August 8, 2023
Boxing News

Heavyweight Roy Harris passes at 90

Sad to announce that former heavyweight contender Roy Harris, from Cut and Shoot, Texas, passed away this morning at the age of 90. Harris was rated in the top 10 as a heavyweight from mid-1957 to mid-1960, and challenged Floyd Patterson for the world heavyweight title back in 1958. He also fought Sonny Liston, Henry Cooper, and many more. Harris finished with a record of 30-5 with 9 KOs. RIP.

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  • I know some of his family and my wife’s family grew up with him. I trained at his gym many a time back in the day. He was legit.

  • He lived just down the road from me. His nephews were also in to boxing. I have the Ring Magazine that features his fight with Patterson. He lived a long, full life. RIP

    • My Dad Joe was one of those nephews. He was a hell of a teacher and a hell of a man from what I’ve heard. I wish I would’ve had the chance to meet him.

  • 90 years old is a phenomenal age for any ex-pro fighter to reach.

  • I watched Roy fight heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson, and he was a good boxer. Very smart and very tough. H was knocked down four times in that fight, but got up each time. He managed to knock Patterson down once, and displayed a great deal of courage in that fight. He was better than most heavyweights today, technically superior, more poised, and incredibly professional. He comes from a big family too. As a long-time fan of the sport, my deepest condolences to his family. Roy was a great man and a greater fighter.

    • Yes, he had good skills and instincts, vastly superior to the majority of the top HWs today. Of course, he’s also a LOT smaller and would have struggled with the size of most HWs today, despite how crude, slow and clumsy they are.

      It’s always funny when people say that Fury is fast. He does have good reflexes and instincts, but his hand and foot speed is not impressive. Cunningham made him look silly until Fury decided to just mug him.

      • I agree. Roy was smaller than the HWs today. I only speak in relative terms though. With the mediocre skills I see among most of the big, overweight HWs today, if they were smaller with these same skills back in Roy and Patterson’s time, they wouldn’t even crack the top 50.

        As for Fury, there is NOTHING impressive about him in my view. He is fighting during a historically pathetic time for talent in the HW division. He doesn’t look fast to me. He moves and punches like a puppet on a string. Just pathetic. I overwhelmingly respect Roy more as a fighter.

  • Didn’t know of him.

    But what got me is there is a place in Texas called Cut and Shoot?!

    Who the fk wants to live in a city with that name?

    You: “Howdy neighbor how’s it going today?”

    Neighbor pulls out knife and stabs you, then shoots you to finish you off.

    City population 1,185 – 1 = 1,184.

    And I thought growing up in inner city Detroit was rough.

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