Rhoshii Wells
American boxer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rhoshii Wells (December 30, 1976 – August 11, 2008) was an American boxer, who won the bronze medal in the Middleweight Division at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He was born in Austin, Texas.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's boxing | ||
Representing the  United States | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 | 1996 Atlanta | Middleweight |
Amateur career
Olympic results
- Defeated Kourosh Molaei (Iran) 24–7
- Defeated Ricardo Rodríguez (Brazil) 16–2
- Defeated Dilshod Yarbekov (Uzbekistan) 8–8, judges cards
- Lost to Ariel Hernández (Cuba) 8–17
Pro career
Nicknamed "The Great One", Wells began his professional career in 1997, and got off to a 17-0-2 start in the Light Middleweight division, setting up a shot at WBA Light Middleweight Title holder Alejandro Garcia in 2003. He was ahead on the scorecards before Garcia stopped him in the 11th round.[1] In 2005, Wells had the opportunity for a rematch with Garcia but was defeated via TKO in the 9th round.
He attempted a comeback on the 3rd season of the boxing reality TV series, The Contender on ESPN, but was eliminated before the competition began.[1]
Death
Rhoshii Wells was shot and killed in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 11, 2008.[2] Police arrested 26-year-old Roger Randolph, who claimed that he shot Wells in self-defense after Wells punched him and robbed him of $100. The District Attorney stated that they would seek the death penalty against Randolph.[3]
In May 2012, Randolph was sentenced to 20 years to life for murder with a deadly weapon, plus one to 12 years for discharging weapon where a person might be endangered.[4]