As a Silver Medalist on the 1976 USA Olympic team, Charles Mooney, retiring after a 22-year career in the US Army at SFC, was also a trainer for the 1984 Olympic team.
He agreed to talk about the 1984 team.
Super Heavyweight Gold Medalist Tyrell Biggs defeated future world pro champs UK’s Lennox Lewis and Italy’s Francisco Damiani.
CHARLES: Special guy. Muhammad Ali style.
Both Lewis and Damiani would go on to become world champions. Biggs would win his first 15 fights, including wins over Renaldo Snipes, James “Quick” Tillis, and David Bey. Then he would run into his old nemesis, “Iron,” Mike Tyson, getting stopped and stopped in his next fight with Damiani and later stopped by Lewis. The fight ended up at 30-10.
Heavyweight Gold Medalist Henry Tillman defeated a boxer from Canada. He had defeated Mike Tyson twice in the trials to make the team.
CHARLES: Good athlete and dynamite fighter.
Tillman won his first 10 fights, including the NABF title, before losing to “Smokin” Bert Cooper. He was later stopped by Holyfield and Tyson, ending up at 25-6.
Light Heavyweight Bronze Medalist Evander Holyfield lost to Kevin Barry from New Zealand by DQ, who lost by w/o in the final and never turned pro.
CHARLES: You could see Holyfield’s dynamics. He was an excellent person and boxer. The DQ looked suspiciously lost due to hitting on the break.
“The Real Deal” Holyfield would go on to win world titles at Cruiser and Heavyweight.
Middleweight Silver Medalist Virgil Hill lost to a boxer from South Korea.
CHARLES: Excellent fighter.
“Quick Silver” Hill would win world titles at light, heavy, and cruiser. Ending up at 51-7.
Light Welter Gold Medalist Jerry Page defeated a boxer from Thailand.
CHARLES: Dynamite boxer. Quiet and stayed to himself.
Page won the Gold Medal but ended up 11-4 as a pro.
Lightweight Gold Medalist Pernell Whitaker defeated a boxer from Puerto Rico.
CHARLES: Another great fighter. Born with that talent.
“Sweet Pea” would go onto win four world division titles. He lost 3 of his last 4 fights ending up at 40-4-1.
Featherweight Gold Medalist Meldrick Taylor defeated a boxer from Nigeria.
CHARLES: Man, like another ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard. The Chavez fight messed him up.
Taylor would win light welter and welter world titles ending up 38-8-1.
Bantamweight Robert Shannon lost in round three to a South Korean.
CHARLES: Sharp guy. Shannon would end up 18-6-2.
Flyweight Gold Medalist Steve McCrory defeated a boxer from Yugoslavia.
CHARLES: Sharp guy. They could box, move, and a lot like Willie Pep.
“Bluesman” lost in a world title fight, ending up at 30-5-1.
Light Flyweight Gold Medalist Paul Gonzales defeated a boxer from Italy.
CHARLES: It was a tough weight class he was in. He held his own.
Gonzales win the Val Barker trophy in the Olympics for being the most outstanding boxer. As a pro, he won the NABF, WBA Continental Americas, WBA Inter-Continental titles but lost in his bid for a world title ending up at 16-4.
Mooney was an Army recruiter. He ran Charles M. Mooney Academy. ROTC instructor. Living in West Palm Beach, Florida. “Willie Pep had asked me to turn pro, but I was in the Army then. Also, there was not money to be made in that weight class at the time.
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