newly crowned heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe in his first title defense since defeating Evander Holyfield. Bowe won by TKO in the first round. Although Dokes and his team protested that the fight was stopped prematurely, it was obvious that Dokes was in no condition to continue after taking a vicious barrage of punches from the heavy-hitting Bowe. After a nearly three-year hiatus, Dokes returned to the ring winning three of five matches over a two-year period before retiring for good in 1997. Life after boxing In 1999 Dokes was sentenced to between four and 15 years in prison after being convicted of an attack on his fiancée in August 1998. Late in 2008, Dokes was released on parole. Dokes died of liver cancer at a hospice in Akron in August 2012, a day after his 54th birthday. Professional boxing record Exhibition boxing record References External links 1958 births 2012 deaths 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people African-American boxers American male boxers American prisoners and detainees Boxers from Ohio Deaths from cancer in Ohio Deaths from liver cancer Sportspeople from Akron, Ohio World heavyweight boxing champions World Boxing Association champions National Golden Gloves champions Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers Boxers at the 1975 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in boxing Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games