Nickname: THE BOSS
Joe Hipp opened his career against Steve Cortez on August 29, 1987 at the County Fairgrounds in Eugene, Oregon. His pro debut bout was on the undercard of Leon Spinks vs Jim Ashard. Hipp dropped Cortez in the first round, and cruised on to a 4 round unanimoous win. He would lose his next bout against Veti Katoa, after suffering a fractured jaw and having the bout stopped by the rinside physician.
The Southpaw heavyweight Hipp started at 1-1, and that is when he went on a 16-fight winning streak that included two wins over the man who handed Joe his only loss - Veti Katoa - winning a 5 round decision in their 2nd meeting, and then sealing it with a 3rd round tko stoppage in the 3rd and final fight of the trilogy.
That winning streak included wins over Cleveland Woods, Sean McClain, and fellow Montana Native, and former IBF World Cruiserweight champion Marvin Camel.
Joe Hipp fought for his first title belt on Jan. 14. 1991. He challenged Mike Cohen (30-16) for the WBF Intercontinental title and won it with a 4th round knockout. It was a "minor" title, but it was his first shot at a title belt, and he wore it proudly!
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After 4 years of campaigning and gaining recognition as a probable world title challenger, Hipp was put in against another top contender - "Smokin' " Bert Cooper. The date was 10/18/91 and it was a featured undercard bout of the Ray Mercer/Tommy Morrison showdown. Hipp and Cooper went to war just as expected, but the heavy hands of Cooper battered the face of Hipp, the fight was stopped in round 5 when the swelling around Hipps eyes became too bad, his vision was affected, and the Ringside Doctor called a halt to the bout.
It was a brutal fight, and a hard pill to swallow for the red-hot contender. It took a few months of healing, but Hipp was back in the ring with a "test bout" against journeyman, John "Big Red" Morton, Hipp ko'd Morton in round 3. He was then put in against highly regarded prospect Kevin Ford (11-1) at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was on a card that featured some top heavyweight talent including: Lennox Lewis vs Levi Billups, and Michael Moorer vs Mike "The Giant" White. Hipp shined with a near shutout win over Ford on scores of 80-71, 80-72, and 79-72.
Next up was a battle with the well regarded, Jesse Shelby. Shelby was coming off of a 10 round Technical Decision loss to Orlin Norris for the vacant NABF Cruiserweight championship. It was a great night for Hipp who had control of the bout en route to a 10 round unanimous decision victory. This win really boosted Hipp's credibility as a contender, and he would find his self in a massive showdown against another top level contender.
June 27, 1992 - the date that Joe Hipp stepped in to go punch-for-punch with red-hot knockout machine Tommy "The Duke" Morrison. Morrison's only loss to this date was in a big matchup of undefeated rising heayweights against U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Ray Mercer. Tommy was 32-1, winning 28 by
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| Morrison vs Hipp - A WAR from start to finish! |
knockout. Hipp came in at 24-2 and it was a very anticipated matchup which would launch the winner into the upper atmosphere. The bout was televised nationally by ABC and it was a memorable crowd pleaser of a battle! Both men were damaged in this one. Hipp was bruised & battered with his right eye closing, he was knocked down in rounds 5 & 9, and suffered a fractured cheek bone. Morrison left the fight banged up too, suffering a broken jaw during the encounter. It was a WAR, but it was Morrison who was able to bring forth the power for the knockout, coming out on top with a 9th round stoppage! In the post-fight interview, Hipp said that he felt if he was able to continue, he would have been able to wear Morrison down for the decision victory. His confidence was definitely not shattered.
Joe would come back strong, winning 6 straight against some high level opponents: A rematch with Kevin Ford (14-2), tricky Keith "Sir-Jab-a-Lot" Mcmurray, A dominating 12-round unanimous decision win over Alex Garcia (34-3-1) to win the NABF Heavyweight Title, A defense of that title against hard hitting Jose Ribalta (33-11-1), a hard fought split decision over Rodolfo Marin (20-2), and a 3rd round stoppage of Phillip Brown (33-11-2). With his record polished up a bit and now standing at 30-3, and back in the top-10 rankings, Joe got the call he dreamed about. A shot at The WBA Heavyweight title held by "The Atlantic City Express" Bruce Seldon (32-3). The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV was the venue, and the fight was a not the most crowd pleasing as Hipp plodded forward, and Seldon stuck-and-moved around the ring. Hipp tried to apply pressure, Seldon used his hand speed and movement to control the bout. Seldon piled up the points, and the punches tore up the face of Hipp, with his eyes swelling shut, and a tear on the flesh of his left cheekbone, Referee Richard Steele did the right thing, and stopped the fight in round 10.
Hipp returned to the ring and put together a 10-1 streak, mostly against 2nd level opposition, although he had some nice wins in that run including wins over Fred Houpe, Will Hinton, and Marcus Rhode, and his loss to Ross Puritty which was considered a mild upset.
After nearly a dozen years as a professional boxer, Joe Hipp got his chance at a World title belt. June 25, 1999 Hipp was given a chance to face 51 fight veteran Everett "Big Foot" Martin. Martin was a Journeyman boxer who would no doubt be the underdog in this title bout, but he had scored some amazing upsets along his journey, including wins over Derrick Roddy, Bert Cooper, and Tim Witherspoon. Hipp could not afford to take "Big Foot" lightly. Joe came in at 262 pounds, the 2nd heaviest of his career. It didn't matter. Hipp's skills showed as he gave a workmanlike performance and won the 12-round bout via unanimous decision. Hipp earned the WBF championship on this night.
Joe came back 6 months later but a knee injury in round 5 against Jeff Pegues resulted in a tko loss. Joe would return nearly 4 years later for 2 fights in 2003. He went 1-1, and then in 2005 he would fight his final match. At nearly 43 years old Joe won a majority decision over 6 rounds against Ted Reiter. Joe "The Boss" Hipp ended his career as he started it, with a win. That fight was held at the Clearwater River Casino in Lewiston, Idaho.
Joe Hipp's amazing journey was over. He ended his 18-year professional boxing campaign with a final record of: 43 Wins, 7 Losses, and won 29 by Knockout. A winning, and very impressive record from a heavyweight that was no doubt a fan favorite! This proud Native American Warrior was durable, powerful, had the heart of a champion, and he was a winner. The very definition of a "Blue Collar Fighter"!
Check out Joe's complete Ledger on Boxrec: JOE HIPP'S COMPLETE RECORD
Contact me at: THE BOXING GURU via E-MAIL
I have the following bouts on DVD:
JOE HIPP vs
SEAN MCCLAIN [tko-4]
DAVID BEY [tko-7]
CLEVELAND WOODS [ko-1]
BERT COOPER [tko-by-5]
JESSE SHELBY [w-10]
TOMMY MORRISON [tko-by-9]
KEVIN FORD #2 [w-10]
ALEX GARCIA [w-12] {NABF Heavy Title}
JOSE RIBALTA [ko-2] {NABF Heavy Title}
RODOLFO MARIN [w-10]
PHILLIP BROWN [tko-3]
BRUCE SELDON [tko-by-10] {WBA Heavy Title}
ROSS PURITTY [ko-by-10]
Other Stuff:
a) 2008 Exhibition bout vs unidentified opponent (2 Min. of footage)
