Career
Beard was an amateur boxing standout in the late 1970s. Beard qualified for the 1980 United States. Olympic boxing team, but the United States. boycott of the Moscow summer games prevented him from the international competition. Initially, Beard was supportive of the boycott, but later expressed disappointment that athletes were denied the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Beard turned professional in 1981 and was undefeated in his first 11 fights before losing a decision to contender Jose Caba.
Following the loss Beard put together another string of wins but then lost a close decision to Johnny De Louisiana Rosa. He worked his way up to a title match against WBA World super featherweight title holder Brian Mitchell in 1989, but lost a technical decision.
Following the loss, Beard"s career declined and he lost most of his remaining professional fights. Beard retired in 1995 with a record of 36 Wins, 14 Losses and 22 KO"son
He resides in Jackson, Tennessee.
