Philadelphia and the boxing world as a whole lost two of its hero’s from the 80s within three days of each other. On September 20th, inaugural IBF lightweight champion Charlie “Choo Choo” Brown passed away at the age of 68. Brown won the newly minted IBF lightweight title with a 15-round split decision over Melvin “The Tank” Paul. It was an exciting bout which saw both men hit the deck. Brown’s reign was short-lived as he lost his belt to then undefeated Harry Arroyo by a TKO in the 14th round. Sadly, Brown went on a downward spiral after that, losing 14 of his last 18 bouts, getting KOed in 10 of those losses. “Choo Choo” finished 26-16-2, 16 KOs. This writer was fortunate enough to meet “Choo Choo” in 2014, when he explained how his nick-name was born: “My style in the ring was like a train. I just kept comin’ and comin’!”
Earlier today, just three days after the passing of Brown, boxing lost another exciting fighter out of Philly, “Frank “The Animal” Fletcher passed at the age of 72. Fletcher was a mainstay of 80s network boxing telecasts, largely due to his exciting, fan-friendly style. Win or lose, “The Animal” terrorized the middleweight division, winning the USBA title in 1981. He defended four times against the likes of (U.S. Olympian) Clint Jackson, Tony Braxton, Earnie Singletary and James “Hard Rock” Green. Fletcher hung up his gloves for good with an 18-6-1, 12 KOs record over an 8 year career.
Fightnews extends condolences to the families of both these Philadelphia warriors, both of whom gave their all and left fans knowing that they had just witnessed A FIGHT, win lose or draw!
