Tarmo Uusivirta

Tarmo "Tare" Tapani Uusivirta (5 February 1957 – 13 December 1999) was a Finnish professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1992, and challenged once for the European super-middleweight title in 1991.[1] As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 1979 European Championships, and consecutive silver medals at the 1978 and 1982 World Championships; all in the middleweight division.

Tarmo Uusivirta
Statistics
Real nameTarmo Tapani Uusivirta
Nickname(s)Tare
Weight(s)Super-middleweight
Height1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
NationalityFinnish
Born(1957-02-05)5 February 1957
Jyväskylä, Finland
DiedDecember 13, 1999(1999-12-13) (aged 42)
Jyväskylä, Finland
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights31
Wins24
Wins by KO16
Losses4
Draws3

Amateur career

Besides the European title, Uusivirta won silver medals at the world championships in 1978 and 1982. He competed at the 1980 Olympics and lost in the second round to the eventual bronze medalist Jerzy Rybicki.[1]

Professional career

In 1982 Uusivirta turned professional. In 1986, he had a draw with the then reigning European Champion Alex Blanchard in a non-title match. In 1987, he won against the future European champion James Cook (boxer). In 1988 he had a second draw with Blanchard, contending the IBF European super-middleweight title. In 1992, shortly before the European super-middleweight title fight against James Cook (boxer), Uusivirta suffered an injury and had to give up a close bout in the 7th round. He retired the same year with a record of 24 wins (16 knockouts), 4 losses, and 3 draws.[1]

Retirement and death

After retiring Uusivirta grew bitter and regretted his move from amateur to professional boxing. He eventually lost his job as a fireman due to alcoholism, and committed suicide at the age of 42 in 1999.[1]

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary
31 fights 24 wins 4 losses
By knockout 16 2
By decision 8 2
Draws 3
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
31 Win 24–4–3 Shannon Landberg UD 8 5 Apr 1992 Seinäjoki, Finland
30 Loss 23–4–3 James Cook RTD 7 (12), 0:58 22 Oct 1991 Latchmere Leisure Centre, London, England For European super-middleweight title
29 Win 23–3–3 Ron Lee Warrior KO 1 17 Jun 1991 Helsinki, Finland
28 Win 22–3–3 Kenny Schaefer TKO 7 (10) 25 Mar 1991 Helsinki, Finland
27 Win 21–3–3 Jimmy Shavers KO 5, 1:10 3 Dec 1990 Helsinki, Finland
26 Win 20–3–3 Irving Hines TKO 4 (10), 2:28 5 Nov 1990 Helsinki, Finland
25 Win 19–3–3 Troy Watson UD 8 1 Oct 1990 Helsinki, Finland
24 Win 18–3–3 William Clayton KO 1 (8), 2:59 20 Aug 1990 Helsinki, Finland
23 Draw 17–3–3 Alex Blanchard SD 12 12 Dec 1988 Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland For vacant IBF European super-middleweight title
22 Win 17–3–2 Gonzalo Mencho KO 4 (8) 11 Sep 1988 UKK Halli, Laukaa, Finland
21 Win 16–3–2 Harry Cowap RTD 3 (10), 3:00 15 May 1988 Ice Stadium, Tampere, Finland
20 Win 15–3–2 Tony Burke RTD 8 (10), 3:00 7 Feb 1988 UKK Halli, Laukaa, Finland
19 Win 14–3–2 Mbuyanba Kalombo PTS 6 15 Jan 1988 Skive Hallerne, Skive, Denmark
18 Win 13–3–2 James Cook UD 10 26 Oct 1987 Jyväskylä, Finland
17 Draw 12–3–2 Enrico Scacchia PTS 10 26 Dec 1986 Bern, Switzerland
16 Win 12–3–1 Joe Cooper TKO 2 (6) 21 Nov 1986 Tre Falke Scenen, Copenhagen, Denmark
15 Win 11–3–1 Jimmy Cable PTS 10 9 Nov 1986 Vaasa, Finland
14 Draw 10–3–1 Alex Blanchard PTS 10 26 Mar 1986 Jaap Edenhal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
13 Win 10–3 Philippe Seys KO 2 24 Nov 1985 Vaasa, Finland
12 Win 9–3 Paul Tchoue PTS 8 11 May 1985 Vaasa, Finland
11 Win 8–3 Willie Wright PTS 8 9 Mar 1985 K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark
10 Win 7–3 Esperno Postl TKO 3 27 Oct 1984 Mariehamn, Finland
9 Loss 6–3 Jose Seys TKO 5 21 May 1984 Urheilutalo, Helsinki, Finland
8 Loss 6–2 Anthony Holt MD 8 11 May 1984 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, US
7 Win 6–1 Juan Munoz Holgado KO 3 (6) 18 Feb 1984 Idrætshuset, Copenhagen, Denmark
6 Win 5–1 Martin McEwan KO 2 17 Dec 1983 Hotel Arkipelag, Mariehamn, Finland
5 Loss 4–1 Dick Katende PTS 8 5 Nov 1983 Mannheim, West Germany
4 Win 4–0 Maurice Bufi TKO 5 18 Sep 1983 Jyväskylä, Finland
3 Win 3–0 Andre Mongelema RTD 5, 3:00 9 Apr 1983 Blendecques, France
2 Win 2–0 Deano Wallace KO 2 1 Oct 1982 Helsinki, Finland
1 Win 1–0 Mick Morris PTS 6 25 Jun 1982 Hanko, Finland Professional debut

References

  1. Kilpakenttien sankarit. Tammi. 1992. pp. 50–54.

Further reading

  • Rantalainen, Simo (2017). Tare: mestarinyrkkeilijän muotokuva (in Finnish). Johnny Kniga. ISBN 978-951-0-41968-7.
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