When Rappers Boxed: Willie D Of The Geto Boys Talks Knocking Out Melle Mel

Hip-Hop and boxing have intersected in a a great many ways since raps inception. Nowadays we see plenty Hip-Hop boxers, but there was a brief period when rappers were the boxers. It was an era of profound machismo. On March 24th 1992, New York City hosted the Celebrity Rapper’s Boxing Match and the event was chock-full of ohh’s and ahh’s. The only thing is, because technology hadn’t caught up, the footage was only talked about. Knockout Nation has both. Willie D put Grand Master Flash on the canvas. Willie, who was a professional boxer, talks about exactly how it went down.

As told to Chuck Creekmur

What happened was, the organizers called us in Houston and said they were throwing a celebrity boxing match and wanted us to be a part of it. I was a part of it, Dope E from The Terrorists (a group from Rap-A-Lot Records) who got knocked the f**k out! Boy, Freddie Foxxx knocked Dope E the f**k out! That s**t was funny. He put his hands on him. Kurtis Blow put them hands on some mothaf**ka! LL [Cool J] was supposed to be in it. A lot of people was supposed to be there. Anyway, I remember bein?g backstage in the dressing-room. A reporter asked Mel how he thought the fight would go. Mel was trying? to be diplomatic and s**t, You know, I’?m gonna go out there, and try to have a good fight. Then they came to me, and I was doing some sit-ups. I said, First, he gonna come out and throw a couple jabs. Then, he gonna take off running. I’ma hit him with a right, then hit him with a left. Hit him with a right, then a left. Hit him with a right, then hit him with a left. And he gonna get carried away.  [laughing] Mel laughed it off playfully.

We go out, they taking bets like in prison fighting. Me and Mel was the main event. Me and Mel get to the ring. The fight was sanctioned, so we had a real referee. We get to the ring, and I come out, and to be honest, I didn’t go out to really knock anybody out. I was trying to put on an exhibition. We go out, and I throw a couple jabs. Mel come across my head with an overhead right and he raised me. The force that he did it with…he was trying to tear my ass off. The crowd [responded]. Off the bat, I said to myself, “It’s over. Get him outta here.”The ref broke us up. I came back out again. I shot two jabs up to set it up. He fell for it. I caught him with an overhead right, and he went to sleep. I remember, they counted to 10, and Mel was still out. He was doing some Tweety-bird s**t. His eyes was crossed up. I forgot it was sanctioned, ?cause I asked the ref, Let him fight. I wanted people to get their money’s worth, and the fight just started. “Get back over there!” [The ref yelled]  So I returned to my corner. Ten more second passed, Mel still ain’t up. Finally, he comes to eyes still crossed. One of his boys was like, “Mel, it?s over. Mel said, Its over?” Mell said, “Well, who got the belt?” [laughing] That’s what he said! Clear as day, I remember that s**t. I already had the belt wrapped around my waist. Since then, me and Mel talked on the phone a few times. He still wants a rematch.

SO DID WILLIE ACTUALLY KO MEL? You be the judge! Watch the fight over at KnockoutNation.com.