Heavyweight Jeremy ‘The Beast’ Bates Wins Comeback at 51
By Robert Brizel, Head Read Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Ashland, Kentucky (August 3rd, 2025)– In the land of improbable old man heavyweight comebacks, former world heavyweight champion Oliver ‘The Bull’ McCall finally has some competition. In the main event of a four bout card on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at El Hasa Shrine Temple in Ashland, Kentucky, former heavyweight boxing veteran Jeremy Bates, age 51, 27-19-1 with 18 knockouts, Charleston, West Virginia, after a ring absence of nearly eight and half years, knocked down 1-5 Isaiah Margheim twice and stopped him at 1:54 of the first round.
Bates weighed in at 209 pounds, over 47 pounds less than he did in his last bout in Phoenix, Arizona, in February 2025, in a bout for the vacant NABA regional heavyweight title against B.J. Flores.
Some of the first and second tier heavyweight names with winning records Jeremy Bates lost to during his career, which began with a stoppage win over winless Reggie Strickland in November 1999 some four decades ago, include: Kirk Johnson, Brian Minto, Ray Austin, Andre Purlette, Evander Holyfield, Andrew Golota, Guillermo Jones, Odlanier Solis, Kali Meehan, Siarhei Liakhovich, and Oscar Rivas.
Jeremy Bates scored his last win on April 23, 2016, at the Pullman Plaza Hotel, in Huntington, Long Island, New York, when he came off the canvas in the first round to stop 31-9-2 Adolfo Washington, who did not answer the bell for round two. Washington had previously gone 12 rounds with James Toney, and went 10 rounds with Vassily Jirov, and the upset win by Bates, which ended Washington’s career, was the biggest win of his career.
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