Dennis Milton obit

Dennis Milton, former title challenger, dies aged 64

 

He was not on the list.

Nickname: "The Magician"

Dennis Milton was a celebrated amateur, winning the New York Golden Gloves 4 years straight.  He turned pro on July 11, 1985 with a 4th round tko over Greg Jones at the Felt Forum in New York.  He stepped into the spotlight when he took his 11-2-1 record into a fight against undefeated hot prospect Gerald Mcclellan and pulled the 6 round decision upset.  From that point on, Milton would only face world class opposition.  It was a hot streak as he scored 4 wins against Mcclellan, Robbie Sims, Michael Olajide, and Jose Duran Martinez in a row.  He finally got his shot at the WBC World Title, on Sept. 14 1991, but was stopped in 1 round by the power punching champion Julian "The Hawk" Jackson.  He returned to the ring on Jan. 31, 1992 but was stopped in 4 rounds by the future legend Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins.  Dennis fought his last pro bout nearly 3 years later as he was stopped by Aaron "Superman" Davis in 3 rounds at the Atlantic City Convention Hall.  Milton was a slick boxer who brought a lot of excitement to the boxing scene in the late 1980s.  He finished his career with a record of 16-5-1, 5 KO's.

Milton, who had been living in a rehabilitation center for about a year, died at approximately 3 a.m., according to John Zervos, a former New York Police Department officer who now runs a non-profit called Friends of the Champ, which has helped Milton and other boxers who were struggling in their post-boxing lives.