Clifford Etienne

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Statistics
Clifford Etienne
Real name	Clifford Etienne
Nickname	The Black Rhino
Weight	Heavyweight
Nationality	American
Birth date	March 9, 1972
Birth place	Lafayette, LA, USA
Style	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	35
Wins	29
Wins by KO	20
Losses	4
Draws	2
No contests	0

Clifford Etienne (born March 9, 1972), also known as "The Black Rhino", fought as a heavyweight boxer in the United States.

Etienne took up boxing while serving a 10 year prison sentence for armed robbery and won the state prison boxing championship. Upon being paroled in 1998 he became a professional boxer; he won 29 matches (20 knockouts), lost 4, and drew 2.

Etienne was named 2000's "Most Exciting Fighter to Watch" in the heavyweight division by The Ring Magazine, largely the result of his unanimous decision over then-undefeated Lawrence Clay Bey. The fight was widely considered to be one of the best heavyweight matches of that year. Etienne is generally known for his his 2003 fight against Mike Tyson where Etienne suffered a first round knock-out after only 49 seconds after being caught with a right hand.

Other notable opponents included Lamon Brewster, the future WBO heavyweight champion, who Etienne beat on points after ten rounds in May 2000, Fres Oquendo who stopped Etienne in the eight round of their fight in March 2001, and Calvin Brock who stopped Etienne in the third round in January 2005.

Etienne's last fight was against Nicolay Valuev. The giant Russian, who went on to become the WBA champion, stopped Etienne in the third round of their fight in Bayreuth, Germany in May 2005.

On August 11, 2005, Fightnews.com reported Etienne's ring career likely over with the following story:

"Well known heavyweight Clifford Etienne was arrested Wednesday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on charges of armed robbery, kidnapping and the attempted murder of a police officer. Etienne allegedly robbed a local business, car-jacked a vehicle containing a woman and her children, then pulled a gun on police officers. He is being held in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison with a $70,000 bond."

On June 22, 2006, following his trial in Baton Rouge, Etienne was found guilty and sentenced to 150 years in prison for a cocaine fueled crime spree that included robbing a check cashing business, carjacking and kidnapping a family, and attempting to shoot two policemen [1]. Prosecutors say that Etienne will not be eligible for parole.