James Scott | |
|---|---|
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:JamesScottBoxer.jpg) Scott at the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012 | |
| Born | James Onque Scott Jr. October 17, 1947 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | May 8, 2018 (aged 70) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Great |
| Statistics | |
| Weight class | Light heavyweight |
| Height | 184 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 22 |
| Wins | 19 |
| Wins by KO | 11 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Draws | 1 |
James Onque Scott Jr.[a] (October 17, 1947 – May 8, 2018) was an American boxer and convicted murderer. He became the second-highest-ranked contender in the World Boxing Association's (WBA) light heavyweight division while incarcerated at Rahway State Prison in Avenel, New Jersey. Scott fought a total of 22 professional fights. Eleven of those fights were contested while he was in prison, and Scott earned pay and WBA rankings from many of those fights, which was considered controversial.
Scott was born in Newark, New Jersey, and spent much of his life in prison from the age of 13. After picking up boxing as an amateur in Trenton State Prison, he was granted parole to work as a boxer for a manager in Florida. He fought 11 professional fights in Miami. While on a visit to New Jersey, in violation of his parole, he was arrested and charged with the murder of Everett Russ, as well as armed robbery. Convicted of the robbery but with a hung jury on the murder charge, Scott was sent back to prison in New Jersey. After being transferred to Rahway State Prison, Scott formed the Rahway State Boxing Association with prison warden Robert Hatrak, and was allowed to continue boxing professionally at Rahway after connecting with promoter Murad Muhammad.
Muhammad convinced Eddie Gregory, the WBA number 1 contender for the light heavyweight championship, to fight Scott at Rahway in a match televised by HBO. Despite being an underdog, Scott won the fight, leading to him being ranked by the WBA. He fought several more nationally televised matches and rose as high as number 2, but was later stripped of the ranking because of his criminal record and incarceration. After losing his rank and a brief retirement, Scott defeated another number 1 contender in Yaqui López.
After suffering his first loss more than five months after the López fight, Scott was retried for the murder of Russ and was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. He fought twice more, winning the first fight and losing the second. Scott was paroled in 2005 after serving 28 years. He was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012, and died in 2018.
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