Heavyweight great Jimmy Young dies at 56
Wednesday, 23 February 2005 11:26Jimmy Young, who once extended the legendary Muhammad Ali to 15 rounds, suffered a fatal heart attack on Sunday it has been announced. He was 56.
A sly boxer who could take a punch, Young went 15 rounds with Ali at the Capital Centre on April 30, 1976.
He lost a unanimous decision but, in a career that began in 1969 and spanned 20 years, Young went 34-19-2 with 11 knockouts.
Young's greatest success came in a title eliminator on March 17, 1977 in Puerto Rico, when he posted a unanimous decision over fellow contender George Foreman.
Young dropped Foreman in the 12th, and the fight was named Fight of the Year by Ring Magazine.
Young never got another title shot though, as he lost a title eliminator to Ken Norton eight months later in Las Vegas, coming up on the wrong end of a decision.
He also had highly publicised bouts with Gerry Cooney, Ron Lyle and Ernie Shavers.
