Former world champion Joe Hipp returned to the boxing ring in his hometown last weekend for the first time in seven years.
Hipp won in the fifth round with a TKO against Harry Funmaker in Browning on July 14. Hipp hiked his lifetime record to 44-7 with 30 knockouts. It was his first fight since 2005. Known during his career as "The Boss," Hipp was the first Native American to fight for a world heavyweight championship and also win one. In 1995, he fought Bruce Seldon for the WBA title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena inLas Vegas . He won the WBF title in 1999. Hipp was inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.
"You just never get tired of boxing," he said during weigh-ins at Burton Boxing in Kalispell on July 13. "And my grandkids wanted to see me fight."
Hipp won in the fifth round with a TKO against Harry Funmaker in Browning on July 14. Hipp hiked his lifetime record to 44-7 with 30 knockouts. It was his first fight since 2005. Known during his career as "The Boss," Hipp was the first Native American to fight for a world heavyweight championship and also win one. In 1995, he fought Bruce Seldon for the WBA title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in
"You just never get tired of boxing," he said during weigh-ins at Burton Boxing in Kalispell on July 13. "And my grandkids wanted to see me fight."