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Finding in-dept information
about former WBF World Light
Heavyweight Champion Randall
Yonker is not an easy task. In
fact, if you only have the name
and his boxing record, its not
something you want to attempt if
working within time
restrictions, but his
accomplishments in the ring
never-the-less deserves to be
recognized.
Yonker was born on March 13 1963
in Concord, California and later
relocated to Mobile, Alabama
where he made his professional
boxing debut as a 21-year-old on
December 4 1984, beating a
no-hoper from Texas called Carl
Orville (0-5) by second round
knockout.
Nicknamed “Kid Galahad”, he was
not exactly fast-tracked, and it
would be more than five years,
fighting no one of note, before
he got his first opportunity to
win a title. With a 15-0 (12)
record, Yonker was a favorite to
beat Italy-based Ugandan Paul
Muyodi (14-10-2) for the WBA
International Super Middleweight
strap in March 1990.
But it was not to be. At the
Fairgrounds Arena in Mobile,
family, friends and fans turned
out to see their guy win his
first belt, but went home
disappointed when Muyodi
surprised everyone by stopping
the hometown hero in round two.
It was a setback for Yonker, but
it would not be long before he
was firmly back on track.
In June and August of that same
year, Yonker scored easy
rebuilding victories,
dispatching Rocky Bentley (6-20)
in three rounds and Richard
Stephens (2-6-2) in seven,
putting him in line for a crack
at NABF Super Middleweight
Champion Paul Whittaker (27-3)
the following November.
Whittaker, who had only lost to
the legendary Wilfred Benitez
and undefeated world champions
Matthew Hilton and Christophe
Tiozzo, was making his second
NABF title-defense against
Yonker, and was considered a
real test to see if Randall had
a promising future in the game,
or if the Muyodi loss had done
too much damage.
Yonker came through with flying
colors and this time didn’t
disappoint his hometown fans at
Shriner´s Auditorium in Mobile,
stopping Whittaker in the fourth
round to win his first
professional championship. It
was a wonderful performance, and
with his career truly
resurrected it was time to build
towards something even bigger.
In March 1991 Yonker stayed busy
with a unanimous decision over
journeyman David McCluskey
(9-14-2), sharpening up for his
first defense of the NABF title
against the capable Paul McPeek
(22-2) four weeks later. McPeek
was also outpointed, and
Yonker´s climb in the world
rankings continued at a steady
pace.
In his next three outings,
Yonker beat Joe McKnight (18-5),
defended his title against Troy
Darrell (26-2) and demolished
Kenny Snow (28-12) to secure a
huge fight against former IBF
world champion Michael Nunn
(36-1) on a big show promoted by
Don King at the Mirage Hotel &
Casino in Las Vegas on 29
November 1991.
Nunn, who had defended his IBF
world title five times before
losing it to fellow future
Hall-of-Famer James Toney in his
previous outing, entered the
fight as a clear favorite, but
the match-up was a risk worth
taking for Yonker who would be
in line for a shot at Toney´s
crown if he beat the man from
Davenport, Iowa.
Unfortunately the gamble didn’t
pay off for Yonker, as Nunn
proved to be the superior boxer
on the night and simply had too
much in his toolbox. The
Southpaw stylist won by tenth
round technical knockout, and
would go on to win the WBA world
title in his next fight, while
Yonker went back to the drawing
board.
After deciding to move up to
Light Heavyweight, it was
make-or-brake time for Yonker in
March of 1992. Back at the scene
of their first fight, The
Fairgrounds Arena in Mobile, he
was matched with Paul Myuodi
(15-11-2) in a chance to get
revenge against the first man to
have defeated him two years
earlier.
And revenge was sweet, as a
strong and determined Yonker
wasted no time by stopping
Muyodi in the very first stanza.
He build on that resounding
triumph with another first round
blowout of James Mullins
(5-14-1) six weeks later, and
with a 25-2 ledger he was
finally awarded a chance to win
a world title.
Now a regular headline act at
the Fairgrounds Arena, Yonker
fought Tim “Scrap Iron” Johnson
(12-3) for the vacant WBF World
Light Heavyweight title on June
15, 1992. It was a must-win
fight for Yonker, and another
big-fight defeat would likely
mean the end of his career at
top level.
Johnson, from the worlds Country
Music capital Nashville, was in
the same situation. After
suffering two surprising losses
early on in his career, he had
come up short in his first bout
at world level against former
IBF world Middleweight boss
Frank Tate three months before
the showdown with Yonker.
Johnson had returned with a
victory in the meantime, but it
was clear that both fighters had
their backs against the wall.
While the winner would be the
WBF world champion, the loser
would be hard pressed for
somewhere meaningful to go,
anytime soon.
But this time it was going to be
Randall Yonkers night! Focused
and in top shape, he went about
his business like a man
possessed, and after five rounds
of more or less one-way traffic,
referee Tommy Kimmons waved the
fight off in round five, making
Yonker the new WBF World Light
Heavyweight champion.
Between August 1992 and December
1993, Yonker added three more
victories to his resume, scoring
stoppages over nondescript
opposition. In early 1994 he was
again booked by Don King, this
time to fight Australian WBC
World champion Jeff Harding on a
Showtime televised card at the
MGM Grand in Las Vegas on March
4.
But shortly before he could get
his chance to add the WBC belt
to his collection, Yonker
recieved the news that Harding
had sustained an injury and
would not be able to fight.
Instead, Yonker was pitted
against an even more formidable
foe in former Super Welterweight
and Middleweight world champion
Mike McCallum (45-2-1) for the
Interim title.
McCallum, from Jamaica but
fighting out of New York, was
too much for Yonker to handle,
and knocked him down in round
five to force a TKO stoppage.
This would turn out to be the
last major fight for Yonker, who
never won another fight.
He lost his comeback on points
to upstart Ray Berry (10-1), and
it looked like he would at least
leave the sport on his feet.
However, almost three years
later he made an ill-advised
return to the ring and got
stopped twice in a row by
Montell Griffin (32-1 and 35-2)
in 1998 and 1999.
His final record stands at 29-6
(23), and besides winning the
NABF Super Middleweight title
and the WBF World Light
Heavyweight crown, Yonker should
be remembered as a good and
hard-punching fighter who fought
some great names in Nunn and
McCallum.
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