Billy Backus boxer

Billy Backus boxer
bouts
74
won
49
lost
20
draw
5
Status
inactive
Division
welterweight
Debut
1961-09-16
Height
5′ 7″/170cm
Reach
69″/175cm
Age
-
Born
1943-03-05
Death
-
Nationality
USA

Billy Backus, (born March 5, 1943 in Canastota, New York) is a former World Welterweight Champion professional boxer. In the summer of 2006 Backus retired from his correctional facility job and moved to South Carolina.Backus, who is the nephew of boxing legend and former world champion Carmen Basilio, started his career by winning only 7 of his first 19 bouts. In 1964, things looked promising when he won four bouts in a row, but then he suffered a three fight losing streak. At this point of his career, he had a record of 8 wins, 7 losses and 3 draws and he retired from boxing. To make things worse, he had lost his last fight, against Rudy Richardson, on his twenty-second birthday.Backus resumed his boxing career in 1966, but probably never in his wildest dreams could he have envisioned what happened next: in his comeback bout, he knocked out Tod Purtell in the first round, and that marked his embarcation on a seven-fight winning streak that included avenging an earlier loss to Dick French. That streak was broken by a defeat at the hands of Percy Pugh in New Orleans, but soon he started on another winning streak, eight in a row, including two over Pugh. Then, Pugh broke his winning streak once again, beating him in 15 rounds, once again at New Orleans. After splitting two fights with Jerry Pellegrini and drawing in four rounds with Ricky Ortiz, Backus embarked on another winning streak, including an eight-round knockout over Ortiz in a rematch.After that last streak, Backus was ranked among the top ten Welterweight challengers of the world at number 10. The year was 1970 and Mexico's José Nápoles had earned the right to make an optional defense of his world title (meaning he could pick any challenger among the top ten to defend against). His management, figuring they'd have an easy fight ahead of them, picked Backus as the challenger for this optional title bout. But Backus landed a punch that opened a cut over Nápoles' eye in round one, causing Nápoles to bleed profusely, and the fight was stopped in round four. Since the cut had been ruled to be caused by a punch, Backus was declared winner by a technical knockout, and he had realized a dream that many fans never thought he would: he had become the world's Welterweight champion. His uncle Basilio, watching from ringside, said: "Billy winning the world title is the best thing ever to happen in my life, even better than me winning the world title."Billy won two non-title fights, including one over Robert Gallois in Paris, and then had a rematch with Nápoles in Los Angeles. This time Nápoles returned the favor, knocking Backus out in the eighth round and regaining his title.He finished 1971 with a ten-round decision win over Jose Gabino, and went 3–2 in 1972, losing two fifteen-round decisions to world title challenger Hedgemon Lewis. He lost 3 of 4 bouts in 1973, and went on a European tour in 1974, winning 2 and losing 2 in Paris and Berlin. In 1975, he went to Australia and lost by a knockout in five to Rocky Mattioli, and then he came back to the States, where he beat Marc Gervais by a knockout in ten. This marked the start of another 9 fight winning streak, which led the WBA to make him their number one challenger. After drawing in twelve rounds with Everaldo Acosta Acevedo, he had a chance at regaining the world welterweight title when faced against world champion Pipino Cuevas of Mexico, once again in Los Angeles. After losing by a knockout in the first round, Backus then announced his retirement from boxing for good.

Date Opponent Last Opponents' Results Place Result
1978-05-20 Pipino Cuevas WWWWWW Forum, Inglewood LOST
Technical knockout
1977-11-19 Everaldo Costa Azevedo WWWWLL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse DRAW
Points
1977-08-25 Joe Grier WLWDWD War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Unanimous decision
1977-06-03 Rafael Rodriguez LWWWLL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Unanimous decision
1977-04-08 Roy Barrientos LLLWWW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Unanimous decision
1977-01-27 Justice Ortiz WLLLWD War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Unanimous decision
1976-11-20 Tony Lopes WWDLWW War Memorial Auditorium, Utica WIN
Technical knockout
1976-09-11 Pablo Rodriguez LLLWLL Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica WIN
Unanimous decision
1976-05-28 Jose Papo Melendez LWWLLW Colonie Coliseum, Latham WIN
Unanimous decision
1976-04-03 Angel Robinson Garcia LLLWDL War Memorial Auditorium, Utica WIN
Unanimous decision
1976-01-24 Pablo Rodriguez LWLLLL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Unanimous decision
1975-08-23 Marc Gervais WLWWDD Broome County Arena, Binghamton WIN
KO
1975-04-11 Rocky Mattioli WWWWWL Festival Hall, Melbourne LOST
Technical knockout
1974-06-20 Eckhard Dagge WWWWWW LOST
Technical knockout
1974-04-30 Jacques Kechichian LWWWWW Paris WIN
Corner retirement
1974-03-18 Roger Menetrey WWWLWW Palais des Sports, Paris LOST
Points
1974-01-21 Roger Zami WWWWWW Palais des Sports, Paris WIN
Technical knockout
1973-12-06 Zovek Barajas LWWWWW Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles LOST
Technical knockout
1973-10-12 Al Romano WWWLLW Three Rivers Inn, Syracuse WIN
KO
1973-08-04 Miguel Barreto WWLDDD Felt Forum, New York LOST
Majority decision
1973-02-13 Jack Tillman WWWWWW Civic Center, Baltimore LOST
Unanimous decision
1972-12-08 Hedgemon Lewis WLWWWW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse LOST
Unanimous decision
1972-09-23 Dorman Crawford LLDLLL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Technical knockout
1972-06-16 Hedgemon Lewis WWWWLW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse LOST
Unanimous decision
1972-04-14 Danny McAloon LWLWWL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Unanimous decision
1972-02-12 Irish Pat Murphy LLLWDW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Technical knockout
1971-12-10 Jose Gabino LLLWLL War Memorial Auditorium, Utica WIN
Unanimous decision
1971-06-04 Jose Napoles WWWWLW Forum, Inglewood LOST
Technical knockout
1971-03-15 Robert Gallois WWWWWD Palais des Sports, Paris WIN
Majority decision
1971-01-23 Bobby Williams LLLLLL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Unanimous decision
1970-12-03 Jose Napoles WWWWWW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Technical knockout
1970-10-03 Denny Stiletto LLWWWL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
KO
1970-07-22 Manuel Gonzalez LWWWWW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Unanimous decision
1970-06-15 Frank Steele LLWLWL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Unanimous decision
1970-03-24 Manuel Burgo WWWWLL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Unanimous decision
1970-01-30 Ricky Ortiz LLWWD War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Technical knockout
1969-10-31 Ricky Ortiz LLLWW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse DRAW
Points
1969-09-19 Jerry Pellegrini WWWWWW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Unanimous decision
1969-07-21 Jerry Pellegrini WWWWWW Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans LOST
Unanimous decision
1969-06-16 Percy Pugh WWLLWL Rivergate Exhibition Hall, New Orleans LOST
Unanimous decision
1969-04-25 Percy Pugh WWWLLW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Unanimous decision
1969-03-17 C.L. Lewis LWWLLL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Technical knockout
1969-01-24 Percy Pugh WLWWWL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Split-decision
1968-12-14 Freddie Cobb DLWWLW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Technical knockout
1968-11-16 Vince Shomo WWLLLD War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Technical knockout
1968-10-07 Johnny Brooks LLLWLL Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans WIN
Unanimous decision
1968-09-14 Curtis Phillips LLLLLW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Technical knockout
1968-07-29 Jerry Pellegrini WLWLWL Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans WIN
Split-decision
1968-06-03 Percy Pugh WWWWWW Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans LOST
Unanimous decision
1968-05-19 Dick French WLLLLL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Technical knockout
1968-04-06 Danny Andrews WLWLWW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Unanimous decision
1968-02-10 Juan Ramos LLLWWL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Unanimous decision
1967-11-30 Gene Herrick WWLWWW Portland WIN
Technical knockout
1967-11-24 Curtis Phillips LDWLLL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Technical knockout
1967-10-23 Ernie Robbins W Mechanics Hall, Worcester WIN
KO
1967-10-16 Tod Purtell LLWL Worcester WIN
KO
1965-03-05 Rudy Richardson WLLWLL War Memorial Arena, Johnstown LOST
Unanimous decision
1964-10-30 Bud Anderson WDWDWW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse LOST
Points
1964-07-17 Genaro Soto WLWWWL Madison Square Garden, New York LOST
Points
1964-05-19 Colin Fraser WWWWLW War Memorial Auditorium, Utica WIN
Unanimous decision
1964-04-18 Lew Anderson DWWLWL War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Technical knockout
1964-02-29 Dave Hilton WWWLWW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
KO
1964-02-01 Colin Fraser LWWWWW War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Corner retirement
1963-12-19 Billy Anderson DLWLLW Mechanics Hall, Worcester LOST
Unanimous decision
1963-08-02 Fernand Chretien WWWWWW Saint Anthony's Club, New Castle (Shawtown) LOST
Unanimous decision
1963-02-28 Dick French WWWWWW Mechanics Hall, Worcester LOST
Unanimous decision
1963-01-23 Marcel Bizien LLWLWL Plaza Ballroom, Paterson DRAW
Points
1962-12-22 Mike Cortez WW Madison Square Garden, New York DRAW
Points
1962-11-24 Luis Aponte Ortiz WWW Gladiators' Arena, Totowa LOST
Points
1962-06-22 Barney Barnez LLL Totowa WIN
Points
1962-06-06 Steve Gessler debut Saint-Jerome WIN
Points
1962-04-27 Sugar Lawson debut Gladiators' Arena, Totowa DRAW
Points
1962-03-09 Randy Sanders debut Totowa WIN
Points
1961-09-16 Ike Anthony L War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse WIN
Technical knockout