Carl Starling

Colorful South Florida professional boxer and adventurer, Carl Starling became a professional prizefighter during the heyday of South Florida boxing, the 1960s. A promising prospect, as a middleweight, he was undefeated from 1963-1965 with a 10-0-1 record. Trained by the internationally famous Angelo Dundee, Starling appeared in both the Ring Boxing Magazine and the Ring Boxing Encylopedia. On the verge of a world ranking, Starling lost an upset decision to Willie Taylor on April 21, 1965 in Miami Beach, Florida. His once-promising career took a sharp-turn and he dropped decisions to Ray Lavarro and Linnus Johnson. He quickly faded from the scene. Starling reportedly made a brief, unsuccessful comeback in the early 1970s. His name made the news in the Miami area on numerous occasions as he appeared in the Miami Herald Newspaper with an unsuccessful bid for Miami-Dade County City commissioner, as well as surviving a shark attack which resulted in a deep gash to his inner thigh. A certified boat captain and educator in Miami, he recently appeared in a Herald story about the recent rash of shark attacks along the South Florida coastline.