IBF Champion Buster Drayton Is Laughing Out Loud
By Robert Brizel, Real Combat Media Correspondent
Philadelphia, PA (February 19th, 2013)–Buster Drayton is laughing out loud. I am sure this is the first time you have heard the express LOL, which means laughing out loud, applied to a pastor present boxing champion. Drayton, from South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who will turn 59 on March 2, 2013, held the International Boxing Federation World Light Middleweight championship from 1986 to 1987, fighting in five world championship bouts. This includes his attempt to win the World Boxing Association World Light Middleweight title from Julian Jackson in 1988.
The IBF World Light Middleweight title was vacant when Buster won a 15 round majority decision over 33-1 Carlos Santos, the former IBF world champion who had been stripped for failure to defend, at Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on June 4, 1986. Buster then defended his IBF world title against former WBA titleholder Davey Moore on August 24, 1986, in Juan-les-Pins, France, by tenth round stoppage. Buster defended his IBF world title a second in Cannes, France, with a tenth round stoppage of Said Skouma.
Buster lost his IBF world title at the Forum in Montreal, Canada, to 26-0 Canadian fighter Matthew Hilton, by 15 round decision. After unsuccessful attempts to win the WBA World Light Middleweight from Julian Jackson, and the North American Boxing Federation Light Middleweight title from Terry Norris (lose 12), Drayton would fight on ten more times, winning seven of his last ten bouts.
After five straight wins in Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina and New Hampshire, Drayton challenged Derrick Rolon for the United States Boxing Federation North Atlantic Middleweight title, losing a 12 round decision on June 6, 1995, in Worcester, Massachusetts, his final professional ring appearance. Drayton’s final professional record ended at 40-15-1, with 28 knockouts.
After 17 years out of the ring, Drayton returned to the ring on January 28, 2012, to fight a three round exhibition at age 57 against Philadelphia police officer Floyd ‘Sugar Boy’ Richards on the undercard of light heavyweight Dhafir Smith’s six round bout against Quinton Rankin at First District Plaza in Philadelphia. Drayton and Richards both work at Veteran’s Hospital in Center City. In terms of longevity in the ring, Drayton was nine years younger against Richards than former World Heavyweight champion Jack Johnson was when Johnson appeared in an charity exhibition for U.S. War Bonds at age 66 in 1945. Former Junior Welterweight champion Saoul Mamby fought a professional ten round bout at age 60 in 2008.
More importantly, Buster Drayton, a Philadelphia fighter and world champion in the great tradition of Philadelphia fighters, survived his boxing years together upstairs, and came out smiling in his ‘return’ to the ring, with his faculties, wit, wisdom and sense of humor all intact, which stands for Buster’s class, depth, and reflection. Buster Drayton emerged the ring victorious in life, laughing out loud.
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