Found! Former Olympic Gold Medalist and WBA Champion Mark Breland is Located at a New Jersey Care Facility
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Former Golden Gloves champion, 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist and World Boxing Association World Welterweight champion Mark Breland, 63, who had been missing since October 2025, has been located after a public appeal from his family and is currently at a New Jersey Care Facility under the supervision of his wife, Dana. Breland is suffering from memory loss and cognitive impairment, effects of his boxing career.
Under the tutelage of Emmanuel Steward, Breland had a 110-1 amateur record, then fought professionally between 1984 and 1997, with a professional record of 35-3-1 with 25 knockouts. Breland won the WBA World Welterweight championship twice and was 6-3-1 in world title bouts. After a five-year layoff, Breland returned in 1996 and won five consecutive comeback bouts, finishing his career with a 10-round points decision over Rick Haynes in March 1997 at Riverfront Sports Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
Best known as the trainer of former World Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, Breland was fired after he stopped Wilder’s rematch with Tyson Fury to protect Wilder from further punishment. Breland also trained the late former world welterweight and light middleweight champion Vernon Forrest, and was an assistant trainer for world light middleweight and middleweight champion Jermall Charlo.
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