Gary Holmgren

{{short description|American boxer}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}}

Gary Holmgren is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1974 to 1984.{{Cite book|last1=Fitzgerald|first1=Mike|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Wu7jhLWM9wC&dq=%22Gary+Holmgren%22+-wikipedia&pg=PT35|title=Third Man in the Ring: 33 of Boxing's Best Referees and Their Stories|last2=Morley|first2=Patrick|date=June 19, 2014|publisher=Potomac Books, Inc.|isbn=978-1-61234-242-9|language=en}}

Professional career

Holmgren made his professional debut on May 15, 1974, with a first-round knockout win against Milton Buckley in St Paul, Minnesota. His first loss came in only his second fight, a five-round points loss to Bruce Finch, who would go on to make a name for himself as a welterweight contender. Holmgren would follow up that loss with a stretch in which he won 16 of 17 fights, including a decision win against 21-2 Rory O'Shea in 1975. Holmgren's career peaked in January 1983 when he won the Minnesota junior middleweight title by defeating Rafael Rodriguez on points in a ten-rounder. Holmgren retired afterwards, having compiled a career record of 22 wins and 5 losses, with 12 wins coming by way of knockout.{{Cite book|last=Sugar|first=Bert Randolph|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wz3vAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22Gary+Holmgren%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA243|title=The Ring Record Book and Boxing Encyclopedia, 1981|date=1981|publisher=Atheneum|isbn=978-0-689-11190-7|language=en}}{{cite web|url=http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=23293&cat=boxer|title=Gary Holmgren|website=www.boxrec.com|access-date=March 5, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010223939/http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=23293&cat=boxer|archive-date=October 10, 2012|url-status=live}}

Professional boxing record

{{s-start}}

|-

|align="center" colspan=8|22 Wins (12 knockouts, 10 decisions), 5 Losses (2 knockouts, 3 decisions) {{cite web | url=http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=23293&cat=boxer | title=BoxRec: Login }}

|-

| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Result

| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record

| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent

| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type

| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Round

| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date

| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location

| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes

|-align=center

|{{no2}}Loss

|{{small|14-0}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Brian Brunette

|SD

|10

|February 1, 1984

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|{{small|Lost Minnesota light middleweight title}}

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|28-20-1}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Rafael Rodriguez

|UD

|10

|January 25, 1983

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|{{small|Won Minnesota light middleweight title}}

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|51-25-2}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Bruce Strauss

|PTS

|10

|October 7, 1981

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|1-5}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Darrell "Ageless Wonder" Green

|KO

|4

|May 6, 1981

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{no2}}Loss

|{{small|34-3}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|GBR}} Dave Boy Green

|TKO

|6

|January 27, 1981

|align=left|{{flagicon|GBR}} Kensington, England

|align=left|{{small|Referee stopped the bout at 2:38 of the sixth round.}}

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|2-5}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} "Boxing" Tony Taylor

|UD

|10

|October 29, 1980

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|13-18}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Emmett Atlas

|KO

|2

|March 19, 1980

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{no2}}Loss

|{{small|6-3}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Tyrone Wren

|PTS

|6

|June 29, 1978

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|40-31-4}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Al Franklin

|UD

|10

|December 9, 1976

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|25-4-1}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Rory "Stylish Irish" O'Shea

|UD

|10

|November 9, 1976

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|--}}

|align=left|Moses Gregg

|KO

|2

|October 11, 1976

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Evanston, Indiana, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|6-18-1}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Harvey "Candyman" Wilson

|KO

|1

|August 4, 1976

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Mounds View, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|2-23-4}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Ron Pettigrew

|KO

|6

|June 30, 1976

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|0-4}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Woody "Walden Tweed" Harris

|UD

|6

|April 22, 1976

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|3-35-2}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Jerry Wells

|UD

|6

|January 22, 1976

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|2-2}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Dennis Haggerty

|KO

|1

|November 25, 1975

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Globe, Arizona, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|0-3}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Woody "Walden Tweed" Harris

|PTS

|5

|November 13, 1975

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{no2}}Loss

|{{small|3-4}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Ricardo Thomatis

|TKO

|3

|June 6, 1975

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|23-2-1}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Rory "Stylish Irish" O'Shea

|SD

|6

|April 23, 1975

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|7-4-1}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Efran Maldonado

|KO

|1

|March 19, 1975

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|4-4}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Timothy "Tim" Adams

|PTS

|6

|February 3, 1975

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|1-0}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Jim "Bad Ass" Hearn

|KO

|4

|December 3, 1974

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|0-1}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Bobby "Bruin" Orr

|KO

|1

|August 28, 1974

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|1-5}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Johnny "O.J." Simpson

|TKO

|2

|July 31, 1974

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|--}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Maurice Sanders

|TKO

|2

|June 26, 1974

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{no2}}Loss

|{{small|3-0-1}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Bruce Finch

|PTS

|5

|May 23, 1974

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|-

|{{yes2}}Win

|{{small|--}}

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Milton Buckley

|KO

|1

|May 15, 1974

|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|align=left|

|}

Retirement

Holmgren retired from professional boxing after 27 fights. He went on to become a firefighter, rising to captain in a 22-year career.{{cite news |last1=Vezner |first1=Tad |title=The story of a Front Street basement, a knockout of Floyd Mayweather Sr., and a comeback for a St. Paul boxing space |url=https://www.twincities.com/2017/08/05/st-paul-boxing-basement-of-legend-will-get-second-run/ |access-date=March 11, 2022 |work=TwinCities.com |publisher=Pioneer Press |date=August 5, 2017}}{{Cite news |last=Wells |first=Jim |date=November 18, 1996 |title=Rescue worker finds victim is estranged mom |pages=1A |work=St. Paul Pioneer Press}}{{Cite news |date=1983-01-24 |title=Boxer Gary Holmgren hopes he'll be retiring as champion |pages=25 |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34422054/gary-holmgren-star-tribune-24-jan/ |access-date=2022-03-11}}{{Cite news |date=1983-01-24 |title=Holmgren |pages=31 |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34422122/holmgren-cont/ |access-date=2022-03-11}}

Notes