Former Middleweight Contender Antwun Echols, Davenport’s Kid Dynamite, Dies at 52

Former Middleweight Contender Antwun Echols, Davenport’s Kid Dynamite, Dies at 52

By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

Former world middleweight contender and world title challenger Antwun ‘Kid Dynamite’ Echols has died at the age of 52 in his native Davenport, Iowa.

Despite losing his professional debut, between 1993 and 2012, Echols compiled a professional ring record of 32-20-4 and 28 knockouts. When Echols did win, he had an 88 percent knockout ratio, with all but one of those knockouts coming during Echols middleweight prime period from 1993 to 2004. In his last 18 comeback bout attempts, Echols faded and was 1-14-3 between 2005 and 2012.

This reporter was present at Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket when Echols was stopped in the third round by Jimmy Burchfield fighter Joe Spina on October 2, 2010. It would be the last fight won in the career of the 26-3-2 Spina, who fought Echols at light heavyweight.

Echols held the regional International Boxing Federation USA and North American Boxing Federation American Middleweight titles during his career. Echols fought Bernard Hopkins twice for the International Boxing Federation World Middleweight title in December 1999 (Lost Decision in 12) and December 2000 (Lost TKO by 10). In February 2000, Echols won a 10 round decision over Anthony Ivory at River Center in Davenport, the same Anthony Ivory who knocked out Echols in the first round in his pro debut. Echols had improved remarkably at that point in his career.

Five more big wins after losing to Hopkins for the second time put Echols into a vacant World Boxing Association World Super Middleweight title bout in Sydney, Australia, in 2003, which Echols lost by unanimous decision. Between 2004 and 2007, Echols won twice, drew twice, and was stopped in the tenth round by Kingston Ikeke in an IBF eliminator bout for the number two ratings position in 2005.

Echols then became a trial horse journeyman, fighting and losing to such names as Peter Quillin, Alejandro Berrio, Marcus Oliveira, Caleb Truax, Mike Jimenez, Dyah Davis, Phil Williams and Roman Karmazin (a seventh round stoppage in an attempt to regain his NABF Middleweight title, in a bout where Echols had Karmazin down in the fifth round).

Echols mysteriously drew and then lost to the late Michael ‘The Midnight Stalker’ Walker, who was 18-0-1 when Echols fought him for the first time to a 10 round majority draw in February 2008. After losing to the then 18-0 Peter Quillin by 10 round decision in April 2008, Echols lost an eight round majority decision to the then 19-1-2 Walker in December 2008. Walker went 0-18-1 in his next 19 bouts before getting shot to death in a 2013 robbery. Echols himself was shot in the leg in Davenport during a robbery attempt in 2013, which ended any remote ideas of a boxing comeback.

Echols was last known to be living with his fiancée in Dade City, Florida, and was known to have been survived by at least 23 children he knew of, but admitted in a 2013 interview he could have had more.