Rhoshii Wells
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's boxing | ||
Representing the  United States
| ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
1996 Atlanta | Middleweight |
Rhoshii Wells (December 30, 1976 – August 11, 2008) was an American boxer, who won the bronze medal in the Middleweight Division at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He was born in Austin, Texas.
Amateur career
[edit]Olympic Results
- Defeated Kourosh Molaei (Iran) 24-7
- Defeated Ricardo Rodríguez (Brazil) 16-2
- Defeated Dilshod Yarbekov (Uzbekistan) 8-8, judges cards
- Lost to Ariel Hernández (Cuba) 8-17
Pro career
[edit]Nicknamed "The Great One", Wells began his professional career in 1997, and got off to a 17-0-2 start in the Light Middleweight division, setting up a shot at WBA Light Middleweight Title holder Alejandro Garcia in 2003. He was ahead on the scorecards before Garcia stopped him in the 11th round.[1] In 2005, Wells had the opportunity for a rematch with Garcia but was defeated via TKO in the 9th round.
He attempted a comeback on the 3rd season of the boxing reality TV series, The Contender on ESPN, but was eliminated before the competition began.[1]
Death
[edit]Rhoshii Wells was shot and killed in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 11, 2008.[2] Police arrested 26-year-old Roger Randolph, who claimed that he shot Wells in self-defense after Wells punched him and robbed him of $100. The District Attorney stated that they would seek the death penalty against Randolph.[3]
In May 2012, Randolph was sentenced to 20 years to life for murder with a deadly weapon, plus one to 12 years for discharging weapon where a person might be endangered.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Thomas Gerbasi (2008-08-14). "Rhoshii Wells 1976–2008". Maxboxing.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-22. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ Title Challenger, Olympic Rhoshii Wells Dead at 31 Boxing Scene
- ^ DA Seeks Death Penalty in Slaying of Former Olympic Boxer[dead link] SI.com, January 6, 2009
- ^ "Vegas Man Gets 21 To Life In Olympic Boxer Slaying". CBS Local Media. Associated Press. 2012-05-02. Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
External links
[edit]- Boxing record for Rhoshii Wells from BoxRec (registration required)
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- 1976 births
- 2008 deaths
- 2008 murders in the United States
- Boxers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in boxing
- Sportspeople from Austin, Texas
- Deaths by firearm in Nevada
- People murdered in Nevada
- Boxers from Texas
- American male boxers
- Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Middleweight boxers
- African-American boxers
- 20th-century African-American sportsmen
- 21st-century African-American sportsmen
- American boxing Olympic medalist stubs