Larry Boardman (born March 21, 1936, in Marlborough, Connecticut) is an American former lightweight boxer, rated the second best lightweight in the world in 1956.[1]
Biography
Board, who is Jewish, was managed by his father (Sam Boardman).[2][3][4] He lived in Connecticut for the majority of his life.[5]
Career
On February 7, 1956, at the age of 19, Boardman defeated lightweight champion Wallace "Bud" Smith at the Boston Garden, leading to him being rated # 10 in the world in the lightweight division by Ring.[2][6] It was Boardman's 31st victory in his first 32 pro fights.[6] On April 14, 1956, he beat featherweight champion and later Hall of Famer Sandy Saddler in a unanimous decision in 10 rounds, and moved up to # 7.[5][7][8][9]
Boardman also defeated two other lightweight world champions, Paddy DeMarco and Jimmy Carter.[10][11] At the end of 1956, he was ranked as the # 2 lightweight contender in the world.[5][11]
Boardman had a 45–10–1 record in his career, winning 23 of his fights by knockout.[5][12] In 2008, he was inducted into the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame.[5]