Mark Breland
Breland (left) andSerik Konakbayev (right) in 2010
Born	Mark Anthony Breland May 11, 1963 (1963-05-11) (age 61) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Statistics
Height	6 ft2+1⁄2 in (189 cm)[1]
Reach	77+1⁄2 in (197 cm)[1]
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	38 as a professional
Wins	35
Wins by KO	25
Losses	3
Draws	1
Medal record Men'sboxing Representingthe United States Olympic Games 1984 Los Angeles Welterweight World Championships 1982 Munich Welterweight

Mark Anthony Breland (born May 11, 1963) is an Americanboxing trainer. As an amateur, he was a Gold Medal winner at the1984 Summer Olympics, with a 110-1 record as anamateur and is regarded among the greatest amateur fighters ever. He competed as aprofessional from 1984 to 1997, and held theWBAwelterweight title twice between 1987 and 1990. He later became anactor with a wide range of movie and television credits, having made his debut inThe Lords of Discipline, and also appeared in the music video forThe Pointer Sisters' 1985 hit single, "Dare Me".

Breland was born inBrooklyn, New York. He began fighting when he was 7 years old, taking on challengers in the lobby and hallways of the housing project where he lived. At 9 years old, he earned a spot on Muhammad Ali's youth boxing camp at his Deer Lake, Pennsylvania, training camp. At 13 he entered the gym and embraced boxing as a way of life.^[2] He won fiveNew York Golden Gloves titles (1980–84) with a record of 21–0 (19 KO's), with 14 knockouts coming in the 1st round, surpassingSugar Ray Robinson for the most wins in the history of the Golden Gloves. Breland is notably the only amateur boxer to have ever been featured on the cover of Ring magazine, and the only amateur whose picture hangs in Colorado Springs U.S. Olympic Training Center.^{[as of?]} The Smithsonian Museum for African American History and Culture in Washington, DC displays an honorary picture of Mark Breland & his coveted 1984 Olympic team in recognition of their achievements.^{[as of?]}

At age 18 in 1981 Breland was already being offered huge sums up to $300,000 by boxing promoters to sign a professional contract. Still, he turned them down, partly in anticipation of participating in the 1984 Olympics (and the exposure the Games would bring), and in part scorn: "It's not 'cause I need the money. It's 'cause they need the money. Hey, I can get hurt." Breland always sought to take the fight game on his terms; even then he planned to leave the ring before turning 30.^[2]

Breland compiled an impressive amateur ring record of 110–1 (with 73 knockouts).^[3] His single loss, to Darryl Anthony^{[citation needed]} was even by a 3rd round TKO over Anthony as a professional in a scheduled 10 round bout. Plus one unaccounted loss by medical disqualification,^[4] due to withdrawal because of toxic poisoning, which caused Breland to spend most of the fight week in a New York hospital.^[5]

Breland won a gold medal at the1984 Olympics, was awarded the 1982Boxer of the Year byUSAABF,^[5] and rated #1 amateur welterweight in the world byAIBA in 1984.^[6]

Breland was so exceptional as an amateur that he had been having trouble getting sparring partners in theBedford-Stuyvesant Boxing Association Gym. Fighters were known to delay their trip to the coveted NYC Daily News Golden Gloves during Mark Breland's five year consecutive reign in order to avoid facing him. In June 1984, when he was preparing himself for the forthcoming National Olympic Trials, he went toGrossinger, New York, to train with theKronks, there he sparred with WBC Super Welterweight championThomas Hearns, who in turn was preparing to fightRoberto Durán. At that time Breland was being trained byEmanuel Steward.^[7] At that time he narrowly escaped bigger troubles, falling under destructive influence of his teammateRicky Womack, who happened to be an authoritative figure for Breland, eventually was sentenced and jailed.^[8]

Breland turned professional in 1984. In 1987 he won the vacantWBA welterweight title by defeating Harold Volbrecht by TKO in the seventh round. He lost it in his first defense toMarlon Starling. In 1989 Breland again won the vacant WBA welterweight title by defeating another contender,Seung Soon Lee, by first round knockout on 4 February, 1989, in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[9] He made four successful title defenses (most notably, one againstLloyd Honeyghan) before losing it toAaron Davis in a back-and-forth 9-round contest that was nearly called off twice because of injuries to Davis' eye before Breland was knocked out in round 9.

Breland retired in 1997 with a professional record of 35–3–1 (25 KOs). His losses were to Jorge Vaca, Aaron Davis, and Marlon Starling, with whom he also earned his only draw.

Breland has served as a boxing trainer, having hadVernon Forrest and former WBC Heavyweight championDeontay Wilder among other notable clients.^[10] In recent years, he has been an assistant trainer forJermall Charlo.

• List of world welterweight boxing champions

• Boxing record for Mark Breland fromBoxRec(registration required)
• Mark Breland atIMDb

• 1963 births
• Living people
• American male boxers
• Boxers from Brooklyn
• African-American boxers
• Boxers at the 1984 Summer Olympics
• Olympic boxers for the United States
• Olympic gold medalists for the United States in boxing
• Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
• Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers
• AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists
• Welterweight boxers
• World welterweight boxing champions
• World Boxing Association champions
• American boxing trainers
• 21st-century African-American sportsmen
• 21st-century American sportsmen
• 20th-century African-American sportsmen
• 20th-century American sportsmen

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