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Matthew Hilton (born December 17, 1965) was a
canada|Canadian fighter from Montreal, Quebec and
one of the three brothers from the Fighting Hilton
Family.

He started boxing professionally in the early
1980s, and while doing so lived (along with his
father/trainer and other family members) a nomadic
lifestyle, moving from place to place in a
'movable trailer.'

It was tough growing up for Hilton, but he
transferred that toughness to the ring, at least
as his career started.  Two of the big names he
faced in his rise to stardom were former 3-time
champion Wilfredo Benitez and former middleweight
champion Vito Antuofermo, who both fell victim to
his KO power.  He won the IBF junior middleweight
title, and brought Canada its first world boxing
title since the 1940s, with a 15-round unanimous
decision over defender Buster Drayton in Montreal
on June 27, 1987. He made one defense on the Mike
Tyson|Tyson-Tyrell Biggs|Biggs undercard in
October of that year, busting and bruising up a
totally outclassed Jack Callahan before the
referee called things off after two rounds, then
apparently had the upper hand in the early going
in his next defense - a November 1988 matchup with
Robert Hines.

After knocking Hines down twice, he let Hines back
in the fight, as Hines steadily hammered both of
the champ's eyes shut in winning a
come-from-behind 12-round unanimous decison, after
which Hilton would be champ no more.  His last
crack at a title was on the Foreman-Cooney
undercard in January 1990, when his eyes were
again swollen shut by the punches of defending WBO
middleweight titlist Doug DeWitt.

This time, though, Hilton was the loser not by
decision by rather by 11th-round TKO when the
referee had seen enough.  His career began to
sputter during the 1990s, and, partly (and, for
that matter, sadly) due to the various troubles
plaguing the Hilton family (mainly due to trouble
with the law for sex-related offenses), Hilton
never was really able to regain his
championship-level caliber.

Brother Dave Hilton, Jr., held the World Boxing
Council|WBC super middleweight title briefly after
outpointing Dingaan Thobela in December 2000, but
lost it shortly thereafter, not in the ring, but
rather upon being stripped by the WBC due to
charges on sex-related offenses.