Boxing’s Greats of the States | Alaska: Greg Haugen

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. For example, all-time great heavyweight legend Joe Louis was born in Alabama, but he is identified almost universally with Detroit.

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When thinking of the enormous state of Alaska, boxing is not exactly the first subject that springs to mind. However, as lacking in boxing culture as Alaska may be, there was a representative who engaged in some magnificent and storied battles in the late 1980s and early 1990s: Greg Haugen.

Haugen was an excellent fighter in his day and a fan favorite among fight lovers 25-30 years ago. Though he was born in Auburn, Washington, he fought as an amateur and turned pro while living in Alaska. The scrappy brawler burst into the sport and within four years had captured the IBF lightweight title by edging Jimmy Paul over 15 rounds.

Haugen lost his belt to Vinny Pazienza in his first defense in June 1987 but recaptured it by toppling “Paz” by decision eight months later. He defended the championship twice before handing it over to all-time great Pernell Whitaker on Feb. 18, 1989. However, three years later, Haugen dethroned the unbeaten Hector Camacho via decision to snatch the Puerto Rican’s WBO junior welterweight strap. It was a sensational fight, but Haugen failed a post-fight urinalysis due to marijuana being in his system. He was allowed to keep the title, but Camacho exacted revenge in the rematch.

Haugen went on to fight legend Julio Cesar Chavez in front of more than 100,000 fans in 1993, losing via fifth-round TKO. He also scored wins over the likes of Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and Freddie Roach, making him the greatest boxer to ever represent Alaska.

Honorable Mention: David Carey