Roy Harris is a retired American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Heavyweight

Heavyweight

Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...

 boxer, whose nickname derived from his town of his birth Cut and Shoot, Texas

Cut and Shoot, Texas

Cut and Shoot is a city in eastern Montgomery County, Texas, United States, about 6 miles east of Conroe and 40 miles north of Houston. The population was 1,158 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town; the community only became a city in August 2006....

. Roy is a co-trainer of undefeated title contender Alfonso López III

Alfonso López III

Alfonso López III , is a Mexican American boxer in the Super Middleweight division and is the current WBC Continental Americas Super Middleweight Champion...

.

Amateur career

Roy and his brother Toab took up the boxing together, they got their first set of gloves in a trade for wild ducks. Harris was a four-time Texas Golden Gloves champ and won his state Olympic Trials in 1952. Roy was also the winner of the Joe Louis Sportsmanship Award at the 1954 National Golden Gloves.

Professional career

Harris was a heavyweight contender during the 1950s. He won his first 23 fights, including consecutive wins against Willi Besmanoff

Willi Besmanoff

William David Besmanoff was a German boxer who was a heavyweight contender in the 1950s. He was born in Munich, Germany). His father was Jewish American. When Willi was 11, he was imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp for a short time. In the 1950s he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and...

, Bob Baker

Bob Baker

-External links:...

 and Willie Pastrano

Willie Pastrano

Wilfred Raleigh Pastrano was a light heavyweight boxer who held the world crown from 1963 until 1965.-Early life:...

, and was named Ring Magazine

The Ring (magazine)

The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...

's progress of the year

Ring Magazine progress of the year

Ring Magazine was established in 1922. From 1953 to 1988, it gave a Progress of the Year award to the boxer who made the most significant progress during the preceding twelve months...

 for 1957.

World Heavyweight Championship

Before the bout Roy was on the cover of Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

. In August 1958, Harris was given a title shot by world champion Floyd Patterson

Floyd Patterson

Floyd Patterson was an American heavyweight boxer and former undisputed heavyweight champion. At 21, Patterson became the youngest man to win the world heavyweight title. He was also the first heavyweight boxer to regain the title. He had a record of 55 wins 8 losses and 1 draw, with 40 wins by...

. Harris knocked down the champion in the second round of their fight, but was himself knocked down four times; Harris' corner stopped the fight before the 13th round.

Harris then won six consecutive fights, before losing to a (28-1) Sonny Liston

Sonny Liston

Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was a professional boxer and ex-convict known for his toughness, punching power, and intimidating appearance who became world heavyweight champion in 1962 by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round...

. He then dropped a decision to Henry Cooper

Henry Cooper (boxer)

Sir Henry Cooper OBE KSG was an English heavyweight boxer known for the effectiveness of his left hook, "Enry's 'Ammer", and his knockdown of the young Muhammad Ali...

 and was stopped twice by Bob Cleroux.

Retirement

He retired with a final record of 30 wins and five losses. He is believed to be the only boxer to become a lawyer after fighting for the world heavyweight title. Roy Harris was a county clerk in Montgomery County for 28 years. He began practicing law in 1972 and drew up the papers for Cut 'N Shoot to become incorporated. Roy's office is actually in his house and he has been married 47 years and has six children.

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