...
.
Nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d "Matinee Idol", Czyz was a member of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
amateur boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
team whose other members died in the LOT Polish Airlines
LOT Polish Airlines
Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. , trading as LOT Polish Airlines, is the flag carrier of Poland. Based in Warsaw, LOT was established in 1929, making it one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation. Using a fleet of 55 aircraft, LOT operates a complex network to 60 destinations in Europe,...
plane crash in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1980. Because of an auto accident one week before the fatal trip, Czyz was not on the plane.
Professional career
Czyz had a quick start to his professional boxing career in the early 1980s, and he was soon in line for a shot against world middleweightMiddleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
champion Marvin Hagler
Marvin Hagler
Marvelous Marvin Hagler , is a former professional boxer who was undisputed world middleweight champion between 1980 and 1987. Hagler holds the distinction of having the highest KO% of all middleweight champions at 78%...
. He had to start from scratch, however, after suffering a 10-round loss at the hands of veteran Mustafa Hamsho
Mustafa Hamsho
Mustafa Hamsho , born in 10 October 1953 in Latakia, Syria, was a Assyrian/Syriac boxer who never won a world title, but fought some big names in his career. Though he was not a winner in all of those fights, he did some things to make every one of his fights interesting and controversial in some...
in November 1982.
Czyz went up in weight, put another string of wins together, and in September 1986, he finally found himself in a ring with an undefeated world champion, IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
light heavyweight champion Slobodan Kacar
Slobodan Kacar
Slobodan Kačar is a retired Bosnian Serb boxer, born in Perućica near Jajce in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then SFR Yugoslavia. He won the Light Heavyweight Gold medal for Yugoslavia at the 1980 Summer Olympics. In the same year, Kačar was named as the best athlete of Yugoslavia...
(Olympic Gold medallist of 1980). Czyz beat him in five rounds.
Czyz made three defenses - a one-round defeat of David Sears, a see-saw second-round KO of Willie Edwards, and a fifth-round TKO of Jim McDonald - before taking on 'Prince' Charles Williams
Charles Williams (boxer)
Charles Williams , was a professional boxer in the Light Heavyweight division.Williams, known as "Prince" Charles, turned pro in 1978 and in 1987 he captured the IBF Light Heavyweight Title by TKO'ing Bobby Czyz in the 9th round. He defended the title eight times before losing the title to Henry...
in October 1987. Czyz scored an early knockdown of Williams, yet the challenger not only stayed in the fight, but also hammered shut Czyz' left eye on way to scoring a TKO victory and thus seizing the title after eight rounds of boxing.
Czyz then lost a decision to Dennis Andries
Dennis Andries
Dennis Andries was a British professional boxer in the light heavyweight division.Andries turned pro in 1978 and won the WBC Light Heavyweight Title in 1986 in a decision over American JB Williamson. He defended the title once against fellow Briton Tony Sibson before losing the belt in 1987 to...
in May 1988, followed by a couple of victories, in turn followed by two cracks at the world title in 1989. Czyz, despite truly good efforts on his part in both challenges, lost both of them - a 12-round decision to Virgil Hill in North Dakota for the WBA version in March, and a 10th-round TKO loss to Williams in an IBF title rematch in June.
Czyz went on to stop then-undefeated Andrew Maynard in seven rounds (the second undefeated Gold medallist he KO'd) in June 1990, then jumped up to cruiserweight. He challenged Robert Daniels
Robert Daniels
Robert Daniels , is a professional boxer in the Cruiserweight division.Daniels, known as "Preacherman," turned pro in 1984 and in 1989 he captured the vacant World Boxing Association cruiserweight title by defeating a badly faded 36-year old Dwight Muhammad Qawi...
for Daniels' WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
world cruiserweight championship in March 1991, and won a unanimous decision. Two defenses, against Bash Ali and Donny Lalonde
Donny Lalonde
Donny Lalonde is a retired professionalboxer. 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 life:Lalonde was one of four children...
, were made (both by unanimous decision) before Czyz vacated the title.
In 1994, Czyz became a television boxing analyst working alongside Steve Albert
Steve Albert
Steve Albert is a sportscaster. He has served as a play-by-play announcer for the New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, Golden State Warriors, New York Mets, and Cleveland Cavaliers...
and Ferdie Pacheco
Ferdie Pacheco
Dr. Ferdie Pacheco was the cornerman for multiple boxing champions, most famously Muhammad Ali, for whom he was also a personal physician. Beginning in the late 1970s, Pacheco was a TV boxing analyst for several networks, most notably Showtime. Pacheco is also a prolific author and painter...
whilst continuing his boxing career.The trio covered fights in many locations worldwide. In December 1994, he covered the first world title fight ever held in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
as a member of Showtime's crew.
In 1996, he stepped up to the heavyweight division, but lost by knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
in five rounds to Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"...
and quickly retired. Czyz fought one last time in 1998, losing by second round TKO to South African Corrie Sanders
Corrie Sanders
Cornelius "Corrie" Johannes Sanders is a South African former professional boxer. In 2003 he became the WBO heavyweight champion by defeating Wladimir Klitschko via a second-round knock out that is considered one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight boxing history and won Ring Magazine upset of...
. Czyz continued doing color commentary for Showtime, but was let go after pleading guilty to his fourth drunken-driving offense in six years after being caught speeding in Readington Township, New Jersey
Readington Township, New Jersey
Readington Township is a Township located in the easternmost portion of Hunterdon County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 16,126...
. Czyz's case received a lot of attention as he was a multiple repeat DUI
DUI
DUI is a three letter acronym that may stand for:* Driving under the influence * Democratic Union for Integration — the largest ethnic Albanian party in the Republic of Macedonia* Data Use Identifier...
case, and was a driver behind the NJ Assembly revisiting its legislation. Czyz, who was a Raritan Township, New Jersey resident at the time, was given a six-month license suspension for each of his three drunken driving convictions in 1998, 1999 and 2000. It was discovered that he was sentenced improperly as a first-time offender after his fourth arrest, which occurred in February 2003 in Readington Township, where he was caught driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.14 percent. The state limit at that time was 0.10 percent.
Outside of the ring
Czyz married actress and photographer Kimberly Ross (born October 8, 1959) on October 27, 1992. Their daughter, Mercedes Czyz, was born September 27, 1993. They were divorced by the time Kimberly died, after a long battle with breast cancer, on December 19, 2006, aged 47.He has since been inducted into the Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.
Czyz is a member of Mensa
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
, the organization for people who have scored in the highest 2% of takers in an IQ test. He even wore a shirt with "MENSA" on it while walking to the ring to fight Evander Holyfield.
External links
- Bobby Czyz Official Website
- Michael Swann's 2007 multi-part interview with Bobby Czyz