RICHARD FOWLER

Nickname: TIGER



 Albuquerque's Richard "Tiger" Fowler started his pro boxing career with back-to-back losses, being stopped in 2 rounds by a very skilled Jerry Martinez, and then losing a 4 round decision to Randy McNurlin.

   Fowler didn't give up on his dreams and put together a 3 fight win streak on local undercards in Albuquerque.  At 3-2 he was put in against an undefeated hot prospect out of San Diego, California named "Sweet" Irving Mitchell who was 12-0 with 11 KOs.  Fowler lost a unanimous decision, but he proved his toughness going the full 8 rounds against an undefeated fighter who would go on to challenge for the USBA and WBA titles.

   Richard's showing against Irving Mitchell earned him a reputation as a tough guy who could test a prospect, and he was then put in against another undefeated prospect - Fort Worth TX's Steve Cruz - who was 6-0 winning all 6 by knockout. Fowler was stopped in 2 rounds by the young prospect. Cruz would go on to win the WBA World title with a shocking 15 round decision win over Barry McGuigan.

   Fowler was now looked upon as a gatekeeper for up-and-coming prospects.  He returned to New Mexico and scored a decision win over fellow Albuquerque boxer Frank Cordova.  He then lost 2 fights in a row: being stopped in 3 rounds by Adrian Arreola at the Olympic auditorium in Los Angeles, and then dropping a close majority decision to Ramon Flores in El Paso, Texas.

   With a 4-6 record Richard went on an impressive 7-fight win streak with 3 knockout wins in that mix.  He now had a winning record at 11-6 and was starting to be looked at as a fringe contender. 

   Richard was put in tough against the USBA champion - Jimmy "Ringmaster" Paul in a non-title bout. The fight was held at Joe Louis arena in Paul's hometown of Detroit, Michigan on the undercard of Thomas Hearn's title defense against Luigi Minchillo, and Matthew Saad Muhammad's NABF title fight against Willie "Sandman" Edwards.  It was a big stage for Fowler who was put into a 12 round non-title fight against a world ranked USBA Champion in that champion's home town. Richard was tko'd in the 9th round by Paul.

   From that point on, Fowler would go on to face some of the best fighters in the world.  He went through an 0-7-1 stretch which included losses to - Lester Ellis (11-0), Ricky Lehman (11-1), Robert Guy (5-0), Courtney Hooper (15-1), Kamel Bou-Ali (26-3-1), Meldrick Taylor (16-0-1), and he earned a 10-round Draw against Arizona's Joey Medina (11-3) in Phoenix Arizona. 

   Fowler then scored a shocking upset against Denmark's undefeated Lars Lund Jensen (7-0) via 5th round Technical Knockout IN DENMARK!  That was probably Richard's greatest win, but not his last!

   "Tiger" Fowler engaged 6 more top names from the boxing world and lost 6 in a row against - Floyd Havard (16-0), Luca De Lorenzi (20-1), Lupe "Little Guns" Gutierrez (17-1), Jose Lupe Lopez (5-1), Tony Pep (19-4), and Sergio Vela (11-2-1), ALL in the opponent's back yards!  Fowler had earned a reputation as a gate-keepr for the division, but he never said no to any fight offered to him, and he earned his respect as an outstanding journeyman pro.

   May 7, 1993 saw Richard "Tiger" Fowler earn his final victory against free swinging mexican slugger Leobardo Mancillas.  The bout went the full 6 rounds, and ended with scores of: Larry Chavez 59-56, Roger Smith 60-56, and my own scorecard of 59-56, all in favor of Albuquerque's "Tiger" Fowler.

   After a 2 year layoff, Fowler returned to the ring for a farewell bout against fellow Albuquerque favorite Rick Ortega.  This time I was one of the 3 judges who all had it in favor of Ortega. 60-54 x 2, and 60 - 56.

See Fowler's final match here: RICHARD FOWLER vs RICK ORTEGA - Full Fight

    Albuquerque's Richard Fowler ended his career with a final record of: 13 wins, 20 defeats, and 1 draw, winning 5 by knockout.  A bit of a deceiving record when you consider the level of opposition the man faced over his 20 year career!


RICHARD FOWLER'S COMPLETE RECORD ON BOXREC

COURAGE TSHABALALA

Nickname: No Limit

   South Africa's Courage Tshabalala was a legendary amateur star for his country with a reported (but unconfirmed) amateur record of 71-1 ...with 70 wins by knockout!
   He turned professional in Feb. of 1993 and got off to a quick start in South Africa, going 5-0 winning all 5 by knockout.  He then traveled to the United States hoping to get some bigger recognition, and face off against tougher competition.
   His winning ways continued as he fought in different states around the USA, and began to get notice as a heavyweight to watch.  Courage was 11-0 before tasting his first decision victory, August 1995 in Albuquerque, New Mexico against Houston's Carl McGrew.  He won via unanimous decision, but McGrew made it tough for Tshabalala.
   His next fight was also a decision win, against Jessie Henry in Atlantic City, and suddenly, the "South African Knockout Machine" had back-to-back decision wins on his record.  He was still undefeated though, and stood at 13-0, 11 KO, and his name was still buzzing in the boxing world.
  

  
   Courage bounced back with a pair of knockout wins, and everything seemed to be "back on track" for the heavyweight prospect. But in May of 1996, Tshabalala was taken to a Split Decision victory against journeyman Tim Noble who had a 7-9 record. The Judges had it 78-73 for Tshabalala, 78-73 for Noble, and the deciding Judge had 76-75 for Tshabalala whose undefeated record remained intact by a single point!
   Tshabalala ran off 3 more knockout wins against fighters with a combined record of  16-14, and it was felt by his managers that it was time to step him up in quality of opposition.  It was time to "make the move" into contention.

   Tshabalala would next face the very respected Brian Scott (21-3) in a bout that was televised nationally in the USA.  The fight took place at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, and was expected to be a "showcase" bout for the powerful South African KO machine, but Scott was not impressed, and was ready for Tshabalala, stopping Courage in round 2.  It was Tshabalala's first loss, and he took it graciously, but now with a shocking knockout loss in what was considered a pretty major upset, his career was on an uncertain trajectory.
   Courage was put in easy to get his winning ways back on track and he had no problem knocking out 7-13 Stanley Hughey.  His managers felt confident that if they could get him in against a fellow prospect/contender, he would shine, and the loss to Scott would be all but forgotten.
   June of '97 found Courage "No Limit" Shabalala being tested at a high level again, this time it was against the powerhouse - Darroll Wilson (18-1-2).  This showdown took place at The Blue Horizon in Philadelphia, PA.  Wilson was considered a little more dangerous than Brian Scott was going in.  And it turns out he was.  In what was a great war that saw Wilson go down in rounds 1 & 3, he (Wilson) came off the deck to stop Tshabalala in round 4 of a red-hot slugfest.
   This 2nd loss was a pretty heavy set-back for Tshabalala.  He would be put in with some good journeymen opponents in his next 3 fights: 79 fight veteran - Danny Wofford, Rugged Tony LaRosa (24-11), and Joe Ballard (12-3).  Courage knocked all 3 out and again, was put in with a face-off bout against another fighter that looked like an up-and-comer when he traveled to Russia to square off with Oleg Maskaev (12-2, 8 KO).  This time Courage made it to round 9, but was stopped in that round by the heavy handed Russian.

Tshabalala's showdown with Oleg Maskaev in Russia.

   Courage was now 23-3, and even though some of the luster had come off of that shiny coating, he was still considered as a man that could one day threaten for a title belt.  He struggled to win a split decision over 6 rounds against tough journeyman Lenzie Morgan (14-25-3).
   He then scored 2 quick knockout wins, and then finished his career with a final showdown against another highly regarded prospect in Robert Wiggins (19-4-1).  It was a bruising fight for 4 rounds, and Tshabalala was not able to come out for round 5.  In an exciting career that spanned about 12 years, Tshabalala is remembered as the hard punching warrior who never got a shot at a title of any kind!  He finished with a record of 26-4, winning 22 by knockout!  Courage is a highly respected member of the boxing community, and remains active in the sport he loves.  His humble attitude about his whole boxing experience brings a smile to boxing fans world wide.
  
Check out his record on Boxrec.com: Professional Record of COURAGE TSHABALALA