Ernie Terrell Record
| Total Fights | 55 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 46 |
| Losses | 9 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No-Contests | 0 |
| Title Wins | 1 |
|---|---|
| Title Defenses | 2 |
| Title-Fight KOs | 0 |
| KO Wins | 21 |
| KO Losses | 2 |
Featured Opponents
What is Ernie Terrell's boxing record?
In a professional boxing career spanning 16 years and three months, Ernie Terrell fought 55 times with 46 wins and 9 losses.
Terrell retired from professional boxing with a record of 46-9, which included one heavyweight world-title win and two successful title defense fights. He had a 38.2% knockouts-to-fights ratio with 21 of his total 55 fights being knockout wins. Terrell suffered two knockout losses, both of which were in non-title fights.
His last fight was a 1st round TKO defeat to Jeff Merritt on September 10, 1973.
Some of Terrell's best fights and notable victories include wins over Hall-of-Famer Bob Foster, George Chuvalo, Doug Jones, Eddie Machen, Cleveland Williams, Herb Siler, and Amos Lincoln.
| # | Date | Age | Opponent | Res | Via |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | Sep 10, 1973 | 34 | Jeff Merritt | Loss | TKO1 |
| 54 | Jun 23, 1973 | 34 | Chuck Wepner | Loss | PTS |
| 53 | Feb 19, 1973 | 33 | Bill Drover | Win | TKO1 |
| 52 | Oct 23, 1972 | 33 | Jose Luis Garcia | Win | KO6 |
| 51 | Jul 24, 1971 | 32 | Roberto Davila | Win | UD |
| 50 | May 10, 1971 | 32 | Luis Faustino Pires | Win | UD |
| 49 | Apr 28, 1971 | 32 | Vic Brown | Win | UD |
| 48 | Apr 3, 1971 | 31 | John Hudgins | Win | TKO1 |
| 47 | Dec 15, 1970 | 31 | Sonny Moore | Win | UD |
| 46 | Oct 14, 1967 | 28 | Manuel Ramos | Loss | UD |
| 45 | Aug 5, 1967 | 28 | Thad Spencer | Loss | UD |
| 44 | Feb 6, 1967 | 27 | Muhammad Ali | Loss * | UD |
| 43 | Jun 28, 1966 | 27 | Doug Jones | Win * | UD |
| 42 | Nov 1, 1965 | 26 | George Chuvalo | Win * | UD |
| 41 | Mar 5, 1965 | 25 | Eddie Machen | Win * | UD |
| 40 | Oct 23, 1964 | 25 | Henry Wallitsch | Win | RTD6 |
| 39 | Jul 10, 1964 | 25 | Bob Foster | Win | TKO7 |
| 38 | Jun 17, 1964 | 25 | Jefferson Davis | Win | UD |
| 37 | Mar 6, 1964 | 24 | Gerhard Zech | Win | UD |
| 36 | Jul 27, 1963 | 24 | Zora Folley | Win | UD |
| 35 | Apr 13, 1963 | 24 | Cleveland Williams | Win | SD |
| 34 | Mar 7, 1963 | 23 | Herb Siler | Win | TKO3 |
| 33 | Jan 5, 1963 | 23 | Young Jack Johnson | Win | UD |
| 32 | Dec 14, 1962 | 23 | Young Jack Johnson | Win | UD |
| 31 | Sep 25, 1962 | 23 | Reiniero Rey Lopez | Win | KO3 |
| 30 | Aug 24, 1962 | 23 | Eddie Jackson | Win | TKO2 |
| 29 | Jun 9, 1962 | 23 | Amos Lincoln | Win | UD |
| 28 | Apr 3, 1962 | 22 | Cleveland Williams | Loss | TKO7 |
| 27 | Feb 28, 1962 | 22 | Herb Siler | Win | PTS |
| 26 | Dec 4, 1961 | 22 | Ernie Cab | Win | RTD3 |
| 25 | May 15, 1961 | 22 | Chuck Garrett | Win | UD |
| 24 | Apr 17, 1961 | 22 | Willie Coleman | Win | KO1 |
| 23 | Feb 6, 1961 | 21 | Ernie Cab | Win | TKO8 |
| 22 | Dec 5, 1960 | 21 | Wayne Bethea | Loss | SD |
| 21 | Jul 20, 1960 | 21 | Joe Hemphill | Win | UD |
| 20 | May 18, 1960 | 21 | Frankie Daniels | Win | KO7 |
| 19 | Mar 30, 1960 | 20 | Lee Williams | Win | UD |
| 18 | Jan 6, 1960 | 20 | Clay Thomas | Win | KO1 |
| 17 | Nov 11, 1959 | 20 | Chuck Garrett | Win | PTS |
| 16 | Jul 24, 1959 | 20 | Tunney Hunsaker | Win | PTS |
| 15 | Feb 25, 1959 | 19 | Johnny Gray | Loss | SD |
| 14 | Jan 14, 1959 | 19 | Willie Coleman | Win | PTS |
| 13 | Nov 3, 1958 | 19 | Sid Peaks | Win | UD |
| 12 | Oct 7, 1958 | 19 | John Hobart | Win | KO1 |
| 11 | Sep 24, 1958 | 19 | Joe Hemphill | Win | TKO1 |
| 10 | Jul 1, 1958 | 19 | Billy Pickett | Win | KO2 |
| 9 | Apr 30, 1958 | 19 | Johnny Gray | Loss | SD |
| 8 | Mar 11, 1958 | 18 | Johnny Harper | Win | TKO1 |
| 7 | Feb 4, 1958 | 18 | Emil Brtko | Win | TKO2 |
| 6 | Jan 8, 1958 | 18 | Calvin Butler | Win | SD |
| 5 | Oct 30, 1957 | 18 | Ted Poole | Win | TKO1 |
| 4 | Aug 21, 1957 | 18 | Neal Welch | Win | UD |
| 3 | Jul 24, 1957 | 18 | Ray Griggs | Win | KO1 |
| 2 | Jun 26, 1957 | 18 | Andy Bond | Win | TKO1 |
| 1 | May 15, 1957 | 18 | Norman Bolden | Win | UD |
* World-title fight
Boxing career
Ernie Terrell was an American professional boxer. He was born in Belzoni, Mississippi, U.S. on April 4, 1939. He was a heavyweight world champion. Terrell died on December 16, 2014 at the age of 75 years. His professional boxing career spanned more than 16 years — from 1957 to 1973.
Terrell made his professional boxing debut against Norman Bolden at the age of 18 on May 15, 1957, defeating Bolden via 4 round unanimous decision. He went on to win 7 more consecutive fights after the debut, which included 5 wins via stoppage.
He had his first world title fight at the age of 25 on March 5, 1965 after 40 professional fights, against Eddie Machen for the heavyweight WBA (vacant) title. He defeated Machen via 15 round unanimous decision to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
Terrell won one world title at heavyweight. For all the details about Terrell's world title wins and defenses refer to the "Championships" section below.
Terrell had a total of nine losses in his professional boxing career.
His last professional fight was a non-title bout against Jeff Merritt at 34 years of age, on September 10, 1973. Terrell lost the fight via 1st round TKO.
Championships
Terrell had a total of four world-title fights, which includes winning one world title and two successful title defenses. He won three of these fights and lost one.
Title Wins
Ernie Terrell fought for a heavyweight world title once, which he won via unanimous decision. He won one heavyweight belt.
| Date | Opponent | Division | Titles Won | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 1965 | Eddie Machen | Heavyweight | WBA* | UD |
Title Defenses
Ernie Terrell had three heavyweight world-title defense fights. He won two of them and lost once.
Following is the table of his successful title defense fights, the next section has the fights where he lost his titles.
| Date | Opponent | Division | Titles Defended | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 1966 | Doug Jones | Heavyweight | WBA | UD |
| Nov 1, 1965 | George Chuvalo | Heavyweight | WBA | UD |
Title Losses
Ernie Terrell lost one world-title defense fight, and lost one title in the fight.
| Date | Opponent | Division | Titles Lost | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 1967 | Muhammad Ali | Heavyweight | WBA | UD |
Highlights
Terrell fought a total of 55 times during his professional career, which includes 4 world-title fights at the heavyweight division. These three fights are the highlight of his career.
April 13, 1963: Ernie Terrell puts on the first remarkable performance of his career, defeating Cleveland Williams via 10th round split decision.
March 5, 1965: Terrell wins his first world title by defeating Eddie Machen via 15 round unanimous decision. He is now the WBA heavyweight world champion.
November 1, 1965: Terrell successfully defends the WBA heavyweight title against George Chuvalo, winning the fight via 15 round unanimous decision.
FAQs
How many KOs does Ernie Terrell have on his record?
Terrell knocked out 21 of his 55 opponents. By his last fight, his KO ratio was at 38.2%. Of his total 46 wins, 21 of them were via KO (45.7%).
What was Ernie Terrell's first world title win?
Terrell's first world-title win was the WBA (vacant) belt at heavyweight. He defeated Eddie Machen via 15 round unanimous decision to win the title.
How many world titles did Ernie Terrell win?
Terrell won one world title at heavyweight.
How many title defenses did Ernie Terrell make?
Terrell had a total of three title defense fights. He was successful two times and lost one time.