Rocky Lockridge

Amateur career

Lockridge started boxing as an amateur out of the Tacoma Boys Club. Being one of four world champions to originate from Tacoma (including Freddie Steele, Leo Randolph and Johnny Bumphus), his highlights as an amateur include:

Retirement and later years

For the past two decades, Lockridge has suffered drug problems; he became homeless and suffered a stroke that forced him to walk with a cane. He was featured on A&E's Intervention TV series, claiming that the intervention and the help of his sons saved his life. His appearance on the show is noted for a famous moment where his son Lamar says, "Somewhere deep down in my heart, I still love you," which caused Lockridge to break down crying hard enough to the point where he was screaming at the top of his lungs. This spawned the internet meme "Best Cry Ever". He was also caught on video defending himself by knocking out a bully with a single one-two jab-cross combination near a convenience store. In interviews, he has expressed a desire to be drug-free, stating that he had never been this clean, even in his fighting days. "I feel so good today that if I hadn't suffered the stroke I would go for a title shot," he stated. He is also interested in becoming a boxing trainer.