Jimmy Ellis, a close colleague of Muhammad Ali who stepped into the vacuum created when Ali refused induction into the U.S. Army, passed away on Tuesday in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. He was 74.
Ellis started boxing after seeing a fellow Louisville teenager, the then Cassius Clay, box on a television program spotlighting future champions. He fought the future Ali twice as an amateur with a 1-1 record against him, and the two sparred frequently. After losing out on his chance to join Ali on the 1960 Olympic Boxing Team, Ellis pursued Golden Gloves titles before turning pro in 1961.
Starting his professional career as a middleweight Ellis was, like Ali, a protege of trainer Angelo Dundee. While Ali vaulted into the national spotlight in just a few years, seizing the World Heavyweight Championship in 1964, Ellis labored in relative obscurity as he built up his record and his body. By the time Ali was suspended for refusing conscription in 1967, Ellis was an undersized (6’1″ tall, 190 lbs) heavyweight contender, and chosen for the WBA’s elimination tournament to establish Ali’s successor. Ellis defeated amateur rival Leontis Martin, the tough Argentine brawler Oscar Bonavena, and the talented Jimmy Quarry to win the WBA championship in 1968.
A slick boxer with hand speed that rivaled Ali’s, as a heavyweight contender Ellis was limited by merely average power and durability, and he would not keep the title long. Joe Frazier had captured the “New York World Championship,” and in those days a fragmented world title was unwanted by everyone in boxing circles. After defending his crown against former champ Floyd Patterson, Ellis met Smokin’ Joe in 1970, and was crushed by the fierce slugger from Philadelphia.
Ellis went on to have a decent career as a contender for a time, even out-boxing the granite George Chuvalo. Although Ellis won many fights in the early and mid-1970s, he never beat another major opponent. Ali stopped him in the 12th in 1971, and Earnie Shavers, Ron Lyle, Joe Bugner, and Joe Frazier all beat him between 1973 and 1975. Following a TKO loss in his rematch with Frazier, Ellis was partially blinded in one eye in a sparring accident. He fought one more time and retired, knocking out a tomato can to go out on a win.
After boxing, Ellis stayed in his hometown and worked for the Louisville Parks and Recreation Department. He had been suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease prior to his death.
