Whoa, this is a good one right here, action-packed Philadelphia southpaw Frank "The Animal" Fletcher. If there was ever a fighter that deserved a statue outside the ancient Roman Colosseum, it's him. He would win the IBF USBA middleweight title in the 1980s and defend it five times, and be involved in some of the most hellish fights I've ever seen, the kind of fights that leave a MF'er picking up the pieces, take years off of careers, and indeed he burned out fast.
The Boxing Glove
Frank "The Animal" Fletcher: A Breathless, Blood-Splattered, Pugilistic Rollercoaster Ride
Frank ’The Animal’ Fletcher was one of the most exciting fighters of the 1980s, a sawn-off southpaw middleweight with an all-action do-or-die style. He epitomized the Philadelphia fighter’s reputation for being the bravest and most enthralling of fighters, and he fought at a time when the city of brotherly love had a fearsome reputation for churning out outstanding, gun-ho middleweights.
‘The Animal’ came from a fighting family, his uncle Dick Turner was an outstanding welterweight, and his younger brother, Anthony, was also a talented boxer in the lightweight division.
Fletcher was born on May 7, 1954, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a tough neighbourhood, and soon showed that he had a penchant for finding himself in trouble, one way or another. However, boxing offered him a way out from street fights and the petty crime, which was already consuming his life by the time he had reached his teenage years. Fletcher began his professional career in 1976, and was pushed in deep from the beginning, being matched with rising prospects Art McCloud, Tony Braxton (twice), Jerome Jackson, and Caveman Lee, in his first 10 contests. Yet,only McCloud and Braxton beat Fletcher, who was building up a following due to his exciting kamikaze style, which perfectly fit his ring nickname of ‘Animal.’
Fletcher’s Mother also became something of a minor celebrity, due to her vociferous ringside support of her son. Watch any ‘Animal’ Fletcher fight on video from around this time and you will surely hear his Mother’s raucous shouts of support, rising about the voices of the rest of the crowd, and on occasion, the TV commentators themselves.
‘The Animal’ burst onto the big time on June 14, 1981, when he out-pointed Norberto Sabater over 10 brutal rounds, to win the vacant USBA Middleweight title.
Over the next 20 months, Fletcher took American boxing fans on a breathless, blood splattered, pugilistic rollercoaster ride, as he defended his USBA title five times, all against world-class middleweights. He faced fighters such as Ernie Singletary, Tony Braxton, Clint Jackson, James ’Hard Rock’ Green, and Wilford Scypion, in a series of fights that contained the kind of fistic violence seldom seen outside of a ’Rocky’ movie. For a while ’The Animal’ was riding high. He overcame copious amounts of blood, swollen flesh, and more punches, which at times seemed impossible for a fighter to take and still win, and keep winning. He successfully defended his USBA title 4 times, with displays of heart, durability, and a will to win that were astonishing. Fletcher was often out-boxed, out-speeded, and outgunned, but he simply wanted it more. He would wear his opponents down with his non-stop attacks and his gleeful love of going to fistic war.
However the ride couldn’t last, and when it came to an end, the road downhill was sudden and steep. It was 5th defence unlucky for ’The Animal’ when he faced challenger Wilford Scypion, on February 13, 1983, and found himself out-pointed over 12 torrid rounds. For the first time, Fletcher lacked that extra spark that had taken him to his improbable victories. Defeat cost him both his USBA title and a guaranteed shot at Marvin Hagler’s World middleweight title.
There was a comeback victory over Curtis Ramsey five months later, but then in November 10, 1983, Fletcher was steamrolled by the ultra-tough Argentine, Juan Domingo Roldan, being knocked out in the 6th round. The almost superhuman resistance that had taken ’The Animal’ so close to the very top had waned considerably. There are only so many wars that a human body can take, and it is no coincidence that the vast majority of Philadelphia’s war hungry contenders of the 70s and 80s, often ended their careers prematurely burnt out.
If there was any doubt about ‘the Animal’s’ flame being all, but completely extinguished, the answer came on August 5, 1984, when Fletcher was brutally beaten by an undefeated and rampaging John ‘The Beast’ Mugubi. ‘The Animal’ was pounded and stopped in 4 rounds. There would be one more fight on February 4, 1985, ironically at the hands of another Philadelphia warmonger, Curtis Parker, who stopped Fletcher after 2 one-sided rounds.
Unfortunately with his boxing career over, and without the safety net of boxing to keep him on the straight and narrow, Fletcher soon fell back into the grip of the streets. After a series of brushes with the Philadelphia Police, Frank Fletcher is sitting in a Pennsylvania jail, the Graterford Correctional Institute, after falling foul of the ‘three strikes and you are out’ policy.
Frank Fletcher’s final record is 18(12koes)-6-1, which are surprisingly short and unimpressive statistics that do not begin to show the drama and violence that the ‘Animal’ brought to the ring during the late 70s and early 80s. For a short time, Fletcher was one of the most exciting fighters in boxing, during an era where excitement was not hard to find. That fact alone should mean that Frank ‘The Animal’ Fletcher will always be remembered by boxing fans who enjoy a classic fight.
In a sad irony, Frank’s younger brother, Anthony, a talented fighter, who saw his own career crumble due to bad management, injuries, and bad luck, has now spent over 20 years incarcerated for shooting a man to death, despite overwhelming evidence that proves that he was acting in self-defense.
What they share in their pugilistic talents and careers, the Fletcher brothers also share in an abundance of bad luck.
You can't talk about Frank "The Animal" Fletcher without talking about his family, especially his mother Lucille Fletcher.
Lucille Fletcher stands beside her son's trophies in 1983.
‘Remarkable woman’ leaves her legacy in boxing with three champion sons
May 29, 2024
By: Napoleon F. Kingcade
Anthony “Two Guns” Fletcher raises a fist while flanked by his friends. He and his older brother, Frank “The Animal” Fletcher are the living legacies of their mother who taught them what they knew. Lucille Fletcher is credited with teaching her sons the sport of boxing and two of three are in the PA Boxing Hall of Fame.
In the world of boxing, Lucille Fletcher was known as a mother who gave birth to three boxing champions, two of which – Frank “The Animal” Fletcher and Anthony “Two Guns” Fletcher – were inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame in 2018.
Mother Fletcher also had an illustrious career in the sport, rising to become one of the first female boxing judges in Pennsylvania. The memories of her trials and tribulations were celebrated earlier this month (May 18) at her funeral. Lucille Fletcher was 88 and passed away after a long illness.
During her funeral service at the 46th Street Baptist Church in Southwest Philadelphia, hundreds of friends, family members, and several community leaders came to pay their respects to a woman who had done so much for the sport and her community. “I first met Lucille Fletcher through Lucien Blackwell and we worked with her in the community,” said former City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. “We knew her through all her work on Election Day. Each year, she was always involved in her community. Any issue that affected the community affected her. Everybody loved her. I admired how mentally strong she was. She always expected people to do the right thing. She was amazing. She loved her family and supported them. She was always there for them whenever they got into trouble. She kept it all going for her family.”
Blackwell presented the Fletcher family a proclamation that was given by current members of City Council. There were several other awards presented and many songs performed by the 46th Street Church Choir. Several friends and family members shared their memories.
In his testimony, Pastor Martin T. Wright said Fletcher loved the church and served faithfully as director of the “Voices of Joy” choir and the president of the Nurse Ministry. Wright said Fletcher, who lived on the 1300 block of S. 46th St., had been a captain on her block for almost 30 years. Inside her house, there is still a large collection of boxing trophies earned by her three sons and of whom she was proud.
According to the family, boxing came early to Fletcher as she navigated growing up with 11 brothers and sisters. She got interested in boxing by listening to Joe Louis fights on the radio. She was just eight years-old when a classmate taught her how to put two combinations together with her hands. By the end of the fourth grade, she was stalking the hallways of her elementary school and dared for any kid to give her any problems. Soon, the other kids were calling her “Little Joe Louis.”
The family said Fletcher was known for beating up two of her brothers who both became pro boxers. She showed them how to hold their hands and move their heads against their opponent. One of her brothers was Dick Turner, who had an outstanding amateur boxing record of 43-0. Once he turned pro, he racked up a record of 19-2-1 with 11 KOs as a talented welterweight contender.
When Turner was a kid, the family recalled, his sister once beat him up after he punched her in the face. Turner said she “whupped” him so bad that his nose bled and his suspenders popped off his shoulders.
The matriarch gave up fighting when she was 15-years old and pregnant with her first child. Two years later, she married William Fletcher and they had eight children together. Once William left her with the kids, Lucille raised the children by herself and taught all of them how to box. She bought boxing gloves and gave lessons in the basement.
Fletcher was a vocal force who taught her children and those around her the value of standing up for themselves. It was that driving spirit that many people believe led Fletcher to become of the one of the first female boxing judges in Pennsylvania. It was an achievement that earned her worldwide recognition and fame in the sport of professional boxing.
Her oldest son — Frank “The Animal” — beat a long list of fighters in an ESPN Middleweight Boxing Tournament in 1980 before he relinquished his USBA middleweight title to Wilford Scypion after losing to him in Atlantic City in a 12-round decision on Feb. 13, 1983. “Animal” Fletcher was one of the most popular TV fighters of the 1980s. He finished his pro career with a record of 18-6-1 with 12 knockouts.
Fletcher’s middle son was Anthony “Two Guns.” He became a lightweight contender as a pro after he won the regional, the national and six of seven Pennsylvania Golden Glove titles. He also became an Ohio State champion for four consecutive years. Fletcher’s final record as an amateur was 159-12.
Before he turned pro, Anthony defeated Livingstone Bramble, who became the future WBA lightweight champion. He defeated future WBA Lightweight champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini twice and defeated future IBF Lightweight champion Jimmy Paul. He also defeated future WBC welterweight champion Milton McCrory and also defeated future lightweight champion Harry Arroyo.
In March 1989, “Two Guns” won the Pennsylvania Lightweight Boxing Championship, but after successfully defending his state championship in 1990, Fletcher’s career ended one year later after two consecutive losses. Despite his success inside the ring, “Two- Guns” had a battle with some health issues.
According to boxing promoter Russell Peltz, Anthony had a severe case of Bell’s Palsy and shortly after that, “Two-Guns” was arrested for the murder of Christopher Vaughn in 1993. Fletcher claimed it was selfdefense and that Vaughn pulled the gun on him that discharged as the two men struggled for control of the weapon.
Fletcher was convicted of murder and sent to Death Row. He served 28 years in prison before he was released Jan. 21, 2021.
He was later found wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder by the court as Philadelphia Judge Lillian Ransom ordered the immediate release of the former pro boxer. Fletcher was inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame while he was still in prison. He finished his pro boxing career with a record of 24 wins and four losses with one draw.
Fletcher’s third son, Troy Fletcher, became the Pennsylvania Bantom weight champion after he defeated Bryan Jones in 1985. Troy went 13-1- 2 in his first 16 bouts before losing nine fights in a row which ended his career.
Fletcher was a colorful character. While Frank was a rising middleweight boxing star, his mother would often be seen at his fights, the loudest cheerleader in the crowd, and sometimes would carry a megaphone with animal crackers glued to the side.
At Frank’s fights, Lucille would prowl outside the ring and give instructions to her son. She was a fountain of knowledge and boxing commentators like Marv Albert and Howard Cosell found her to be fascinating and would often talk about how entertaining she would be in front of the television camera. “Lucille Fletcher’s legacy will live forever,” said Blackwell. “She was an extraordinary woman in boxing and an extraordinary woman in the community. She was a leader. She was a true fighter. She was a blessing to us all.”
Frank Fletcher's mother Lucille was something else, she was a renowned Philadelphia boxing matriarch and trainer. Her sons included Frank "The Animal" Fletcher, Anthony "Two Guns" Fletcher, and Troy Fletcher, all of whom were involved in boxing, along with Cantrell, Benjamin, and William. She was sort of a Dr. Frankenstein if you will, she taught her sons to fight and got them into boxing, she grew up listening to Joe Louis fights on the radio, taught herself to box, and then taught her sons. And she could scrap, she beat up her two brothers one time when they were giving her trouble. She could always be found sitting ringside at Frank's fights, shouting loudly and cheering him on, trying to will him to victory. If you watch Frank's fights, you'll see her and hear her, the camera would always cut in on her and she'd be going ballistic. At times you would think she was ready to jump in the ring and finish the fight herself. Mother Fletcher was no joke, a good lady but you didn't want to cross her. This is a photo of Lucille with four of her sons, Frank is on the far left, directly to her right.
Just want to take a minute to say that re-entry for the Artemis II Orion capsule is scheduled to begin at approximately 7:53 p.m. EDT this evening. At this time, the spacecraft will strike the upper atmosphere, causing a six-minute communication blackout. The Artemis II Orion capsule will enter Earth's atmosphere at approximately 24,000 to 25,000 mph (around Mach 32). The capsule uses a heat shield to manage temperatures up to 5,000°F and parachutes to reduce speed to roughly 20 mph (or ~17–20 mph) at impact. The crew is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at approximately 8:07 p.m. EDT. Good luck and Godspeed to the crew of Artemis II. 👍
The intense heat experienced during reentry is primarily caused by extreme aerodynamic compression of the air in front of the vehicle, not by air friction as commonly believed. As a spacecraft slams into the upper atmosphere at hypersonic speeds (often over 25 times the speed of sound), it compresses the air faster than the air can move out of the way. Re-entry into Earth's atmosphere from space is an incredibly violent and terrifying process, it takes serious guts to go through.
This is a photo of the heat shield for the Artemis II Orion capsule, the only thing that stands between the crew and temperatures of 5,000°F. Just wow, talk about living on the edge.
The Artemis II mission made a total round trip of approximately 695,081 miles (km) from launch to splashdown. During this 10-day flight, the crew broke the record for the farthest distance traveled by humans, reaching a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth on April 6, 2026. The Artemis II crew, clockwise from left to right: Christina Koch (Mission Specialist), Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist), Reid Wiseman (Commander) and Victor Glover (Pilot). Congratulations to the crew of Artemis II, you made history and we're glad you're back home safely.
Back to boxing. Frank "The Animal" Fletcher was one of the best fighters of the 80s as far as getting your money's worth, the guy was never in a dull fight, one of the most exciting fighters to ever live. There was no finesse to his style, it was just sheer, all-out, come forward aggression, throwing non-stop punches and going down guns blazing. It's a shame there's not many photos of his fights available, or of him for that matter. He was in some real wars, his fights with Tony Braxton, James "Hard Rock" Green, Ernie Singletary, Norberto Sabater, and Clint Jackson were all classics, the kind of fights that instantly make you a fan of Fletcher. He was missing his front teeth, they were loosened in a jail fight and he pulled them out before he became a boxer. The middleweight division back in the 80s was loaded, Tony Sibson, Wilfred Scypion, Dwight Davison, James Green, Mustafa Hamsho, Juan Roldan, and there was only one champ and of course that was Marvelous Marvin Hagler, you really had to go through a gauntlet to earn your shot at the title back then, and when you did earn a shot at the title you had to deal with arguably the greatest middleweight in the history of the sport. I don't know what else to say about Fletcher except that he was in some absolutely brutal fights. They were brutal. Pissing up blood afterwards brutal. Here are the highlights from Frank Fletcher vs Clint Jackson, June 20th, 1982 at The Sands Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This was the kind of encounter you would see in an ancient Roman amphitheatre. This is the first Frank Fletcher fight I ever watched and it made me a fan instantly.
We do actually have a couple of photos from the Frank Fletcher vs Clint Jackson fight, the top photo is an awesome image of Fletcher catching Jackson with a right hook that turns Jackson's head damn near backwards.
It should also be noted that Clint Jackson was one of the most decorated amateur boxers in history, he competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, won a Silver medal at the 1974 World Championships, and a Gold medal at the 1975 Pan-American games. He was nickname "The Sheriff" because he was an actual Sheriff's deputy at the Davidson County Sheriff's Department in Nashville, Tennessee at one time. The guy could fight, but his career never panned out in the pros, he failed to win a fight against any significant opposition, and lost decisions to James Shuler, Sumbu Kalambay, and Buster Drayton. Jackson retired after a knockout win in October 1985. In 1989, Jackson, was convicted of kidnapping an Alabama banker in an extortion scheme, in which he demanded $9,000. In 1992, an Associated Press article reported that Jackson was serving a life sentence in an Alabama prison. According to Sports Illustrated, he was still serving a life sentence as of January 2015. This is a photo of Clint Jackson when he was a Sheriff's deputy, posing in a boxing ring in his uniform.
Frank Fletcher vs James "Hard Rock" Green in 1982 is another one you'll want to watch, 6 rounds of apocalyptic warfare. James Green didn't get the nickname "Hard Rock" for nothing, great fighter, he always brought it, and he was one of the most hellacious body punchers I've ever seen, he really tried to cave in Fletcher's ribs.
Archives
Frank 'The Animal' Fletcher took a big gamble Saturday...
By: JOE CARNICELLI, UPI Executive Sports Editor
Oct. 17, 1982
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Frank 'The Animal' Fletcher took a big gamble Saturday -- and he came out a big winner.
Fletcher, the world's No. 3-ranked middleweight, is virtually assured of a title shot against world champion Marvin Hagler early next year.
But on Saturday, he risked his U.S. Boxing Association crown against upset specialist James Green.
After some anxious moments in the early rounds, Fletcher opened a deep gash over Green's right eye and the bout was stopped in the sixth round.
Fletcher, a native of Philadelphia, raised his record to 16-2-1 with his 12th knockout. Green, who fights out of Irvington, N.J., fell to 15-2.
In the first three rounds, Green followed manager Lou Duva's fight plan perfectly, ducking under the taller Fletcher and landing hard body shots. He delivered nine consecutive left hooks to Fletcher's body in the second round and nearly put him down in the third and again in the fifth.
But Fletcher, a left-handed brawler, began taking the steam out of Green in the fourth round, landing a series of left uppercuts. A wicked left uppercut late in the fifth round opened up Green's eye and that was the beginning of the end.
Green's handlers managed to close the cut but Fletcher stormed out of his corner at the sixth round opening bell and reopened the cut immediately with a hard left. Green retreated into his own corner, covering his eye, and Fletcher fired more than 50 unanswered punches at Green before referee Frank Cappuccino stopped it.
'In the fourth round, the tide turned,' Fletcher said. 'My corner told me to start throwing right uppercuts. They started landing and he began to slow up. I knew he was in trouble at the end of the fifth and I knew he'd fold up under pressure. He's a tough fighter, but he's not used to seeing punches in bunches.'
Fletcher said Green's aggressiveness actually made him more effective.
'I like it when a guy comes to fight and hits me -- it makes me feel like I'm in a fight,' Fletcher said. 'I like to mix it up. He shook me up a couple of times but like most fighters, he can get you in trouble but he can't finish you off.'
Green said the flow of blood into his eye made it impossible for him to continue.
'I just couldn't see with the blood pouring into my eye,' he said. 'He opened it up with a left uppercut late in the fifth round. I was ducking down and he hit the bone over the eye and sliced it open. I felt his punches but I wasn't really hurt. It wasn't like I was staggered or anything. There was just so much blood that I couldn't see.
'I thought I had him a couple of times but I just couldn't finish him off. Fletcher is a good fighter but he's not a thinking fighter. I don't think he's a world-class fighter. He comes to brawl. You punch him. He punches you.'
In the featured preliminary at the Sands Casino, No. 8-ranked welterweight Kevin Howard of Philadelphia raised his record to 17-2-1 with a second-round knockout of Ceotis Burgess of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
In a separate show at the Golden Nugget, Clint Jackson of Nashville, Tenn., battled his way back into title contention with a 10-round split decision over Robbie Sims, Hagler's half-brother. Jackson dropped a 12-round decision to Fletcher in June.
Jackson used his right jab effectively to win the battle of left-handers and now is hoping for a shot at either the middleweight or junior middleweight titles. He raised his record to 20-2 while Sims fell to 15-2.
Also, former Olympic champion Howard Davis was in command all the way in outpointing veteran Cocoa Sanchez of the Dominican Republic in a 10-round lightweight fight. Davis is now 20-1 while Sanchez fell to 28-11-2.
Reading that article in the above post, this quote by Frank Fletcher jumped right out at me, this was what Frank Fletcher was all about and why he was a boxing fans dream, the guy was a balls-to-the-wall gladiator.
"I like it when a guy comes to fight and hits me -- it makes me feel like I'm in a fight."
Frank Fletcher vs Ernie Singletary on August 31st, 1981, at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This is an awesome summary of the fight by a hardcore boxing fan that attended the fight:
"I went to most of Frank's fights between 80~83. The Singletary fight 36 years ago today still resonates with me as one of the top three fights I attended live. Neither fighter liked the other (both were from Philly) and the level of violence was great. At the end of the fight, Singletary wobbled back to his corner with his eyes completely shut and his ability to absorb the Animals punches fading fast. This, to me, was Frank at his beastly best. I remember going to a bar after the fight and reliving it over by talking about it the rest of the night with my two friends I went with. 36 years later, they're gone now, I live elsewhere, Frank lives now only in my memory, but I will watch the dvd at 8 p.m. and feel the rush again. To those who haven't seen it, I hope you do some day. Just a settling of neighborhood grudge fight that was one of the best nights of my life." - The Morlocks, Aug 30, 2017
Frank Fletcher vs Ernie Singletary. This was a real fight in a phone booth, just brutal infighting. Referee Paul Venti refused to let Singeltary, whose right eye was swollen shut, answer the bell for the eighth round of a scheduled 12-rounds. Fletcher started slowly, with Singletary tying him up and pounding his body. Fletcher, who suffered a badly cut right eye from an accidental headbutt, began landing left hooks to Singletary's eye in the fifth round. From there on, Singletary's eye got worse and worse as Fletcher landed at will and the fight was waved off after the 7th.
Frank Fletcher vs Tony Braxton on February 28th, 1982, at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, yet another Frank Fletcher classic, when or lose the guy was never in a dull fight, it's a shame his style of give-and-take made him burn out so fast. It was even more dramatic because these two had a history, the pair had previously fought in 1979 at Rahway State Prison in New Jersey.
FLETCHER IS WINNER, KEEPING RING TITLE
By: Michael Katz, Special To the New York Times
March 1, 1982
This time they fought on the outside. Twice before, in 1979, Frank (The Animal) Fletcher and Tony Braxton met in Rahway State Prison, where Braxton was serving time. The first bout ended in a six-round draw and Braxton won the second on a six-round decision.
Today Fletcher, once an inmate at Holmesburg Prison in Philadelphia, evened the score, retaining his United States Boxing Association middleweight title with a unanimous decision in a furiously paced 12-rounder at the Sands Hotel.
Fletcher, a southpaw ranked No.3 by the World Boxing Association, said it did not make a difference where he fought Braxton, who had served a term for armed robbery at Rahway.
''He had a home-court advantage,'' said Fletcher of the previous fights, ''but it didn't make no difference to me because I was incarcerated myself. He beat me and I evened the score.''
The scoring upset Braxton's manager, Lou Duva, who conceded that Fletcher had won but said he was shocked that one judge, Richard Murry, had given Fletcher a 9-3 advantage in rounds and that the referee, Tony Perez, had it 8-4. The other judge, Frank Brunett, scored it 6-5, with one round even, which was more in line with the scoring of most ringside observers.
Braxton, the 30-year-old older brother of Dwight Braxton, the World Boxing Council light-heavyweight champion, acknowledged that he had lost. But afterward, though his right eye was nearly swollen shut, he appeared in better shape than the winner.
Fletcher, who suffered an injury to his right eye when he was thumbed last Aug.31 while outpointing Ernie Singletary, was cut over the eye in the sixth round. The cut bled the rest of the fight, and in the eighth he was cut inside the mouth as well.
In winning his 14th fight against two losses and the draw, the 158 1/4-pound Fletcher overcame some fine counterpunching by Braxton, especially with the right. In the sixth Braxton staggered Fletcher with a right cross followed by a left hook. But with his mother, Lucille Fletcher, a former amateur boxing judge, screaming, ''Frankie, stay on the right and keep that right hand up!'' the Philadelphian quickly regained control of the fight and finished strongly.
Braxton, 156 3/4, was beaten for only the second time. He has won 11 and had one draw. ''It doesn't matter whether he wins or loses today,'' said Duva before the fight. ''He's won his big fight already.'' Last October Braxton, who had served 14 years in prison, entered the Damon House drug and alcohol center in Paterson, where he is preparing to become a youth counselor.
''I hope you give me a rematch, the way I gave one to you,'' he told Fletcher. ''If I ever get a shot at Marvin Hagler, I'll win the title and then I'll give you a rematch,'' Fletcher replied. Hagler, the undisputed middleweight champion, defends his title next Sunday here against Bill (Caveman) Lee, whom Fletcher knocked out in the fourth round in 1980.
Frank Fletcher vs Norberto Sabater. It's just unbelievable how many action-packed fights Fletcher was in, this was another one with a damn good fighter from Puerto Rico with an 19-0 record.
Frank Fletcher won the U.S.B.A. middleweight title Sunday with...
By
June 15, 1981
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Frank Fletcher won the U.S.B.A. middleweight title Sunday with a unanimous decision over Norberto Sabater in a 10-round fight and said he was now 'ready for anyone in the middleweight division.'
Fletcher, 27, a Philadelphia boxer known as 'The Animal,' used an aggressive attack to stay on top of Sabatar for most of the action-packed bout.
The victory raises Fletcher's record to 12-2-1 and should put him into the top 10 middleweight contenders for the WBC and WBA titles.
'Right now, I feel like I'm ready for anyone in the middleweight division, including champion Marvin Hagler,' he said.
It was the first blemish on 23-year-old Sabater's record -- he came into the bout rated eighth with a 19-0 record.
The bout was ruled a U.S.B.A. title fight when U.S.B.A. President Robert Lee stripped Curtis Parker of the middleweight title. Parker had not defended his crown since May 4, 1980.
Both fighters began the fight by slugging it out in the corners. Fletcher was the aggressor, while Sabater chose to stand and trade punches with the 157-pound Philadelphian.
'It was a tough fight, he showed he could take some of my best punches,' Fletcher said at the postfight press conference. 'But if the fight would have went two or three more rounds, I feel I would have got to him.'
'I felt like I had him hurt in the eighth, but somewhere he must have found some energy to survive my power,' he said, trying on his new U.S.B.A. title belt.
Sabater fought in contrast to his usual style -- generally the Brooklyn, N.Y., boxer moves around the ring and relies on jabbing attacks.
In a subdued interview where he spoke quietly and held ice packs under both eyes, Sabater recalled his first loss in 20 fights and agreed in part with Fletcher's assessment.
'I gave it everything I had the first four rounds,' he said. 'I made a mistake -- I went for the early knockout, and didn't have anything left in the latter stages.
'Next time, I'll fight him smarter, move around the ring more. Of course, it's up to him to fight me again.'
Boxing fans in the middle rounds saw some of the best recent fighting action in Atlantic City rings, as both fighters boxed aggressively and landed impressive combinations.
This is an on-site poster for Frank Fletcher vs Slammin' Sammy Nesmith on December 4th, 1980, at Resorts International in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Fletcher won this fight by stoppage in the 6th. Sammy Nesmith wasn't called Slammin' for nothing, he had thunderous punching power, you had a have a strong chin to hold up to his shots.
That image of Frank Fletcher in the post above was actually taken from a 1983 issue of Sports Illustrated that featured an article about his mother, Lucille Fletcher.
Frank Fletcher vs William "Caveman" Lee In July of 1980. This is one of my favorite Fletcher performances. Caveman Lee was a dangerous puncher with a record of 14-1 (13 KO) coming into this fight, only one man had heard the final bell against Lee, Fletcher was the underdog. After an initial feeling out period, Fletcher begins to apply vicious pressure on Lee, opening up on him and catching him with good power shots. He eventually hurts Lee and overwhelms him with sheer aggression. I have to say, once Fletcher had a guy hurt and smelled blood in the water, they were all but done, he was a ruthless finisher.
Atlantic City was on fire back in the 80s, some action-packed brutal wars were fought there, and Frank Fletcher was a big reason why. This is a great book about it.
Frank Fletcher lived an extremely violent life outside the ring, but he did get get it all turned around. This is a great documentary about Fletcher, produced by the legendary Rich the Fight Historian on YouTube, he always does a phenomenal job with these documentaries.
Here is an article about Frank "The Animal" Fletcher written in 2022 shortly after his release from prison, sadly his mother Lucille has passed away since this article was written.
The Spirit
Frank Fletcher, the ex-boxer, is no longer “The Animal” he was in the streets
November 16, 2022
By: Napoleon F. Kingcade
SPIRIT correspondent
In 2017, Frank “The Animal” Fletcher (left) was released from a federal prison after 22 years. A friend was among the first people he saw. Facebook photo
Southwest Philadelphia native and former USBA middleweight champion boxer Frank “The Animal” Fletcher, is making a brand new start in his life. During his boxing heyday, Fletcher allowed violence to destroy his career.
Twice, he had an opportunity to fight Marvin Hagler for the WBA middleweight title. And twice, Fletcher was defeated in both fights prior to facing Hagler.
Despite blowing both championship opportunities, Fletcher used violence in the streets before having a chance to advance to a title fight with Hagler. Despite his violent past, Fletcher still finished his pro boxing career with a 18-6-1 record.
Now, that Fletcher is retired from pro boxing, the 68-year-old former champion is free from all the violence and living a better life in Southwest Philadelphia. He lives with his mother near the 4900 block of Woodland Ave.
Before Fletcher became a pro boxer, he spent most of his childhood in jail and reform school. He was arrested over 27 times from age eight to 21-years old.
“I had so many problems in my life,” said Fletcher. “I had often thought that the only peace I would get was in a graveyard. Jail was my second home.”
While in prison, Fletcher became a boxer. He was knocking out prison inmates by the dozens. Upon his release from prison, Fletcher was lucky enough to win a few fights and enter an ESPN boxing tournament.
That’s where he built his reputation and earned his nickname – “The Animal.”
And that’s when his life started turning around.
He fought fighters like Clint Jackson, James “Hard Rock” Green and Wilford Scypion. Fletcher was a fighter who always excited crowds and he made a name for himself on ESPN, ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” and NBC Sports.
His mother, Lucille Fletcher, was his biggest supporter. She would always come to his fights and be cheering for him near ringside. The late legendary broadcaster Howard Cosell always found her to be fascinating. Cosell would always mention her name on the microphone.
Fletcher had a pretty good boxing career as a middleweight championship contender. He fell on hard times after losing his final three fights. He lost his biggest fight against Scypion, a boxer Mother Lucille called a dirty fighter.
Scypion beat Fletcher to prevent him from facing Hagler in a title fight. That led Fletcher back to the streets where he got into more trouble. Once he was finished with boxing, Fletcher got in trouble for assaulting people in the streets. His last assault occurred in 1995 when he stepped into a store and assaulted the owner. After that, he went back to prison and spent 22 years at a high-security federal penitentiary in Beaumont, Texas.
When he left the prison in 2017, Fletcher said he changed his life around. In the meantime, his younger brother, Anthony “Two Gun” Fletcher, was also released around the same time. Anthony spent 28 years on death row before his sentence was overturned and was released from prison in January, 2021 after his new lawyer discovered that his former attorney messed up his case.
His new lawyer told him the old lawyer didn’t properly handle his case. It was ruled that Anthony’s case wasn’t investigated properly and it wasn’t proven that the shooting for which he was convicted actually happened during a struggle or that Anthony shot his attacker in self defense.
Common Pleas Court Judge Lillian Ransom resentenced Anthony to 25 years, but since he had already served 28 years in prison, Ransom ordered him immediately released.
Both Fletcher brothers were inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame in 2018.
Today, Frank Fletcher is doing much better. According to family members, he is busy training other boxers in a local gym and he is often seen helping senior citizens at his mother’s neighborhood church.
Final thoughts on Frank "The Animal" Fletcher. As a boxing fan it's impossible not to like him, excitement-wise, I would put him right up there with guys like Bobby Chacon, Arturo Gatti, he gave the fans their money's worth and then some. When Frank Fletcher stepped in the ring, you were going to be on the edge of your seat.
Let's look at some 1930 and 40s classic horror movie posters, I am a big fan of horror movies, really love the classics from the Golden era. These original posters are works of art in their own right, extremely rare, a lot of them have been lost to time and are difficult to find. When they do surface at auction, they go for big money, we're talking five, sometimes six figures. For fans of these classics, the posters are holy grails. This original poster for The Mummy (1932) starring Boris Karloff, sold for almost a million a while back.
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Riddick "Big Daddy" Bowe in his prime. This is an awesome image, with the belts and one glove off.
Whoa, this is a good one right here, action-packed Philadelphia southpaw Frank "The Animal" Fletcher. If there was ever a fighter that deserved a statue outside the ancient Roman Colosseum, it's him. He would win the IBF USBA middleweight title in the 1980s and defend it five times, and be involved in some of the most hellish fights I've ever seen, the kind of fights that leave a MF'er picking up the pieces, take years off of careers, and indeed he burned out fast.
The Boxing Glove
Frank "The Animal" Fletcher: A Breathless, Blood-Splattered, Pugilistic Rollercoaster Ride
Frank ’The Animal’ Fletcher was one of the most exciting fighters of the 1980s, a sawn-off southpaw middleweight with an all-action do-or-die style. He epitomized the Philadelphia fighter’s reputation for being the bravest and most enthralling of fighters, and he fought at a time when the city of brotherly love had a fearsome reputation for churning out outstanding, gun-ho middleweights.
‘The Animal’ came from a fighting family, his uncle Dick Turner was an outstanding welterweight, and his younger brother, Anthony, was also a talented boxer in the lightweight division.
Fletcher was born on May 7, 1954, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a tough neighbourhood, and soon showed that he had a penchant for finding himself in trouble, one way or another. However, boxing offered him a way out from street fights and the petty crime, which was already consuming his life by the time he had reached his teenage years. Fletcher began his professional career in 1976, and was pushed in deep from the beginning, being matched with rising prospects Art McCloud, Tony Braxton (twice), Jerome Jackson, and Caveman Lee, in his first 10 contests. Yet,only McCloud and Braxton beat Fletcher, who was building up a following due to his exciting kamikaze style, which perfectly fit his ring nickname of ‘Animal.’
Fletcher’s Mother also became something of a minor celebrity, due to her vociferous ringside support of her son. Watch any ‘Animal’ Fletcher fight on video from around this time and you will surely hear his Mother’s raucous shouts of support, rising about the voices of the rest of the crowd, and on occasion, the TV commentators themselves.
‘The Animal’ burst onto the big time on June 14, 1981, when he out-pointed Norberto Sabater over 10 brutal rounds, to win the vacant USBA Middleweight title.
Over the next 20 months, Fletcher took American boxing fans on a breathless, blood splattered, pugilistic rollercoaster ride, as he defended his USBA title five times, all against world-class middleweights. He faced fighters such as Ernie Singletary, Tony Braxton, Clint Jackson, James ’Hard Rock’ Green, and Wilford Scypion, in a series of fights that contained the kind of fistic violence seldom seen outside of a ’Rocky’ movie. For a while ’The Animal’ was riding high. He overcame copious amounts of blood, swollen flesh, and more punches, which at times seemed impossible for a fighter to take and still win, and keep winning. He successfully defended his USBA title 4 times, with displays of heart, durability, and a will to win that were astonishing. Fletcher was often out-boxed, out-speeded, and outgunned, but he simply wanted it more. He would wear his opponents down with his non-stop attacks and his gleeful love of going to fistic war.
However the ride couldn’t last, and when it came to an end, the road downhill was sudden and steep. It was 5th defence unlucky for ’The Animal’ when he faced challenger Wilford Scypion, on February 13, 1983, and found himself out-pointed over 12 torrid rounds. For the first time, Fletcher lacked that extra spark that had taken him to his improbable victories. Defeat cost him both his USBA title and a guaranteed shot at Marvin Hagler’s World middleweight title.
There was a comeback victory over Curtis Ramsey five months later, but then in November 10, 1983, Fletcher was steamrolled by the ultra-tough Argentine, Juan Domingo Roldan, being knocked out in the 6th round. The almost superhuman resistance that had taken ’The Animal’ so close to the very top had waned considerably. There are only so many wars that a human body can take, and it is no coincidence that the vast majority of Philadelphia’s war hungry contenders of the 70s and 80s, often ended their careers prematurely burnt out.
If there was any doubt about ‘the Animal’s’ flame being all, but completely extinguished, the answer came on August 5, 1984, when Fletcher was brutally beaten by an undefeated and rampaging John ‘The Beast’ Mugubi. ‘The Animal’ was pounded and stopped in 4 rounds. There would be one more fight on February 4, 1985, ironically at the hands of another Philadelphia warmonger, Curtis Parker, who stopped Fletcher after 2 one-sided rounds.
Unfortunately with his boxing career over, and without the safety net of boxing to keep him on the straight and narrow, Fletcher soon fell back into the grip of the streets. After a series of brushes with the Philadelphia Police, Frank Fletcher is sitting in a Pennsylvania jail, the Graterford Correctional Institute, after falling foul of the ‘three strikes and you are out’ policy.
Frank Fletcher’s final record is 18(12koes)-6-1, which are surprisingly short and unimpressive statistics that do not begin to show the drama and violence that the ‘Animal’ brought to the ring during the late 70s and early 80s. For a short time, Fletcher was one of the most exciting fighters in boxing, during an era where excitement was not hard to find. That fact alone should mean that Frank ‘The Animal’ Fletcher will always be remembered by boxing fans who enjoy a classic fight.
In a sad irony, Frank’s younger brother, Anthony, a talented fighter, who saw his own career crumble due to bad management, injuries, and bad luck, has now spent over 20 years incarcerated for shooting a man to death, despite overwhelming evidence that proves that he was acting in self-defense.
What they share in their pugilistic talents and careers, the Fletcher brothers also share in an abundance of bad luck.
You can't talk about Frank "The Animal" Fletcher without talking about his family, especially his mother Lucille Fletcher.
Lucille Fletcher stands beside her son's trophies in 1983.
‘Remarkable woman’ leaves her legacy in boxing with three champion sons
May 29, 2024
By: Napoleon F. Kingcade
Anthony “Two Guns” Fletcher raises a fist while flanked by his friends. He and his older brother, Frank “The Animal” Fletcher are the living legacies of their mother who taught them what they knew. Lucille Fletcher is credited with teaching her sons the sport of boxing and two of three are in the PA Boxing Hall of Fame.
In the world of boxing, Lucille Fletcher was known as a mother who gave birth to three boxing champions, two of which – Frank “The Animal” Fletcher and Anthony “Two Guns” Fletcher – were inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame in 2018.
Mother Fletcher also had an illustrious career in the sport, rising to become one of the first female boxing judges in Pennsylvania. The memories of her trials and tribulations were celebrated earlier this month (May 18) at her funeral. Lucille Fletcher was 88 and passed away after a long illness.
During her funeral service at the 46th Street Baptist Church in Southwest Philadelphia, hundreds of friends, family members, and several community leaders came to pay their respects to a woman who had done so much for the sport and her community. “I first met Lucille Fletcher through Lucien Blackwell and we worked with her in the community,” said former City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. “We knew her through all her work on Election Day. Each year, she was always involved in her community. Any issue that affected the community affected her. Everybody loved her. I admired how mentally strong she was. She always expected people to do the right thing. She was amazing. She loved her family and supported them. She was always there for them whenever they got into trouble. She kept it all going for her family.”
Blackwell presented the Fletcher family a proclamation that was given by current members of City Council. There were several other awards presented and many songs performed by the 46th Street Church Choir. Several friends and family members shared their memories.
In his testimony, Pastor Martin T. Wright said Fletcher loved the church and served faithfully as director of the “Voices of Joy” choir and the president of the Nurse Ministry. Wright said Fletcher, who lived on the 1300 block of S. 46th St., had been a captain on her block for almost 30 years. Inside her house, there is still a large collection of boxing trophies earned by her three sons and of whom she was proud.
According to the family, boxing came early to Fletcher as she navigated growing up with 11 brothers and sisters. She got interested in boxing by listening to Joe Louis fights on the radio. She was just eight years-old when a classmate taught her how to put two combinations together with her hands. By the end of the fourth grade, she was stalking the hallways of her elementary school and dared for any kid to give her any problems. Soon, the other kids were calling her “Little Joe Louis.”
The family said Fletcher was known for beating up two of her brothers who both became pro boxers. She showed them how to hold their hands and move their heads against their opponent. One of her brothers was Dick Turner, who had an outstanding amateur boxing record of 43-0. Once he turned pro, he racked up a record of 19-2-1 with 11 KOs as a talented welterweight contender.
When Turner was a kid, the family recalled, his sister once beat him up after he punched her in the face. Turner said she “whupped” him so bad that his nose bled and his suspenders popped off his shoulders.
The matriarch gave up fighting when she was 15-years old and pregnant with her first child. Two years later, she married William Fletcher and they had eight children together. Once William left her with the kids, Lucille raised the children by herself and taught all of them how to box. She bought boxing gloves and gave lessons in the basement.
Fletcher was a vocal force who taught her children and those around her the value of standing up for themselves. It was that driving spirit that many people believe led Fletcher to become of the one of the first female boxing judges in Pennsylvania. It was an achievement that earned her worldwide recognition and fame in the sport of professional boxing.
Her oldest son — Frank “The Animal” — beat a long list of fighters in an ESPN Middleweight Boxing Tournament in 1980 before he relinquished his USBA middleweight title to Wilford Scypion after losing to him in Atlantic City in a 12-round decision on Feb. 13, 1983. “Animal” Fletcher was one of the most popular TV fighters of the 1980s. He finished his pro career with a record of 18-6-1 with 12 knockouts.
Fletcher’s middle son was Anthony “Two Guns.” He became a lightweight contender as a pro after he won the regional, the national and six of seven Pennsylvania Golden Glove titles. He also became an Ohio State champion for four consecutive years. Fletcher’s final record as an amateur was 159-12.
Before he turned pro, Anthony defeated Livingstone Bramble, who became the future WBA lightweight champion. He defeated future WBA Lightweight champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini twice and defeated future IBF Lightweight champion Jimmy Paul. He also defeated future WBC welterweight champion Milton McCrory and also defeated future lightweight champion Harry Arroyo.
In March 1989, “Two Guns” won the Pennsylvania Lightweight Boxing Championship, but after successfully defending his state championship in 1990, Fletcher’s career ended one year later after two consecutive losses. Despite his success inside the ring, “Two- Guns” had a battle with some health issues.
According to boxing promoter Russell Peltz, Anthony had a severe case of Bell’s Palsy and shortly after that, “Two-Guns” was arrested for the murder of Christopher Vaughn in 1993. Fletcher claimed it was selfdefense and that Vaughn pulled the gun on him that discharged as the two men struggled for control of the weapon.
Fletcher was convicted of murder and sent to Death Row. He served 28 years in prison before he was released Jan. 21, 2021.
He was later found wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder by the court as Philadelphia Judge Lillian Ransom ordered the immediate release of the former pro boxer. Fletcher was inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame while he was still in prison. He finished his pro boxing career with a record of 24 wins and four losses with one draw.
Fletcher’s third son, Troy Fletcher, became the Pennsylvania Bantom weight champion after he defeated Bryan Jones in 1985. Troy went 13-1- 2 in his first 16 bouts before losing nine fights in a row which ended his career.
Fletcher was a colorful character. While Frank was a rising middleweight boxing star, his mother would often be seen at his fights, the loudest cheerleader in the crowd, and sometimes would carry a megaphone with animal crackers glued to the side.
At Frank’s fights, Lucille would prowl outside the ring and give instructions to her son. She was a fountain of knowledge and boxing commentators like Marv Albert and Howard Cosell found her to be fascinating and would often talk about how entertaining she would be in front of the television camera. “Lucille Fletcher’s legacy will live forever,” said Blackwell. “She was an extraordinary woman in boxing and an extraordinary woman in the community. She was a leader. She was a true fighter. She was a blessing to us all.”
Frank Fletcher's mother Lucille was something else, she was a renowned Philadelphia boxing matriarch and trainer. Her sons included Frank "The Animal" Fletcher, Anthony "Two Guns" Fletcher, and Troy Fletcher, all of whom were involved in boxing, along with Cantrell, Benjamin, and William. She was sort of a Dr. Frankenstein if you will, she taught her sons to fight and got them into boxing, she grew up listening to Joe Louis fights on the radio, taught herself to box, and then taught her sons. And she could scrap, she beat up her two brothers one time when they were giving her trouble. She could always be found sitting ringside at Frank's fights, shouting loudly and cheering him on, trying to will him to victory. If you watch Frank's fights, you'll see her and hear her, the camera would always cut in on her and she'd be going ballistic. At times you would think she was ready to jump in the ring and finish the fight herself. Mother Fletcher was no joke, a good lady but you didn't want to cross her. This is a photo of Lucille with four of her sons, Frank is on the far left, directly to her right.
Lucille Fletcher with brothers Dick and Honeyboy Turner and Lucille's mother E.T.
Just want to take a minute to say that re-entry for the Artemis II Orion capsule is scheduled to begin at approximately 7:53 p.m. EDT this evening. At this time, the spacecraft will strike the upper atmosphere, causing a six-minute communication blackout. The Artemis II Orion capsule will enter Earth's atmosphere at approximately 24,000 to 25,000 mph (around Mach 32). The capsule uses a heat shield to manage temperatures up to 5,000°F and parachutes to reduce speed to roughly 20 mph (or ~17–20 mph) at impact. The crew is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at approximately 8:07 p.m. EDT. Good luck and Godspeed to the crew of Artemis II. 👍
The intense heat experienced during reentry is primarily caused by extreme aerodynamic compression of the air in front of the vehicle, not by air friction as commonly believed. As a spacecraft slams into the upper atmosphere at hypersonic speeds (often over 25 times the speed of sound), it compresses the air faster than the air can move out of the way. Re-entry into Earth's atmosphere from space is an incredibly violent and terrifying process, it takes serious guts to go through.
This is a photo of the heat shield for the Artemis II Orion capsule, the only thing that stands between the crew and temperatures of 5,000°F. Just wow, talk about living on the edge.
Man, this Artemis II re-entry has got me pumped up, how about a little music.
Artemis II is re-entering Earth's atmosphere right now.
They made it, Artemis II has splashed down safely! Phew, that was intense.
Awesome photos of the Artemis II splashdown.
The Artemis II mission made a total round trip of approximately 695,081 miles (km) from launch to splashdown. During this 10-day flight, the crew broke the record for the farthest distance traveled by humans, reaching a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth on April 6, 2026. The Artemis II crew, clockwise from left to right: Christina Koch (Mission Specialist), Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist), Reid Wiseman (Commander) and Victor Glover (Pilot). Congratulations to the crew of Artemis II, you made history and we're glad you're back home safely.
This is my favorite photo of the Artemis II crew, just a beautiful moment.
Back to boxing. Frank "The Animal" Fletcher was one of the best fighters of the 80s as far as getting your money's worth, the guy was never in a dull fight, one of the most exciting fighters to ever live. There was no finesse to his style, it was just sheer, all-out, come forward aggression, throwing non-stop punches and going down guns blazing. It's a shame there's not many photos of his fights available, or of him for that matter. He was in some real wars, his fights with Tony Braxton, James "Hard Rock" Green, Ernie Singletary, Norberto Sabater, and Clint Jackson were all classics, the kind of fights that instantly make you a fan of Fletcher. He was missing his front teeth, they were loosened in a jail fight and he pulled them out before he became a boxer. The middleweight division back in the 80s was loaded, Tony Sibson, Wilfred Scypion, Dwight Davison, James Green, Mustafa Hamsho, Juan Roldan, and there was only one champ and of course that was Marvelous Marvin Hagler, you really had to go through a gauntlet to earn your shot at the title back then, and when you did earn a shot at the title you had to deal with arguably the greatest middleweight in the history of the sport. I don't know what else to say about Fletcher except that he was in some absolutely brutal fights. They were brutal. Pissing up blood afterwards brutal. Here are the highlights from Frank Fletcher vs Clint Jackson, June 20th, 1982 at The Sands Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This was the kind of encounter you would see in an ancient Roman amphitheatre. This is the first Frank Fletcher fight I ever watched and it made me a fan instantly.
We do actually have a couple of photos from the Frank Fletcher vs Clint Jackson fight, the top photo is an awesome image of Fletcher catching Jackson with a right hook that turns Jackson's head damn near backwards.
It should also be noted that Clint Jackson was one of the most decorated amateur boxers in history, he competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, won a Silver medal at the 1974 World Championships, and a Gold medal at the 1975 Pan-American games. He was nickname "The Sheriff" because he was an actual Sheriff's deputy at the Davidson County Sheriff's Department in Nashville, Tennessee at one time. The guy could fight, but his career never panned out in the pros, he failed to win a fight against any significant opposition, and lost decisions to James Shuler, Sumbu Kalambay, and Buster Drayton. Jackson retired after a knockout win in October 1985. In 1989, Jackson, was convicted of kidnapping an Alabama banker in an extortion scheme, in which he demanded $9,000. In 1992, an Associated Press article reported that Jackson was serving a life sentence in an Alabama prison. According to Sports Illustrated, he was still serving a life sentence as of January 2015. This is a photo of Clint Jackson when he was a Sheriff's deputy, posing in a boxing ring in his uniform.
Frank Fletcher vs James "Hard Rock" Green in 1982 is another one you'll want to watch, 6 rounds of apocalyptic warfare. James Green didn't get the nickname "Hard Rock" for nothing, great fighter, he always brought it, and he was one of the most hellacious body punchers I've ever seen, he really tried to cave in Fletcher's ribs.
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Frank 'The Animal' Fletcher took a big gamble Saturday...
By: JOE CARNICELLI, UPI Executive Sports Editor
Oct. 17, 1982
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Frank 'The Animal' Fletcher took a big gamble Saturday -- and he came out a big winner.
Fletcher, the world's No. 3-ranked middleweight, is virtually assured of a title shot against world champion Marvin Hagler early next year.
But on Saturday, he risked his U.S. Boxing Association crown against upset specialist James Green.
After some anxious moments in the early rounds, Fletcher opened a deep gash over Green's right eye and the bout was stopped in the sixth round.
Fletcher, a native of Philadelphia, raised his record to 16-2-1 with his 12th knockout. Green, who fights out of Irvington, N.J., fell to 15-2.
In the first three rounds, Green followed manager Lou Duva's fight plan perfectly, ducking under the taller Fletcher and landing hard body shots. He delivered nine consecutive left hooks to Fletcher's body in the second round and nearly put him down in the third and again in the fifth.
But Fletcher, a left-handed brawler, began taking the steam out of Green in the fourth round, landing a series of left uppercuts. A wicked left uppercut late in the fifth round opened up Green's eye and that was the beginning of the end.
Green's handlers managed to close the cut but Fletcher stormed out of his corner at the sixth round opening bell and reopened the cut immediately with a hard left. Green retreated into his own corner, covering his eye, and Fletcher fired more than 50 unanswered punches at Green before referee Frank Cappuccino stopped it.
'In the fourth round, the tide turned,' Fletcher said. 'My corner told me to start throwing right uppercuts. They started landing and he began to slow up. I knew he was in trouble at the end of the fifth and I knew he'd fold up under pressure. He's a tough fighter, but he's not used to seeing punches in bunches.'
Fletcher said Green's aggressiveness actually made him more effective.
'I like it when a guy comes to fight and hits me -- it makes me feel like I'm in a fight,' Fletcher said. 'I like to mix it up. He shook me up a couple of times but like most fighters, he can get you in trouble but he can't finish you off.'
Green said the flow of blood into his eye made it impossible for him to continue.
'I just couldn't see with the blood pouring into my eye,' he said. 'He opened it up with a left uppercut late in the fifth round. I was ducking down and he hit the bone over the eye and sliced it open. I felt his punches but I wasn't really hurt. It wasn't like I was staggered or anything. There was just so much blood that I couldn't see.
'I thought I had him a couple of times but I just couldn't finish him off. Fletcher is a good fighter but he's not a thinking fighter. I don't think he's a world-class fighter. He comes to brawl. You punch him. He punches you.'
In the featured preliminary at the Sands Casino, No. 8-ranked welterweight Kevin Howard of Philadelphia raised his record to 17-2-1 with a second-round knockout of Ceotis Burgess of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
In a separate show at the Golden Nugget, Clint Jackson of Nashville, Tenn., battled his way back into title contention with a 10-round split decision over Robbie Sims, Hagler's half-brother. Jackson dropped a 12-round decision to Fletcher in June.
Jackson used his right jab effectively to win the battle of left-handers and now is hoping for a shot at either the middleweight or junior middleweight titles. He raised his record to 20-2 while Sims fell to 15-2.
Also, former Olympic champion Howard Davis was in command all the way in outpointing veteran Cocoa Sanchez of the Dominican Republic in a 10-round lightweight fight. Davis is now 20-1 while Sanchez fell to 28-11-2.
Reading that article in the above post, this quote by Frank Fletcher jumped right out at me, this was what Frank Fletcher was all about and why he was a boxing fans dream, the guy was a balls-to-the-wall gladiator.
"I like it when a guy comes to fight and hits me -- it makes me feel like I'm in a fight."
The highlights from Frank Fletcher vs James Green. Man, when Green got cut it was over, he covered up and Fletcher went ape$hit on him.
Frank Fletcher vs Ernie Singletary on August 31st, 1981, at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This is an awesome summary of the fight by a hardcore boxing fan that attended the fight:
"I went to most of Frank's fights between 80~83. The Singletary fight 36 years ago today still resonates with me as one of the top three fights I attended live. Neither fighter liked the other (both were from Philly) and the level of violence was great. At the end of the fight, Singletary wobbled back to his corner with his eyes completely shut and his ability to absorb the Animals punches fading fast. This, to me, was Frank at his beastly best. I remember going to a bar after the fight and reliving it over by talking about it the rest of the night with my two friends I went with. 36 years later, they're gone now, I live elsewhere, Frank lives now only in my memory, but I will watch the dvd at 8 p.m. and feel the rush again. To those who haven't seen it, I hope you do some day. Just a settling of neighborhood grudge fight that was one of the best nights of my life." - The Morlocks, Aug 30, 2017
Frank Fletcher vs Ernie Singletary. This was a real fight in a phone booth, just brutal infighting. Referee Paul Venti refused to let Singeltary, whose right eye was swollen shut, answer the bell for the eighth round of a scheduled 12-rounds. Fletcher started slowly, with Singletary tying him up and pounding his body. Fletcher, who suffered a badly cut right eye from an accidental headbutt, began landing left hooks to Singletary's eye in the fifth round. From there on, Singletary's eye got worse and worse as Fletcher landed at will and the fight was waved off after the 7th.
How about a music break, I think this song is appropriate for our Frank "The Animal" Fletcher profile.
Love you guys.
Frank Fletcher vs Tony Braxton on February 28th, 1982, at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, yet another Frank Fletcher classic, when or lose the guy was never in a dull fight, it's a shame his style of give-and-take made him burn out so fast. It was even more dramatic because these two had a history, the pair had previously fought in 1979 at Rahway State Prison in New Jersey.
FLETCHER IS WINNER, KEEPING RING TITLE
By: Michael Katz, Special To the New York Times
March 1, 1982
This time they fought on the outside. Twice before, in 1979, Frank (The Animal) Fletcher and Tony Braxton met in Rahway State Prison, where Braxton was serving time. The first bout ended in a six-round draw and Braxton won the second on a six-round decision.
Today Fletcher, once an inmate at Holmesburg Prison in Philadelphia, evened the score, retaining his United States Boxing Association middleweight title with a unanimous decision in a furiously paced 12-rounder at the Sands Hotel.
Fletcher, a southpaw ranked No.3 by the World Boxing Association, said it did not make a difference where he fought Braxton, who had served a term for armed robbery at Rahway.
''He had a home-court advantage,'' said Fletcher of the previous fights, ''but it didn't make no difference to me because I was incarcerated myself. He beat me and I evened the score.''
The scoring upset Braxton's manager, Lou Duva, who conceded that Fletcher had won but said he was shocked that one judge, Richard Murry, had given Fletcher a 9-3 advantage in rounds and that the referee, Tony Perez, had it 8-4. The other judge, Frank Brunett, scored it 6-5, with one round even, which was more in line with the scoring of most ringside observers.
Braxton, the 30-year-old older brother of Dwight Braxton, the World Boxing Council light-heavyweight champion, acknowledged that he had lost. But afterward, though his right eye was nearly swollen shut, he appeared in better shape than the winner.
Fletcher, who suffered an injury to his right eye when he was thumbed last Aug.31 while outpointing Ernie Singletary, was cut over the eye in the sixth round. The cut bled the rest of the fight, and in the eighth he was cut inside the mouth as well.
In winning his 14th fight against two losses and the draw, the 158 1/4-pound Fletcher overcame some fine counterpunching by Braxton, especially with the right. In the sixth Braxton staggered Fletcher with a right cross followed by a left hook. But with his mother, Lucille Fletcher, a former amateur boxing judge, screaming, ''Frankie, stay on the right and keep that right hand up!'' the Philadelphian quickly regained control of the fight and finished strongly.
Braxton, 156 3/4, was beaten for only the second time. He has won 11 and had one draw. ''It doesn't matter whether he wins or loses today,'' said Duva before the fight. ''He's won his big fight already.'' Last October Braxton, who had served 14 years in prison, entered the Damon House drug and alcohol center in Paterson, where he is preparing to become a youth counselor.
''I hope you give me a rematch, the way I gave one to you,'' he told Fletcher. ''If I ever get a shot at Marvin Hagler, I'll win the title and then I'll give you a rematch,'' Fletcher replied. Hagler, the undisputed middleweight champion, defends his title next Sunday here against Bill (Caveman) Lee, whom Fletcher knocked out in the fourth round in 1980.
Frank Fletcher vs Norberto Sabater. It's just unbelievable how many action-packed fights Fletcher was in, this was another one with a damn good fighter from Puerto Rico with an 19-0 record.
Frank Fletcher won the U.S.B.A. middleweight title Sunday with...
By
June 15, 1981
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Frank Fletcher won the U.S.B.A. middleweight title Sunday with a unanimous decision over Norberto Sabater in a 10-round fight and said he was now 'ready for anyone in the middleweight division.'
Fletcher, 27, a Philadelphia boxer known as 'The Animal,' used an aggressive attack to stay on top of Sabatar for most of the action-packed bout.
The victory raises Fletcher's record to 12-2-1 and should put him into the top 10 middleweight contenders for the WBC and WBA titles.
'Right now, I feel like I'm ready for anyone in the middleweight division, including champion Marvin Hagler,' he said.
It was the first blemish on 23-year-old Sabater's record -- he came into the bout rated eighth with a 19-0 record.
The bout was ruled a U.S.B.A. title fight when U.S.B.A. President Robert Lee stripped Curtis Parker of the middleweight title. Parker had not defended his crown since May 4, 1980.
Both fighters began the fight by slugging it out in the corners. Fletcher was the aggressor, while Sabater chose to stand and trade punches with the 157-pound Philadelphian.
'It was a tough fight, he showed he could take some of my best punches,' Fletcher said at the postfight press conference. 'But if the fight would have went two or three more rounds, I feel I would have got to him.'
'I felt like I had him hurt in the eighth, but somewhere he must have found some energy to survive my power,' he said, trying on his new U.S.B.A. title belt.
Sabater fought in contrast to his usual style -- generally the Brooklyn, N.Y., boxer moves around the ring and relies on jabbing attacks.
In a subdued interview where he spoke quietly and held ice packs under both eyes, Sabater recalled his first loss in 20 fights and agreed in part with Fletcher's assessment.
'I gave it everything I had the first four rounds,' he said. 'I made a mistake -- I went for the early knockout, and didn't have anything left in the latter stages.
'Next time, I'll fight him smarter, move around the ring more. Of course, it's up to him to fight me again.'
Boxing fans in the middle rounds saw some of the best recent fighting action in Atlantic City rings, as both fighters boxed aggressively and landed impressive combinations.
Here is a press photo from 1981 showing Frank Fletcher and Norberto Sabater.
This is an on-site poster for Frank Fletcher vs Slammin' Sammy Nesmith on December 4th, 1980, at Resorts International in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Fletcher won this fight by stoppage in the 6th. Sammy Nesmith wasn't called Slammin' for nothing, he had thunderous punching power, you had a have a strong chin to hold up to his shots.
This is a photo of the Fletcher brothers. From left: Anthony "Two Guns" Fletcher, Troy Fletcher, and Frank Fletcher.
It's a shame there's not a lot of photos of Frank Fletcher and his fights, this is one of my favorite images of him.
That image of Frank Fletcher in the post above was actually taken from a 1983 issue of Sports Illustrated that featured an article about his mother, Lucille Fletcher.
Frank Fletcher vs William "Caveman" Lee In July of 1980. This is one of my favorite Fletcher performances. Caveman Lee was a dangerous puncher with a record of 14-1 (13 KO) coming into this fight, only one man had heard the final bell against Lee, Fletcher was the underdog. After an initial feeling out period, Fletcher begins to apply vicious pressure on Lee, opening up on him and catching him with good power shots. He eventually hurts Lee and overwhelms him with sheer aggression. I have to say, once Fletcher had a guy hurt and smelled blood in the water, they were all but done, he was a ruthless finisher.
This is a famous photo of Frank Fletcher, you can see his missing front teeth that he lost in a prison fight.
Atlantic City was on fire back in the 80s, some action-packed brutal wars were fought there, and Frank Fletcher was a big reason why. This is a great book about it.
Frank Fletcher lived an extremely violent life outside the ring, but he did get get it all turned around. This is a great documentary about Fletcher, produced by the legendary Rich the Fight Historian on YouTube, he always does a phenomenal job with these documentaries.
Here is an article about Frank "The Animal" Fletcher written in 2022 shortly after his release from prison, sadly his mother Lucille has passed away since this article was written.
The Spirit
Frank Fletcher, the ex-boxer, is no longer “The Animal” he was in the streets
November 16, 2022
By: Napoleon F. Kingcade
SPIRIT correspondent
In 2017, Frank “The Animal” Fletcher (left) was released from a federal prison after 22 years. A friend was among the first people he saw. Facebook photo
Southwest Philadelphia native and former USBA middleweight champion boxer Frank “The Animal” Fletcher, is making a brand new start in his life. During his boxing heyday, Fletcher allowed violence to destroy his career.
Twice, he had an opportunity to fight Marvin Hagler for the WBA middleweight title. And twice, Fletcher was defeated in both fights prior to facing Hagler.
Despite blowing both championship opportunities, Fletcher used violence in the streets before having a chance to advance to a title fight with Hagler. Despite his violent past, Fletcher still finished his pro boxing career with a 18-6-1 record.
Now, that Fletcher is retired from pro boxing, the 68-year-old former champion is free from all the violence and living a better life in Southwest Philadelphia. He lives with his mother near the 4900 block of Woodland Ave.
Before Fletcher became a pro boxer, he spent most of his childhood in jail and reform school. He was arrested over 27 times from age eight to 21-years old.
“I had so many problems in my life,” said Fletcher. “I had often thought that the only peace I would get was in a graveyard. Jail was my second home.”
While in prison, Fletcher became a boxer. He was knocking out prison inmates by the dozens. Upon his release from prison, Fletcher was lucky enough to win a few fights and enter an ESPN boxing tournament.
That’s where he built his reputation and earned his nickname – “The Animal.”
And that’s when his life started turning around.
He fought fighters like Clint Jackson, James “Hard Rock” Green and Wilford Scypion. Fletcher was a fighter who always excited crowds and he made a name for himself on ESPN, ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” and NBC Sports.
His mother, Lucille Fletcher, was his biggest supporter. She would always come to his fights and be cheering for him near ringside. The late legendary broadcaster Howard Cosell always found her to be fascinating. Cosell would always mention her name on the microphone.
Fletcher had a pretty good boxing career as a middleweight championship contender. He fell on hard times after losing his final three fights. He lost his biggest fight against Scypion, a boxer Mother Lucille called a dirty fighter.
Scypion beat Fletcher to prevent him from facing Hagler in a title fight. That led Fletcher back to the streets where he got into more trouble. Once he was finished with boxing, Fletcher got in trouble for assaulting people in the streets. His last assault occurred in 1995 when he stepped into a store and assaulted the owner. After that, he went back to prison and spent 22 years at a high-security federal penitentiary in Beaumont, Texas.
When he left the prison in 2017, Fletcher said he changed his life around. In the meantime, his younger brother, Anthony “Two Gun” Fletcher, was also released around the same time. Anthony spent 28 years on death row before his sentence was overturned and was released from prison in January, 2021 after his new lawyer discovered that his former attorney messed up his case.
His new lawyer told him the old lawyer didn’t properly handle his case. It was ruled that Anthony’s case wasn’t investigated properly and it wasn’t proven that the shooting for which he was convicted actually happened during a struggle or that Anthony shot his attacker in self defense.
Common Pleas Court Judge Lillian Ransom resentenced Anthony to 25 years, but since he had already served 28 years in prison, Ransom ordered him immediately released.
Both Fletcher brothers were inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame in 2018.
Today, Frank Fletcher is doing much better. According to family members, he is busy training other boxers in a local gym and he is often seen helping senior citizens at his mother’s neighborhood church.
A couple of more photos of Frank Fletcher and then I'll move on.
Final thoughts on Frank "The Animal" Fletcher. As a boxing fan it's impossible not to like him, excitement-wise, I would put him right up there with guys like Bobby Chacon, Arturo Gatti, he gave the fans their money's worth and then some. When Frank Fletcher stepped in the ring, you were going to be on the edge of your seat.
How about a music break. Sick beat.
Let's look at some 1930 and 40s classic horror movie posters, I am a big fan of horror movies, really love the classics from the Golden era. These original posters are works of art in their own right, extremely rare, a lot of them have been lost to time and are difficult to find. When they do surface at auction, they go for big money, we're talking five, sometimes six figures. For fans of these classics, the posters are holy grails. This original poster for The Mummy (1932) starring Boris Karloff, sold for almost a million a while back.
Some more posters for The Mummy.
Werewolf of London (1935), starring Henry Hull.
The Wolf Man (1941), starring Lon Chaney.