Jefferson grew up in Detroit, Michigan, having attended Martin Luther King High School.
[1] Jefferson dropped from college after being shot in the leg during an argument at a party store in November 1993, ending his basketball career.
[3] Jefferson made his professional boxing debut on 19 June 1995 against Ismail Muhammad, knocking him out in the first round.
With 11–27–3 record, Wilson was known for his durability and toughness, having never lost inside the distance and occasionally pulling upsets, such as wins over Corey Sanders and Paea Wolfgramm or split draw against Ray Mercer.
[8] Jefferson then stepped up in competition, knocking out former world heavyweight title challenger Bert Cooper in the second round.
Harris' record included wins over then-undefeated David Izon and popular gatekeeper Jimmy Thunder and a split decision loss against faded Larry Holmes.
By the seventh round, HBO commentators suggested the fight to be stopped due to Izon absorbing too much punishment.
[15][16] Izon continued throwing unanswered shots on tired Jefferson, prompting the referee to stop the fight.
During the fall, Jefferson broke his ankle and was limping for the rest of the fight, struggling to put weight on his left leg.
[18][20] Maskaev continued his assault on injured Jefferson, prompting the referee to stop the fight in the fourth round.
[18] After a quick knockout of an unknown journeyman Marcus Johnson,[21] Jefferson, with 4–2 record in the last six fights, was given a shot at the WBO world heavyweight title against Wladimir Klitschko.
[31][25] In the first round, Jefferson defeated Ray Austin by second-round stoppage, but was beaten by Tony Thompson on points in semifinals.
[25][31] Jefferson was scheduled to face Chris Byrd on April 17, 2004, at Madison Square Garden for the IBF world heavyweight championship, however he was forced to pull out of the fight due to a cut suffered in training.
[32] Jefferson made one last world heavyweight title run, facing DaVarryl Williamson in an IBF eliminator.