Bob Foster

Died: November 21, 2015

BOB Foster, who has died aged 77, was a noted Afro-American world lightheavyweight boxing champion who saw off all-comers for his world crown for the six years between 1968-74.

He was born in Albequerque, New Mexico, not a town normally associated with world class boxing, but the 6ft 4in, stick-thin, human beanpole whose ferocious punchpower became legendary soon changed all that.

Foster's amateur ring career took off when he joined the United States Air Force and boxed all over the USA. So successful was he as an amateur that he was in the running for the USA Olympic boxing team for the 1960 Rome Olympics. However,the berth Foster coveted at lighteavyweight was taken by a then obscure rival known as Cassius Marcellus Clay who went on to win the 12st 7lbs class gold medal in Rome.

Nevertheless, it was an early mark of Foster's own obvious class and boxing potential that it took someone like Ali to keep the Albequerque man out of that 1960 American Olympics boxing squad.

Undeterred by that 1960 setback, Foster joined the pro ranks and cut a devastating swathe through his first 10 pro opponents, although he ran up against world-rated Doug Jones who would, in Jones' next bout, give Ali all the trouble that he could handle while taking Ali the distance.

This bout, in which Foster suffered his first stoppage loss to noted hard man Jones, established a constant theme throughout Foster's entire subsequent pro career - an inability to thrive against physically heavier boxers. So that even while he was knocking lightheavyweight greats like Nigerian double world champion Dick Tiger over like ninepins the Albequerque man could never handle world rated heavyweight opponents.

Witness his kayo and stoppage losses to former WBA heavyweight kingpin Ernie Terrell; his brutal world heavyweight crown challenge execution by ''Smokin'' Joe Frasier in November 1970 when Foster's normally destructive left hook and right uppercuts harmlessly bounced off Frasier like confetti.

At his own weight of lightheavyweight however, Foster was an awesomely destructive hitter inside the ropes. British world middleweight champion Terry Downes had previously been utterly destroyed by Dick Tiger, but Foster, in contrast, inflicted a spectacular kayo on Tiger in Madison Square Garden. It was a knockout which simply demolished Tiger, so letting Foster annex the Nigerian great's world lighteavyweight title in May 1968.

Over the following six years, until he retired in 1974, Foster successfully saw off no less than 14 challengers for his 12-7lbs world title - 11 of those 14 pretenders to his throne failed to reach the final bell having succumbed to Foster's fists.

When Foster came to Britain in 1972 to defend his crown against Britain's Chris Finnegan in London, the lanky New Mexican made many friends who were taken by Foster's easy going, laid back, persona outside the ring.

However, once the bell rang for the Foster v Finnegan joust the British man found out the hard way just how potent a puncher Foster was. After a brave showing, Finnegan was stopped in the 14th penultimate round by Foster's blistering combination punches. Indeed in his biography Finnegan compared being hit by Foster to being struck with an elephant rifle.

Foster followed up his win over Finnegan by losing a non- title scrap with his old amateur rival Muhammad Ali in November 1972 underlining his inability to move up to the heavyweight division successfully.

His next move in 1973 attracted widespread opprobrium among his fellow Afro-Americans when he agreed to defend his title in Apartheid South Africa when he clashed with Springbok Pierre Fourie in Johannesburg in Decmber 1973. Foster 's win over 15 rounds was a repeat of an earlier victory over the same South African opponent in Albequerque in January 1953.

However, by 1974 a combination of a distinct lack of big money challengers at lightheavyweight, coupled with the New Mexico man's chronic inability to thrive against world rated heavyweights, made Foster decide to retire after holding tough Argentian, Jorge Ahumada to a 15-round draw in Foster's last title defence.

After a short lived comeback that fizzled out, Foster concentrated on his role as sherriff of Albequerque in his native New Mexico. It was a role he held for many years and the fact that sheriffs in Albequerque had to be elected was further proof of the personal popularity enjoyed by this laconic, personable, but fearsome technician in a 65 bout career that also saw Foster inducted into America's International Hall of Boxing Fame in 1990.

He was married four times and is survived by wife Rose.

BRIAN DONALD