Warrenell F. Lester

Warrenell Franklin “Boom Boom” Lester, a retired professional boxer, died on June 5 of complications from cancer. He was 73.
Born in Havre de Grace, Md., Lester started boxing as a teenager. He enlisted in the Army in 1952 and joined the special services unit boxing team. Lester won the light heavyweight and heavyweight Golden Gloves championships in Washington and the All Army Crown, then defeated the Navy, Air Force and Marine boxers in the interservice boxing championship.
After winning 112 amateur fights, “Boom Boom” Lester turned professional in 1954. He fought in 32 heavyweight and light heavyweight contests before retiring from the ring in the early 1960s. In the final years of his life, Lester worked as a truck driver and forklift operator at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.