Terry Norris

Terry Wayne Norris (born June 17, 1967) is an American former boxer and a three-time world champion in the light-middleweight (super-welterweight) division. Originally from Lubbock, Texas, he fought out of San Diego.

For the Australian actor and politician, see Terry Norris (actor).
Terry Norris
Statistics
Real nameTerry Norris
Nickname(s)Terrible
Weight(s)Light-middleweight
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
NationalityAmerican
Born (1967-06-17) June 17, 1967
Lubbock, Texas, USA
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights56
Wins47
Wins by KO31
Losses9

Early years and amateur career

A star baseball player during his high school years, Norris bypassed a career on the diamond for one in the ring, claiming an amateur record of 291–4, winning 4 Texas State Golden Gloves titles. Displaying a stunning combination of hand and foot speed as well as the ability to throw dizzying combos, Norris' athletic ability was an uncanny attribute in the ring.

Professional boxing career

Norris turned professional in August 1986. He outpointed future middleweight title holder Quincy Taylor in August 1988. Norris beat future super-middleweight champion Steve Little to win the vacant NABF light-middleweight title in December 1988, and defended it against former IBF title holder Buster Drayton. Norris also picked up two losses; a unanimous decision to Derrick Kelley, and a disqualification loss to Joe Walker in the first round after Norris hit Walker when Walker was down.

In July 1989 at Atlantic City Convention Center, New Jersey, Norris challenged Julian Jackson for the WBA light-middleweight title. Norris won the first round with his speed and movement, but a big right cross from the champion knocked Norris down in round two. Norris made it to his feet before the count but was deemed unfit to continue by referee Joe Cortez.

First championship reign
Main article: Terry Norris vs. Sugar Ray Leonard

After winning three comeback fights, including a victory over former welterweight champion Jorge Vaca, Norris traveled to Tampa, Florida, in March 1990 to challenge John Mugabi for the WBC light-middleweight title. Norris wasted no time in stopping the champion, flooring him twice in the first round - the second time for the full count - and thus starting what would be the first of three reigns as champion.

After defending his belt against Rene Jacquot, Norris faced the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard in Madison Square Garden in February 1991. Norris scored two knockdowns and easily beat the faded Sugar Ray via a 12-round unanimous verdict. His next defense, a June victory over another former undisputed welterweight champion - Donald Curry - further cemented Norris' place in the history of the 154-lb division as Norris wore down his foe and knocked him out in the eighth.

Other prominent foes in that first reign included the tough future middleweight titlist Jorge Castro, and two reigning welterweight champions; WBA title-holder Meldrick Taylor, and IBF title-holder Maurice Blocker.

Losing and regaining titles

In a shocking upset in December, 1993, Simon Brown, former WBC and IBF welterweight titlist, knocked out Norris in four rounds to win the title and halt Norris' defense streak at ten. Ring magazine named this fight as their "Upset of the Year" for 1993. In their rematch, Norris then regained the title by unanimous decision over Brown in May 1994.

His second reign proved short when he lost the title by disqualification to Luis Santana in November, 1994. The decision to disqualify Norris was controversial. Norris hit Santana in the back of the head and Santana went down, claiming he was unable to continue. Some at ringside, however, felt that Santana refused to get up in order to gain the disqualification win. Because of the controversial nature of the match, a rematch was ordered. Norris also lost the April, 1995, rematch by disqualification, this time for hitting Santana after the bell had sounded to end the round. Norris was given yet another shot at regaining the title, and in their third fight in August of that year, Norris knocked out Santana in two rounds.

In December 1995 Norris won a unanimous decision over hated San Diego rival Paul Vaden to add Vaden's IBF title to his WBC title, plus the vacant Lineal championship.[1] Norris made defenses against former IBF champion Vincent Pettway, Nick Rupa, and Alex Rios, before being stripped of the IBF title in 1997.

Keith Mullings ended Norris's championship career by way of ninth-round stoppage in December 1997, which also ended plans for a superfight with IBF welterweight champion Felix Trinidad.

Post-championship career

Norris fought twice more after losing his title. Dana Rosenblatt defeated him by unanimous decision in a middleweight bout and then WBA junior middleweight champion Laurent Boudouani ended his boxing career with a ninth-round knockout.

Norris was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005.

Norris suffers from brain damage caused by his boxing career. The brain damage affects his speech and coordination and his wife has referred to him as being like "an old man".

Professional boxing record
Professional record summary
56 fights 47 wins 9 losses
By knockout 31 4
By decision 16 5
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
56 Loss 47–9 Laurent Boudouani TKO 9 (12) 30/11/1998 Palais des Sports, Paris, France For WBA light-middleweight title.
55 Loss 47–8 Dana Rosenblatt UD 12 25/09/1998 Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut
54 Loss 47–7 Keith Mullings TKO 9 (12),
0:51		 06/12/1997 Caesars, Atlantic City, New Jersey Lost WBC and lineal light middleweight titles
53 Win 47–6 Andres Arellano Sandoval KO 2 (10),
2:27		 10/09/1997 The Aladdin, Las Vegas, Nevada
52 Win 46–6 Joaquin Velasquez KO 2 (10) 08/08/1997 Station Casino, Kansas City, Missouri
51 Win 45–6 Nick Rupa TKO 10 (12) 11/01/1997 Nashville Arena, Nashville, Tennessee Retained WBC, IBF, and lineal light middleweight titles
50 Win 44–6 Alex Rios TKO 5 (12),
2:08		 07/09/1996 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada Retained WBC, IBF, and lineal light middleweight titles
49 Win 43–6 Vincent Pettway TKO 8 (12) 24/02/1996 Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia Retained WBC, IBF, and lineal light middleweight titles
48 Win 42–6 Jorge Luis Vado TKO 2 (12),
0:42		 27/01/1996 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Retained WBC, IBF, and lineal light middleweight titles
47 Win 41–6 Paul Vaden UD 12 16/12/1995 Core States Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Retained WBC light middleweight title
Won IBF and vacant lineal light-middleweight titles
46 Win 40–6 David Gonzalez TKO 9 (12) 16/09/1995 The Mirage, Las Vegas, Nevada Retained WBC light-middleweight title.
45 Win 39–6 Luis Santana TKO 2 (12) 19/08/1995 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada Won WBC light-middleweight title.
44 Loss 38–6 Luis Santana DQ 3 (12) 08/04/1995 Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada For WBC light-middleweight title.
43 Loss 38–5 Luis Santana DQ 5 (12) 12/11/1994 Plaza Mexico, Mexico City Lost WBC light-middleweight title.
42 Win 38–4 Simon Brown UD 12 07/05/1994 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada Won WBC light-middleweight title.
41 Win 37–4 Armando Campas KO 4 (10) 18/03/1994 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
40 Loss 36–4 Simon Brown KO 4 (12) 18/12/1993 Estadio Cuauhtemoc, Puebla, Puebla Lost WBC light-middleweight title
39 Win 36–3 Joe Gatti TKO 1 (12) 10/09/1993 Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas Retained WBC light-middleweight title
38 Win 35–3 Troy Waters RTD 3 (12) 19/06/1993 San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California Retained WBC light-middleweight title
37 Win 34–3 Maurice Blocker TKO 2 (12) 20/02/1993 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Retained WBC light-middleweight title
36 Win 33–3 Pat Lawlor RTD 3 (10) 13/12/1992 The Mirage, Las Vegas, Nevada
35 Win 32–3 Meldrick Taylor TKO 4 (12) 09/05/1992 The Mirage, Las Vegas, Nevada Retained WBC light-middleweight title
34 Win 31–3 Carl Daniels TKO 9 22/02/1992 San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California Retained WBC light-middleweight title
33 Win 30–3 Jorge Fernando Castro UD 12 13/12/1991 Palais omnisports, Bercy, Paris Retained WBC light-middleweight title
32 Win 29–3 Brett Lally TKO 1 (12) 17/08/1991 San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California Retained WBC light-middleweight title
31 Win 28–3 Donald Curry KO 8 (12),
2:54		 01/06/1991 Radisson Resort, Palm Springs, California Retained WBC light-middleweight title
30 Win 27–3 Sugar Ray Leonard UD 12 09/02/1991 Madison Square Garden, New York City Retained WBC light-middleweight title
29 Win 26–3 Rene Jacquot UD 12 13/07/1990 Patinoire d'Annecy, Annecy, Upper Savoy Retained WBC light-middleweight title
28 Win 25–3 John Mugabi KO 1 (12),
2:47		 31/03/1990 Sun Dome, Tampa, Florida Won WBC light-middleweight title
27 Win 24–3 Tony Montgomery UD 12 21/11/1989 Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California
26 Win 23–3 Jorge Vaca SD 10 09/10/1989 Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
25 Win 22–3 Nathan Dryer KO 4 (?),
?		 21/09/1989 El Cortez Hotel, San Diego, California
24 Loss 21–3 Julian Jackson TKO 2 (12),
1:33		 30/07/1989 Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey For WBA light-middleweight title
23 Win 21–2 Ralph Ward UD 10 23/05/1989 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey
22 Win 20–2 Buster Drayton UD 12 28/03/1989 Showboat Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada Retained NABF light-middleweight title
21 Win 19–2 Steve Little TKO 6 (12),
1:06		 09/12/1988 Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada Won vacant NABF light-middleweight title
20 Win 18–2 Gilbert Baptist UD 10 18/10/1988 El Cortez Hotel, San Diego, California
19 Win 17–2 Quincy Taylor UD 10 12/08/1988 Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
18 Win 16–2 Clayton Hires KO 2 (10),
1:14		 28/03/1988 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California
17 Win 15–2 Richard Aguirre TKO 3 (10),
?		 03/02/1988 Riverside, California
16 Win 14–2 Roman Nunez KO 1 (10),
2:58		 21/01/1988 San Diego, California
15 Loss 13–2 Joe Walker DQ 1 (6),
?		 25/11/1987 Bally's, Las Vegas, Nevada
14 Win 13–1 Edward Neblett TKO 6 (?),
2:10		 04/09/1987 Bally's, Las Vegas, Nevada
13 Loss 12–1 Derrick Kelly UD 10 13/08/1987 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California
12 Win 12–0 Nathan Dryer TKO 3 (8),
1:33		 27/05/1987 Showboat Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
11 Win 11–0 Sergio Nieto Rayos TKO 1 (6),
0:40		 03/04/1987 Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
10 Win 10–0 Mauro Veronica KO 2 (6),
2:36		 26/03/1987 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
9 Win 9–0 Tino Leon KO 1 (4),
2:45		 16/03/1987 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California
8 Win 8–0 Dick Green KO 1 (6),
0:53		 26/02/1987 El Cortez Hotel, San Diego, California
7 Win 7–0 Gilbert Baptist UD 4 05/02/1987 Raincross Square, Riverside, California
6 Win 6–0 Lang McGowan PTS 4 03/12/1986 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California
5 Win 5–0 Carlos Gutierrez UD 6 21/11/1986 Reseda Country Club, Los Angeles, California
4 Win 4–0 Daryl Colquitt KO 4 (4),
?		 07/10/1986 Reseda Country Club, Los Angeles, California
3 Win 3–0 George Murphy PTS 4 25/09/1986 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California
2 Win 2–0 Carlos Gutierrez UD 4 Aug 13, 1986 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California
1 Win 1–0 Jose Luis Cordova KO 1 (?) Aug 02, 1986 San Jose Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California Professional debut.

Additional information
  • Once entertaining scholarships to several schools, Norris quit baseball after a brawl on the field. "We were playing another team one day", Norris recalled, "and there were some racial comments made toward me. I was a little thrown off by it. I rushed the guy who said them, and their whole team jumped on me. I put three guys in the hospital, which was the bad thing of it. People said things like, 'Maybe this guy's a troublemaker,' so a lot of my scholarships fell through.[2]
  • He settled a lawsuit out of court with Don King for a sum of $7.5 million in 2005.
  • Brother of former WBA cruiserweight champion Orlin Norris.
  • The speech of Terry Norris was noticeably slurred even in his early thirties and quite startling to anyone who remembered him from just a few years earlier. After his last defeat, the Nevada athletic commission turned him down for a new license, basing its decision on his impaired speech, which was indicative of brain damage.
  • Norris was known to spar 12 rounds every other day in preparation for fights. Some speculate that this intense training routine is a factor which may have ultimately led to his early expiration as a fighter.
  • In preparation for his fight against John "The Beast" Mugabi, his strength trainer put Terry on a regimented weight training program. He went on to KO Mugabi and win the WBC super welterweight title. He continued his strength training for the duration of his career.
  • A source close to the Norris camp is quoted as saying "The best boxing I ever watched live was sparring between the Norris brothers."[3]
  • Norris is married to Tanya E. Norris
  • Norris and his wife founded his Foundation The Final Fight to assist former pro boxers who are ill, broke and homeless.
  • Norris and his wife own World Champion Cardio Boxing, a popular workout program in North

Hollywood.

References
  1. "Terry Norris - Lineal Junior Middleweight Champion". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
  2. A Champion Who's Fighting Obscurity - New York Times
  3. BDPboxing Archived 2008-02-15 at the Wayback Machine
Achievements
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Lupe Aquino		 NABF super welterweight champion
December 9, 1988 – March 31, 1990		 Vacant
Title next held by
Brett Lally
World boxing titles
Preceded by
John Mugabi		 WBC Light Middleweight Champion
31 March 1990 – 18 December 1993		 Succeeded by
Simon Brown
Preceded by
Simon Brown		 WBC Light Middleweight Champion
7 May – 12 November 1994		 Succeeded by
Luis Santana
Preceded by
Luis Santana		 WBC Light Middleweight Champion
19 August 1995 – 6 December 1997		 Succeeded by
Keith Mullings
Preceded by
Paul Vaden		 IBF Light Middleweight Champion
16 December 1995– March 1997
Vacated		 Succeeded by
Raúl Márquez
Vacant
Title last held by
Thomas Hearns		 Lineal Light Middleweight Champion
16 December 1995 – 6 December 1997		 Succeeded by
Keith Mullings
Awards
Previous:
Buster Douglas
KO10 Mike Tyson		 KO Magazine Upset of the Year
W12 Sugar Ray Leonard
1991		 Next:
Azumah Nelson
KO8 Jeff Fenech
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