Sugar Ray Seales
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Boxing | ||
| Gold | 1972 Munich | – 63.5 kg |
"Sugar" Ray Seales, (born September 6, 1952 in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands) was the only American boxer to win a gold medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Personal
Seales is the Half-Brother of fellow boxer Dale Grant, and the brother of fellow boxer Wilbur Seales.
Early life
Seales was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where his father, who boxed in the U.S. Army was stationed. The Seales family moved to Tacoma, WA in 1965. He was a product of the Tacoma Boys Club amateur boxing program, and was coached by Joe Clough.
Amateur career
- 1972 Olympic Gold Medalist (139 lbs.)
- 1971 National AAU Light Welterweight Champion
- 1972 National Golden Gloves 139 pounds champion, defeating Donnie Nelson of Lowell, MA in the final
Olympic Results
- Ulrich Beyer (East Germany) won on points
- Jim Montague (Ireland) won on points
- Andres Molina (Cuba) 3-2
- Zvonimir Vujin (Yugoslavia) 5-0
- Angel Angelov (Bulgaria) 3-2
Pro career
Seales was a contender for the Middleweight title during the late 70's and early 80's. In his two most memorable fights, he lost a narrow decision to future middleweight champion Marvin Hagler in July 1974, then drew with Hagler in a rematch three months later. After losing to European champion Alan Minter in 1976, Seales remained on the outskirts of contention, until a first-round TKO at the hands of Hagler effectively ended his title hopes.
Retirement
In 1980, Seales injured his left eye in a fight with Jaime Thomas, and retired due to a serious retinal tear. He was subsequently declared legally blind, and was used as a cause célèbre along with Sugar Ray Leonard during the 1980s, for those pushing for a ban on boxing.
Life After Boxing
Years later, doctors operated and Seales regained the vision in his right eye, though he wears glasses. Seales later worked as a schoolteacher of autistic students at Lincoln High School in Tacoma for 17 years until 2004 before retiring. In 2006, he moved to Indianapolis with his wife, where he currently resides. Seales currently works as a boxing coach, working with talented amateurs in the Indianapolis area.
Honors
Seales was a 2005 Inductee into the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame.
References
External links
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