Calvin Brock

Biography

Brock is known not only for his boxing skills but also for his skill at handling money. Brock has a degree in finance from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and manages his own portfolio. [1] Brock — formerly a banker — received his nickname from a Bank of America ad, in which he was referred to as The Boxing Banker.

Amateur career

Brock had a notable amateur boxing career. He was the National Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion in 1998. In 1999, he won the United States amateur championship at 201 lb.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics, he competed on the U.S. boxing team as a super heavyweight after narrowly beating one-time conqueror T.J.Wilson in the qualification. He was a teammate of future world champions Jermain Taylor, Jeff Lacy, and Brian Viloria, but he lost to Paolo Vidoz and did not win a medal.

Amateur record 147-38

Professional career

Brock turned professional in 2001. Although he built an impressive record, Brock did not fight many top-ranked heavyweights.

Brock's first well-known opponent was Clifford Etienne—an opponent of Mike Tyson whom Brock defeated by round 3 TKO on January 21, 2005.

Three months later, highly rated contender Jameel McCline knocked down Brock in round 7, but Brock got up and won the bout by unanimous decision.

On November 19, 2005, Brock won his first title—the IBA Continental Americas heavyweight title—when he defeated journeyman David Bostice by unanimous decision.

On February 25, 2006, Brock was part of the Shane Mosley vs. Fernando Vargas undercard. He knocked out Zuri Lawrence in round 6 with a counter left hook that caught Lawrence flush and ended up being the Ring Magazine knockout of the year."

Brock defended his IBA Continental Americas title on June 24, 2006 against undefeated Timor Ibragimov by unanimous decision. The fight occurred outdoors at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, where the temperature exceeded 100 °F (38 °C).

Brock finally earned his first world title shot as he took on IBF and IBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2006. However, he suffered his first professional loss when he was knocked out in the 7th round, dropping his record to 29-1.

In November he was edged out by Eddie Chambers in an IBF semifinal. During this bout, Brock suffered retinal damage in his right eye. As a result of botched surgery to repair the damage in December 2007, Brock became legally blind in his right eye, and forced to retire permanently from the sport of boxing. Brock can still see images of daylight in the right eye. After retirement, Brock, who has a wife and daughter, became a commercial real estate agent.