Noted boxer Pat Lawlor departed the gates of San Quentin on May 17th 2009, but not his dreams. He has decided to open a boxing theme pizza bar called “Ringside Pizza”. He wants to establish the goals that have alluded him such as proving to his 14-year-old daughter that he is not a loser and demonstrating to his detractors that when in shape he is a formidable opponent.
When he speaks, Lawlor commands attention. His presence is engaging, even when it appears that he is calmly reflecting upon the years that have been good, bad and indifferent. “There is much I wish I could change. Like this prison sentence for a DUI. I was actually just trying to sell DVDs of my fights. Evidently, the judge saw it differently.
Among his impressive achievements was defeating Wilfredo Benitez in 105-degree heat in an action-packed ten rounder in Tuscon, Arizona on May 23, 1990. On March 18, 1991 on the Mike Tyson/Razor Ruddick under card, he stopped Roberto Duran in six rounds.
Eligible for the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010, Lawlor 45, began his odyssey into boxing by entering Golden Gloves competition because he wanted to win a title for dear friend Merlin Porter, who died tragically in a motorcycle accident. Those titles propelled him to enter the professional ranks.
He fought through an array of disabilities and injuries and admits that his last professional fight in 2005, on three days notice that resulted in a 4 round draw against Paul Vasquez, for the love of the sport. One of his few regrets is he has not spent the time that he wants with his 14 -year- old daughter, the other is not being in the best boxing shape at the time of many of his 40 bouts.
The last fight that he truly trained for was in September 1994 in San Jose versus Hector “Macho” Camacho. At 150 pounds, he battled valiantly but went down to defeat. In 18 years of professional boxing, Lawlor accumulated a record of 23-16-1, 7 KO’s, with earnings of $198,000.
He wants to be the first boxer to fight anyone who has been a champion in a weight class because that would set him apart from all others in the sport. That would include the likes of Mike Tyson, Hector Camacho, Evander Holyfield and Roy Jones Jr.