# Don Jordan

Don Jordan (June 22, 1934 – February 13, 1997) was an American boxer born in Los Angeles, California and was the Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the World from 1958 to 1960. His nickname was ‘Geronimo’. He was of Mexican and African American descent.

## Career

Born 22 June 1934 in Los Angeles, Jordan’s brief spell as an amateur shows that he began boxing as a Middleweight and – unusually – worked his way down to Welterweight as a professional. His amateur career spanned just fifteen contests, of which he lost only one.
Jordan fought professionally for the first time in April, 1953. Standing 5 feet 9 inches and typically weighing around 147 lbs, Jordan was well-proportioned and quickly showed himself to be an effective performer, winning nine in a row before dropping a decision in March 1954, to a fighter he had out-pointed just two months previously. He beat Art Ramponi to pick up the California State Welterweight title in October of that year and opened his 1955 campaign with a victory over former World Lightweight Champion Lauro Salas. From that point on, Jordan would be mixing it with the best.
Jordan’s progress over the next three years – including two notable victories over Gaspar Ortega – were rewarded when he challenged Virgil Akins for the World Welterweight Championship on 5 December 1958, winning by unanimous decision. Akins – who disputed the decision – would suffer an identical reverse when he met Jordan in a championship return five months later. That was the first of Jordan’s two successful title defences (the second was against Denny Moyer on 10 July 1959), before losing the title to Benny Paret, eighteen months after being crowned.
Once he lost his title, Jordan also seemed to lose his way. The last years of his career saw him record more defeats than victories and he was effectively – if ignominiously – ‘retired’ by the man refereeing his October 1962 contest with Battling Torres. When Jordan refused to get up after a knockdown in the first, referee Jimmy Wilson ruled that Torres had not actually hit Jordan hard enough to put him down and the fight was declared a ‘no contest’. Subsequently, the California State Athletic Commission suspended Jordan indefinitely. In 1961 Lucchese crime family mobster Frankie Carbo, known as "the Czar of Boxing" was charged with extortion and conspiracy regarding Jordan, convicted and given a 25-year federal sentence. Others convicted were Louis Tom Dragna (conviction overturned), Truman Gibson, Joe Sica, and Frank "Blinky" Palermo.

## Death

After being robbed and seriously assaulted in a Los Angeles parking lot in September 1996, Don Jordan went into a coma, and died in a nursing home in San Pedro, California, on 13 February 1997.

## Professional boxing record

| 76 fights | 51 wins | 23 losses |
| By knockout | 17 | 3 |
| By decision | 34 | 20 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| No contests | 1 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| 76 | NC | 51–22–1 (1) | Battling Torres | NC | 1 (10) | Oct 5, 1962 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Jordan refused to get up and fight following a knockdown which the referee felt came from a punch that wasn't hard enough to knock him down |
| 75 | Loss | 51–23–1 | Joey Limas | UD | 10 | Jul 26, 1962 | Civic Auditorium, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. | |
| 74 | Loss | 51–22–1 | Giancarlo Garbelli | PTS | 10 | Apr 27, 1962 | Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Lazio, Italy | |
| 73 | Loss | 51–21–1 | Tony DeMarco | KO | 2 (10) | Dec 19, 1961 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 72 | Loss | 51–20–1 | Rodolfo Diaz | UD | 10 | Nov 14, 1961 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 71 | Loss | 51–19–1 | Hilario Morales | TKO | 7 (10) | Aug 15, 1961 | Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico | |
| 70 | Loss | 51–18–1 | Benny Medina | UD | 10 | Aug 1, 1961 | Kearney Bowl, Fresno, California, U.S. | |
| 69 | Loss | 51–17–1 | Carmen Basilio | UD | 10 | Mar 11, 1961 | War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, New York, U.S. | |
| 68 | Loss | 51–16–1 | Ludwig Lightburn | PTS | 10 | Nov 26, 1960 | Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico | |
| 67 | Draw | 51–15–1 | Alfredo Cota | PTS | 10 | Oct 16, 1960 | Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico | |
| 66 | Win | 51–15 | Julian Valdez | MD | 10 | Aug 16, 1960 | Hi Corbett Field, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | |
| 65 | Win | 50–15 | Jesse Bogart | KO | 1 (10) | Aug 6, 1960 | Nogales, Sonora, Mexico | |
| 64 | Loss | 49–15 | Phil Moyer | UD | 10 | Jul 15, 1960 | Auditorium, Portland, Oregon, U.S. | |
| 63 | Loss | 49–14 | Benny 'Kid' Paret | UD | 15 | May 27, 1960 | Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Lost NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles |
| 62 | Loss | 49–13 | Marvin 'Candy' McFarland | UD | 10 | May 16, 1960 | Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | |
| 61 | Loss | 49–12 | Luis Federico Thompson | KO | 4 (10) | Dec 12, 1959 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina | |
| 60 | Win | 49–11 | Fernando Barreto | PTS | 10 | Dec 5, 1959 | Ginásio Estadual do Ibirapuera, Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil | |
| 59 | Win | 48–11 | Denny Moyer | UD | 15 | Jul 10, 1959 | Meadows Race Track, Portland, Oregon, U.S. | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles |
| 58 | Win | 47–11 | Virgil Akins | UD | 15 | Apr 24, 1959 | Kiel Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S. | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles |
| 57 | Win | 46–11 | Alvaro Gutierrez | TKO | 3 (10) | Jan 22, 1959 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 56 | Win | 45–11 | Virgil Akins | UD | 15 | Dec 5, 1958 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Won NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles |
| 55 | Win | 44–11 | Gaspar Ortega | SD | 12 | Oct 22, 1958 | Lafayette Hotel, Long Beach, California, U.S. | |
| 54 | Win | 43–11 | Gaspar Ortega | SD | 10 | Sep 17, 1958 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 53 | Win | 42–11 | Lahouari Godih | UD | 10 | Aug 29, 1958 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 52 | Win | 41–11 | Issac Logart | SD | 10 | Jul 2, 1958 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 51 | Win | 40–11 | Alfredo Cota | PTS | 10 | May 18, 1958 | Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico | |
| 50 | Win | 39–11 | Kid Centella | KO | 2 (10) | May 5, 1958 | Plaza de Toros, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico | |
| 49 | Win | 38–11 | Francisco Echevarria | TKO | 3 (10) | Apr 15, 1958 | Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico | |
| 48 | Win | 37–11 | Karl Heinz Guder | SD | 10 | Feb 15, 1958 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 47 | Loss | 36–11 | Dave Charnley | PTS | 10 | Jan 28, 1958 | Harringay Arena, Harringay, London, England, U.K. | |
| 46 | Win | 36–10 | Willie Morton | MD | 10 | Jan 4, 1958 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 45 | Win | 35–10 | Ray Portilla | TKO | 6 (10) | Nov 29, 1957 | Coliseum, San Diego, California, U.S. | |
| 44 | Win | 34–10 | Orlando Zulueta | UD | 10 | Oct 12, 1957 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 43 | Win | 33–10 | Juan Padilla | UD | 10 | Aug 12, 1957 | Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico | |
| 42 | Win | 32–10 | Alfredo Cota | KO | 1 (10) | Jul 23, 1957 | Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico | |
| 41 | Win | 31–10 | Arnoldo Gil | KO | 2 (10) | Jul 15, 1957 | Plaza de Toros, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico | |
| 40 | Loss | 30–10 | LC Morgan | UD | 10 | Jun 15, 1957 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 39 | Win | 30–9 | Jesse Bogart | KO | 1 (10) | May 11, 1957 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 38 | Win | 29–9 | Ezequiel Uribe | PTS | 10 | Mar 19, 1957 | Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico | |
| 37 | Loss | 28–9 | Charley Tombstone Smith | UD | 12 | Jan 24, 1957 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 36 | Loss | 28–8 | Al Nevarez | PTS | 10 | Jan 1, 1957 | Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico | |
| 35 | Win | 28–7 | Archie Whitewater | UD | 10 | Dec 27, 1956 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 34 | Win | 27–7 | Enrique Esqueda | KO | 1 (10) | Nov 18, 1956 | Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico | |
| 33 | Loss | 26–7 | Orlando Zulueta | MD | 10 | Oct 16, 1956 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 32 | Win | 26–6 | Frankie Skidmore | TKO | 7 (10) | Jun 28, 1956 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 31 | Win | 25–6 | Timmie Jefferson | UD | 10 | Jun 7, 1956 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 30 | Loss | 24–6 | Joey Lopes | SD | 12 | May 5, 1956 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 29 | Loss | 24–5 | Jimmy Carter | UD | 10 | Mar 29, 1956 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 28 | Win | 24–4 | Paddy DeMarco | TKO | 5 (10) | Feb 2, 1956 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 27 | Loss | 23–4 | Art Aragon | UD | 10 | Dec 15, 1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 26 | Win | 23–3 | Woody Winslow | UD | 10 | Oct 20, 1955 | Winterland Arena, San Francisco, California, U.S. | |
| 25 | Win | 22–3 | Woody Winslow | UD | 10 | Sep 3, 1955 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 24 | Win | 21–3 | Joe Miceli | UD | 10 | Aug 18, 1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 23 | Loss | 20–3 | Art Aragon | UD | 10 | Jun 2, 1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 22 | Win | 20–2 | Lauro Salas | SD | 12 | Mar 31, 1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 21 | Win | 19–2 | Frankie Cockrell | UD | 10 | Mar 3, 1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 20 | Win | 18–2 | Gaby Macias | UD | 10 | Feb 15, 1955 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 19 | Win | 17–2 | Lauro Salas | UD | 12 | Jan 13, 1955 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 18 | Win | 16–2 | Manny Renteria | KO | 7 (12) | Nov 29, 1954 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 17 | Win | 15–2 | Art Ramponi | UD | 12 | Oct 4, 1954 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 16 | Win | 14–2 | Billy Hartman | TKO | 4 (10) | Sep 20, 1954 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 15 | Win | 13–2 | Art Ramponi | UD | 10 | Aug 30, 1954 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 14 | Win | 12–2 | Freddie Herman | SD | 10 | Jun 28, 1954 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 13 | Loss | 11–2 | Dickie Wong | UD | 10 | May 31, 1954 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 12 | Win | 11–1 | Manuel Montes | TKO | 2 (10) | Apr 17, 1954 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 11 | Loss | 10–1 | Andy Escobar | UD | 10 | Mar 20, 1954 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Raul Esqueda | PTS | 10 | Feb 1, 1954 | Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico | Date uncertain |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Andy Escobar | UD | 10 | Jan 16, 1954 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | David Cervantes | UD | 6 | Dec 16, 1953 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Marvin Smith | TKO | 5 (6) | Nov 7, 1953 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Marvin Smith | TKO | 5 (6) | Oct 17, 1953 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Gaby Macias | TKO | 5 (6) | Sep 26, 1953 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Chi Chi Martinez | PTS | 4 | Aug 8, 1953 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Chi Chi Martinez | UD | 6 | Jul 4, 1953 | Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Al Barbero | PTS | 4 | May 18, 1953 | Arena, South Gate, California, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Ray Serna | PTS | 4 | Apr 27, 1953 | Arena, South Gate, California, U.S. | |

## Titles in boxing
### Major world titles

* NYSAC welterweight champion (147 lbs)
* NBA (WBA) welterweight champion (147 lbs)

### The Ring magazine titles

* The Ring welterweight champion (147 lbs)

### Undisputed titles

* Undisputed welterweight champion