A Boxing Memory: Michael Nunn

A Boxing Memory: Michael Nunn

The induction to the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022 was a timely reminder of the talents of Michael Nunn.

At one time, Nunn was the hottest fighter on the planet. The heir apparent to Sugar Ray Leonard, he might even have fought him, sadly neither the fight with Leonard or his potential was realised.

Nunn doesn’t make excuses for his defeats or the many years wasted inside a federal prison cell. There is no bitterness in the 16 years served for his part in a $200 low-grade drug transaction. Nunn was arrested in 2002 and he only saw the light of day in 2019. It was a harsh sentence. Too harsh. The punishment should fit the crime. Many would argue, in Nunn’s case, it didn’t.

Before it all went wrong, Nunn had the look of a superstar. When Nunn took the IBF middleweight title away from his old amateur rival Frank Tate in 1988, Nunn had the boxing salivating at his scintillating destruction of Tate. Time shouldn’t dim how electrifying Nunn was that night in Las Vegas. Bob Arum labelled Nunn the future of boxing. Make no mistake, Nunn was more than worthy of the many plaudits.

Despite beating the likes of Sambu Kalambay, Iran Barkley, Marlon Starling, and Donald Curry, Nunn never quite reached the heights he should have. The legends of the sport were still doing their senior’s tour, but the likes of Leonard, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran would never end up sharing a ring with Nunn. There was real talk of a fight with Leonard, sadly for Nunn, it was the one that got away.

Kalambay was dispatched inside a round, and impressively so, but lackluster wins over Starling and Barkley left those who demand blood and guts from their product, disappointed. Nunn needed more to galvanise his fading Box Office appeal.

After the Barkley fight, Arum said:

“Technically, I guess he won, but who gives a damn? He’s boring.” From the future, to who cares.

When James Toney found a punch to eradicate a huge points deficit in 1991, Nunn never really recovered from his first defeat. That defeat took away plenty from Nunn. Ironically, Nunn had shown far more against Toney than he had in recent times. It almost certainly brought about his downfall.

It would be wrong to paint a picture of a disappointing career. A two-weight world champion, a reign as the WBA super-middleweight champion followed his three-year run as the IBF middleweight king. It could have been more, a controversial split-decision loss in a bid for light-heavyweight gold against Graciano Rocchigiani in 1998 left Nunn frustrated with a judge’s decision. In many ways, it wouldn’t be the last time Nunn would feel those frustrations.

There are many fighters who could have achieved more, and Nunn is one of them. But his resume is still highly impressive and his place in the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame is more than deserved.