Willie Monroe (boxer, born 1946)

Willie "The Worm" Monroe (June 5, 1946 - June 22, 2019) was a middleweight boxer who competed from 1969 to 1981. He was most notable for defeating Marvelous Marvin Hagler in 1976 before Hagler went on an eleven year undefeated streak.

Monroe received his nickname "the Worm" for his slippery fighting style from Yank Durham. He died on Saturday, June 22, 2019, after complications with Alzheimers.

He was inducted into the Pennsylvania boxing hall of fame in 1990 and is the great uncle of American boxer Willie Monroe Jr.

Early life and amateur career
Monroe was born in Alabama as the 13th of 17 children and spent his early years in Crestview, Florida. He started boxing in Rochester, New York where he claimed an undefeated 43-0 amateur record. He arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the autumn of 1969 to train for his pro-debut.

Professional career
Monroe started his professional career with a perfect record of 20-0 before being stopped in a controversial split decision against Max Cohen.

A string of mixed results would follow with a notable win over Eugene Hart and losses to Alvin Philipps and Bobby Watts.

Monroe would go on to defeat Marvelous Marvin Hagler on March 9, 1976 in decisive fashion. Unfortunately no footage of the fight exists as a snowstorm in the area prevented filming. Two rematches would follow which were both won by technical knockout by Hagler