"Heavyweight Champion" Bob Foster Hand Signed 3X5 Card Todd Mueller COA

Description

Up for auction
"Heavyweight Champion" Bob Foster Hand Signed 3X5 Card.
This item is authenticated by Todd Mueller Autographs and comes with their certificate of authenticity.
ES-2070
Robert Wayne
"
Bob
"
Foster
(December 15, 1938 – November 21, 2015) was an 20th-century American
professional boxer
who fought as a
light heavyweight
and
heavyweight
. Known as "The Deputy Sheriff", Foster was one of the greatest light heavyweight champions in boxing history. He won the world light heavyweight title from
Dick Tiger
in 1968 via fourth-round knockout, and went on to defend his crown fourteen times against thirteen different fighters in total from 1968 to 1974. Foster challenged
Joe Frazier
and
Muhammad Ali
during his career, but was knocked out by both (the fight with Ali was not for a world heavyweight title, but for the regional
NABF
version). Foster was born at
Borger, Texas
on 15 December 1938.
[Note 1]
In his childhood years his family moved to Albuquerque in
New Mexico
, and he received his formal education at Albuquerque High School. On leaving school he enlisted with the
United States Air Force
, in which he served with the rank of Airman Second Class. He began boxing on the
Golden Gloves
amateur circuit, and also took part in competitive inter-service matches for the U.S. Air Force.
Foster started his professional career on the night of March 27, 1961, against Duke Williams, in
Washington, D.C.
, winning by
knockout
in two rounds. The first 12 bouts of his career were spent campaigning in the United States' Eastern coast and in Canada. In his tenth bout, he made his first of multiple forays into the heavyweight division, and suffered his first loss, at the hands of
Doug Jones
, by a knockout in the eighth round. After two more wins, he went in 1963 to
Peru
, where he lost to South American champion
Mauro Mina
by a decision in ten rounds at
Lima
. Three more fights back in the States resulted in quick knockout wins for him, and then, in 1964, he made his second attempt at entering the heavyweight rankings, being knocked out in the seventh by future world Heavyweight champion
Ernie Terrell
. He finished the year by posting three more knockout wins at Light Heavyweight, two of them in the month of November. The night of November 11 was Foster's first fight of note as a light-heavyweight. One month after knocking out Don Quinn in the first round, he stepped up in the ring again and faced former world title challenger Henry Hank. He beat Hank by a knockout in the tenth. In 1965, he had five fights, winning four and losing one. He beat Hank again, by decision in 12 rounds, and lost to
Zora Folley
, by a decision in ten rounds, in another attempt at joining the heavyweight top ten. In 1966 he defeated
Leroy Green
in two rounds. By 1967, Foster, although his attempts to become a top heavyweight were being frustrated, was a ranked light heavyweight. He decided to stick to the light-heavyweight division for the time being, and he won all seven of his fights, six by knockout. Among the fighters he beat were
Eddie Cotton
, Eddie Vick, and
Sonny Moore
. After defeating Moore, Foster was the world's number one ranked light heavyweight challenger.