Ross Puritty

Ross Puritty
Statistics
Real name Ross Puritty
Nickname(s) The Boss and RA
Rated at Heavyweight
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Nationality American
Born December 18, 1966
Norman, Oklahoma
Stance Orthodox stance
Boxing record
Total fights 54
Wins 31
Wins by KO 27
Losses 20
Draws 3

Ross Puritty (born December 18, 1966 in Norman, Oklahoma) is a retired heavyweight professional boxer and current Derby Recreation Center Basketball League Technical Foul Champion. A high-level journeyman and occasional heavyweight contender, Puritty is best remembered for his shocking upset of Wladimir Klitschko in 1998 that won him the WBC international Heavyweight title.

Professional Boxing career

Purrity made his professional debut on May 29, 1989, with a first-round knockout of Sergio Araujo. He then lost his second professional fight to Cleveland Woods. Through his first six professional fights Puritty had compiled a mediocre record of 3-3, and after thirteen professional fights he was doing even worse, falling to 6-7. By this time Puritty was considered nothing more than a useful journeyman who could be used as a trial horse for other young heavyweights. But Puritty was learning the art and science of boxing, and with time and experience his results began to improve.

A July 1994 match against Tommy Morrison, 41-2 at the time, was a turning point in Puritty's career, as he was outlanded and tired out near the end of the fight, but the bout was scored a draw after ten rounds on the strength of Puritty's two knockdowns of Morrison. Puritty then went on a tear, winning his next ten consecutive bouts, all by knockout. Puritty had made his name and was now considered a top-tier opponent, earning matches against Hasim Rahman and Michael Grant (both of whom beat him), and against Jorge Luis Gonzalez and Joe Hipp, both of whom Puritty beat. Following the win against Hipp, Puritty was matched against world title contenders Corrie Sanders, Larry Donald, and Chris Byrd, losing all three fights. Just when it appeared that his time as a contender was ending, Puritty upset the undefeated prospect Mark Hulstrom and the also undefeated future world champion Wladimir Klitschko in just 29 days in late 1998 on his way to a four fight win streak (he won the WBC international Heavyweight title from Klitschko).

Since a draw with Frankie Swindell in January 2000, Puritty has compiled a pedestrian record of just 4-7-2, and his time appears to have passed. But overall Puritty has salvaged a respectable career as a high-level journeyman and sometime contender for the heavyweight crown, amassing a career record of 31 wins and 20 losses with 27 wins coming by knockout.

Puritty has been generally acknowledged as a fighter with an "iron chin" due to his tremendous ability to absorb punishment. Throughout his whole professional career of 54 fights he has never been knocked out, and he was stopped only once, by Vitali Klitschko in 2001.

Ross Puritty now resides in Wichita, Kansas living with his wife Twila and their three children. There he has taken under his wing amateur boxers such as national contender Jeffery Page from Andover, Kansas and numerous other amateurs in a team known as Wichita Hard Hitters. Also for a short period coached the Golden Glove champion Charles Ellis through a short but explosive professional career and he is currently an assistant football coach for Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School in Wichita KS.

Professional boxing record

31 Wins (27 knockouts, 4 decisions), 20 Losses (3 knockouts, 17 decisions), 3 Draws
Res. Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 31-20-3 United States Carl Gathright MD 8 27/10/2007 Canada River Rock Casino, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 30-20-3 Canada David Cadieux UD 10 10/02/2007 Canada Armory, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 30-19-3 United States Eddie Chambers UD 10 15/05/2005 United States Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 30-18-3 Germany Alexander Dimitrenko UD 8 06/11/2004 Germany Erdgas Arena, Riesa, Sachsen, Germany
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 30-17-3 United States Tommy Connelly TKO 4 (6) 24/01/2004 United States Fire Lake Casino, Shawnee, Oklahoma, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 29-17-3 United States John Dixon KO 2 (6) 02/08/2003 United States Northern Lights Casino, Walker, Minnesota, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 28-17-3 Sweden Attila Levin UD 10 08/09/2002 United States Great Plains Coliseum, Lawton, Oklahoma, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 28-16-3 Germany Timo Hoffmann UD 12 01/06/2002 Germany Nuremberg Arena, Nuremberg, Bayern, Germany For IBF Inter-Continental Heavyweight title.
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 28-15-3 Ukraine Vitali Klitschko TKO 11 (12) 08/12/2001 Germany Koenig Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany For WBA Inter-Continental Heavyweight title. Fight was stopped after Puritty suffered a large cut.
Draw 28-14-3 United States Sedreck Fields PTS 10 21/09/2001 Uzbekistan Sport Palace Yunusabad, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 28-14-2 United States Ronnie Smith TKO 4 (18) 04/11/2000 United States Music Hall, Austin, Texas, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 27-14-2 Cuba Elieser Castillo UD 10 20/08/2000 United States Casino Queen, East St. Louis, Illinois, United States
Draw 27-13-2 United States Frankie Swindell PTS 10 14/01/2000 United States Don Haskins Convention Center, El Paso, Texas, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 27-13-1 United States Louis Monaco PTS 8 22/04/1999 United States Adam’s Mark Hotel, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 26-13-1 United States Lorenzo Boyd TKO 3 (6) 23/03/1999 United States KC Market Center, Kansas City, Missouri, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 25-13-1 Ukraine Wladimir Klitschko TKO 11 (12) 05/12/1998 Ukraine Sport Palace, Kiev, Ukraine For WBC International Heavyweight title. Klitschko's corner stopped the fight in the eleventh round.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 24-13-1 Denmark Mark Hulstrom KO 2 (6) 06/11/1998 Denmark K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 23-13-1 United States Chris Byrd UD 10 14/07/1998 United States Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 23-12-1 United States Larry Donald UD 10 21/04/1998 United States Players Island Casino, Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 23-11-1 South Africa Corrie Sanders UD 12 15/11/1997 South Africa Carousel Hotel & Casino, Temba, North-West, South Africa For vacant WBU Heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 23-10-1 United States Joe Hipp KO 10 (10) 15/06/1997 United States Grand Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 22-10-1 United States Calvin Jones TKO 5 (8) 17/04/1997 United States Adam’s Mark Hotel, Biloxi, Oklahoma, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 21-10-1 Cuba Jorge Luis Gonzalez TKO 7 (10) 05/12/1996 United States Brady Theater, Biloxi, Oklahoma, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 20-10-1 United States Lionel Jackson KO 1 (?) 14/09/1996 United States Matte Sports Arena, Biloxi, Oklahoma, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 19-10-1 United States Michael Seals TKO 2 (?) 03/09/1996 United States Memphis, Tennessee, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 18-10-1 United States Michael Grant UD 10 21/07/1996 United States Teamster's Hall, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 18-9-1 United States Hasim Rahman UD 10 26/03/1996 United States Rochester, New York, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 18-8-1 United States Ron Brooks TKO 1 (8) 02/03/1996 United States Civic Center, Sanford, North Carolina, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 17-8-1 United States Stan Jones KO 3 (8) 23/09/1995 United States Kissimmee, Florida, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 16-8-1 United States Andre Smiley TKO 1 (8) 26/08/1995 United States Argosy Riverboat, Kansas City, Missouri, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 15-8-1 Cedric Harbaugh TKO 3 (?) 22/08/1995 United States Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 14-8-1 United States Andre Smiley TKO 1 (?) 18/08/1995 Mexico Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 13-8-1 United States Tom Williams TKO 1 (?) 25/07/1995 United States Columbia, South Carolina, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 12-8-1 Lamar Johnson TKO 3 (?) 18/07/1995 United States Raleigh, South Carolina, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 11-8-1 United States Tyrone Dixon KO 1 (?) 22/06/1995 United States Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 10-8-1 United States Max Key TKO 2 (?) 26/04/1995 United States Raleigh, South Carolina, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 9-8-1 United States Ron Gullette TKO 4 (?) 17/02/1995 United States Raleigh, South Carolina, United States
Draw 8-8-1 United States Tommy Morrison SD 10 28/07/1994 United States Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Morrison was knocked down in rounds 6 and 10.
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 8–8 Canada Kirk Johnson UD 6 05/05/1994 United States Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 8–7 United States Derrick Roddy UD 6 27/03/1994 United States Expo Square Pavilion, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 7–7 United States Jason Williams PTS 4 12/03/1994 United States MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 6–7 Denmark Brian Nielsen PTS 4 05/03/1994 United States Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 6–6 United States Will Hinton PTS 6 05/08/1993 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 6–5 Mexico Juan Ramon Perez KO 4 (?) 03/04/1992 Mexico Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 5–5 United States Mike Bardwell KO 4 (?) 25/03/1992 United States San Diego, California, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 4–5 Nigeria King Ipitan PTS 4 25/02/1992 United States Country Club, Reseda, California, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 4–4 United States Derek Isaman PTS 4 24/02/1992 United States Bally's Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 4–3 United States Jose Avila TKO 1 (?) 03/02/1991 United States Civic Center, El Paso, Texas, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 3–3 United States John Sargent UD 6 06/01/1991 United States Civic Center, Bismarck, North Dakota, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 3–2 Kazakhstan Alexander Miroshnichenko TKO 6 (8) 29/10/1990 Japan Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Fight stopped on cuts after 6 rounds.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 3–1 Troy Tutwiler TKO 3 (?) 10/06/1990 United States County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 2–1 Sergio Hernandez TKO 1 (?) 15/01/1990 United States Sunland Park, New Mexico, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 1–1 United States Cleveland Woods TKO 1 (4) 27/06/1989 United States Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 1–0 Sergio Araujo KO 1 (4) 29/05/1989 United States El Paso, Texas, United States Pro debut for Puritty.

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