Booker T. Word trained at Livonia Boxing Club in Livonia MI. I trained right long side him & didn't know who he was, in the summer of 1990. Finally somebody mentioned he ko'ed Hembrick. I'm glad I fought at 132 & only 15. He also sparred with & gave Kady King all he could handle. An unknown from Detroit had potential, made a few appearances on ESPN. Both faded into oblivion. As 4 Hembrick's dance he must have felt pretty stupid afterwords and Booker said he wanted to knock his cocky head off.
Another fighter who deserves 2b mentioned from Livonia Boxing Club was Kermit Fitzpatrick. He was an undefeated heavyweight when I left back to FL when summer was over n 90. I believe he fought on USA & was winning a fight against 7'1" Marcus Allen but in the fourth he got caught w/a big punch and lost by KO. A sad note, I don't know how many more fights Fitzpatrick after but he was killed in the line of duty. He was a Michigan State Trooper & was shot & killed during a routine traffic stop.
Thats right. He sure did blame his hair product!! I wish someone had the whole broadcast because in the pre-fight interview he was talking so much trash!! I remember this on USA Tuesday Night Fights. He was showboating his ass off. They were panning the camera in the audience to his girfriend who was just smiling but when he got his ass rocked that was her screaming in the background lmao!!
Hembrick, if I'm not mistaken, came to the ring on a HORSE. So as obnoxious as his showboating was in the ring, what he did outside of hit was equally comical. And seeing him get shit stomped made my day. Watching it again has just made my day too
@Vergadoce No, his entrance took longer than the whole fight, he and his people made a dancing train....he should have came to the ring on a horse though, it would have cut the entrance time in half!....Tuesday night fights were the best! LMAO
I had this fight on a vcr tape twenty years ago. This is the only fight I've seen where a stretcher was brought into the ring to haul Hembrick away. What a joke !
This is one of the great moments in boxing history. It was all set up for Olympic "hero" Hembrick. But he did not have any character or discipline. He missed his fight in Seoul and went nowhere in the Olympics. He was more concerned about his dance moves than his foe.
In front of Hembrick's hometown, Booker T. Word, a journeyman to be sure, punished Hembrick for his lack of discipline. Word took his future and his manhood.
Hembrick went from "hero" to "zero." Justice was served.
@KenoisRob eleqouently put fella. never seen this before [ thanks for posting odaw.. ] but remember reading in boxing news paper the disgust of the journalist. hembricks career became a long and painful journey of getting battered by prospects ala he once alledgedly was. lesson there for other up n comers ?
Booket T. Word was living in Ypsilanty/Michigan. He was a friend of mine. He used to be a customer of Abe' Coney Island. I used to work there midnights and when he gets there it's all fun.
I met Booker and talked to him a bit at one of Roy Jones' fights. He was a super nice guy. I asked him about this fight and he told me all that dancing and showing out was really getting under his skin before the fight started and I think it showed.
It was Anthony Hembrick's hometown debut so I think the ref was trying to help him out! The sad thing is this doesn't show the showboating as he entered the ring. He led his team in and then led them in calisthenics.
I remember watching this fight live on USA Fight Night. I remember Booker being humble and Hembrick being a cocky ass and taunting the hell out off Booker. I was cheering when Hembrick was KTFO'd.
kneegrownative I saw this fight live, too. Me and my Dad watched it together. Pops shook his head at Hembricks showboating and said, "Just watch, son. He's getting his clock cleaned!" I laughed it off..untill the FIRST Knockdown!
I remember this fight from when my friend and I were watching it live on tv. If I recall, he was actually taken away from the ring in a stretcher! Contrast between the showy dancing and the stretcher is interesting.
Yes, he was taken out on a stretcher and this fight was in front of all his army buddies and his family (mother,wife and daughter). So perfect. Too bad Booker T Word was just a flash in the pan, I was hoping he would be great.
Yeah, Booker T. was just a journeyman when it was all said and done, but every dog has his day...and if nothing else he left us with this GREAT clip. And this WAS a title fight (one of the step-up belts like the USBA or NABF). I'm guessing the only reason he left on a stretcher is because his PRIDE was destroyed. This HAD to be EMBARASSING...probably the main reason why his career never got to the heights it was expected to do. This would be a HUGE confidence-destroyer.
I remember before the fight in an interview he (Hembrick) was talking in the 3rd person and said he was going to have the other guy swinging at Casper the friendly ghost. What an ass.
@22432243 lols I also remember him saying something like he's never heard of Mr Olympia winning a boxing match lols he had no losses before this too... Crack up
Booker T. Word trained at Livonia Boxing Club in Livonia MI. I trained right long side him & didn't know who he was, in the summer of 1990. Finally somebody mentioned he ko'ed Hembrick. I'm glad I fought at 132 & only 15. He also sparred with & gave Kady King all he could handle. An unknown from Detroit had potential, made a few appearances on ESPN. Both faded into oblivion. As 4 Hembrick's dance he must have felt pretty stupid afterwords and Booker said he wanted to knock his cocky head off.
sinusbradycardia 1 month ago
Another fighter who deserves 2b mentioned from Livonia Boxing Club was Kermit Fitzpatrick. He was an undefeated heavyweight when I left back to FL when summer was over n 90. I believe he fought on USA & was winning a fight against 7'1" Marcus Allen but in the fourth he got caught w/a big punch and lost by KO. A sad note, I don't know how many more fights Fitzpatrick after but he was killed in the line of duty. He was a Michigan State Trooper & was shot & killed during a routine traffic stop.
sinusbradycardia 1 month ago
Thats right. He sure did blame his hair product!! I wish someone had the whole broadcast because in the pre-fight interview he was talking so much trash!! I remember this on USA Tuesday Night Fights. He was showboating his ass off. They were panning the camera in the audience to his girfriend who was just smiling but when he got his ass rocked that was her screaming in the background lmao!!
eshoww 3 months ago
do you know this mother fucker blamed a new hair product he was using,i shit you not
teedzy1 4 months ago
Hembrick, if I'm not mistaken, came to the ring on a HORSE. So as obnoxious as his showboating was in the ring, what he did outside of hit was equally comical. And seeing him get shit stomped made my day. Watching it again has just made my day too
Vergadoce 5 months ago
@Vergadoce No, his entrance took longer than the whole fight, he and his people made a dancing train....he should have came to the ring on a horse though, it would have cut the entrance time in half!....Tuesday night fights were the best! LMAO
Rickin1974 2 weeks ago
saw this fight on tv , never laughed so hard seeing a guy come out and show boat like theat , then gets his ass kicked bad ............lol
blac2thafuture 5 months ago
that shit ref really wanted Hembrick to win
chalino19 6 months ago
"I feel like a champ he said " aaahahahahaha damn nigga
Pomaori 8 months ago
I remember this bigtime! TNF!!!
thetruegladiator 11 months ago
I had this fight on a vcr tape twenty years ago. This is the only fight I've seen where a stretcher was brought into the ring to haul Hembrick away. What a joke !
241156can 11 months ago
I don't believe I ever heard my Dad laugh louder than he did on the night that we watched this one . CuffColl.
CuffColl 1 year ago
This is one of the great moments in boxing history. It was all set up for Olympic "hero" Hembrick. But he did not have any character or discipline. He missed his fight in Seoul and went nowhere in the Olympics. He was more concerned about his dance moves than his foe.
In front of Hembrick's hometown, Booker T. Word, a journeyman to be sure, punished Hembrick for his lack of discipline. Word took his future and his manhood.
Hembrick went from "hero" to "zero." Justice was served.
KenoisRob 1 year ago 2
@KenoisRob eleqouently put fella. never seen this before [ thanks for posting odaw.. ] but remember reading in boxing news paper the disgust of the journalist. hembricks career became a long and painful journey of getting battered by prospects ala he once alledgedly was. lesson there for other up n comers ?
elainesman 10 months ago
Booket T. Word was living in Ypsilanty/Michigan. He was a friend of mine. He used to be a customer of Abe' Coney Island. I used to work there midnights and when he gets there it's all fun.
Mohamed (alias mike)/Morocco
imopictor 1 year ago
Comment removed
imopictor 1 year ago
I met Booker and talked to him a bit at one of Roy Jones' fights. He was a super nice guy. I asked him about this fight and he told me all that dancing and showing out was really getting under his skin before the fight started and I think it showed.
gbranton 1 year ago
What A Tosser!!
Metatarsal 2 years ago
Odawg, is this Booker from Ann Arbor Boxing Club? Cant find anything but this on the web...
haamerhed 2 years ago
found it Hembricks record...Yup. That's the Word I know.
haamerhed 2 years ago
It was Anthony Hembrick's hometown debut so I think the ref was trying to help him out! The sad thing is this doesn't show the showboating as he entered the ring. He led his team in and then led them in calisthenics.
894359 2 years ago
My friend pointed something out to me about this... look how gay that dance is!!!!
danners2003 2 years ago
lolol ka-cao!
MeesterChum 2 years ago
Fuck was up with that ref. Man, nothing pisses me off more than a ref who gets a fighter hurt. That last punch was basically a running one.
Ranteal 2 years ago 3
+1 Last two punches after the count... damn... you don't see that these days... refs bring them in... but this dude had a running start...
glennster82 2 years ago
what a terrible ref... he was done after the first knockdown
LightWarriorX 2 years ago 2
Saw this on TV way back in the day and I almost can't watch it; still embarrasing.
tentwo70 2 years ago 2
thanks for posting this fight! I remember him dancing before the fight that was so funny! USA Tuesday Night Fights was Da Show back then! AL&Sean
szubaark 2 years ago
Damn, that brother went down like a ton of Hembricks!
junedeon 3 years ago 15
hahahahahahahaaaa!!!!!! cheers, man
MeesterChum 2 years ago
I remember watching this fight live on USA Fight Night. I remember Booker being humble and Hembrick being a cocky ass and taunting the hell out off Booker. I was cheering when Hembrick was KTFO'd.
kneegrownative 3 years ago 5
kneegrownative I saw this fight live, too. Me and my Dad watched it together. Pops shook his head at Hembricks showboating and said, "Just watch, son. He's getting his clock cleaned!" I laughed it off..untill the FIRST Knockdown!
UdoShan 2 years ago
I remember this fight from when my friend and I were watching it live on tv. If I recall, he was actually taken away from the ring in a stretcher! Contrast between the showy dancing and the stretcher is interesting.
dtstrain 3 years ago 5
Yes, he was taken out on a stretcher and this fight was in front of all his army buddies and his family (mother,wife and daughter). So perfect. Too bad Booker T Word was just a flash in the pan, I was hoping he would be great.
22432243 3 years ago 5
Yeah, Booker T. was just a journeyman when it was all said and done, but every dog has his day...and if nothing else he left us with this GREAT clip. And this WAS a title fight (one of the step-up belts like the USBA or NABF). I'm guessing the only reason he left on a stretcher is because his PRIDE was destroyed. This HAD to be EMBARASSING...probably the main reason why his career never got to the heights it was expected to do. This would be a HUGE confidence-destroyer.
Odawg96 3 years ago 2
I remember before the fight in an interview he (Hembrick) was talking in the 3rd person and said he was going to have the other guy swinging at Casper the friendly ghost. What an ass.
22432243 3 years ago 5
@22432243 lols I also remember him saying something like he's never heard of Mr Olympia winning a boxing match lols he had no losses before this too... Crack up
naffynuck 8 months ago
@Odawg96 True! True!
jamdowner 1 year ago
you wrong fo dat! thanks though.
teemack 3 years ago