When the police came to his daughters house and entered that attic in 1998 after a tip-off, they found Jimmy Bivins, former No.1 contender for the world heavyweight title, wrapped in a blanket covered with urine and feces, he weighed only 110lb, he was near death and he had bed sores, broken bones and bone cancer.
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"When Bivins' third wife, Elizabeth, died in 1995, his life forever
changed. He spent less and less time at the gym. He grew weak and
depressed. And finally he quietly moved into the Collinwood, OH home
of his daughter and son-in-law, Josette and Daryl Banks.
As months passed, Bivins' boxing buddies worried. No one knew where
Bivins was.
In April 1998, Cleveland police found him. They had gone to the Banks'
house to investigate a report of child neglect. They found no child,
but in the attic, they found Bivins.
The former heavyweight had withered to 110 pounds, about 75 pounds
below his fighting weight. He was wrapped in a urine-soaked and
feces-caked blanket that covered his face. At first they thought he
was dead.
But when the officers asked Bivins if he was OK, he politely responded
that he wasn't doing so well. Then he asked the officers how they were
doing.
Police initially charged Josette and Daryl Banks with felonious
assault. Daryl Banks later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was
sentenced to eight months in jail. Charges against Josette Banks were
dropped after investigators determined that her husband had made all
decisions regarding Bivins' care.
Many 78-year-olds might not have survived, but Bivins proved to be as
tough as his leathery hands.
He spent most of his remaining years in the Shaker Heights home of his
sister, Maria Bivins Baskin. Slowly, he started showing off the road
map of his scars again, carefully unfurling his boxing stories to the
nurses and visitors who tended him.
In 2009, Baskin died, and Bivins moved into McGregor. The Ohio State
Former Boxers and Associates threw birthday parties for him there.
"It's been quite a life," Bivins told The Plain Dealer. "It's been
quite a life."
According to his family, Bivins outlived his two sons, three sisters
and a step-daughter. He left behind a daughter, Josette Banks; four
grandchildren and many great-grandchildren and
great-great-grandchildren. "
from - cleveland.com/obituaries
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Jimmy Bivins, who died in 2012 at the age of 92, was a boxing great of the 1940s and '50s who defeated some of the greatest fighters of his time.
He never fought for a world title, but in 1942 he was given the unprecedented ranking of No 1 contender in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. He met seven fellow Hall of Famers, beating four, and 11 world champions, defeating eight.
Bivins retired from boxing in 1955 after more than 100 professional fights and was inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999. He won bouts against numerous world champions, including Archie Moore, Ezzard Charles, Gus Lesnevich, Melio Bettina, Anton Christoforidis and Teddy Yarosz. He also went the distance with Joe Louis and fought Jersey Joe Walcott to a split decision.
