Al Ford
# Al Ford

Allan "Al" Ford (born August 13, 1950) is a Canadian retired professional boxer. He is a former CBF Lightweight Champion.

## Professional boxing career

Ford made his debut as a professional boxer on October 20, 1967 (shortly after his seventeenth birthday), a 3rd round knockout win over Joe Hogue, who was also making his professional debut. Two months later Ford defeated Ron Lyke by first-round knockout. Ford fought an opponent with a winning record for the first time in his fifth fight, defeating 4-0 Mickey McMillan by split decision after eight rounds. Ford would win his first 37 fights, picking up the vacant Canadian lightweight title with a win against 9-1 Julie Mandell and successful defending it several times. Ford's first truly notable win was a 10-round decision against 30-3-1 Raul Montoya on October 27, 1970.

The first loss of Ford's professional boxing career came against 24-22-5 Percy Hayles in Kingston, Jamaica in a contest for the Commonwealth (British Empire) lightweight title. Hayles outboxed Ford in a 15 rounder to take the decision. Ford would continue to fight, winning his next four bouts before back-to-back loses to Ken Buchanan (points) and Alfonso Frazer (knockout). Later Ford would lose a rematch with Percy Hayles by TKO and would finally lose his Canadian lightweight title to Johnny Summerhays in November 1975. Ford was still winning more often than he was losing, but he lost to most of his notable opponents, including to 15-4 Ralph Racine, to 15-0 Rick Folstad in 1978, and to 17-0 Aaron Pryor in 1979. Ford also fought Nick Furlano of Toronto for the Canadian junior welterweight title in 1979, losing by 14th-round knockout. Near the end losses became more frequent, but Ford's impressive record continued to get him paydays. He would lose again to Summerhays in 1980 and dropped a decision to 17-0 Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini in 1981. According to witnesses at the time, Ford was involved in long street fight outside an Edmonton nightclub after a dispute around this time. After losing six of his last seven fights, capped by a brutal decision loss to future prospect Michael Olajide on June 17, 1982, Ford finally retired with a final record of 55-19 with 19 wins coming by knockout.

## Personal life

He is the father of retired mixed martial arts fighter and professional boxer Ryan Ford.

## Championships and accomplishments

* Alberta Sports Hall of Fame
   * Hall of Fame (Class of 2012)
* Canadian Boxing Federation
   * CBF Lightweight Championship (One time)
* Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame
   * Hall of Fame (Class of 1990)

## Professional boxing record

| 74 fights | 55 wins | 19 losses |
| - | - | - |
| By knockout | 19 | 4 |
| By decision | 36 | 15 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 74 | Loss | 55–19 | Michael Olajide | UD | 8 | June 17, 1982 | Kensington Park Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |
| 73 | Loss | 55–18 | Robert Gambini | PTS | 10 | April 9, 1982 | Marseille, France | |
| 72 | Loss | 55–17 | Johnny Lira | UD | 10 | Mar 11, 1982 | Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| 71 | Win | 55–16 | Bruce Strauss | UD | 10 | Feb 12, 1982 | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| 70 | Loss | 54–16 | Nick Furlano | UD | 8 | April 28, 1981 | Paul Sauve Arena, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 69 | Loss | 54–15 | Ray Mancini | UD | 10 | April 2, 1981 | Hilton Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| 68 | Loss | 54–14 | Mario Cusson | SD | 8 | Feb 24, 1981 | Paul Sauve Arena, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 67 | Win | 54–13 | Tony Taylor | SD | 8 | Feb 12, 1981 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 66 | Win | 53–13 | Tom Crowley | UD | 10 | Jan 20, 1981 | Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| 65 | Loss | 52–13 | Nick Furlano | UD | 10 | Aug 27, 1980 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 64 | Loss | 52–12 | Johnny Summerhays | UD | 8 | Mar 17, 1980 | Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 63 | Win | 52–11 | Allen Clarke | SD | 10 | Mar 6, 1980 | Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| 62 | Loss | 51–11 | Ralph Racine | UD | 8 | Dec 18, 1979 | Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 61 | Win | 51–10 | Danny Stokes | TKO | 2 (10), 2:20 | Dec 8, 1979 | Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| 60 | Loss | 50–10 | Aaron Pryor | TKO | 4 (10), 2:29 | May 11, 1979 | Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States | |
| 59 | Loss | 50–9 | Nick Furlano | TKO | 14 (15) | Feb 9, 1979 | Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | For CBF Super Lightweight Title |
| 58 | Win | 50–8 | Tom Tarantino | UD | 10 | Dec 5, 1978 | Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| 57 | Loss | 49–8 | Ralph Racine | SD | 10 | June 20, 1978 | Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| 56 | Loss | 49–7 | Rick Folstad | SD | 10 | April 18, 1978 | Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| 55 | Win | 49–6 | Bob Hughes | MD | 10 | Feb 6, 1978 | Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 54 | Loss | 48–6 | Ralph Racine | SD | 10 | Nov 4, 1977 | Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| 53 | Win | 48–5 | Octavio Amparan | PTS | 10 | June 23, 1977 | Thompson, Manitoba, Canada | |
| 52 | Win | 47–5 | Nick Furlano | SD | 12 | May 24, 1977 | Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| 51 | Win | 46–5 | Nick Alfaro | PTS | 8 | Feb 27, 1977 | Alsan Convention Center, Calgary, Alberta, Canada | |
| 50 | Loss | 45–5 | Johnny Summerhays | UD | 12 | Nov 28, 1975 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Lost CBF Lightweight Title |
| 49 | Win | 45–4 | Victor De La Cruz | UD | 10 | Oct 20, 1975 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 48 | Win | 44–4 | Roscoe Frazier | UD | 10 | Aug 2, 1975 | Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada | |
| 47 | Win | 43–4 | Jo Jo Jackson | PTS | 10 | July 12, 1975 | Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada | |
| 46 | Loss | 42–4 | Percy Hayles | TKO | 12 (15), 1:41 | Jan 22, 1973 | National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica | For Commonwealth Lightweight Title |
| 45 | Win | 42–3 | Raul Montoya | UD | 10 | Nov 29, 1972 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 44 | Loss | 41–3 | Alfonso Frazer | TKO | 5 (10) | June 17, 1972 | Panama City, Panama | |
| 43 | Loss | 41–2 | Ken Buchanan | PTS | 10 | Mar 28, 1972 | Empire Pool, Wembley, United Kingdom | Welterweight Bout |
| 42 | Win | 41–1 | Joe Espinosa | KO | 4 (10), 2:04 | Mar 1, 1972 | Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, Washington, United States | |
| 41 | Win | 40–1 | Moses Diamond | KO | 1 (10) | Dec 9, 1971 | New Chinatown Restaurant, Seattle, Washington, United States | |
| 40 | Win | 39–1 | Fermin Soto | PTS | 10 | Oct 23, 1971 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| 39 | Win | 38–1 | Nick Aghai | UD | 10 | Sep 23, 1971 | Multnomah County Expo Center, Portland, Oregon, United States | |
| 38 | Loss | 37–1 | Percy Hayles | SD | 15 | July 10, 1971 | Kingston, Jamaica | For Commonwealth Lightweight Title |
| 37 | Win | 37–0 | Leo Noel | TKO | 8 (12), 0:54 | May 3, 1971 | Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada | Retained CBF Lightweight Title |
| 36 | Win | 36–0 | Willie Reilly | UD | 10 | Mar 22, 1971 | Edmonton Gardens, Edmonton, Alberta, United States | |
| 35 | Win | 35–0 | Juan Montoya | UD | 10 | Feb 25, 1971 | Sports Arena, Portland, Oregon, United States | |
| 34 | Win | 34–0 | Gabriel Brambila | KO | 6 (10) | Feb 13, 1971 | Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, Washington, United States | |
| 33 | Win | 33–0 | Chi Chi Ontiveros | TKO | 5 (10), 1:50 | Jan 20, 1971 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 32 | Win | 32–0 | Raul Montoya | PTS | 10 | Oct 27, 1970 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 31 | Win | 31–0 | Percy Hayles | UD | 10 | Sep 29, 1970 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 30 | Win | 30–0 | Angel Rivera | UD | 10 | June 20, 1970 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 29 | Win | 29–0 | Lawrence Hafey | SD | 12 | May 30, 1970 | New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada | Retained CBF Lightweight Title |
| 28 | Win | 28–0 | Len Kesey | SD | 10 | May 13, 1970 | Sales Pavilion, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 27 | Win | 27–0 | Luis Baez | UD | 10 | April 8, 1970 | Edmonton Gardens, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 26 | Win | 26–0 | Francisco Montemayor | TKO | 9 (10) | Feb 20, 1970 | Hilo Auditorium, Hilo, Hawaii, United States | |
| 25 | Win | 25–0 | Flash Gallego | UD | 10 | Feb 11, 1970 | Hawaii International Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | Fermin Soto | PTS | 10 | Jan 13, 1970 | Hawaii International Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | Jose Luis Castillo | KO | 2 (10) | Dec 4, 1969 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | Ray Adigun | UD | 10 | Nov 19, 1969 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Rene Macias | UD | 10 | Oct 23, 1969 | Sports Arena, Portland, Oregon, United States | |
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Beto Maldonado | MD | 10 | Aug 29, 1969 | Sales Pavilion, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Fernand Durelle | PTS | 12 | Aug 17, 1969 | Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada | Retained CBF Lightweight Championship |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Felix Jasso | SD | 8 | May 30, 1969 | Sales Pavilion, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Jean-Marie Huard | KO | 2 (8), 0:54 | April 17, 1969 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Bobby Brooks | UD | 8 | Feb 19, 1969 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Ben Joseph | UD | 8 | Jan 31, 1969 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Dave White | TKO | 5 (10), 2:10 | Nov 21, 1968 | Sports Arena, Portland, Oregon, United States | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Jimmy Fields | UD | 10 | Nov 13, 1968 | Sales Pavilion, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Julie Mandell | UD | 12 | Sep 27, 1968 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Won CBF Lightweight Championship |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Michel Godin | TKO | 3, 1:00 | June 26, 1968 | Sales Pavilion, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Lee Gray | TKO | 5 (8) | June 10, 1968 | Portland Armory, Portland, Oregon, United States | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Ismael Rivera | TKO | 4 (8) | June 10, 1968 | Portland Armory, Portland, Oregon, United States | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Andy Anderson | UD | 6 | April 30, 1968 | Portland Armory, Portland, Oregon, United States | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Danny Barthuly | TKO | 2 (6), 2:50 | April 8, 1968 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Tony Mesi | KO | 2 (4) | Mar 25, 1968 | Portland Armory, Portland, Oregon, United States | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Mickey McMillan | SD | 8 | Mar 8, 1968 | Sales Pavilion, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Gene Green | TKO | 2 (4) | Feb 9, 1968 | Sales Pavilion, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Ron Lyke | KO | 1 (4) | Dec 15, 1967 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Milton Gabriel | KO | 3 (4) | Nov 17, 1967 | Sales Pavilion, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Joe Hogue | KO | 3 | Oct 20, 1967 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Professional boxing debut |
