Don Fullmer

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Statistics
Don Fullmer
Real name
Rated at	Middleweight
Nationality	American
Birth date	February 21, 1939(1939-02-21)
Birth place	West Jordan, Utah
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	79
Wins	54
Wins by KO	14
Losses	20
Draws	5
No contests	0

Don Fullmer (born February 21, 1939) is a former boxer and brother of former world middleweight champion Gene Fullmer.

Eight years younger than his more famous brother, Don followed Gene into the gym in West Jordan, Utah, to learn how to box. He fought as an amateur for four years and did not lose in sixty-five fights.

Don turned professional in 1957 as a middleweight and beat some top contenders during his early career, such as Rocky Fumerelle, Rocky Rivero, and Joe DeNucci. However, he also lost to some good fighters, such as former champions Terry Downes, Dick Tiger, Jose Torres, Joey Archer, and Emile Griffith. In 1964 he beat Jimmy Ellis, who later went on to win the World Boxing Association version of the heavyweight championship. The win against Ellis began a winning streak for Fullmer and he went on to defeat Emile Griffith and Joey Archer in rematches. This streak ended when he lost to Nino Benvenuti in Rome in 1966. Benvenuti went on to with the middlweight title, and after Fullmer beat Carl "Bobo" Olson he fought a rematch with Benvenuti for the title in 1968. He knocked the Italian down but lost a fifteen-round unanimous decision.

While never a recognized world champion, Fullmer did capture something termed as the "World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship" when he defeated Joe Hopkins in 1967. This title was the precursor to the current super middleweight championship. Although few in the boxing world recognized the legitimacy of such a title, Fullmer defended it twice before losing it to Doyle Baird in 1969.^[1]

Fullmer retired from the ring in 1973.

After he retired, Fullmer worked for the Salt Lake County Fire Department. He has five sons with his wife Nedra.