By Mark Vaz
One of boxing’s true nice guys, Art Jimmerson, 60, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday in Los Angeles. On his way to work at the UFC gym where he was employed as a trainer, he passed out in his car at a stop sign, and never regained consciousness, succumbing to what was likely an aneurism or heart attack.
Jimmerson was born and raised in St. Louis, taking up boxing in middle school where he was bullied. Losing his first 8 amateur bouts, he went on to win the National Golden Gloves title in 1983. Turning pro as an outstanding prospect, Jimmerson’s career brought him all over the world, facing numerous top contenders and champs. His 1988 win over Lenny LaPaglia in New York City was Madison Square Garden’s fight of the year.
His most memorable ring appearance was not in boxing, but in the first UFC event, facing Royce Gracie. Sporting one boxing glove, he became famous for the look, even lending his image to a best-selling bobble head.
Art’s close friend and manager, Steve Frank, stated that he would truly be missed. Managing Jimmerson’s career as well as utilizing his skills on Frank’s numerous boxing events in St. Louis, Jimmerson was also Godfather to Frank’s two sons, Sam and Charlie.
Rest easy, Art Jimmerson. Thank you for your contributions and congrats on a life well lived.
Wow. Sad to hear this. Remember him beating Lenny Lapaglia in an excellent scrap. RIP Art Jimmerson.
RIP
Art decisioned a friend of mine in the amateurs, who had nothing but good things to say about him. RIP!
RIP. Lot of folks going out like that these days…strokes, heart attacks, and aneurysms…CDC says life expectancy just dropped…take care of yourself.
Sad to hear about anyone who dies suddenly. Although there really never a “right time” to go, we are hearing more and more of these passings and it’s not being addressed in public that I know of. My condolences to Art’s family and friends.
Mark Vaz the author mentioned either a heart attack or an aneurysm as a possible cause. There are usually signs before cardiac arrest giving us time to increase our chances of survival, but if it’s an aortic aneurysm, it’s usually silent and it’s deadly. Either one scares me to the core. I believe in 2 physicals a year no matter what your age, especially these days. Get yourselves checked out everyone. These surprises are not welcome.
Jimmerson’s fight with Lapaglia, along with Wayne Alexander’s vicious KO of Takaloo and Moore vs Macklin are fight I watch frequently to this day
RIP Art Jimmerson & Lenny Lapaglia
Art Jimmerson was a class act in and out of combat sports. Rest easy champ.
Kids this is a lesson that the things you do to your body as a youngster will always and I do mean always show face the older you get. I will not go into pointed details, but one must understand the recourse of the life style we choose. Be water!
Sad to hear. Rest easy Art. He fought as a cruiserweight and heavyweight. He was one of the first boxers to teansition to MMA. Although never a world champion, he could never be taken lightly.
I can’t believe this. Very sad. I just became friends with Art on Facebook last October and we chatted quite a bit on Messenger. I watched just about all the fights I saw live in 1989 last year because the days/dates were exactly the same. After watching the fights, I would send out Facebook friend requests to the participants so I could hopefully engage in chat and get more insight about the contest. I actually created a library called “1989 RETRO” on my computer with videos and screenshots. Anyway, I sent Art a friend request on 10/26/23 after watching his fight with Dennis Andries. I sent him a message and he answered shortly thereafter. He was such a NICE guy, so willing to talk about his career and also wanting to know about me and my life. I was so glad to learn he is a brother in Christ. We talked about faith and immediately made a spiritual bond. I still can’t believe he is gone. There is nothing about this on his Facebook page. I am going to post a link to this article on his timeline.
Thank you, Art, for being a faithful servant on this earth. I will never forget you, brother. I look forward to meeting you in Heaven one day. Love you, man.
Rest in Peace and may God comfort your family and loved ones…
That’s a weird comment, Bucky, and in rather poor taste, imo. A good man died and his family and friends are likely reading this board. What’s the matter with you, man?