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Heavyweight Boxing

Jimmy Ellis vs Oscar Bonavena

A fight that actually happened — and everything both records say about it.

Meetings on record

1

Jimmy Ellis and Oscar Bonavena met once (1967). Jimmy Ellis won in 1967 by decision.

SOURCE·Jimmy Ellis (boxer) and Oscar Bonavena — English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)·both records name the other·REVIEWED AUG 2026

How this head-to-head is established

  1. This pairing exists only because at least one of the two articles' own results tables names the other fighter. No matchup on this site is speculative and none is a hypothetical.
  2. Every figure in the comparison below comes from that fighter's own page and carries the same source line. A dash means the source states nothing, not that the value is zero.
  3. Common opponents are found by matching linked bout lists, which is only possible because every fight list here is linked to every other. A shared opponent is not a transitive result and this page does not treat it as one.
  4. Nothing on this page predicts an outcome. It is a comparison of what is on record.

Sources, exclusions and known limits →

Side by side

What both records stateAUG 2026
Jimmy EllisOscar Bonavena
76″ (193 cm)Reach73″ (185.4 cm)
73″ (185.4 cm)Height70″ (177.8 cm)
+4.1%Reach advantage+4.27%
40–12Record58–9
60%Finish rate76%
13Longest unbeaten run—
57Recorded bouts—
OrthodoxStanceOrthodox

A comparison of what is on record. Nothing here predicts a result.

Common opponents

Both fought these 6. This is the comparison the siloed databases cannot make, because it needs every fight list linked to every other.

OpponentJimmy EllisOscar Bonavena
Ron Lyle L L
Floyd Patterson W L
Muhammad Ali ? L
Joe Frazier L L
Leotis Martin W W
George Chuvalo W W

Both records, drawn

The same ledger line on each: wins stamped above the rule, losses below, the mark's shape carrying how it ended.

Jimmy Ellis

196019701980loss v Holley Mims, 1961, decisionwin v Clarence Riley, 1961win v Wilf Greaves, 1961win v Johnny Morris, 1961win v Gene Leslie, 1961win v Arley Seifer, 1961win v LeRoy Green, 1962, decisionloss v Henry Hank, 1962, decisionwin v Charlie Glover, 1962win v Sammy Poe, 1962, decisionwin v Rudolph Bent, 1962, kowin v Holley Mims, 1962, decisionwin v Johnny Alford, 1962, decisionwin v Rory Calhoun, 1962win v Luis Gutierrez, 1963, decisionwin v Johnny Halafihi, 1963, koloss v George Benton, 1964, decisionloss v Don Fullmer, 1964, decisionwin v Joe Spencer, 1964, koloss v Rubin Carter, 1964, decisionwin v Chuck Leslie, 1965, decisionwin v Joe Blackwood, 1965, koresult not stated v Muhammad Ali, 1965win v Tommy Sims, 1966, kowin v Eddie Dembry, 1966, kowin v Billy Daniels, 1966, decisionwin v Leweni Waqa, 1966, kowin v Hubert Hilton, 1966, decisionwin v Oscar Bonavena, 1967, decisionwin v Leotis Martin, 1967, kowin v Johnny Persol, 1967, kowin v Floyd Patterson, 1968, decisionwin v Jerry Quarry, 1968, decisionwin v Roberto Davila, 1970, koloss v Joe Frazier, 1970, koloss v Muhammad Ali, 1971, kowin v George Chuvalo, 1971, decisionwin v Tony Doyle, 1971, kowin v Harold Carter, 1972, kowin v Ollie Wilson, 1972, kowin v Rico Brooks, 1972, kowin v Dick Gosha, 1972, koloss v Boone Kirkman, 1973, decisionwin v Al Jones, 1973, koloss v Earnie Shavers, 1973, kowin v Rico Brooks, 1973, kowin v Joe Tiger Harris, 1973, kowin v Charlie Harris, 1973, kowin v Bob Felstein, 1973, koloss v Joe Bugner, 1974, decisionloss v Ron Lyle, 1974, decisiondraw v Larry Middleton, 1974, drawwin v Carl Baker, 1975, koloss v Joe Frazier, 1975, koresult not stated v Muhammad Ali, 1979result not stated v Muhammad Ali, 1980result not stated v Muhammad Ali, 1982
WON ABOVE·LOST BELOW BAR = STOPPAGE·BROKEN BAR = SUBMISSION·TICK = DECISION 1961–1982
1970 1980 loss vs Holley Mims (1961)win vs Clarence Riley (1961)win vs Wilf Greaves (1961)win vs Johnny Morris (1961)win vs Gene Leslie (1961)win vs Arley Seifer (1961)win vs LeRoy Green (1962)loss vs Henry Hank (1962)win vs Charlie Glover (1962)win vs Sammy Poe (1962)win vs Rudolph Bent (1962)win vs Holley Mims (1962)win vs Johnny Alford (1962)win vs Rory Calhoun (1962)win vs Luis Gutierrez (1963)win vs Johnny Halafihi (1963)loss vs George Benton (1964)loss vs Don Fullmer (1964)win vs Joe Spencer (1964)loss vs Rubin Carter (1964)win vs Chuck Leslie (1965)win vs Joe Blackwood (1965)? vs Muhammad Ali (1965)win vs Tommy Sims (1966)win vs Eddie Dembry (1966)win vs Billy Daniels (1966)win vs Leweni Waqa (1966)win vs Hubert Hilton (1966)win vs Oscar Bonavena (1967)win vs Leotis Martin (1967)win vs Johnny Persol (1967)win vs Floyd Patterson (1968)win vs Jerry Quarry (1968)win vs Roberto Davila (1970)loss vs Joe Frazier (1970)loss vs Muhammad Ali (1971)win vs George Chuvalo (1971)win vs Tony Doyle (1971)win vs Harold Carter (1972)win vs Ollie Wilson (1972)win vs Rico Brooks (1972)win vs Dick Gosha (1972)loss vs Boone Kirkman (1973)win vs Al Jones (1973)loss vs Earnie Shavers (1973)win vs Rico Brooks (1973)win vs Joe Tiger Harris (1973)win vs Charlie Harris (1973)win vs Bob Felstein (1973)loss vs Joe Bugner (1974)loss vs Ron Lyle (1974)draw vs Larry Middleton (1974)win vs Carl Baker (1975)loss vs Joe Frazier (1975)? vs Muhammad Ali (1979)? vs Muhammad Ali (1980)? vs Muhammad Ali (1982)
winlossdraw / NC1961–1982

Oscar Bonavena

UNFILEDwin v Billy Joiner, no date on recordwin v [https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/17707 Reinaldo Gorosito], no date on recordwin v Mani Vaka, no date on recordwin v Oliver Wright, no date on recordwin v [https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/171 Bob Mashburn], no date on recordwin v [https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/16059 Larry Renaud], no date on recordwin v [https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/15809 Larry Middleton], no date on recordloss v Ron Lyle, no date on recordwin v Terry Sorrell, no date on recordwin v Lou Bailey, no date on recordwin v Roy Wallace, no date on recordwin v Leroy Caldwell, no date on recordloss v Floyd Patterson, no date on recordwin v Alvin Lewis, no date on recordloss v Muhammad Ali, no date on recordwin v Luis Pires, no date on recordwin v James J Woody, no date on recordwin v Manuel Ramos, no date on recordresult not stated v Opponent, no date on recordwin v José Menno, no date on recordwin v Santiago Lovell Jr., no date on recordloss v Miguel Angel Paez, no date on recorddraw v Gregorio Peralta, no date on recordwin v Wilhelm Von Homburg, no date on record
WON ABOVE·LOST BELOW BAR = STOPPAGE·BROKEN BAR = SUBMISSION·TICK = DECISION no dated bouts · 57 UNDATED
Cross-references
Jimmy Ellis

The full ledger: 57 bouts, the reach placed in its cohort, and what the record does not say.

40–12 Oscar Bonavena

The same, from the other corner — 0 bouts and the cohort Bonavena is ranked inside.

58–9 Every confirmed matchup

The other 899 pairings whose own records confirm the fight happened — not a list of fights anyone imagined.

900 BOUTS
Sideline US

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DATA · JUL 2026 amitsharma.co.nz

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