# Don Fullmer

Don Fullmer (February 21, 1939 – January 28, 2012) was an American professional boxer and a brother of the former world middleweight champion Gene Fullmer. Eight years younger than his more famous brother, Don followed Gene into the gym in West Jordan, Utah, to learn how to box. He fought as an amateur for four years and did not lose in sixty-five fights. Another brother, Jay, was also active in boxing.

## Boxing career

Don turned professional in 1957 as a middleweight and beat some top contenders during his early career, such as Rocky Fumerelle, Rocky Rivero, and Joe DeNucci. However, he also lost to some good fighters, such as former champions Terry Downes, Dick Tiger, José Torres and Emile Griffith, as well as Joey Archer.
In 1964 he beat Jimmy Ellis, who later went on to win the World Boxing Association version of the heavyweight championship. The win against Ellis began a winning streak for Fullmer and he went on to defeat Griffith and Archer in rematches. This streak ended when he lost to Nino Benvenuti in Rome in 1966. Benvenuti went on to win the middleweight title, and after Fullmer beat Carl "Bobo" Olson he fought a rematch with Benvenuti for the title in 1968. He knocked the Italian down but lost a fifteen-round unanimous decision. While never a recognized world champion, Fullmer did win a bout billed as for the "World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship" when he defeated Joe Hopkins in 1967. This title was the precursor to the current super middleweight championship. Few in the boxing world recognized the legitimacy of that title.
Fullmer retired from the ring in 1972. After his retirement, he worked for the Salt Lake County Fire Department. Along with his brothers, and he ran the Fullmer Brothers boxing gym in West Jordan. The gym provided for kids to work out for free.

## Death

Don Fullmer died of leukemia on January 28, 2012, aged 72. He was survived by his wife, Nedra and his five sons.

## Filmography

* The Devil's Brigade (1968) - The G.I.

## Professional boxing record

| 79 fights | 54 wins | 20 losses |
| By knockout | 14 | 2 |
| By decision | 40 | 18 |
| Draws | 5 | 5 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 79 | Loss | 54–20–5 | Richie Kates | UD | 10 | Sep 24, 1972 | Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | |
| 78 | Win | 54–19–5 | Andy Kendall | SD | 10 | Apr 21, 1972 | Capital Plaza, Frankfort, Kentucky, US | |
| 77 | Win | 53–19–5 | Billy Freeman | MD | 10 | Jan 13, 1972 | Williamsport, Pennsylvania, US | |
| 76 | Win | 52–19–5 | Lino Rendon | UD | 10 | Oct 14, 1972 | Cedar City, Utah, US | |
| 75 | Win | 51–19–5 | Amado Vasquez | KO | 1 (10), 1:27 | May 22, 1972 | Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah, US | |
| 74 | Loss | 50–19–5 | Pierre Fourie | UD | 10 | Feb 19, 1972 | Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa | |
| 73 | Win | 50–18–5 | Billy Wagner | UD | 10 | Oct 19, 1971 | Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, US | |
| 72 | Win | 49–18–5 | Dave Thach | SD | 10 | Sep 16, 1971 | Read Fieldhouse, Kalamazoo, Michigan, US | |
| 71 | Loss | 48–18–5 | Eugene Hart | UD | 10 | Jun 22, 1971 | Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | |
| 70 | Loss | 48–17–5 | Bobby Cassidy | SD | 10 | Apr 26, 1971 | Felt Forum, New York City, New York, US | |
| 69 | Loss | 48–16–5 | Tom Bogs | PTS | 10 | Feb 11, 1971 | K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| 68 | Draw | 48–15–5 | Billy Douglas | PTS | 10 | Jul 11, 1970 | Lausche Building, Columbus, Ohio, US | |
| 67 | Draw | 48–15–4 | Tom Bogs | PTS | 10 | Feb 12, 1970 | Skojtehal, Gladsaxe, Denmark | |
| 66 | Loss | 48–15–3 | Doyle Baird | SD | 10 | Oct 29, 1969 | Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, US | |
| 65 | Win | 48–14–3 | Juarez de Lima | SD | 10 | May 26, 1969 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
| 64 | Loss | 47–14–3 | Nino Benvenuti | UD | 15 | Dec 14, 1968 | Teatro Ariston, San Remo, Italy | For WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles |
| 63 | Win | 47–13–3 | Polo Corona | UD | 10 | Sep 18, 1968 | Star Theater, Phoenix, Arizona, US | |
| 62 | Win | 46–13–3 | Gene Bryant | UD | 10 | May 29, 1968 | Derks Field, Salt Lake City, Utah, US | |
| 61 | Win | 45–13–3 | Billy Marsh | UD | 10 | Apr 25, 1968 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona, US | |
| 60 | Win | 44–13–3 | Carl Moore | SD | 10 | Feb 20, 1968 | Madison Square Garden, Phoenix, Arizona, US | |
| 59 | Win | 43–13–3 | Ted Wright | UD | 10 | Sep 22, 1967 | Weber State College Gymnasium, Ogden, Utah, US | |
| 58 | Win | 42–13–3 | Luis Garduno | TKO | 2 (10) | Jun 22, 1967 | Adams Field House, Missoula, Montana, US | |
| 57 | Win | 41–13–3 | Joe Hopkins | TKO | 6 (12), 1:19 | Apr 3, 1967 | Valley Music Hall, Salt Lake City, Utah, US | |
| 56 | Win | 40–13–3 | Bobo Olson | MD | 10 | Nov 28, 1966 | Oakland Arena, Oakland, California, US | |
| 55 | Win | 39–13–3 | Tony Montano | UD | 10 | Oct 17, 1966 | Sportatorium, Phoenix, Arizona, US | |
| 54 | Win | 38–13–3 | Stan Harrington | UD | 10 | Apr 25, 1966 | Honolulu International Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, US | |
| 53 | Loss | 37–13–3 | Jose Gonzalez | UD | 12 | Mar 18, 1966 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | Lost WBA American middleweight title |
| 52 | Loss | 37–12–3 | Nino Benvenuti | UD | 12 | Feb 4, 1966 | Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Italy | |
| 51 | Win | 37–11–3 | Joey Archer | SD | 12 | Dec 13, 1965 | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, US | Retained WBA American middleweight title |
| 50 | Win | 36–11–3 | Emile Griffith | UD | 12 | Aug 19, 1965 | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, US | Won vacant WBA American middleweight title |
| 49 | Win | 35–11–3 | Gene Bryant | UD | 10 | Jun 21, 1965 | West Jordan Park, West Jordan, Utah, US | |
| 48 | Draw | 34–11–3 | Andy Kendall | SD | 10 | Apr 27, 1965 | Hacienda Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |
| 47 | Win | 34–11–2 | Ferd Hernandez | UD | 10 | Feb 23, 1965 | Hacienda Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |
| 46 | Win | 33–11–2 | Jimmy Ellis | SD | 10 | Oct 21, 1964 | Convention Center, Louisville, Kentucky, US | |
| 45 | Loss | 32–11–2 | Dick Tiger | UD | 10 | Sep 11, 1964 | Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, US | |
| 44 | Win | 32–10–2 | Ron Thompson | TKO | 1 (10), 2:13 | Aug 15, 1964 | Lane County Fairgrounds, Eugene, Oregon, US | |
| 43 | Draw | 31–10–2 | Fred Roots | TD | 5 (10) | Apr 14, 1964 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, US | Stopped on cuts after an accidental headbutt |
| 42 | Loss | 31–10–1 | Souleymane Diallo | PTS | 10 | Dec 23, 1963 | Palais des Sports, Paris, France | |
| 41 | Loss | 31–9–1 | José Torres | PTS | 10 | Oct 9, 1963 | Armory, Teaneck, New Jersey, US | |
| 40 | Win | 31–8–1 | Bobby Horn | UD | 10 | Jul 3, 1963 | Lane County Fairgrounds, Eugene, Oregon, US | |
| 39 | Loss | 30–8–1 | Sandro Mazzinghi | TKO | 8 (10), 2:59 | May 5, 1963 | Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan, Italy | |
| 38 | Win | 30–7–1 | Eddie Andrews | UD | 10 | Apr 18, 1963 | Mathisen's Hall, Reno, Nevada, US | |
| 37 | Win | 29–7–1 | Eddie Andrews | UD | 10 | Feb 14, 1963 | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, US | |
| 36 | Loss | 28–7–1 | Emile Griffith | UD | 10 | Oct 6, 1962 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
| 35 | Win | 28–6–1 | Juan Carlos Rivero | SD | 10 | Jul 21, 1962 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
| 34 | Loss | 27–6–1 | Terry Downes | PTS | 10 | May 22, 1962 | Empire Pool, London, England, UK | |
| 33 | Win | 27–5–1 | Joe DeNucci | UD | 10 | Mar 16, 1962 | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
| 32 | Loss | 26–5–1 | Ted Wright | TKO | 7 (10) | Aug 12, 1961 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
| 31 | Win | 26–4–1 | Rocky Fumerelle | UD | 10 | Jul 15, 1961 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
| 30 | Loss | 25–4–1 | Joey Archer | MD | 10 | Feb 4, 1961 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
| 29 | Win | 25–3–1 | Buck Bellamy | UD | 10 | Nov 11, 1960 | George Nelson Field House, Logan, Utah, US | |
| 28 | Draw | 24–3–1 | Gustav Scholz | PTS | 10 | Sep 14, 1960 | Festhalle, Frankfurt, West Germany | |
| 27 | Win | 24–3 | Stefan Redl | UD | 10 | May 11, 1960 | Jenson's Gym, West Jordan, Utah, US | |
| 26 | Win | 23–3 | JC Johnson | UD | 8 | Mar 28, 1960 | West Jordan, Utah, US | |
| 25 | Win | 22–3 | Billy Blair | UD | 8 | Mar 5, 1960 | Athletic Club, West Jordan, Utah, US | |
| 24 | Win | 21–3 | James Shorty | TKO | 5 (8), 1:15 | Feb 20, 1960 | Jenson's Gym, West Jordan, Utah, US | |
| 23 | Win | 20–3 | Virgil Akins | UD | 10 | Jan 28, 1960 | Kiel Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, US | |
| 22 | Win | 19–3 | Doug Garrett | PTS | 6 | Dec 4, 1959 | George Nelson Field House, Logan, Utah, US | |
| 21 | Loss | 18–3 | Phil Moyer | UD | 10 | Aug 18, 1959 | Auditorium, Portland, Oregon, US | |
| 20 | Loss | 18–2 | Eddie Andrews | MD | 10 | Jul 6, 1959 | Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |
| 19 | Loss | 18–1 | Orlando DePietro | PTS | 10 | Apr 4, 1959 | Polo Grounds, Palm Springs, California, US | |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Cornell Olds | KO | 3 (6) | Feb 9, 1959 | Eldred Recreation Center, Provo, Utah, US | |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Cornell Olds | KO | 4 (6) | Jan 16, 1959 | Uintah High School Gym, Vernal, Utah, US | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Roscoe Shamblin | UD | 6 | Dec 15, 1958 | Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, US | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Willie Fuller | KO | 1 (8) | Nov 29, 1958 | Kanab, Utah, US | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Dick Bankhead | KO | 1 (6) | Nov 10, 1958 | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, US | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Curtis Barker | KO | 2 (4) | Oct 13, 1958 | West Jordan Elementary School, West Jordan, Utah, US | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Andy Maes | PTS | 6 | Sep 11, 1958 | Derks Field, Salt Lake City, Utah, US | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Chico Cirini | UD | 6 | Jul 26, 1958 | Arena, West Jordan, Utah, US | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Elmer Carter | PTS | 5 | Jul 7, 1958 | Arena, West Jordan, Utah, US | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Cornell Olds | KO | 2 (5) | Jun 4, 1958 | West Jordan Park, West Jordan, Utah, US | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Frank Fellsen | PTS | 6 | Apr 19, 1958 | Springville, Utah, US | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Cornell Olds | PTS | 6 | Apr 5, 1958 | Cedar City, Utah, US | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Elmer Carter | PTS | 5 | Mar 3, 1958 | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, US | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Billy O'Neill | UD | 6 | Feb 10, 1958 | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, US | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Amond Cadoll | UD | 6 | Feb 1, 1958 | Southern Utah University Fieldhouse, Cedar City, Utah, US | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Cornell Olds | TKO | 2 (6) | Jan 28, 1958 | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, US | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Johnny Hudson | KO | 1 (4) | Sep 4, 1957 | Arena, West Jordan, Utah, US | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Joe Mortenson | TKO | 3 (6), 2:40 | Aug 2, 1957 | West Jordan, Utah, US | |