Name: Kenny Lane
Born: 9 April 1932
Died: 5 August 2008
Career: 1953 to 1985
Record: 100 fights, 82 wins (19 by KO/TKO), 16 losses (5 by KO/TKO), 2 draws.
Category: Lightweight, Super Lightweight
Position: Southpaw
Titles: Michigan State Warrior
Great Competitions
The goal wins: Ronnie Stribling, Orlando Zuleta*(three times), Armand Savoie, Larry Boardman, Enrique Esqueda, Ralph Dupas **, Glen Flanagan, Ludwig Lightburn, Teddy Davis* , Frankie Ryff (twice), Johnny Gonsalves (twice), Lahouari Godih ( twice), Carlos Ortiz**, Johnny Busso, Virgil Akins(twice)**, Doug Vaillant*, Rip Randall(twice), Manuel Gonzalez, Louis Molina, Tommy Tibbs, Carlos Hernandez **, Lenny Mattews, Vicente Derado*, Paul Armstead
Lost in: Ronnie Stribling, Ralph Dupas(twice)**, Paddy DeMarco**, Joe Brown **, Carlos Ortz**, Lenny Matthews, Jose Stable*, Johnny Bizzarro*, Dave Charnley*, Carlos Hernandez **, Eddie Perkins * *
Draw with: Carlos Hernandez **, Curtis Cokes **,
**Previous/future owner of world title version
* Unsuccessful contender for the world title version
The story of Kenny Lane
Lane was born in Big Rapids, Michigan, and was one of six children who grew up on a farm. His older brother Pearce was an elite novice and competed in the 1956 Olympic Games, losing to Ireland's Freddy Tiedt in the Quarterfinals. Kenny honed his boxing style in his defense against Pearce and developed as a very smart southpaw.
He became champion in April 1953 and won 16 of his 17 fights that first year with a loss due to a cut over Lane's right eye. In 1954, he was 8-2 in 10 fights, losing twice to Detroit's John Barnes in Detroit, once by decision and once by decision. Fighting at another boy's house was a highlight of Lane's career.
Lane won the Michigan State lightweight title that year and defended it by defeating Barnes. He also had his first fight in New York, targeting former lightweight champion Orlando Zulueta. In 1955, he broke through in a big way. He went 12-2 in 14 fights. He lost split decisions against Ralph Dupas and former and future champion Paddy DeMarco.
He scored victories over Armand Savoie, Richie Howard and Larry Boardman to earn a rating with Ring Magazine and would be playing in the ratings for the next decade. Lane put together a 17-bout winning streak that earned him a title shot against Joe Brown. Brown retained the title in a controversial unanimous decision, but it was tight, with one judge scoring it 144-143 and 143-142.
Lane scored a 28-1 victory over Carlos Ortiz in December 1958, just two months after Ortiz defeated Dave Charnley in London. He met Ortiz for the vacant world light welterweight title at Madison Square Garden in June 1959. Lane was knocked down in the second round, but was again cut over the right eye, and that caused the fight to be stopped.
Lane recovered quickly and beat former welterweight champion Virgil Akins in October 1959 despite another severe cut over his right eye. Lane continued to struggle in 1960, losing on points to Ralph Dupas and Len Matthews by knockout but defeating Doug Vaillant and Lahouari Godih. In his ten fights in 1961, future champions Carlos Hernandez and Curtis Cokes were beaten, and Virgil Akins won.
In 1962, it was a 19-0 victory over Luis Molina and Carlos Hernandez and a revenge victory over Len Matthews. Lane won a world title in 1963 with a decision over Paul Armstead, but only Michigan State knows him. Lane fought for the original title in April 1964. He went 1-1 in two fights against Carlos Ortiz but lost and went blank in the third as Ortiz retained the WBA and WBC versions of the lightweight title. There were occasional losses, but successive losses to Dave Charnley, Carlos Hernandez and Eddie Perkins saw Lane retire at the age of 33 with a record of 79 wins, 15 losses and two draws.
While the number of underrated players Lane faced would be remarkable at any age, his willingness to take on these opponents in their own backyard was equally remarkable. In 1955, he lost a split decision to Ralph Dupass in New Orleans, beat Canadian Richie Howard in Nova Scotia, and in October lost a split decision to former lightweight champion Paddy DeMarco in New York.
In 1956, he beat Enrique Esqueda in Mexico City, Dupas by split decision in New Orleans and Glen Flanagan in Minneapolis. He went to California to beat Johnny Gonzalves twice in 1957 and lost a title fight to Carlos Ortiz in 1959 in Ortiz's home state of New York.
In 1961, he held the undefeated Venezuelan Carlos Hernandez in Caracas (Hernandez had beaten featherweight champion Davey Moore in eight rounds in a non-title fight in 1960). In 1961, he invaded Texas and, in a six-week span, faced four Texans, defeating Rip Randall, Manuel Gonzalez and Ray Portilla and a split fight with future welterweight champion Curtis Cokes.
In October, he went to Paris to beat Aissa Hashas, who had a record of 27-1 at the time, and in 1962, he beat Luis Molina 19-0 in California and Tommy Tubbs in Boston, then Len Matthews in Philadelphia. 1964 saw Johnny Bizzarro win in Erie, lose to Carlos Ortiz in a WBA/WBC title fight in San Juan, beat Stoffel Steyn in South Africa and Dave Charnley in London (both pictured below).
Finally, in fight number 95, he entered the lion's den for the last time, losing in two rounds against Hernandez in Venezuela. In all the cases mentioned above, he is fighting a past, present, or future champion or a ranked or lesser opponent, and all this in front of his opponent's home fans, putting his own rating and standing at stake.
The end of the story? Not really. The route carried a lot of weight after retirement, ballooning to about 200 lbs. He decided to start exercising to lose weight. He made it to 135 lbs, and when he was there, Lane looked at his 96 total fights and decided to make 100. He passed the State of medicine at the age of 50, and after almost 17 years of retirement, he came back and went to 3. -1 in four fights spread over three years, he retired again in November 1985 at the age of 53.
He was a skilled but slow-striking fighter with only 19 KO/TKO wins. Carlos Ortiz said of Lane, “No one was as hard to find as Kenny Lane; this boy was incredibly intelligent.” His record shows 5 losses by KO/TKO, but the losses to Ronnie Stribling, John Barnes, Carlos Ortiz, and Len Matthews were all by cuts.
In retirement Lane owned a laundromat and his own TV repair business, opened a gym, worked with youth in his area and was an avid golfer with the “Kenny Lane Classic” golf tournament named after him as a fundraiser. the Muskegon Recreation Center.
He was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in Los Angeles in 2004. He and his wife Ruth married young and had four children. Lane died of a heart attack while playing golf on August 5, 2008.
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