Frankie Randall will always be an important part of boxing lore.
Julio Cesar Chavez was 89-0-1 and already a legend when Randall, at 32, did the unthinkable on Jan. 29, 1994 in Las Vegas: The 18-1 underdog defeated the great one by a split decision, becoming not only the first to beat him but also the first to put him down.
For that reason, Randall, who died at 59 on Wednesday in his hometown of Morristown, Tenn. – reportedly as a result of dementia – will never be forgotten.
Of course, Randall (58-18-1, 42 KOs) had accomplishments beyond his victory over Chavez. “The Surgeon” was a terrific boxer-puncher who had three reigns as junior welterweight titleholder in the mid-1990s.
He won the WBC 140-pound belt by defeating Chavez – 116-111, 114-113 and 113-114 — but lost it by an eighth-round technical decision in an immediate rematch, which was shortened after Chavez was cut by an accidental headbutt.
Randall won another title, the WBA version, in his very next fight by outpointing Juan Coggi in the first of their three memorable fights. He lost it to Coggi by a technical decision three fights later and then regained it once more by outpointing Coggi in their next fight.
Randall lost his belt by 11th-round knockout against Khalid Rahilou in his next fight. He was never the same after that, losing 13 of his final 16 fights (including another loss to Chavez). The last one took place in 2005, when Randall was 43 years old.
That final stretch – in which he suffered 10 knockouts – might’ve played a role in his condition later in life. He reportedly had a long battle with dementia and Parkinson’s.
Randall’s son, DeMarcus Randall, described his father’s health in an interview with RingTV.com in April.
“My dad has pugilistic dementia and Parkinson’s,” DeMarcus Randall said. “A frontal lobe brain injury that affects his speech, motor skills, and mental stability. Due to his condition, my family and I made the decision to place my dad in a nursing home.
“I’m sure his condition progressed over time. He was a boxer; he gave his whole life to boxing, he loved his job. But my family and I have been dealing with his condition for almost 10 years. It has been hard to watch my father become a shell of what he used to be.
“It almost seems like he is stuck in time. I feel like he will wake up and be his normal self again, but that is not the case – this is a new fight. People will remember Frankie Randall the boxer, but it’s my dad, my hero, just sitting there, slowing down.
“It’s been a challenge, and the challenge has become my fight.”
