Nickname: "Council of War"
Washington D.C.'s Andrew Council opened his pro boxing career on Nov. 14, 1990 and started with a 1st round knockout win over fellow DC'er Michael Duncan.
He won his next fight and at 2-0, he was put in a battle of young east coast unbeatens against Brooklyn, NY's Lonnie Davis (3-0) on the undercard of Frank Tate vs Uriah Grant. Council took his first loss by a unanimous decision over 4 rounds.
Andrew was now 2-1, and he came back with a unanimous 6-round decision win over 26-fight veteran Robert Sawyer. It was a 2nd round knockout win over Mark Simmons who also came into that fight with amark of 3-1, and then a surprising draw against South Africa's Mpush Makambi, followed by a mild upset loss to tough and well respected Ricky "Time Bomb" Thomas by decision. Council's place in the landscape of possible title contenders looked a little unclear as he now stood at 4-2-1.
Council's record may have been mediocre, but everyone knew that he still held great promise, and he shined in a 14-0-1 run which included a 2nd round knockout win over unbeaten Patrick "The Wrath of" Cann (5-0), and a draw over 6 rounds in an attempt to avenge his first loss to Lonnie Davis who was now 5-0.
July 1, 1994 was the night that Council took a big step up in class as he squared off with the battle tested and very popular "Tough" Tony Marshall (16-3-4) in a 10-round showdown of contending Jr. middleweights. It was a very close fight, and after 10 rounds the 3 judges could not determine a winner. Judge Myra Grant saw it 97-93 for Marshall, Judge Bill Nealon saw it 96-95 for Council, and Judge Ron Greenley scored it 95-95, a 3-way split draw! Coucil did not get the "win", but the bout was televised nationally on espn, and it put a spotlight on the skills of Andrew Council, raising his stock in the division, and earning him a shot at the vacant USBA Jr. Middleweight title against Keith Holmes.
Just about 11 weeks later, Council
found his self in the ring going for his first title belt against one of
the top rated contenders in the world, Keith Holmes, who came into the
fight with a record of 23-1, with 15 knockouts. It was a huge step up
for Council, but he had proven his self to be ready for this challenge.
It was a good hard fight, maybe too hard - as Council was penalized 3
points for low blows. Those points deductions didn't help Andrew's cause
as Holmes took the title belt via unanimous decision on scores of
115-111, 114-110, and 117-108. A good showing against one of the world's
top contenders. These two would meet again down the road, and next time
it would be for even higher stakes.
Council's performances put him into the top 20, and after back-to-back impressive wins against highly regarded Anthony Ivory and Tim Dendy, followed by 2 easy victories, Andrew Council got the ultimate step-up showcase bout against former IBF Jr. Welterweight, and former WBC Welterweight king - James Buddy Mcgirt (67-4-1) in a 10 round main event televised nationally on CBS network.
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| Council's big win against James Buddy McGirt on CBS television |
Council came in as the underdog against the former 2-time world
champion - Mcgirt. There was talk of a McGirt/Roy Jones Jr. matchup
after this fight. But... things sometimes don't go as planned, and that
was the case here as Council shined, dropping McGirt in the 7th, and
stopping him in round 9 for the unexpected technical knockout victory! A
huge career boosting win for the contender.
Council was red hot, and followed up with two first round knockout victories over two tough well respected journeymen fighters. With a shiny record of 25-3-3, and having defeated Buddy McGirt, Council was given his 2nd shot at a title belt. March 5, 1996 saw Andrew step in against defending NABF Jr. Middleweight champion Ronald "Winky" Wright (33-1). Council was certainly an underdog in this 2nd shot at a title, but he was expected to give the slick boxing Winky Wright a real challenge in defending his title. It was a good matchup, but in the end Wright was just too hard of a puzzle for Council to solve. The defending champion - Wright - held onto his title by unanimous decision on scores of 116-112, 116-111, and a surprising score that most at ringside did not agree with of 118-109. It was another one of those losses that really doesn't hurt you that much. He showed well against one of the most avoided boxers in the division, and after two knockout wins against two more respected journeymen fighters, he was called on for another high level matchup, this time it was against former USBA Middleweight champion - Robert Allen (18-2, 14 ko). It would be a step up in weight too, with the contest set at the full Middleweight limit of 160 Lbs. And, Council would have to travel to Shreveport, Louisiana - the state where Allen was born. Even though the fight was not for a title, it was scheduled for 12 rounds, and it went the distance. But it was the 1992 U.S. Amateur Champion - Robert Allen getting the unanimous verdict by the three judges.
Council's willingness to step up and face a world ranked middleweight, and then performing so well against a top contender, was rewarded with a 3rd title shot. A WORLD title shot! November 19, 1997 saw Andrew Council step in to challenge one of the most skilled boxers on the planet - defending IBF Middleweight Champion Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins (32-2-1) for his cherished world championship belt. This was the 6th title defense by Hopkins who had also held the USBA Middleweight Title before winning the world title. Hopkins had only lost twice, his first loss was in his professional debut where he dropped a majority decision to New York Light Heavyweight Clinton Mitchell in 4 rounds, and then would not lose again until challenging Roy Jones Jr. for the vacant IBF title. Hopkins would later get that belt via 7th round knockout against Segundo Mercado.
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| Council's first World Title shot vs Bernard Hopkins |
After a campaign that spanned 7 years, Council knew this might be his one and only shot at a world title belt. Hopkins proved to be on another level as the boxing legend dominated the fight over 12 rounds on scores of 118-106 x 2, and 119-105. It was a near perfect performance by the man who is considered destined for the International Boxing Hall-of-Fame.
As he had done after losing in his 2 previous title challenges, Council followed up with impressive victories over some high level opponents. First was a 10 round win over journeymen Benji Singleton, and then two much bigger wins against Michael Ward (24-3), followed by a 2nd round knockout over Floyd Williams (29-9-1) in Tunica, Mississippi.
With a record of 30-6-3, and some big names on his resume' - Andrew Council got one last chance at wearing a world title belt around his waist. He would also get a chance to avenge a loss that he could not accept after having 3 points deducted for unintentional low blows against Keith Holmes who was now the WBC World Middleweight champion. With both fighters being from the Washington, D.C. area and fighting in front of their local fans at the MCI Arena, the crowd was totally into this one. The challenger Andrew Council came out fast, and had the fans getting behind the underdog, but as the round moved along, it became clear that Keith Holmes would be too much, and then to make matters worse, with both guys landing some heavy stuff, Council was knocked down at the end of round 9 landing face down, but getting up at the count of 8 looking shaky and being saved by the bell. Council showed the heart of a champion causing the Referee to deduct a point from Holmes in round 10 as the champion was penalized for holding to stop the aggressive attack of Andrew Council, who had been badly hurt in round 9, but refused to fold. After 12 rounds it was Keith Holmes who had his hand raised in victory on scores of 117-109, 116-110, and 116-109. Once again, Council proved that he could test the world class fighters of the division, he was once again unable to take a title from them.
Andrew would step away from the ring wars for 4 years, but he would return at age 36 to make one more run at it. He scored a win over James McCallister (9-3-1) by unanimous decision over 8 rounds, before fighting his last bout on Oct. 31, 2003 - dropping a 10-round unanimous decision to very popular Michigan favorite Troy Rowland in his opponents home town of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Andrew finished his 13 year pro campaign with a fine record of 31 wins, 8 losses, and 3 draws. Winning 20 by knockout! He twice challenged for World Titles, as well as title challenges for both the NABF and USBA Title belts. His upset win against James Buddy McGirt was a great upset, and the man they called "Council of War" never disappointed boxing fans with his gutsy, aggressive performances! We are honored to induct him as a member of The Boxing Guru's "Hall-of-Boxing-Fan-Favorites"!
Check out Andrew's complete Record: ANDREW COUNCIL COMPLETE PRO LEDGER ON BOXREC
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Available in The Boxing Guru's Collection (DVD):
ANDREW COUNCIL vs
RICKY THOMAS [L-4]
TONY MARSHALL [Draw-10]
KEITH HOLMES #1 [L-12] {USBA Jr. Middle Title}
JAMES BUDDY MCGIRT [tko-9]
RONALD "WINKY" WRIGHT [L-12] {NABF Jr. Middle Title}
BERNARD HOPKINS [L-12] {IBF Middle Title}
MICHAEL WARD [w-10]
KEITH HOLMES #2 [L-12] {WBC Middle Title}
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