Duke Ragan Explained

Duke Ragan
Weight:Featherweight
Height:5 ft 5 in
Birth Date:18 September 1997
Birth Place:Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Style:Orthodox
Boxrec:854243
Total:9
Wins:9
Ko:1

Duke Ragan (born September 18, 1997)[1] is an American professional boxer who won a silver medal in the featherweight division at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Amateur/Olympic career

After learning the sport at the Cincinnati Golden Gloves boxing club in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of his hometown, Ragan won silver medals at the 2017 World Championships and the 2019 Pan American Games as an amateur in the bantamweight division.[2] In June 2021, less than a year after he turned pro, Ragan qualified for the postponed Tokyo Olympics as a featherweight based on the ranking points he had accumulated during the previous years.[3]

Ragan won his first four bouts in Tokyo to qualify for the gold medal bout, beating seeded Samuel Kistohurry and Serik Temirzhanov in the process.[4] He lost the Olympic final 3–2 to fellow professional Albert Batyrgaziev of the Russian team. Ragan won the third round on four of the five judges' scorecards, but attributed his defeat to a slow start.[5]

Ragan still became the first professional boxer to win a medal for the U.S. team. He also became only the second silver medalist for the American men's team since 2004, joining Shakur Stevenson.

Professional career

Ragan turned pro in July 2020 with James Prince as his manager. He was initially set to make his debut on August 8.[6] In August, he signed a multi-year promotional contract with Bob Arum's Top Rank,[7] with his rescheduled debut set for August 22 against Luis Alvarado on the undercard of Eleider Alvarez vs. Joe Smith Jr. at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Paradise, Nevada.[8] Ragan knocked Alvarado down with a right hand in the first round. He made it back to his feet before referee Jay Nady's count of ten. Disorientated, Alavarado turned his back on Nady which prompted him to call a halt to the contest, handing Ragan a first-round technical knockout (TKO) victory.[9]

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
9 Win9–0Jose PerezSD8Oct 14, 2023
8Win8–0Luis LebronUD8 Oct 29, 2022
7Win7–0D'Angelo FuentesUD6Aug 13, 2022
6Win6–0Victorino GonzalezUD4May 21, 2022
5Win5–0Diuhl OlguinUD6Apr 9, 2022
4Win4–0Charles ClarkUD6Apr 10, 2021
3Win3–0Sebastian GutierrezUD4Nov 14, 2020
2Win2–0John Moraga4Oct 3, 2020
1Win1–0Luis Alvarado1 (4), Aug 22, 2020

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Boxing RAGAN Duke - Tokyo 2020 Olympics. dead. August 7, 2021. Olympics. August 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210807202547/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/boxing/athlete-profile-n1460085-ragan-duke.htm.
  2. Web site: Duke Ragan. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170707140538/http://www.teamusa.org/usa-boxing/athletes/Duke-Ragan. July 7, 2017. June 18, 2020. Team USA.
  3. Web site: Beacham . Greg . Keyshawn Davis to fight at Tokyo Olympics despite going pro . apnews.com . June 7, 2021 . 5 August 2021.
  4. Web site: Olympics.com . olympics.com . 5 August 2021 . August 5, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210805095802/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/news/team-usa-s-duke-ragan-featherweight-pro-ready-for-the-amateurs-biggest-show . dead .
  5. Web site: Beacham . Greg . Batyrgaziev, Ragan make Olympic history for pro boxers . apnews.com . August 5, 2021 . 5 August 2021.
  6. Web site: Woodson. R. L.. July 17, 2020. Amateur Standout Duke Ragan Slated for August 6 Pro Debut on ESPN Round By Round Boxing. August 10, 2020. Round by Round Boxing. en-US.
  7. Web site: August 10, 2020. Duke Ragan Inks Promotional Pact With Top Rank. August 10, 2020. BoxingScene.com. en-us.
  8. Web site: August 12, 2020. Eleider Alvarez vs. Joe Smith - Full Undercard Revealed. August 13, 2020. BoxingScene.com. en-us.
  9. Web site: Idec. Keith. August 22, 2020. Duke Ragan Scores First-Round Knockout Of Luis Alvarado In Pro Debut. August 23, 2020. Boxing Scene. en-us.