Michael Bennett (boxer)
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| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Competitor for  United States |
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| Men’s Boxing | |||
| World Amateur Championships | |||
| Gold | Houston 1999 | Heavyweight | |
Michael Bennett (born March 26, 1971 in Chicago) is a former US-American boxer who won the amateur world championships in 1999 and represented the United States at the 2000 Olympic Games in the heavyweight division (limit 201 lbs).
[edit] Amateur career
Bennett had a stellar amateur career prior to turning professional.
He won the world championships in Houston 1999 with wins over Patrick Mesters, Uzbek Serik Umirbekov and German Steffen Kretschmann but won the final only because Cuban superstar Felix Savon boycotted the final (forfeit).
As a member of the 2000 US Olympic Team, he beat Poland's Wojciech Bartnik in the 1st round of matches on a 11-2 decision before losing to Cuban Felix Savon on a 23-8 points stoppage (RSCO) in the 3rd round in his next match.
In addition to his Olympic accomplishments, Bennett was also a National Amateur Heavyweight Boxing Champion in 2000 with a win over Jason Estrada.
[edit] Professional career
Bennett turned professional in 2001 at Cruiserweight, but his career quickly came to a crashing halt. He failed to show a world class chin as a professional, and after a series of knockout losses against limited opposition, Bennett retired in 2003.
| Preceded by Malik Scott |
United States Amateur Heavyweight Champion 2000 |
Succeeded by B.J. Flores |
