The Atlantic Metropolis Boxing Corridor of Fame has addressed the well being and whereabouts of Mark Breland, the previous two-time WBA welterweight champion, after a number of days of hypothesis about his situation circulated on social media.
In a press release, Corridor of Fame founder and president Ray McCline stated that he and Jackie Atkins had spoken straight with Breland and his spouse, Dana. McCline stated Dana has stood by her husband and brought on his care because the couple navigates what he described as a troublesome chapter of their lives. The assertion didn’t specify a prognosis.
In accordance with the assertion, Breland’s household requested the boxing group to respect their privateness. McCline wrote that the couple’s request was to maintain Breland “in our prayers whereas granting them the sacred privateness they’ve earned,” and stated the help they’d obtained meant a terrific deal to them.
Breland, a Brooklyn native, gained the welterweight gold medal on the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and closed his newbie profession with a document of 110 wins and one loss, regarded among the many most completed within the sport’s historical past. He gained 5 consecutive New York Golden Gloves titles earlier than turning skilled in 1984.
He captured the vacant WBA welterweight title in 1987 with a seventh-round stoppage of Harold Volbrecht, misplaced it in his first protection to Marlon Starling, then regained the belt in 1989 with a first-round knockout of Seung Quickly Lee. Breland made 4 profitable defenses earlier than dropping the title to Aaron Davis in 1990. He retired in 1997 with knowledgeable document of 35-3-1 with 25 knockouts.
After his combating profession, Breland labored as a coach, most prominently as a co-trainer for former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. He was inducted into the Atlantic Metropolis Boxing Corridor of Fame in 2024 as a part of its eighth class.
