Name Ray Lathon Role Boxer | Died December 12, 2000 Martial art Boxing | |
 | ||
Ray Lathon, (October 27, 1966, in St. Louis, Missouri – December 12, 2000, in St. Louis) was an American boxer.
Contents
Amateur career
Known as "Lethal", Lathon was a stellar amateur and, in 1989, he was the U.S. Amateur Middleweight champion and won the Golden Gloves and USA Boxing titles. He also fought as part of Team USA at the World Championships in Moscow.
Professional career
Lathon turned professional in 1990, and suffered his only professional defeat to Montell Griffin in 1994. Lathon's career record is a 22-1 with 21 knockouts overall.
Murder
On December 12, 2000, after finishing a workout in a St. Louis gym, Lathon was shot and killed execution-style by a masked gunman. Lathon had been in training for an upcoming attempt at the NABF Cruiserweight title. Ahmad Adisa, age 27, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. At his trial, evidence suggested that Adisa was hired to kill Lathon for a $10,000 payment, though no one else has been charged in the case. Assistant Circuit Attorney Dwight Warren told jurors that Lathon was killed in retaliation for his suspected involvement in the kidnapping and torture of a drug dealer in 1999. Authorities said the drug dealer was beaten and burned with cigarettes, but Lathon was never charged.