# Kenny Lane

Kenny Lane (April 9, 1932 – August 5, 2008) was an American southpaw (left-handed) boxer. He fought for lightweight and light welterweight titles of the world, once against Joe Brown and twice against Carlos Ortiz.

## Early life

Lane was raised on a farm in Big Rapids, Michigan with his four brothers and sister. According to his family, he regularly fought with his brothers and it is assumed that his southpaw stance was adopted to defend himself against his older brother who later became an Olympic boxer.

## Professional boxing career

Lane was known for having a very unorthodox way of fighting. This combined with the fact that he was a southpaw made him an excellent boxer and in 1953 started his professional career.
Quote from Ortiz: "No one was more difficult to figure out than Kenny Lane, the guy was unbelievably clever"
He had a controversial decision loss to Joe Brown for undisputed lightweight championship of the world. He fought the Ortiz rubber match for light welterweight title.
Lane decided at age 50 to round out his professional career to 100 bouts. He dropped to his fighting weight from almost 200 pounds. After beating 3 much younger opponents he lost to the fourth. Lane decided to retire for the final time, making the even 100 bouts he sought.

## Family life

Lane married his wife Ruth as a teenager in West Virginia. They had 4 children.

## Later years

After retiring Lane continued teaching boxing in the Lansing area. he ran the boxing program at the Lansing Gallo Recreation Center.
In 1995, British singer Morrissey released an album called Southpaw Grammar. The cover featured an old photograph of Lane from the April 1963 issue of The Ring magazine.
Lane was admitted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.
Later in life Lane became an avid golfer and had a tournament named for him. He died of a heart attack on August 5, 2008, alongside one of his most well known students, Christian Lloyd in Lansing, Michigan.

## Professional boxing record

| 100 fights | 82 wins | 16 losses |
| By knockout | 19 | 5 |
| By decision | 63 | 11 |
| Draws | 2 | 2 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Age | Location | Notes |
| 100 | Loss | 82–16–2 | Dave Guerra | SD | 8 | Nov 2, 1983 | 51 years, 207 days | Grand Center, Grand Rapids, Michigan, US | |
| 99 | Win | 82–15–2 | Willie McIntosh | KO | 8 (8) | Jun 18, 1983 | 51 years, 70 days | Muskegon, Michigan, US | |
| 98 | Win | 81–15–2 | Paul Lewis | KO | 2 (?) | Apr 16, 1983 | 51 years, 7 days | Catholic Central Highschool, Muskegon, Michigan, US | |
| 97 | Win | 80–15–2 | Bobby Plegge | UD | 8 | Jul 17, 1982 | 50 years, 99 days | Galaxy Arena, Muskegon, Michigan, US | |
| 96 | Loss | 79–15–2 | Eddie Perkins | UD | 12 | Oct 25, 1964 | 32 years, 199 days | Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana, US | |
| 95 | Loss | 79–14–2 | Carlos Hernández | TKO | 2 (10) | Oct 5, 1964 | 32 years, 179 days | Estadio Luis Aparicio, Maracaibo, Venezuela | |
| 94 | Loss | 79–13–2 | Dave Charnley | PTS | 10 | Jun 2, 1964 | 32 years, 54 days | Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England, UK | |
| 93 | Win | 79–12–2 | Stoffel Steyn | RTD | 8 (10) | May 9, 1964 | 32 years, 30 days | Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa | |
| 92 | Loss | 78–12–2 | Carlos Ortiz | UD | 15 | Apr 11, 1964 | 32 years, 2 days | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | For WBA, WBC, and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 91 | Win | 78–11–2 | Johnny Bizzarro | SD | 10 | Feb 19, 1964 | 31 years, 316 days | Tech Memorial Gym, Erie, Pennsylvania, US | |
| 90 | Win | 77–11–2 | Paul Armstead | UD | 15 | Aug 19, 1963 | 31 years, 132 days | Veterans Memorial Stadium, Saginaw, Michigan, US | Won vacant world lightweight title (Michigan version) |
| 89 | Win | 76–11–2 | Vicente Derado | UD | 10 | Mar 2, 1963 | 30 years, 327 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
| 88 | Win | 75–11–2 | Len Matthews | TKO | 9 (10), 2:54 | Sep 15, 1962 | 30 years, 159 days | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | |
| 87 | Win | 74–11–2 | Carlos Hernández | UD | 10 | Jul 14, 1962 | 30 years, 96 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
| 86 | Win | 73–11–2 | Tommy Tibbs | UD | 10 | Jun 11, 1962 | 30 years, 63 days | Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
| 85 | Win | 72–11–2 | Luis Molina | UD | 10 | Apr 14, 1962 | 30 years, 5 days | Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California, US | |
| 84 | Loss | 71–11–2 | Garland 'Rip' Randall | UD | 10 | Jan 23, 1962 | 29 years, 289 days | Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, US | |
| 83 | Win | 71–10–2 | Aissa Hashas | PTS | 10 | Oct 16, 1961 | 29 years, 190 days | Palais des Sports, Paris, France | |
| 82 | Win | 70–10–2 | Virgil Akins | UD | 10 | Sep 22, 1961 | 29 years, 166 days | Navy-Marine Corps Mem. Stadium, Annapolis, Maryland, US | |
| 81 | Win | 69–10–2 | Garland 'Rip' Randall | UD | 10 | Aug 30, 1961 | 29 years, 143 days | Sports Arena, Amarillo, Texas, US | |
| 80 | Win | 68–10–2 | T.J. Jones | UD | 10 | Aug 14, 1961 | 29 years, 127 days | Vogue Arena, Chicago, Illinois, US | |
| 79 | Win | 67–10–2 | Willie Robertson | UD | 6 | Jun 30, 1961 | 29 years, 82 days | L.C. Walker Arena, Muskegon, Michigan, US | |
| 78 | Win | 66–10–2 | Ray Portilla | TKO | 6 (10) | Jun 16, 1961 | 29 years, 68 days | Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas, US | |
| 77 | Draw | 65–10–2 | Curtis Cokes | SD | 10 | Jun 8, 1961 | 29 years, 60 days | Texas Livestock Coliseum, Dallas, Texas, US | |
| 76 | Win | 65–10–1 | Manuel Gonzalez | UD | 10 | May 16, 1961 | 29 years, 37 days | Ector County Coliseum, Odessa, Texas, US | |
| 75 | Win | 64–10–1 | Garland 'Rip' Randall | UD | 10 | May 1, 1961 | 29 years, 22 days | Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas, US | |
| 74 | Draw | 63–10–1 | Carlos Hernández | PTS | 10 | Feb 20, 1961 | 28 years, 317 days | Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 73 | Loss | 63–10 | Jose Stable | UD | 10 | Jan 23, 1961 | 28 years, 289 days | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, US | |
| 72 | Win | 63–9 | Lahouari Godih | MD | 10 | Dec 6, 1960 | 28 years, 241 days | Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | |
| 71 | Loss | 62–9 | Len Matthews | TKO | 3 (10), 2:51 | Oct 8, 1960 | 28 years, 182 days | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, US | |
| 70 | Win | 62–8 | Sidney Adams | TKO | 1 (10), 2:58 | Sep 27, 1960 | 28 years, 171 days | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | |
| 69 | Win | 61–8 | Douglas Vaillant | UD | 10 | Aug 16, 1960 | 28 years, 129 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, US | |
| 68 | Win | 60–8 | Jerry Black | UD | 10 | Apr 25, 1960 | 28 years, 16 days | Alhambra Athletic Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | |
| 67 | Loss | 59–8 | Ralph Dupas | UD | 10 | Jan 13, 1960 | 27 years, 279 days | Fort Whiting Armory, Mobile, Alabama, US | |
| 66 | Win | 59–7 | Ray Lancaster | KO | 3 (10), 2:20 | Dec 29, 1959 | 27 years, 264 days | Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, US | |
| 65 | Win | 58–7 | Virgil Akins | MD | 10 | Oct 28, 1959 | 27 years, 202 days | Capitol Arena, Washington, DC, US | |
| 64 | Loss | 57–7 | Carlos Ortiz | TKO | 2 (15) | Jun 12, 1959 | 27 years, 64 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | For vacant NYSAC and NBA light welterweight titles |
| 63 | Win | 57–6 | Johnny Busso | TKO | 6 (10) | Apr 17, 1959 | 27 years, 8 days | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, US | |
| 62 | Win | 56–6 | Carlos Ortiz | MD | 10 | Dec 31, 1958 | 26 years, 266 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, US | |
| 61 | Win | 55–6 | Lahouari Godih | SD | 10 | Nov 7, 1958 | 26 years, 212 days | War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, New York, US | |
| 60 | Win | 54–6 | Orlando Zulueta | UD | 10 | Sep 6, 1958 | 26 years, 150 days | Catholic Central Stadium, Muskegon, Michigan, US | |
| 59 | Loss | 53–6 | Joe Brown | UD | 15 | Jul 23, 1958 | 26 years, 105 days | Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, US | For NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 58 | Win | 53–5 | Davey Dupas | KO | 6 (10), 0:40 | May 26, 1958 | 26 years, 47 days | Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas, US | |
| 57 | Win | 52–5 | Johnny Gonsalves | UD | 10 | Jan 9, 1958 | 25 years, 275 days | Auditorium, Oakland, California, US | |
| 56 | Win | 51–5 | Luke Easter | TKO | 8 (10), 1:51 | Dec 9, 1957 | 25 years, 244 days | Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, US | |
| 55 | Win | 50–5 | Orlando Zulueta | UD | 10 | Oct 30, 1957 | 25 years, 204 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, US | |
| 54 | Win | 49–5 | Johnny Gonsalves | UD | 10 | Aug 20, 1957 | 25 years, 133 days | Auditorium, Oakland, California, US | |
| 53 | Win | 48–5 | Teddy Davis | UD | 10 | Aug 3, 1957 | 25 years, 116 days | Muskegon, Michigan, US | |
| 52 | Win | 47–5 | Henry 'Toothpick' Brown | KO | 6 (10), 1:14 | May 22, 1957 | 25 years, 43 days | Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 51 | Win | 46–5 | Danny Davis | TKO | 4 (10) | Apr 6, 1957 | 24 years, 362 days | Muskegon, Michigan, US | |
| 50 | Win | 45–5 | Frankie Ryff | TKO | 6 (10), 0:32 | Jan 30, 1957 | 24 years, 296 days | Biscayne Arena, Miami, Florida, US | |
| 49 | Win | 44–5 | Frankie Ryff | UD | 10 | Nov 14, 1956 | 24 years, 219 days | Biscayne Arena, Miami, Florida, US | |
| 48 | Win | 43–5 | Ludwig Lightburn | UD | 10 | Sep 19, 1956 | 24 years, 163 days | Biscayne Arena, Miami, Florida, US | |
| 47 | Win | 42–5 | Ralph Capone | TKO | 5 (10), 2:57 | Aug 30, 1956 | 24 years, 143 days | Catholic Central Stadium, Muskegon, Michigan, US | |
| 46 | Win | 41–5 | Glen Flanagan | UD | 10 | Aug 2, 1956 | 24 years, 115 days | Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, US | |
| 45 | Win | 40–5 | Ralph Dupas | SD | 10 | Jul 9, 1956 | 24 years, 91 days | Pelican Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana, US | |
| 44 | Win | 39–5 | Danny Davis | UD | 10 | May 10, 1956 | 24 years, 31 days | Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota, US | |
| 43 | Win | 38–5 | Enrique Esqueda | UD | 10 | Mar 25, 1956 | 23 years, 351 days | Plaza de Toros, Mexico City, Mexico | |
| 42 | Win | 37–5 | Ike Vaughn | UD | 10 | Feb 25, 1956 | 23 years, 322 days | Civic Center, Lansing, Michigan, US | |
| 41 | Win | 36–5 | Don Mason | UD | 10 | Dec 6, 1955 | 23 years, 241 days | Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US | |
| 40 | Win | 35–5 | Kid Centella | UD | 10 | Nov 7, 1955 | 23 years, 212 days | Coliseum Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, US | |
| 39 | Loss | 34–5 | Paddy DeMarco | SD | 10 | Oct 3, 1955 | 23 years, 177 days | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, US | |
| 38 | Win | 34–4 | Hocine Khalfi | UD | 10 | Aug 16, 1955 | 23 years, 129 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, US | |
| 37 | Win | 33–4 | Noel Humphreys | UD | 10 | Aug 4, 1955 | 23 years, 117 days | Island Park Stadium, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, US | |
| 36 | Win | 32–4 | Elmer Lakatos | TKO | 8 (10) | Jul 28, 1955 | 23 years, 110 days | Marquette Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US | |
| 35 | Win | 31–4 | Jimmy Ford | UD | 10 | Jul 12, 1955 | 23 years, 94 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, US | |
| 34 | Win | 30–4 | Richie Howard | UD | 10 | Jun 28, 1955 | 23 years, 80 days | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | |
| 33 | Win | 29–4 | Larry Boardman | UD | 10 | Jun 21, 1955 | 23 years, 73 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, US | |
| 32 | Win | 28–4 | Eli Leggett | UD | 10 | Jun 7, 1955 | 23 years, 59 days | Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 31 | Win | 27–4 | Richie Howard | PTS | 10 | May 30, 1955 | 23 years, 51 days | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | |
| 30 | Win | 26–4 | Armand Savoie | UD | 10 | Mar 29, 1955 | 22 years, 354 days | Civic Auditorium, Grand Rapids, Michigan, US | |
| 29 | Loss | 25–4 | Ralph Dupas | SD | 10 | Mar 14, 1955 | 22 years, 339 days | Coliseum Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, US | |
| 28 | Win | 25–3 | Jackie Blair | UD | 10 | Feb 14, 1955 | 22 years, 311 days | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, US | |
| 27 | Win | 24–3 | Danny Jo Perez | SD | 10 | Dec 13, 1954 | 22 years, 248 days | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, US | |
| 26 | Win | 23–3 | Orlando Zulueta | SD | 10 | Nov 8, 1954 | 22 years, 213 days | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, US | |
| 25 | Win | 22–3 | George Collins | PTS | 10 | Oct 4, 1954 | 22 years, 178 days | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, US | |
| 24 | Win | 21–3 | John Barnes | UD | 10 | Aug 12, 1954 | 22 years, 125 days | Marsh Field, Muskegon, Michigan, US | Retained USA Michigan State lightweight title |
| 23 | Win | 20–3 | Elmer Lakatos | UD | 8 | Jun 22, 1954 | 22 years, 74 days | Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 22 | Win | 19–3 | Sammy Rodgers | UD | 10 | May 27, 1954 | 22 years, 48 days | Marsh Field, Muskegon, Michigan, US | Won vacant USA Michigan State lightweight title |
| 21 | Loss | 18–3 | John Barnes | UD | 8 | Mar 22, 1954 | 21 years, 347 days | Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 20 | Loss | 18–2 | John Barnes | TKO | 1 (8), 1:51 | Feb 1, 1954 | 21 years, 298 days | Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 19 | Win | 18–1 | Jesse Underwood | UD | 10 | Jan 14, 1954 | 21 years, 280 days | Auditorium, Saginaw, Michigan, US | |
| 18 | Win | 17–1 | Mike Tourcotte | UD | 6 | Jan 2, 1954 | 21 years, 268 days | Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana, US | |
| 17 | Win | 16–1 | Ronnie Stribling | UD | 8 | Dec 1, 1953 | 21 years, 236 days | Civic Auditorium, Grand Rapids, Michigan, US | |
| 16 | Loss | 15–1 | Ronnie Stribling | TKO | 2 (8) | Oct 20, 1953 | 21 years, 194 days | Prudden Auditorium, Lansing, Michigan, US | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Ken Hohner | UD | 8 | Sep 29, 1953 | 21 years, 173 days | Civic Auditorium, Grand Rapids, Michigan, US | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Ralph Cervantes | UD | 6 | Sep 14, 1953 | 21 years, 158 days | Veterans Memorial Stadium, Saginaw, Michigan, US | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Eddie Crawford | MD | 6 | Sep 10, 1953 | 21 years, 154 days | Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Don Grinton | TKO | 3 (6), 3:00 | Aug 20, 1953 | 21 years, 133 days | Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Dick Holling | KO | 2 (4) | Aug 6, 1953 | 21 years, 119 days | Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Ron McGilvray | PTS | 4 | Jul 23, 1953 | 21 years, 105 days | Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Frank O'Neal | TKO | 3 (4) | Jul 16, 1953 | 21 years, 98 days | Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Johnny Valentine | SD | 4 | Jun 18, 1953 | 21 years, 70 days | Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Benny Uhl | PTS | 5 | Jun 15, 1953 | 21 years, 67 days | Rainbo Arena, Chicago, Illinois, US | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Milton Scott | PTS | 4 | May 23, 1953 | 21 years, 44 days | Rainbo Arena, Chicago, Illinois, US | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Jimmy DeMura | PTS | 4 | May 11, 1953 | 21 years, 32 days | Rainbo Arena, Chicago, Illinois, US | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Jimmy DeMura | PTS | 4 | Apr 30, 1953 | 21 years, 21 days | Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Bob Henry | KO | 4 (4) | Apr 20, 1953 | 21 years, 11 days | Rainbo Arena, Chicago, Illinois, US | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Jimmy DeMura | PTS | 4 | Apr 16, 1953 | 21 years, 7 days | Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Clinton McDade | PTS | 4 | Apr 9, 1953 | 21 years, 0 days | Civic Auditorium, Grand Rapids, Michigan, US | |

## References and notes

* ↑ "Kenneth L Lane in Social Security Death Index".
* ↑ "Pearce Lane - BoxRec". www.boxrec.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
* ↑ "Kenny Lane - BoxRec". www.boxrec.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
* ↑ "Former Muskegon boxer Lane dies of heart attack". August 6, 2008. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
* ↑ "The Remarkable Story of Kenny Lane - BrooWaha". Archived from the original on September 12, 2008. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
* ↑ "Southpaw Grammar album cover". January 6, 2007.
* ↑ "Cyber Boxing Zone -- Kenny Lane". cyberboxingzone.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2008. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
* ↑ "Muskegon boxing legend Kenny Lane dies at 76". August 6, 2008.
* ↑ "The Cyber Boxing Zone Message Board". Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2008.