Whatever Happened to Steve McCrory, The Detroit Bluesman?
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Steve ‘Bluesman’ McCrory won the 1984 Olympic Games Flyweight Gold Medal. The younger brother of Detroit World Boxing Council Welterweight champion Milt McCrory, Steve compiled a professional record of 30 wins, five losses and one draw between October 1984 and November 1991.
Steve fought between flyweight and junior lightweight during his fighting years, entering the ring between 117 and 131 pounds. Steve debuted at Madison Square Garden in New York City, winning by fourth round stoppage over 9-4-1 Jeff Hanna on October 19, 1984.
Unbeaten in his first 11 bouts, McCrory traveled to Sydney, Australia, where Jeff Fenech stopped him in the fourteenth round to retain the International Boxing Federation World Bantamweight title in June 1986.
In November 1986, McCrory was upset again by stoppage, a fifth round stoppage loss at Caesar’s Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada, to future southpaw IBF World Super Bantamweight champion Jose Sanabria of Venezuela.
Steve then won 17 bouts consecutively, including winning the WBC Continental Americas Super bantamweight title. Unfortunately, Steve loss three of his last five bouts by decision. He lost a 12 round IBC World Super Featherweight title bout over 12 rounds to Richard Savage of Louisiana. He lost a 12 rounder to Jesse James Leija of San Antonio, Texas, who held the world super featherweight and lightweight titles at various times. Paris southpaw Stephane Haccoun, a future EBU European Featherweight champion, then won a ten round decision over McCrory in France. McCrory then retired at age 27.
McCrory died in 2000 after a long illness. No other information was disclosed. The only pictures of Steve McCrory which survive come from his old film footage versus Jeff Fenech for the IBF world title, the only career bout of significance for Steve, which he lost. If was his best effort, and he would soon be forgotten. The soul of Steve McCrory still lives in his bout with Fenech, fighting the fight of his life for glory and recognition, far from Detroit and home, only to be forgotten by all but boxing historians.
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