'Tuscaloosa Kid' Mike Hutchinson To Be Enshrined In Alabama Boxing Hall Of Fame

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Before former WBC heavyweight boxing champion Deontay Wilder put his hometown of Tuscaloosa on the map, there was Mike Hutchinson.

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Known in the ring as the "Tuscaloosa Kid," Hutchinson had a notable professional career and will be honored for his accomplishments on Saturday when he's inducted into the Alabama Boxing Hall of Fame.

Hutchinson, 63, will now take his rightful place alongside a slew of other legendary pugilists, including Wilder, Joe Louis, Evander Holyfield and Earnie Shavers.

During his fighting career, Hutchinson compiled a 22-3 professional boxing record with 10 knockouts as a welterweight (147 pounds) and junior middleweight (154 pounds).

Hutchinson's amateur career was the stuff of local legend before he turned pro, which was made that much more memorable by a first round knockout over Juan Gallardo in Meridian, Mississippi in his professional debut on Sept. 9, 1980.

Charlie Hutchinson — Mike's father and a Tuscaloosa boxing icon in his own right — trained his son and scores of others at the 40th Street Gym off Greensboro Avenue, including briefly training professional boxer and Alabama Boxing Hall of Fame 2022 inductee Edgar "Mad Dog" Ross.

During this time, Charlie Hutchinson was also advised by famed manager, trainer and strategist Angelo Dundee, who worked with the sport's biggest names, such as Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard.

After entering the professional ranks, the Tuscaloosa Kid embarked on a jaw-smashing stretch of 18 consecutive victories. He would appear on fight cards across the country, before ultimately retiring in 1986.

His appearance on the sport's biggest stage came on Feb. 5, 1986. The opponent, Felix Santiago, had previously fought to a draw in the USA New York State Super Lightweight title bout ahead of his match with the Tuscaloosa Kid.

The fight with Santiago ended in a loss and would be one his last bouts, as the Tuscaloosa Kid entered the ring only once more later that year — a loss by decision to Sam Wilson at the Gordo High School gymnasium.

Despite stepping away from the ring for more than a decade, a 38-year-old Hutchinson came out of retirement in 1998 for one final fight, which saw him knock out Arneal Lowe in the first round at the Northport Civic Center in front of more than 1,000 attendees.

While this fight was not for a million-dollar purse or held at a historic venue like Madison Square Garden, it provides arguably the most accurate glimpse of the lifelong fighter and his character.

Tuscaloosa News reporter Shane Youngblood compared Lowe's fighting style and look to that of legendary mauler "Iron" Mike Tyson and mentioned at first that the fight seemed to be going Lowe's way.

Youngblood described Hutchinson emerging from the ring after the final bell "sporting a shiner over his right eye that looked like it was swelling to the bursting point."

However, the scribe penned that after a few minutes of treatment, the only thing left swelling was the pride of Hutchinson's family and friends.

It was an inspiring underdog victory fit for a movie script and is still talked about to this day in certain circles.

"He caught me with some slow jabs and I just didn't get out of the way," Hutchinson told the reporter after the fight. "I kept hearing my corner yell at me to use my double jab and when my eye started swelling, I knew it was time to get busy."

ALSO READ: A History Of Violence | The Life & Battles Of Edgar 'Mad Dog' Ross

Indeed, this is where Hutchinson's tenacity, cunning and years of experience in the ring showed for the entire packed house to see. With his right eye rapidly swelling, Hutchinson dodged a powerful right hook, before dropping Lowe with a right uppercut that sent the much-younger fighter "crashing to the canvas in a heap."

Lowe failed to beat the count and the Tuscaloosa Kid — now a husband, father, boxing trainer and respected brick mason — saw his fist raised by the official after the 2:52 mark of the opening round.

"That kid came ready to fight," Hutchinson said. "But I trained as hard for this fight as I did any other fight in my life. What I didn't expect was to knock him out in the opening round."

Hutchinson will be inducted into the Alabama Boxing Hall of Fame on Saturday, Feb. 11 at The Venue at Coosa Landing in Gadsden.

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