Bumphus began boxing as an amateur at the age of eight out of the Tacoma Boy's Club Boxing Club, located on 25th and Yakima Avenue. He was one of four World Champions to begin boxing in Tacoma, the others being Freddie Steele, Rocky Lockridge and Leo Randolph. His amateur highlights were:
1977 National AAU Featherweight Champion, decisioning Lee Simmons of Akron, Ohio, in the final.
In 1979 he was ranked #1 U.S. Lightweight by the U.S. Amateur Boxers and Coaches Association, meanwhile, serving as a deputy sheriff with the Nashville Sheriff's Department in Nashville, Tennessee. Bumphus had qualified for the 1980 American Olympic boxing team but did not compete due to the American boycott of the Moscow Olympics. Bumphus was the torch bearer for the American Olympians. Soon afterwards in August 1980 he signed with boxing promoter Bob Arum reportedly for $500,000.
Bumphus qualified at 139 pounds and was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic boxing team that died in the crash of LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007 in Warsaw, Poland, on March 14, 1980 en route to the USA vs. Poland Box-off as part of "USA vs. the World" event. Bumphus was not with the team. Among the USA Boxing teammates who were killed in the crash were Lemuel Steeples from St. Louis, Calvin Anderson from Connecticut, Paul Palomino - the brother of Carlos Palomino, George Pimental and the Olympic coach, Sarge Johnson. Members of the team who were also not aboard included Bobby Czyz, Alex Ramos and James Shuler. Bumphus earned his place on the team with a win over Ronnie Shields. Bumphus did not compete in the Olympics, due to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott. In 2007, he received one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes. His reaction to the LOT Polish Airlines Flight 7 crash, where several of his teammates were killed, was: "We were going in the same direction a week ahead on the same plane and everything, so I'm just grateful it wasn't me that went down in the crash."
Professional career
Dubbed "Bump City", Bumphus began his professional career as a hot prospect, winning his first 22 fights, including the Vacant WBA Light Welterweight Title with a decision win over Lorenzo Luis Garcia in 1984. Bumphus lost the belt to Gene Hatcher in June 1984 in Buffalo, New York. Hatcher scored an 11th-round technical knockout that had Hatcher knocking Bumphus down, then slipping and falling on a follow-up attempt, then throwing Bumphus down to the mat when both fighters clinched. A post-fight melee in the ring then ensued, as Hatcher was celebrating in triumph while the now-deposed champion was slugging away in frustration. The fight was named as Ring magazine's Upset of the year for 1984. In 1987, Bumphus took on Lloyd Honeyghan for the WBC and IBF Welterweight Title, but lost with 2nd round technical knock out. He retired after the loss, with a record of 29-2-0. Those in Tacoma's Hilltop area knew of the lure drugs had for Bumphus. Towards the end of his boxing career he developed an addiction to cocaine, which he briefly kicked. When he returned to Tacoma, through a series of bad friends and choices, he resumed taking drugs in 1989, becoming addicted to crack cocaine. In 1995, he spent a year in rehab, and then left Tacoma to work as a trainer for his former manager Lou Duva in West Palm Beach, Florida. As a trainer, he worked with Kassim Ouma and Emmett Linton.
