Ron Stander, known as Bluffs Butcher, led a heavyweight title fight in Omaha | Local
Ron Stander, the Council Bluffs boxer best known for his 1972 world title fight against Joe Frazier in Omaha, died Tuesday at his home in Ralston.
Poster of the Joe Frazier vs. Ron Stander fight in Omaha in 1972.
Stander, known as Bluffs Butcher for his hometown and fearsome punching power, was 77. He died of complications from diabetes, said his wife, Toddy.
Retired from boxing in 1982, Stander’s fame had peaked when he fought Frazier after knocking out another legendary boxer, Earnie Shavers. But Stander was never forgotten by his friends in the boxing world and the friends he made in all walks of life. Many came to see him while he was in the hospice.
“I can’t begin to tell you how many boxers have come home,” Toddy Stander said. “They held his hand, kissed his forehead and told him they loved him: I love you, champ. You are my hero.”
Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Stander grew up in Council Bluffs and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1962. He changed the sport from football to boxing, leading to a remarkable career that began in the late 1960s. He had hair like Elvis, he loved beer, and he never boxed back, always fighting his opponents no matter how favored they were.
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He delivered eye-catching quotes as well as jaw-dropping uppercuts. “I will fight any living human and most animals,” Stander used to say.
Stander would later say that his loss to Shavers, considered one of the toughest punchers of all time, was the highlight of his career. The Bluffs Butcher was ranked 8th in the world at one point. He floundered and exhausted his opponents by taking their punches and pounding them with his own, but he was prone to getting cuts to his face.
Then-heavyweight champion Smokin’ Joe Frazier came to Omaha to fight Stander on May 25, 1972, in front of nearly 10,000 people at the Civic Auditorium and a national television audience. For Frazier, it was seen as a tune-up before a fight against George Foreman. But Stander came to fight. He battled the champion for four rounds before losing by technical knockout when a medic called the fight due to multiple cuts to Stander’s face. The fight is still considered one of the greatest sporting events in Omaha history.
Stander fought for another 10 years. After retiring with a 38-21-3 record, including losses at the hands of big name fighters such as Ken Norton and Gerrie Coetzee, he returned to Omaha and worked at Vickers Hydraulics.
Toddy Stander said boxing’s hangers faded when fame faded, but Stander had good friendships in boxing and elsewhere that he nurtured throughout his life.
“We all have imperfections,” Toddy Stander said. “But Ronnie’s good things about him, his kindness, his compassion for people, his compassion for outsiders, his willingness to volunteer and all the goodness in him, and he loved his family. His family was so important .”
He loved his children and grandchildren, she said.
“His favorite saying was ‘I love you more,'” she said. “I love you more. It’s always been that way.”
Visitation is scheduled from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at Hoy-Kilnoski Funeral Home, 1221 N. 16th St. in Council Bluffs. The funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at Holy Name Catholic Church in Omaha.
World-Herald Sports editor Sam McKewon contributed to this report.
Photos: Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford’s journey to world championship title
In 2005, Terence “Bud” Crawford was one of the nation’s top amateur boxers in his weight class.
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Terence “Bud” Crawford celebrates his win over Carlos Molina in the 2006 Golden Gloves tournament. Crawford then went down in the national title bout.
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Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford was greeted as a hero when he returned from Scotland to Eppley Airfield in Omaha after winning the WBO lightweight title in 2014.
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Fighting for the first time as a professional in Omaha, Terence “Bud” Crawford defended his WBO lightweight title with a technical knockout against Yuriorkis Gamboa at the then CenturyLink Center in June 2014.
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Terence “Bud” Crawford defended his title again at the then CenturyLink Center in November 2014 with a 12-round unanimous decision over Ray Beltran. It was Crawford’s last fight at lightweight.
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Terence “Bud” Crawford’s sons – Tyrese, left, then 2, and Terence III, right, then 4 – wear their father’s title belts at the Native Omaha Days parade in August 2015.
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Terence “Bud” Crawford knocked out Dierry Jean at the then CenturyLink Center in October 2015 to retain his junior welterweight title.
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Terence “Bud” Crawford represented both Nebraska and Creighton in the ring, often wearing one of the schools’ gear before and after fights. He was honored on the field at Memorial Stadium during Nebraska’s game against Iowa in November 2015.
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This award-winning photo of Terence “Bud” Crawford was taken in February 2016 while the champion was training in Colorado Springs, Colorado for his upcoming fight against Hank Lundy.
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Terence “Bud” Crawford dominated John Molina Jr. in December 2016 at the then-CenturyLink Center, winning every round on every judge’s scorecard before earning an eighth-round technical knockout.
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Omaha’s Terence “Bud” Crawford defeated John Molina at the then-CenturyLink Center on December 10, 2016. With the victory in front of 11,270 fans, the largest crowd ever for a boxing match in Nebraska, Crawford stood improved to 30-0 with 21 knockouts while retaining his WBO, WBC and Ring junior welterweight titles.
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Bud Crawford celebrates his third round knockout victory over Julius Indongo at Pinnacle Bank Arena on August 19, 2017. The win made Crawford boxing’s only undisputed champion.
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Bud Crawford knocks down Jose Benavidez Jr. during a boxing match at CHI Health Center on October 13, 2018.
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Terence “Bud” Crawford and his Omaha team pose for a photo at the B&B Boxing Academy on May 16, 2014. From left, Red Spikes, trainer; Bud Crawford; Coach Esau Diegez (top in light blue shirt); Brian McIntyre, Co-Manager/Head Coach, (in dark blue shirt); and Bernard Davis, fellow boxer.
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