"First of all, wow, that's heavy, man, because not only was he a good dude, I knew his son real well; Dyah! I sent Lamont, Anthony, and at the time he was on fire, Tyrone Barnett, and Patrice Harris took them down there to a camp with Zab Judah years ago, Zab was down there at Howard's gym, and they opened their arms up to my boys and the whole nine," stated world-class trainer Barry Hunter, who shared his memories of 1976 Olympic gold medalist Howard Davis Jr. On Wednesday, Davis Jr. passed away after battling cancer. He was 59 years old.
"Howard was, for those who didn't get the chance to see Howard in the '76 Olympics like I did, he was a beautiful boxer to watch do his thing, man. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, he got "Outstanding Boxer" in that tournament in '76. He fell short when he fought for the world title a couple of times. Both times he fell short, and if I'm not mistaken and my memory serves me correct, I think he lost a good tight fight to Edwin Rosario," Hunter commented. "He was just a special fighter, man, because he fought and won that medal with a heavy heart because he lost his mom right before the Olympics. I was just with Ray [Leonard] a week ago filming the telecast and that of course was one of his Olympic teammates. He will be sorely missed and I hope God just open up them gates and allow Howard in with open arms and may his soul rest in peace. I wish nothing but blessings upon his family members."
We send our condolences to the friends and family of Howard Davis Jr.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]