Remember Troy Waters, Who Fought Terry Norris in 1993 Round of the Year
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
*Photo Courtesy BoxRec
Troy Waters, a member of the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame, has died at age 53. a native of Sydney, Australia, Waters excelled is the light middleweight (super welterweight) and middleweight divisions, compiling a record of 28-5 with 20 knockouts. Between 1984 and 1998. Waters held the now defunct World Boxing Board World Super Welterweight championship, winning the vacant WBB world title in October 1993 by stopping Robert Mangila in the sixth round.
Waters held the Australia New South Wales Super Welterweight title, the Australian Super Welterweight title, and the Commonwealth British Empire Super Welterweight title, winning all four of the Commonwealth British Empire bouts he fought in as champion. However, Waters seventh-round of his bouts to world champions: Felix Trinidad, Simon Brown, Terry Norris, Gianfranco Rosi, and In Chul Baek. Waters finished his career with a seventh round stoppage of Ambrose Mlilo in Newcastle in April 1998.
Waters appeared to go down from a ghost punch thrown by Felix Trinidad, who missed with a left hook. Waters then apparently went down on all fours without getting hit, as a Trinidad right hook sailed over him and also missed. However, Trinidad dropped Waters on the ropes a second time, who did not fight back, but who did beat the count in their brief one round bout in Madison Square Garden in August 1997, stopped by referee Arthur Mercante. Wasters had been in a serious car accident before the Trinidad bout, and was considering retirement after the accident, and was far from his former self when he stepped into the ring with Trinidad.
Waters best appearance was in June 1993 in his challenge against Terry Norris for the World Boxing Council World Super Welterweight title. Waters went down in the first round, and twice in the third round, Norris went down in the second round, Ring Magazine’s ‘Round of the Year’ in 1993. Referee Marty Denkin stopped the bout after Waters, punched out and bleeding from cuts below both eyes and on an eyebrow, indicated he did not wish to continue after the ringside doctor gave him only one more round in the corner between rounds.
Norris lost a strange point in round one from a right hook punch which landed to the back of Waters head as Waters was already down from a knockdown, with his head already pointed downward, which could have resulted a disqualification. It appeared Norris landed two lefts to the body of Waters, then a right hook behind the head as Waters leaned forward, before Waters went down. Television commentator Dr. Ferdie Pacheco noted Norris could have been disqualified, and if Waters had stayed down after the illegal punch, he probably would have won by disqualification.
Trained by his father, Waters also had two older brothers who boxed professionally, Dean Waters and Guy ‘Arc Angel’ Waters. His brother Guy Waters held the Australian and Commonwealth British Empire Light Heavyweight titles, and challenged for the World Boxing Council World Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight titles unsuccessfully in his career. Waters is survived by his wife Michelle, two children, and his two boxing brothers.
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