# Darnell Boone

Darnell Lamont Boone (born January 21, 1980) is an American professional boxer. Despite having never challenged for a world title, Boone is notable for facing several future world champions throughout his career, from middleweight to light heavyweight. In 2004, he was the first to score a knockdown against undefeated Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward, who went on to win a unanimous decision over Boone. In 2010, Boone caused a major upset when he knocked out future world champion Adonis Stevenson, who later gained revenge by knocking out Boone in 2013. Boone also defeated Willie Monroe Jr. in 2011, who later challenged twice for a world title. Other world champions Boone has faced include Jean Pascal, Erislandy Lara, and Sergey Kovalev (twice).

## Background

Having gotten a late start into the sport of boxing, Boone had just ten amateur fights before turning professional in 2004. Boone had originally gotten into boxing after attending his younger brother's boxing gym. In his first training session, he sparred with future world champion Kelly Pavlik.

## Professional boxing career

Boone held a record of 6-2-1, with the two losses coming to former IBF middleweight contender Walid Smichet and future IBA contender Walter Wright. Ward, was a heavy favorite despite being just 6-0, and Boone took the fight on just one week's notice. Despite knocking down Ward twice in the fight, he lost a unanimous decision.
After improving to 10-3-1, Boone faced future two-time world title contenders Enrique Ornelas, and Anthony Thompson, losing unanimous decisions in each.
After drawing on points against another future title contender in Lajuan Simon, Boone lost a decision to then-undefeated (12-0) Jean Pascal.
In April 2010, Boone was matched up with future lineal, Ring, and world titleholder Adonis Stevenson, in another fight Boone took on short notice against an undefeated fighter as Stevenson was 13-0 at the time. Boone at the time was 16-15-2, and on a five-fight losing streak (the first three fights being decision losses to Craig McEwan, Erislandy Lara, and Edwin Rodriguez, respectively). In an upset Boone finished Stevenson 17 seconds into the second round. Leading up to the fight, Boone had been self-trained.
Boone took another short-notice fight against future champion and then, 17-0-1 Sergey Kovalev in a light heavyweight bout. Boone fought hard, knocking Kovalev down but later lost a point and ultimately a split decision. Boone was then defeated via first-round TKO against Marco Antonio Periban.
   — Anybody who's faced Darnell Boone knows what it is to be hit with a brick. — Every top fighter who's come up through the ranks and fought Darnell Boone has either lost or nearly lost to him.
Boone was then matched up with future world title challenger and then-undefeated 10-0 Willie Monroe Jr. In March 2013, Boone fought Stevenson again in a rematch, losing via sixth-round KO.
Boone last fought in November 2018, making his cruiserweight debut, a draw.

## Professional boxing record

| 53 fights | 24 wins | 24 losses |
| By knockout | 13 | 5 |
| By decision | 11 | 19 |
| Draws | 5 | 5 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 53 | Draw | 24–24–5 | Lamont Capers | MD | 8 | Nov 21, 2018 | St. Lucy's Palermo Hall, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 52 | Win | 24–24–4 | Jorge Alfredo Leal | TKO | 1 (6) 1:02 | Aug 19, 2017 | Rosarito Beach, Mexico | |
| 51 | Loss | 23–24–4 | Ramon Luis Nicolas | UD | 8 | Feb 25, 2017 | National Sports Center, Blaine, Minnesota, U.S. | |
| 50 | Loss | 23–23–4 | Schiller Hyppolite | UD | 10 | Mar 12, 2016 | Olympia Theatre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 49 | Win | 23–22–4 | Jimmy Campbell | KO | 2 (6), 0:37 | Dec 12, 2015 | Sparta Training Academy, Fishers, Indiana, U.S. | |
| 48 | Win | 22–22–4 | Samuel Miller | TKO | 5 (8), 1:32 | Aug 22, 2015 | TradeWinds Island Grand Resort, St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. | |
| 47 | Loss | 21–22–4 | Arif Magomedov | TKO | 1 (8), 2:37 | May 22, 2015 | The D Casino Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 46 | Win | 21–21–4 | Phillip Jackson Benson | TKO | 6 (8), 1:27 | Apr 18, 2015 | Valley Forge Casino Resort, Upper Merion, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 45 | Win | 20–21–4 | Dionisio Miranda | KO | 3 (10), 0:09 | Dec 11, 2014 | TradeWinds Island Grand Resort, St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. | |
| 44 | Draw | 19–21–4 | Morgan Fitch | SD | 6 | Nov 30, 2013 | Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort, Chester, West Virginia, U.S. | |
| 43 | Loss | 19–21–3 | Adonis Stevenson | KO | 6 (10), 2:43 | Mar 22, 2013 | Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 42 | Loss | 19–20–3 | Derrick Webster | SD | 6 | Jan 19, 2013 | Robert Treat Center, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 41 | Loss | 19–19–3 | Sergey Kovalev | TKO | 2 (8), 1:32 | Jun 1, 2012 | Sands Event Center, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 40 | Loss | 19–18–3 | Dyah Davis | UD | 6 | Oct 21, 2011 | Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S. | |
| 39 | Win | 19–17–3 | Marcus Don Hall | TKO | 1 (6), 0:40 | Aug 26, 2011 | Buckhead Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | |
| 38 | Win | 18–17–3 | Willie Monroe Jr. | SD | 8 | Mar 29, 2011 | B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 37 | Loss | 17–17–3 | Marco Antonio Peribán | TKO | 1 (8), 1:20 | Dec 3, 2010 | Coliseo Olímpico, Guadalajara, Mexico | |
| 36 | Loss | 17–16–3 | Sergey Kovalev | SD | 8 | Oct 9, 2010 | Metro Fitness, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | |
| 35 | Draw | 17–15–3 | Lennox Allen | MD | 8 | Aug 7, 2010 | Aviator Sports and Events Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 34 | Win | 17–15–2 | Adonis Stevenson | TKO | 2 (8), 0:17 | Mar 19, 2010 | Wicomico Youth and Civic Center, Salisbury, Maryland, U.S. | |
| 33 | Loss | 16–15–2 | Brandon Gonzales | UD | 8 | Jan 15, 2010 | Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 32 | Loss | 16–14–2 | Jose Angel Rodriguez | UD | 8 | Jan 15, 2010 | PAL Gym, Yonkers, New York, U.S. | |
| 31 | Loss | 16–13–2 | Edwin Rodríguez | UD | 8 | Oct 3, 2009 | Twin River Event Center, Lincoln, Rhode Island, U.S. | |
| 30 | Loss | 16–12–2 | Erislandy Lara | UD | 6 | Jul 17, 2009 | Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 29 | Loss | 16–11–2 | Craig McEwan | SD | 8 | Jun 27, 2009 | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 28 | Win | 16–10–2 | Calvin Green | TKO | 7 (10), 2:18 | May 29, 2009 | Belle Casino & Hotel, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. | |
| 27 | Win | 15–10–2 | Louis Turner | MD | 10 | Apr 4, 2009 | Convention Center, Vicksburg, Mississippi, U.S. | |
| 26 | Loss | 14–10–2 | Brian Vera | UD | 10 | Jun 15, 2007 | Chevrolet Centre, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. | For IBA Intercontinental super middleweight title |
| 25 | Loss | 14–9–2 | Curtis Stevens | UD | 10 | Mar 22, 2007 | Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 24 | Win | 14–8–2 | James Johnson | UD | 4 | Feb 3, 2007 | Silver Spurs Arena, Kissimmee, Florida, U.S. | |
| 23 | Loss | 13–8–2 | Jesús González | UD | 8 | Dec 15, 2006 | Grand Plaza Hotel, Houston, Texas, U.S. | |
| 22 | Win | 13–7–2 | Norman Johnson | TKO | 2 (4) | Dec 1, 2006 | Club Europe, Doraville, Georgia, U.S. | |
| 21 | Win | 12–7–2 | William Johnson | UD | 4 | Nov 2, 2006 | Chevrolet Centre, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 20 | Win | 11–7–2 | Marcus Brooks | UD | 4 | Oct 6, 2006 | Club Europe, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | |
| 19 | Loss | 10–7–2 | Fernando Zuniga | MD | 8 | Sep 15, 2006 | Omega Products International, Corona, California, U.S. | |
| 18 | Loss | 10–6–2 | Jean Pascal | UD | 10 | Jun 23, 2006 | Uniprix Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | For vacant TAB super middleweight title |
| 17 | Draw | 10–5–2 | Lajuan Simon | PTS | 6 | Apr 28, 2006 | Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, U.S. | |
| 16 | Loss | 10–5–1 | Anthony Thompson | UD | 10 | Mar 31, 2006 | Activities Center, Maywood, California, U.S. | |
| 15 | Loss | 10–4–1 | Enrique Ornelas | UD | 8 | Mar 3, 2006 | Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, U.S. | |
| 14 | Win | 10–3–1 | Rasheem Brown | UD | 10 | Feb 18, 2006 | Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, U.S. | |
| 13 | Win | 9–3–1 | James Countryman | UD | 6 | Feb 3, 2006 | The Orleans, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 12 | Win | 8–3–1 | Willie Lee | UD | 6 | Jan 13, 2006 | A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, Florida, U.S. | |
| 11 | Win | 7–3–1 | Ronald Johnson | MD | 6 | Dec 16, 2005 | Grays Armory, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 10 | Loss | 6–3–1 | Andre Ward | UD | 6 | Nov 19, 2005 | Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon, U.S. | |
| 9 | Win | 6–2–1 | Chris Archer | TKO | 4 (6) | Nov 11, 2005 | Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 8 | Loss | 5–2–1 | Walid Smichet | TKO | 6 (8), 1:58 | Aug 31, 2005 | Métropolis, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 7 | Win | 5–1–1 | James North | KO | 3 (6) | Aug 12, 2005 | Bull & Bear Tavern, Boardman, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 6 | Loss | 4–1–1 | Walter Wright | UD | 8 | May 24, 2005 | Northern Quest Resort & Casino, Airway Heights, Washington, U.S. | |
| 5 | Draw | 4–0–1 | Walid Smichet | PTS | 4 | Feb 26, 2005 | Casino du Lac-Leamy, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Alex Black | TKO | 2 (6), 3:00 | Nov 24, 2004 | Byzantine Center at the Grove, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Michael Rush | TKO | 1 (4), 2:56 | Sep 29, 2004 | 115 Bourbon Street, Merrionette Park, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Shawn Williams | PTS | 4 | Jul 2, 2004 | Fieldhouse, Struthers, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Jay Holland | UD | 4 | May 21, 2004 | Byzantine Center at the Grove, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. | |