Samuel Teare raises his hand after defeating Enrico Gogochia.Photo by: Esther Lin/Showtime
Samuel Teer, a Philadelphia-based boxer known for spoiling the records of emerging fighters, was shot and killed on Friday at the age of 36.
Few details are available about the shooting, and Philadelphia police mentioned to The Ring on Friday afternoon that they had not received any reports of a homicide.
The boxer, who held a final record of 19-5-1 (8 KOs), was born in Monrovia, Liberia, and moved to Ghana at the age of 5 or 6 to escape the civil war. He then settled in New York five years later. According to a 2018 article in Yahoo Sports, he became a member of Philadelphia.
Teer worked as a bus driver for SEPTA, the city’s mass transit agency.
Teer began his professional career in 2013 with a record of 12 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, which included his first loss by unanimous decision to future WBC junior lightweight titleholder Oshakie Foster in 2015.
Some of his notable wins include a first-round knockout of David Gonzalez (8-0-2), a unanimous decision over Kenneth Sims Jr. (13-1-1), and a majority decision over Sonny Frederickson (21 wins, 1 loss).
Among his losses were against Montana Love, whom he lost to by majority decision, and Brandon Lee, whom he was knocked out by in the third round, both of which were on the Showtime card. His last fight took place in May, where he was stopped in eight rounds by Andrew Rodgers.
Teer’s manager, Sarah Fina, expressed her shock over his death in a message to The Ring, saying, “Sam was my fighter, but most importantly my friend. He always had my back, even when we disagreed. He was the very definition of a blue-collar throwback fighter. Less Money forced him into some tough fights, but he pulled off upsets most of the time. He was and still is an essential part of boxing, and I will really miss him.”
Trainer Rashiem Jefferson Sr. expressed his sadness over Teer’s death in an Instagram post, writing, “I don’t know why or where, but I know God has made another place for you. It’s the only thing that eases my pain.” Ta.
