Denorvell Collier, the pursuit of a dream.

                                  

The 6 foot 4, 220 pound Denorvell Collier looked more apt at becoming a college football player than a fighter, the Chicago native attended Indiana state university on a football scholarship but had flirted with boxing and had caught the eye of Muhammad Ali. Ali had seen Collier sparring and advised him to pursue the sport, Ali told Dee that he would need expert coaching and May need to relocate to achieve his dreams. Collier took the advice and headed on a long trip to Los Angeles to find the connections and mentoring that could ultimately make him into a champion. Dee turned pro in the of June 1983 but would lose a disappointing 4 round decision to fellow Chicagoan Mike Evans at the LA Sports arena. Collier persisted and by 1984 would compile a record of 7-2 and would face the first reputable name of his career, the experienced Mike Jameson, Dee boxed well and dropped a split decision in San Jose but made a great account of himself in defeat. Irrational management would thrust Collier into a fight with the very capable Cruiserweight Bash Ali 12 weeks later in Reno. Collier was caught cold by Ali and knocked out in the second round. leaving the imported Californian’s career in tatters. 

Regardless Collier insisted on remaining active, he understood his mistakes and had faith  in what he was capable of. Collier at 7-4 and coming off damaging losses would be scheduled to fight former world title challenger Randall Cobb who at 24-6 was still a live contender and was renowned for his durability and toughness. The chips appeared stacked against Dee prior to the bout at Reseda Country club, Cobb outweighed Collier by 20 pounds and had faced the likes of Norton, Dokes, Holmes, Shavers, Douglas and was ranked 22 places above Collier by the WBA. Unfortunately Dee failed to buy into the script and knocked Cobb out in 2 and a half minutes of the opening round, the only time that Cobb was ever stopped or knocked out. Four months later Collier would beat the capable Mark Wills to capture the California State heavyweight title. The headlines grabbed with the impressive stoppage of Cobb earned Dee the biggest opportunity of his life, a spot on the Spinks v Tangstad undercard at The Las Vegas Hilton on September 6, 1986. Collier would face the highly ranked and popular James Buster Douglas and would offer solid resistance by staying the course and forcing the contender to settle for a unanimous decision. Collier would return with a repeat victory over Mark Wills, this time by a 7th round Tko, to retain his California state title. In the July of 1987, Collier would be matched with 7 foot Mike White in Irvine, Dee would struggle to negotiate the height and reach of the mammoth White and dropped a 10 round decision. 7 months later Collier would try his luck again, this time with his California State title on the line but would lose by a wider margin over 12 in the same arena. Collier would return in the November against the undefeated Alex Garcia, Dee would box well and match the hard punching former San Fernando gang member over the first half of the fight, and when a cut over Garcia’s right eye began affecting his vision, Collier was awarded the retirement victory in round 8. Over the next 7 months Collier would score knockouts over Bobby Crabtree and Monte Masters to earn him a shot at NABF champion Orlin Norris at the Showboat in Las Vegas. Collier wouldn’t disgrace himself but would lose a wide decision to the future world Cruiserweight champion before calling it a day to pursue a life outside of boxing. 

In the mid 1990s Collier landed himself a string of appearances in movies and commercials, including Only in America, the Don King biopic , Diggs Town with Lou Gossett Jr and Highway to Heaven with Michael Landon. In 2009, 20 years after leaving the ring Collier appeared on competition-styled reality tv show ‘Wipeout’ a show where contestants face a highly competitive assault course to eliminate his opposition, proving that there was still life in the old dog. Collier retired with a record of 13-8 (9 Ko’s) and took up bodybuilding to maintain his fantastic physique and still lives with his family in California.