Boxing’s Greats of the States | Montana: Marvin Camel

Boxers come from every corner of the globe. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring styles prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best boxer of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it.

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When talk turns to boxers from the state of Montana, the name of Joe Hipp often springs to mind, largely because he fought for a piece of the world heavyweight championship. However, upon further review, obscure cruiserweight Marvin Camel -- a man Hipp knocked out at the tail end of his career -- has the better resume.

Camel’s 45-13-4 record and 21 knockouts may not seem like much to write home about, but he accomplished a feat Hipp never could: He captured a world title, and he did so on two occasions. He fought Mate Parlov to a draw for the WBC cruiserweight title in 1979 and then bested him over 15 rounds in their immediate rematch the following year. The gold was his but only for a short time. A Ronan, Montana, native, Camel surrendered the cruiserweight crown in his first title defense against Carlos De Leon on Nov. 25, 1980 and failed to regain the championship in their 1982 rematch.

Even so, Camel was undeterred. He laid claim to the IBF cruiserweight belt in December 1983, when he stopped Roddy MacDonald on a fifth-round technical knockout. Camel relinquished the title in a TKO loss to Lee Roy Murphy a little less than a year later. He went 2-7-2 over his final 11 appearances but remains the only two-time world champion from Montana.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Joe Hipp, Todd Foster