Matthew Hilton

Matthew was a Canadian fighter from Montreal, one of several brothers in the famous (or infamous, depending on your view) 'Fighting Hilton Family.' He started professional boxing in the early 1980's, and while doing so lived (along with his father/trainer and other family members) a nomadic lifestyle, moving from place to place in a 'movable trailer.' It was tough growing up for Hilton, but he transferred that toughness to the ring, at least as his career started. Two of the big names he faced in his rise to stardom were former 3-time champion Wilfredo Benitez and former middleweight champion Vito Antuofermo, who both fell victim to his KO power. He won the IBF junior middleweight title, and brought Canada its first world boxing title since the 1940's, with a 15-round unanimous decision over defender Buster Drayton in Montreal in June 1987. He made one defense on the Tyson-Biggs undercard in October of that year, busting and bruising up a totally outclassed Jack Callahan before the ref called things off after two rounds, then apparently had the upper hand in the early going in his next defense - a November 1988 matchup with Robert Hines. After knocking Hines down twice, he let Hines back in the fight, as Hines steadily hammered both of the champ's eyes shut in winning a come-from-behind 12-round unanimous decison, after which Hilton would be champ no more. His last crack at a title was on the Foreman-Cooney undercard in January 1990, when his eyes were again swollen shut by the punches of defending WBO middleweight titlist Doug DeWitt. This time, though, Hilton was loser not by decision by rather by 11th-round TKO when the referee had seen enough. His career began to sputter during the 1990's, and, partly (and, for that matter, sadly) due to the various troubles plaguing the Hilton family (mainly due to trouble with the law for sex-related offenses), Hilton never was really able to regain his championship-level caliber. Brother Davey held the WBC super middleweight title briefly after outpointing Dingaan Thobela in December 2000, but lost it shortly thereafter, not in the ring, but rather upon being stripped by the WBC due to charges on sex-related offenses.