A former heavyweight boxing champ who served six years in the Army in the 1970s and was defeated by Larry Holmes in a 1985 title fight died in a construction accident in Camden, New Jersey, on Thursday.

David Bey, 60, of Philadelphia, was struck by a piece of metal and killed while working on a mixed-use real estate development project in Camden, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

A representative from his union, Local 179 of the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters, said Bey was a second generation pile driver who had worked 37 years in the trade.

“David was a gentleman at all times. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body. He was a devout man of God and regularly would listen to scriptures on the radio,” said Tony Bianchini, the union’s communications director.

Nicknamed “Hand Grenade,” Bey started boxing in the Army; he was a member of the All-Army boxing team during his time in service, according to his obituary and a piece published by the Philadelphia Inquirer. A New York Times piece previewing his 1985 title fight with Holmes said Bey worked with demolition squads and followed in the Army footsteps of his father, who served during World War II and boxed fellow soldier Joe Louis in exhibitions.

He left service in 1979 and made his pro boxing debut two years later with a second-round knockout of James “Buster” Douglas, who would go on to claim the heavyweight crown from Mike Tyson in 1990 in one of the biggest upsets in sports history.

Bey beat Greg Page in 1984 for the United States Boxing Association’s heavyweight championship to run his pro record to 14-0. He lost his next fight to Holmes, who was then the International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion, via 10th-round technical knockout in 1985 in Las Vegas. 

Bey left the ring in 1994 after fights against heavyweight title contenders such as Trevor Berbick, Tyrell Biggs and Bruce Seldon. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame this year.

OSHA is investigating the construction accident.

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