Ross Puritty (born December 18, 1966) is an American former professional boxer. 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, as well as for fighting former World Boxing Organization's world Heavyweight champion, Tommy Morrison, to a draw. He also holds fairly notable victories over former world title challengers Jorge Luis Gonzalez and Joe Hipp.
Professional boxing career
Purrity struggled in his early career, losing to Cleveland Woods by technical knockout after being knocked down twice in his second fight. 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.1 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.
Ross Puritty now resides in Wichita, Kansas living with his wife Twila and their five children: Chandler, Tonique, Ross, DeAundre, and Maleak. He works as a salesperson at Lexus of Wichita.2
Puritty 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 he coached the Golden Glove champion Charles Ellis through a short but explosive professional career.
Professional boxing record
| 54 fights | 31 wins | 20 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 26 | 3 |
| By decision | 4 | 17 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
| Draws | 3 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round(s),time | Date | Age | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 | Win | 31–20–3 | Carl Gathright | MD | 8 | Oct 27, 2007 | 40 years, 313 days | River Rock Casino, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada | |
| 53 | Loss | 30–20–3 | David Cadieux | UD | 10 | Feb 10, 2007 | 40 years, 54 days | Montreal Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 52 | Loss | 30–19–3 | Eddie Chambers | UD | 10 | May 17, 2005 | 38 years, 150 days | Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 51 | Loss | 30–18–3 | Alexander Dimitrenko | UD | 8 | Nov 6, 2004 | 37 years, 324 days | Erdgas Arena, Riesa, Sachsen, Germany | |
| 50 | Win | 30–17–3 | Tommy Connelly | TKO | 4 (6), 3:00 | Jan 24, 2004 | 37 years, 37 days | Fire Lake Casino, Shawnee, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| 49 | Win | 29–17–3 | John Dixon | KO | 2 (6), 1:28 | Aug 2, 2003 | 36 years, 227 days | Northern Lights Casino, Walker, Minnesota, U.S. | |
| 48 | Loss | 28–17–3 | Attila Levin | UD | 10 | Sep 8, 2002 | 35 years, 264 days | Great Plains Coliseum, Lawton, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| 47 | Loss | 28–16–3 | Timo Hoffmann | UD | 12 | Jun 1, 2002 | 35 years, 165 days | Nuernberg Arena, Nürnberg, Bayern, Germany | For IBF Inter-Continental heavyweight title |
| 46 | Loss | 28–15–3 | Vitali Klitschko | TKO | 11 (12), 1:16 | Dec 8, 2001 | 34 years, 355 days | Koenig Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany | For WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title |
| 45 | Draw | 28–14–3 | Sedreck Fields | PTS | 10 | Sep 21, 2001 | 34 years, 277 days | Sport Palace Yunusabad, Tashkent, Uzbekistan | |
| 44 | Win | 28–14–2 | Ronnie Smith | TKO | 4 (8), 1:26 | Nov 4, 2000 | 33 years, 322 days | Music Hall, Austin, Texas, U.S. | |
| 43 | Loss | 27–14–2 | Eliecer Castillo | UD | 10 | Aug 20, 2000 | 33 years, 246 days | Casino Queen, East Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 42 | Draw | 27–13–2 | Frankie Swindell | SD | 10 | Jan 14, 2000 | 33 years, 27 days | Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, U.S. | |
| 41 | Win | 27–13–1 | Louis Monaco | PTS | 8 | Apr 22, 1999 | 32 years, 125 days | Adam’s Mark Hotel, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| 40 | Win | 26–13–1 | Lorenzo Boyd | TKO | 3 (6) | Mar 23, 1999 | 32 years, 97 days | KC Market Center, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 39 | Win | 25–13–1 | Wladimir Klitschko | TKO | 11 (12), 0:18 | Dec 5, 1998 | 31 years, 352 days | Sport Palace, Kiev, Ukraine | Won WBC Inter-Continental heavyweight title |
| 38 | Win | 24–13–1 | Mark Hulstrom | KO | 2 (6) | Nov 6, 1998 | 31 years, 323 days | K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| 37 | Loss | 23–13–1 | Chris Byrd | UD | 10 | Jul 14, 1998 | 31 years, 208 days | Casino Magic, Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, U.S. | |
| 36 | Loss | 23–12–1 | Larry Donald | UD | 10 | Apr 21, 1998 | 31 years, 124 days | Players Island Casino, Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S. | |
| 35 | Loss | 23–11–1 | Corrie Sanders | UD | 12 | Nov 15, 1997 | 30 years, 332 days | Carousel Casino, Hammanskraal, Gauteng, South Africa | For vacant WBU heavyweight title |
| 34 | Win | 23–10–1 | Joe Hipp | KO | 10 (10), 1:43 | Jun 15, 1997 | 30 years, 179 days | Grand Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. | |
| 33 | Win | 22–10–1 | Calvin Jones | TKO | 5 (?) | Apr 17, 1997 | 30 years, 120 days | Adam’s Mark Hotel, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| 32 | Win | 21–10–1 | Jorge Luis González | TKO | 7 (10), 2:28 | Dec 5, 1996 | 29 years, 353 days | Brady Theater, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| 31 | Win | 20–10–1 | Lionel Jackson | KO | 1 (?) | Sep 14, 1996 | 29 years, 271 days | Matte Sports Arena, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| 30 | Win | 19–10–1 | Michael Seals | TKO | 2 (?) | Sep 3, 1996 | 29 years, 260 days | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| 29 | Loss | 18–10–1 | Michael Grant | UD | 10 | Jul 21, 1996 | 29 years, 216 days | Teamster's Hall, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | |
| 28 | Loss | 18–9–1 | Hasim Rahman | UD | 10 | Mar 26, 1996 | 29 years, 99 days | Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York, U.S. | |
| 27 | Win | 18–8–1 | Ron Brooks | TKO | 1 (8) | Mar 2, 1996 | 29 years, 75 days | Civic Center, Sanford, Connecticut, U.S. | |
| 26 | Win | 17–8–1 | Stan Jones | KO | 3 (8) | Sep 23, 1995 | 28 years, 279 days | Kissimmee, Florida, U.S. | |
| 25 | Win | 16–8–1 | Andre Smiley | TKO | 1 (8), 0:52 | Aug 26, 1995 | 28 years, 251 days | Argosy Riverboat, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 24 | Win | 15–8–1 | Cedric Harbaugh | DQ | 3 (?) | Aug 22, 1995 | 28 years, 247 days | Civic Center, Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| 23 | Win | 14–8–1 | Andre Smiley | TKO | 1 (?) | Aug 18, 1995 | 28 years, 243 days | Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico | |
| 22 | Win | 13–8–1 | Tom Williams | TKO | 1 (?) | Jul 25, 1995 | 28 years, 219 days | Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. | |
| 21 | Win | 12–8–1 | Lamar Johnson | TKO | 3 (6) | Jul 18, 1995 | 28 years, 212 days | Civic Center, Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| 20 | Win | 11–8–1 | Tyrone Dixon | KO | 1 (?) | Jun 22, 1995 | 28 years, 186 days | Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. | |
| 19 | Win | 10–8–1 | Max Key | TKO | 2 (?) | Apr 26, 1995 | 28 years, 129 days | Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| 18 | Win | 9–8–1 | Ron Gullette | TKO | 4 (?) | Feb 17, 1995 | 28 years, 61 days | Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| 17 | Draw | 8–8–1 | Tommy Morrison | SD | 10 | Jul 28, 1994 | 27 years, 222 days | Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 16 | Loss | 8–8 | Kirk Johnson | UD | 6 | May 5, 1994 | 27 years, 138 days | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 15 | Win | 8–7 | Derrick Roddy | UD | 6 | Mar 27, 1994 | 27 years, 99 days | Expo Square Pavilion, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| 14 | Win | 7–7 | Jason Williams | UD | 4 | Mar 12, 1994 | 27 years, 84 days | MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Vegas, U.S. | |
| 13 | Loss | 6–7 | Brian Nielsen | UD | 6 | Mar 5, 1994 | 27 years, 77 days | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 12 | Loss | 6–6 | Will Hinton | UD | 6 | Aug 5, 1993 | 26 years, 230 days | Aladdin Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 11 | Win | 6–5 | Juan Ramon Perez | KO | 4 (?) | Apr 3, 1992 | 25 years, 107 days | Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico | |
| 10 | Win | 5–5 | Mike Bardwell | KO | 2 (?) | Mar 25, 1992 | 25 years, 98 days | Sports Arena, San Diego, California, U.S. | |
| 9 | Loss | 4–5 | King Ipitan | UD | 4 | Feb 25, 1992 | 25 years, 69 days | Country Club, Reseda, California, U.S. | |
| 8 | Loss | 4–4 | Derek Isaman | UD | 4 | Feb 24, 1991 | 24 years, 68 days | Bally's Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 7 | Win | 4–3 | Jose Avila | TKO | 1 (?), 0:32 | Feb 3, 1991 | 24 years, 47 days | El Paso Convention Center, El Paso, Texas, U.S. | |
| 6 | Loss | 3–3 | John Sargent | UD | 6 | Jan 6, 1991 | 24 years, 19 days | Civic Center, Bismarck, North Dakota, U.S. | |
| 5 | Loss | 3–2 | Aleksandr Miroshnichenko | RTD | 6 (8) | Oct 29, 1990 | 23 years, 315 days | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 4 | Win | 3–1 | Troy Tutwiler | TKO | 3 (?) | Jun 10, 1990 | 23 years, 174 days | Sunland Park, New Mexico, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 2–1 | Sergio Hernandez | TKO | 1 (4) | Jan 15, 1990 | 23 years, 28 days | Sunland Park, New Mexico, U.S. | |
| 2 | Loss | 1–1 | Cleveland Woods | TKO | 1 (4), 2:31 | Jun 27, 1989 | 22 years, 191 days | Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Sergio Araujo | KO | 1 (4) | May 29, 1989 | 22 years, 162 days | County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
External links
- Boxing record for Ross Puritty from BoxRec (registration required)
- Ross Puritty Interview
References
BOXING, Northwest Florida Daily, July 30, 1994, p. 44. https://newspaperarchive.com/northwest-florida-daily-news-jul-30-1994-p-44/ ↩
"Meet Lexus of Wichita | Lexus Dealer near Goddard, KS". www.lexusofwichita.com. Retrieved 2017-07-09. http://www.lexusofwichita.com/MeetOurDepartments ↩