Tag Archives: boxing history

R.I.P. Julio Gonzalez

Obituary, R.I.P.,
By David Martinez / dmboxing.com 
 
 
I was absolutely saddened to hear the recent news of the death of former WBC light heavyweight champion Julio Gonzalez, who passed away at the age of 35 after a motorcycle accident in Mexico. He was hit by a hit-and-run drunk driver near the area of his father’s ranch in Guerrero Negro, Baja California.
 
I had the pleasure of meeting Julio in my boxing travels and he was such a kind young man. He was considered a hard working champion in the ring and prepared himself well in the gym prior to all his fights.
 
Julio fought the legendary Roy Jones, Jr. in February 2001 losing a bid for the WBC light heavyweight championship, but in 2003 he shocked the boxing world by defeating the undeafeated (48-0) Dariusz Michalczewski in Hamburg, Germany to win the WBC light heavyweight title. 
 
In 2001, prior to the Jones fight, in a fight against Julian Letterlough that was a candidate for fight of the year with each fighter being down several times, with Gonzalez won a hard-fought 12-round unanimous decision. Julio later fought and lost two attempts, by decisions, to Clinton Woods in bids to win the IBF light heavyweight title. Julio had 49 fights on his resume, winning 41 of them, with 25 by knockout.
 
May he rest in peace in heaven with the Lord and may we all pray for his soul.

Fight of the Year and the Bogus Controversy

History, Recap, Recent Fights, , ,

GUEST POST for dmboxing.com

by Adam Pollack

The Lamont Peterson – Amir Khan fight has to be considered fight of the year. Wonderful intense battle by two young elite prime warriors giving it their all. Some brutal blows were landed by both in 12 rounds of excellent high level combat. The speed, footwork, counters, body shots, uppercuts, blazing combinations, were all just wonderful. Kudos to both for showing us what a true championship fight is all about.

But what is all this talk of controversy? I saw no controversial fight. I saw no home cooking. Stop trying to make every big boxing fight out to be controversial or a fix. Stop trying to react emotionally, but instead look at matters in a fair and objective manner. It isn’t good for the sport to cast aspersions on that referee, nor are the criticisms of his point deductions fair. I respectfully disagree with HBO and those who say the referee was unfair.

First of all, neither knockdown of Peterson in the 1st round was a knockdown. The first was correctly called a slip and a trip. The second was a trip and a push. Right there, for the referee to call that a knockdown shows that he had no bias against Khan. In the heat of the moment, though, referees have to make snap judgments, and sometimes they get it wrong. Happens in the NBA, NFL and the like. Part of the sport. But honestly, watching it live, without the benefit of instant replay, I was not sure whether or not it was knockdown. You have to go with the referee’s judgment at that point.

As for the fouling, the referee was perfectly justified in taking points off of Khan. It is a violation of the rules to hold, to pull a man’s head down, and to push. Amir Khan did all three, and did all three of them incessantly, flagrantly, and despite repeated and consistent cautions throughout he bout by the referee to stop doing these things. You don’t need a referee to tell you to stop violating the rules or he’ll take points off. Every boxer is charged with knowledge of the rules, and every boxer knows that if you keep breaking the rules, you can get points taken off. The referee kept cautioning Khan, and yet he did not stop. If a referee does not take points off, then there is no reason for a fighter ever to obey the rules or listen to the cautions. No one whines and moans when a referee in the NFL calls a holding penalty, or illegal contact, etc. If you violate the rules, you get penalized. If you don’t want the penalty, don’t commit the penalty. And when there is a 15-yard penalty for roughing the passer, no one says the official gave the other team the game. They say that player should not have done what he did, that he should modify his behavior in the future lest he might potentially cost his team the game.
Continue reading Fight of the Year and the Bogus Controversy →

JOE FRAZIER / R.I.P.

Ali, Heavyweights, History, , , ,

 By David Martinez / Boxing Historian

This past week boxing lost a great champion, Joe Frazier, who passed away after a brief battle with liver cancer at the age of 67.I will always remember Joe, and I am so blessed to have lived in his boxing era and to have witnessed his fights. He was a relentless fighter and fought every round going forward behind a vicious left hook, with his opponents having to withstand constant pressure from Smokin’ Joe.If there were six fights, in my opinion,  that absolutely stood out in his career they would have to be:

September 21, 1966  / vs. Oscar Bonavena … Frazier down twice in second round to rally and win a hard fought 10 round decision.

MIKE WEAVER : AN UNLIKELY CHAMPION

Heavyweights, History, Jim Amato, , ,

By Jim Amato / Senior Boxing Writer

If I was to tell you there was once a heavyweight who lost his first professional fight by knockout. Also this heavyweight would actually lose half of his first dozen fights. If I told you he would go on to win a piece of the heavyweight crown and be a major player in the division for well over a decade. Would you believe me ?

Well this is a true Cinderella story. It is the career of former WBA heavyweight titleholder Mike “Hercules” Weaver. Who in my opinion for nearly a five year period he was the second best heavyweight in the world.

Mike turned pro in 1972 and he was matched tough from the very beginning. He lost his debut by knockout to future contender Howard “Kayo” Smith. He would then lose a five round decision to Smith in a rematch. Undefeated Billy Ryan would halt him in two rounds and four fights later unbeaten Larry Frazier would stop Mike in the second. In 1974 Weaver would drop a ten round duke to the much bigger Rodney Bobick. Then Mike would be taken out in seven by the streaking Olympian prospect Duane Bobick.

At this point the future of Mike Weaver looked very bleak. Over the next three and a half years though Weaver would put together a fairly impressive eight fight win streak. Among his victims were Tony Doyle,Jody Ballard,Dwain Bonds and hard hitting Pedro Lovell. This put Mike into a fight with the talented Stan Ward for the California heavyweight title. Ward outweighed Weaver by forty pounds and took a twelve round verdict. Seven months later Weaver was matched with Big Leroy Jones for the vacant North American Boxing Federation heavyweight title. Jones outweighed Mike by a whopping sixty six pounds ! Jones boxed his way to a twelve round decision over Weaver to capture the crown.

The determined Weaver with resurge his career by reeling off five straight wins in impressive fashion. He took out the very dangerous Bernardo Mercado in five rounds. He then met Stan Ward in a rematch. The vacant United States Boxing Association heavyweight title was on the line. This time Mike took care of Ward in the ninth round and put himself in a position for a shot at the world’s heavyweight title.
Continue reading MIKE WEAVER : AN UNLIKELY CHAMPION →

RING TRIVIA “answers” for August 2011

History, Oscar De La Hoya, Trivia, ,
 1) Top heavyweight contender from 1960’s and 1970’s, Alvin Lewis, had a nickname of a color … what was it ?
ANSWER ~ Blue
 
2) In September 1999, what song did Oscar De La Hoya use as a theme song prior to his title fight with Felix Trinidad ?
ANSWER ~ Bailamos – by Enrique Iglesias
 
3) In December 1952, middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson announced he was retiring … who fought for his vacated title ?
ANSWER ~ Randy Turpin vs. Bobo Olson

JOEY ORBILLO

California Boxing, Heavyweights, History, Jim Amato, , , ,

By Jim Amato / Senior Boxing Writer

During the 60′s and the early 1970′s the state of California produced several world class heavyweights. Talented and capable boxers like Eddie Machen, Jerry Quarry, Henry Clark, Thad Spencer, Bill McMurray, Mac Foster and Kenny Norton.

The city of Wilmington was represented by a rough and tough custumer by the name of Joey Orbillo. Joey did not have a lot of fights in a career that lasted less then a decade. He did have a lot of memorable wars. He was a game and brawling crowd pleaser. If it was blood and guts you wanted, Joey gave it to you.

He began his career in the mid-1960′s and was soon swapping leather with the likes of Henry Clark, Johnny Featherman and future world title challenger Manuel Ramos. Joey scored a big victory in March of 1966 outscoring the highly regarded Tony Doyle.

The win over Doyle set the stage for Joey to invade the top layer of the heavyweight division. He was matched with Eddie Machen. The veteran was among the best in the world.On June 23, 1966 he proved to be a little too much for Joey winning a hotly contested ten round split decision.

Continue reading JOEY ORBILLO →

History of Modern Boxing: Heavy Weight Champions Since the NBA Began

Heavyweights, History, , , , , ,

Though the sport of boxing has historical roots as far back as the Roman Empire, modern boxing can arguably be dated to have begun with the Marquis of Queensbury rules. Additionally, heavyweight championships are widely accepted to have began with Jack Dempsey and the ‘National Boxing Association’ in 1921. From this point onward, the sport of boxing began to demand more skill from its athletes and a new format for fighting bouts was established. The old lean-back stances and bone blocks gave way to new styles, styles as dependent on defense as offense, styles that put emphasis on skill and speed, not just overwhelming power and brute force. With that said, let’s now take a look back at nearly a century of Heavyweight greats…

… and for those who may not have an image based browser, or just love it in plain text. Here is the whole breakdown with a bit more detail.

July 4, 1919 September 23, 1926 Jack Dempsey Universal United States American
September 23, 1926 July 31, 1928 Gene Tunney Universal United States American
Tunney announced his retirement from professional boxing on July 31, 1928, relinquishing the championship.
June 12, 1930 January 7, 1931 Max Schmeling Universal Germany German
Schmeling defeated Jack Sharkey to earn universal recognition as champion but was stripped of the NYSAC version of the title in 1931 for refusing a rematch with Sharkey. The NYSAC title remained vacant until the two men eventually did fight in 1932.
January 7, 1931 June 21, 1932 Max Schmeling NBA & IBU Germany German
June 21, 1932 June 29, 1933 Jack Sharkey Universal United States American
June 29, 1933 June 14, 1934 Primo Carnera Universal Italy Italian
June 14, 1934 June 13, 1935 Max Baer Universal United States American
In late 1934 the International Boxing Union ordered world champion Max Baer to defend his title against the reigning European champion, Pierre Charles of Belgium. When Baer instead opted to fight James J. Braddock they withdrew recognition of him as champion. The IBU matched Charles with the American heavyweight George Godfrey for their version of the title with the fight taking place in Brussels, Belgium on 2 October 1935. Godfrey won a fifteen round points decision but did not press any claim to the championship and was inactive for the next two years. The IBU then recognized Baer’s successor, James J. Braddock, as champion.
June 13, 1935 June 22, 1937 James J. Braddock Universal United States American
June 22, 1937 March 1, 1949 Joe Louis Universal United States American
As of 2009, Louis still holds the record for holding the title longer than any man (11 years, 8 months and 8 days.)
June 22, 1949 September 27, 1950 Ezzard Charles NBA United States American
Charles won the vacant National Boxing Association championship in June 1949, but was not universally recognized as champion until June 1951.
June 6, 1950 June 16, 1951 Lee Savold EBU United States American
On the retirement of Joe Louis in March 1949, the European Boxing Union announced that a fight in May 1949 between Lee Savold of the USA and British champion Bruce Woodcock would determine their version of the world heavyweight title. The NYSAC and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) also decided to recognize the winner of the fight as their champion but it was postponed for over a year due to injuries Woodcock had suffered in a car crash. The NYSAC decided instead to recognize the winner of the upcoming bout in September 1950 between Ezzard Charles and Joe Louis as their champion. Louis was returning to the ring after an absence of 27 months. When the fight for the EBU and BBBofC world heavyweight titles eventually took place in June 1950, Savold defeated Woodcock in four rounds.
September 27, 1950 June 16, 1951 Ezzard Charles NBA & NYSAC United States American
June 16, 1951 July 18, 1951 Ezzard Charles Universal United States American
Following his defeat to Joe Louis in a non-title fight in June 1951, Lee Savold was no longer recognized as the world heavyweight champion by the EBU and the BBBofC, who both immediately transferred their recognition to Ezzard Charles. Charles therefore became universally recognized as world heavyweight champion.
July 18, 1951 September 23, 1952 Jersey Joe Walcott Universal United States American
September 23, 1952 November 30, 1956 Rocky Marciano Universal United States American
Marciano announced his retirement from professional boxing, relinquishing the championship.
November 30, 1956 June 26, 1959 Floyd Patterson Universal United States American
June 26, 1959 June 20, 1960 Ingemar Johansson Universal Sweden Swedish
June 20, 1960 September 25, 1962 Floyd Patterson Universal United States American
September 25, 1962 February 25, 1964 Sonny Liston Universal United States American
February 25, 1964 June 19, 1964 Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) Universal United States American
The WBA and the NYSAC withdrew their recognition of Clay (now known as Muhammad Ali) as champion for agreeing to an immediate rematch against Liston, a violation of the organization’s rules at the time. The WBC and other organizations continued to recognize him. (See Ali versus Liston.)
June 19, 1964 February 6, 1967 Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) WBC United States American
March 5, 1965 February 6, 1967 Ernie Terrell WBA & NYSAC United States American
February 6, 1967 April 29, 1967 Muhammad Ali Universal United States American
The WBA, the NYSAC and several other US state boxing commissions withdrew recognition of Ali as champion for his refusal to be inducted into the United States Army subsequent to being drafted in early 1967.
April 29, 1967 March, 1969 Muhammad Ali WBC United States American
The WBC eventually followed the lead of the WBA and the NYSAC and stripped Ali of their title in March 1969.
March 4, 1968 February 16, 1970 Joe Frazier NYSAC United States American
April 28, 1968 February 16, 1970 Jimmy Ellis WBA United States American
February 16, 1970 January 22, 1973 Joe Frazier Universal United States American
Frazier and Ellis fought on February 16, 1970, at Madison Square Garden, New York. Frazier entered the ring as the holder of NYSAC version of the world title and Ellis held the WBA heavyweight title. The fight was also for the WBC title vacated by Muhammad Ali. Frazier defeated Ellis and was universally recognized as champion. He cemented his reputation upon defeating Muhammad Ali on March 8, 1971.
January 22, 1973 October 30, 1974 George Foreman Universal United States American
October 30, 1974 February 15, 1978 Muhammad Ali Universal United States American
February 15, 1978 March 18, 19783 Leon Spinks Universal United States American
March 18, 1978 September 15, 1978 Leon Spinks WBA United States American
March 18, 1978 June 9, 1978 Ken Norton WBC United States American
Spinks was stripped of his world title by the WBC for refusing to defend his title against their #1 ranked contender, Ken Norton. Spinks instead agreed to fight a return bout against Ali for the WBA crown. The WBC awarded Norton the title and, since he lost to Larry Holmes in his next defense, he is sometimes omitted from a list of heavyweight champions because he never won a world title fight.
June 9, 1978 December 11, 1983 Larry Holmes WBC United States American
Holmes relinquished his WBC title to assume the championship of the newly formed International Boxing Federation.
September 15, 1978 April 27, 1979 Muhammad Ali WBA United States American
Believing his career over, Ali relinquished his WBA title in exchange for a payment from promoter Don King, who was trying to stage a bout between then-WBC champ Larry Holmes and John Tate for the undisputed title. The bout never materialized, and Ali would return to the ring in 1980.
October 20, 1979 March 31, 1980 John Tate WBA United States American
March 31, 1980 December 10, 1982 Mike Weaver WBA United States American
December 10, 1982 September 23, 1983 Michael Dokes WBA United States American
September 23, 1983 December 1, 1984 Gerrie Coetzee WBA South Africa South African
December 11, 1983 September 21, 1985 Larry Holmes IBF United States American
March 9, 1984 August 31, 1984 Tim Witherspoon WBC United States American
August 31, 1984 March 22, 1986 Pinklon Thomas WBC United States American
December 1, 1984 April 29, 1985 Greg Page WBA United States American
April 29, 1985 January 17, 1986 Tony Tubbs WBA United States American
September 21, 1985 February 19, 19873 Michael Spinks IBF United States American
January 17, 1986 December 12, 1986 Tim Witherspoon WBA United States American
March 22, 1986 November 22, 1986 Trevor Berbick WBC CanadaJamaica Canadian / Jamaican
Jamaican born Berbick was a naturalized Canadian citizen and former Canadian heavyweight champion.
November 22, 1986 March 7, 1987 Mike Tyson WBC United States American
December 12, 1986 March 7, 1987 James ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith WBA United States American
March 7, 1987 August 1, 1987 Mike Tyson WBA & WBC United States American
May 30, 1987 August 1, 1987 Tony Tucker IBF United States American
August 1, 1987 May 6, 1989 Mike Tyson Universal United States American
May 6, 1989 January 11, 1991 Francesco Damiani WBO Italy Italian
Though Damiani defeated Johnny DuPlooy to become the WBO’s first Heavyweight champion, Tyson’s reign in the division during this period is virtually undisputed. Additionally, during this period Tyson also knocked out Michael Spinks who some regarded as the ‘lineal champion.’
May 6, 1989 February 11, 1990 Mike Tyson IBF, WBA & WBC United States American
February 11, 1990 October 25, 1990 James “Buster” Douglas IBF, WBA & WBC United States American
October 25, 1990 November 13, 1992 Evander Holyfield IBF, WBA & WBC United States American
January 11, 1991 December 24, 1991 Ray Mercer WBO United States American
May 15, 1992 February 3, 1993 Michael Moorer WBO United States American
November 13, 1992 December 14, 1992 Riddick Bowe IBF, WBA & WBC United States American
Bowe was stripped of his WBC championship for refusing to fight Lennox Lewis.
December 14, 1992 November 6, 1993 Riddick Bowe IBF & WBA United States American
December 14, 1992 September 24, 1994 Lennox Lewis WBC United Kingdom British
Lewis was born in England but moved to Ontario, Canada at the age of 12, later winning an Olympic gold medal for Canada. Lewis defeated Razor Ruddock on October 31, 1992, in a WBC ‘eliminator’ fight. When Riddick Bowe‘s championship recognition was withdrawn by the organization, the WBC immediately awarded Lewis the title.
June 7, 1993 October 29, 1993 Tommy Morrison WBO United States American
October 29, 1993 March 19, 1994 Michael Bentt WBO United States American
November 6, 1993 April 22, 1994 Evander Holyfield IBF & WBA United States American
March 19, 1994 March 11, 1995 Herbie Hide WBO United Kingdom British
April 22, 1994 November 5, 1994 Michael Moorer IBF & WBA United States American
September 24, 1994 September 2, 1995 Oliver McCall WBC United States American
November 5, 1994 March 4, 1995 George Foreman IBF & WBA United States American
The World Boxing Association withdrew its recognition of Foreman, but Foreman retained IBF championship recognition until it too was withdrawn.
March 4, 1995 June 28, 1995 George Foreman IBF United States American
The IBF withdrew its recognition of Foreman when he declined a rematch with Axel Schulz of Germany. Schultz was matched with Francois Botha of South Africa for the vacant title. The bout took place on December 9, 1995 in Stuttgart and resulted in a split decision points victory for Botha. Botha however tested positive for illegal anabolic steroids in a post-fight drugs test and the result was changed to a no-contest. Although some record books continue to list Botha as a world champion, the IBF state that they do not regard that he was ever champion.
March 11, 1995 May 1, 1996 Riddick Bowe WBO United States American
April 8, 1995 September 7, 1996 Bruce Seldon WBA United States American
September 2, 1995 March 16, 1996 Frank Bruno WBC United Kingdom British
March 16, 1996 September 7, 1996 Mike Tyson WBC United States American
June 22, 1996 November 8, 1997 Michael Moorer IBF United States American
June 29, 1996 February 17, 1997 Henry Akinwande WBO United Kingdom British
Akinwande had been ranked the WBC’s #2 contender when he won the WBO title. The WBC, which has feuded with the WBO since the latter’s founding in 1988, dropped Akinwande from its rankings altogether. Akinwande subsequently relinquished his WBO title in exchange for the opportunity to meet Lennox Lewis in a bout for the WBC championship.
September 7, 1996 September 24, 1996 Mike Tyson WBA & WBC United States American
September 24, 1996 November 9, 1996 Mike Tyson WBA United States American
November 9, 1996 November 8, 1997 Evander Holyfield WBA United States American
February 7, 1997 November 13, 1999 Lennox Lewis WBC United Kingdom British
June 28, 1997 June 26, 1999 Herbie Hide WBO United Kingdom British
November 8, 1997 November 13, 1999 Evander Holyfield IBF & WBA United States American
June 26, 1999 April 1, 2000 Vitali Klitschko WBO Ukraine Ukrainian
November 13, 1999 April 29, 2000 Lennox Lewis IBF, WBA & WBC United Kingdom British
In early 2000 the World Boxing Association and Lewis were sued by representatives of John Ruiz claiming that they had reneged on an agreement by which Ruiz would have fought Lewis for the WBA title. A New Jersey court ruled in favor of Ruiz, and ordered Lewis to either have his next bout against Ruiz or relinquish the title. Lewis elected instead to fight contender Michael Grant, relinquishing his WBA title on the day of the match.
April 1, 2000 October 14, 2000 Chris Byrd WBO United States American
April 29, 2000 April 22, 2001 Lennox Lewis IBF & WBC United Kingdom British
August 12, 2000 March 3, 2001 Evander Holyfield WBA United States American
October 14, 2000 March 8, 2003 Wladimir Klitschko WBO Ukraine Ukrainian
March 3, 2001 March 1, 2003 John Ruiz WBA United States American
April 22, 2001 November 17, 2001 Hasim Rahman IBF & WBC United States American
November 17, 2001 September 5, 2002 Lennox Lewis IBF & WBC United Kingdom British
Lewis relinquished the IBF title upon receiving payment of $1 million (US) by promoter Don King, who wished to stage a bout between Chris Byrd and Evander Holyfield for the vacant title.
September 5, 2002 February 6, 2004 Lennox Lewis WBC United Kingdom British
December 14, 2002 April 22, 2006 Chris Byrd IBF United States American
March 1, 2003 February 20, 2004 Roy Jones Jr. WBA United States American
March 8, 2003 October 9, 2003 Corrie Sanders WBO South Africa South African
February 20, 2004 December 17, 2005 John Ruiz WBA United States American
Ruiz beat Hasim Rahman on December 13, 2003, to become the WBA’s “interim” champion. He was awarded the championship following Roy Jones, Jr.’s announcement that he was relinquishing it to concentrate on lower weight divisions. Ruiz’s title reign ended on April 30, 2005, following a loss to James Toney but ten days later, a drug test on Toney detected he had used products containing nandrolone, an anabolic steroid. Thus, Toney’s victory was changed to a ‘no contest’ by New York state athletic commission, and as a result, the WBA declared Ruiz was keeping the title.
April 10, 2004 April 1, 2006 Lamon Brewster WBO United States American
April 24, 2004 November 9, 2005 Vitali Klitschko WBC Ukraine Ukrainian
November 9, 2005 August 13, 2006 Hasim Rahman WBC United States American
Rahman defeated Monte Barrett on August 13, 2005, to become the WBC’s “interim” champion. He was awarded the championship following Vitali Klitschko‘s announcement that he was retiring due to injury.
December 17, 2005 April 15, 2007 Nikolay Valuev WBA Russia Russian
April 1, 2006 November 4, 2006 Sergei Liakhovich WBO Belarus Belarusian
April 22, 2006 February 23, 2008 Wladimir Klitschko IBF Ukraine Ukrainian
August 13, 2006 March 8, 2008 Oleg Maskaev WBC United StatesRussia American/Russian
Maskaev was born in Kazakhstan to Russian parents. He originally held Kazakh citizenship but was granted US citizenship in 2004. In December 2006 he was also granted Russian citizenship. On September 24, 2007, Samuel Peter was declared the WBC’s “interim” champion. Peter ultimately defeated Maskaev on March 8, 2008.
November 4, 2006 June 2, 2007 Shannon Briggs WBO United States American
April 15, 2007 July 4, 2008 Ruslan Chagaev WBA Uzbekistan Uzbekistani
Chagaev’s mandatory title defence against former champion Nikolay Valuev, scheduled for July 5, 2008, had to be cancelled for a second time after Chagaev suffered a complete tear of an Achilles tendon during his training for the fight. Because of the injury and necessary recovery time, the WBA elected to make Chagaev “Champion In Recess” and mandated that top-contenders Valuev and John Ruiz meet for the title. They set a deadline of June 26, 2009 for Chagaev to fight the champion but as this deadline was not met, Chagaev was stripped of his “Champion In Recess” title when the WBA published their Official Ratings as of June 2009.
June 2, 2007 February 23, 2008 Sultan Ibragimov WBO Russia Russian
February 23, 2008 present Wladimir Klitschko IBF & WBO Ukraine Ukrainian
March 8, 2008 October 11, 2008 Samuel Peter WBC Nigeria Nigerian
July 4, 20084 July 24, 2009 Ruslan Chagaev WBA Uzbekistan Uzbekistani
The WBA had set a deadline of June 26, 2009 for Chagaev to fight the champion but this deadline was not met. On July 24, 2009, when the WBA published their Official Ratings as of June 2009, Chagaev was stripped of his “Champion In Recess” title.
August 30, 2008 November 7, 2009 Nikolay Valuev WBA Russia Russian
Valuev regained the WBA title by beating John Ruiz on August 30, 2008, shortly after Chagaev had become the “Champion In Recess”. Upon making Chagaev the “Champion In Recess”, the WBA set a deadline of June 26, 2009 for him to fight the champion. This deadline was not met and Chagaev was stripped of his “Champion In Recess” title when the WBA published their Official Ratings as of June 2009.
October 11, 2008 present Vitali Klitschko WBC Ukraine Ukrainian
November 7, 2009 present David Haye WBA United KingdomBritish
In 2010 Haye was awarded citizenship of North Cyprus Northern Cyprus. A state whose existence is recognized only by Turkey.

There is no doubt the heavyweights will always be the ‘Kings of the Ring’ and be the big names. The last hundred years or so of heavyweight history have been an amazing thing to watch, read and be a a part of. I don’t know about you, but I cant what to see what and who comes next.

data courtesy of Wikipedia editors, image courtesy of Wikimedia

Related articles

RING TRIVIA for December 2010

Heavyweights, Trivia,

1) In May 1989, who won the first ever newly created WBO heavyweight title ?
a) Francesco Damiani
b) Ray Mercer
c) Tyrell Biggs
d) Michael Dokes

2) What British boxer often wore “TRUE BRIT” embroidered on his trunks ?
a) Ricky Hatton
b) Nigel Benn
c) Frank Bruno
d) Chris Eubank

3) Jack Johnson (also) fought the brother of what heavyweight champion ?
a) Marvin Hart
b) Bob Fitzsimmons
c) Tommy Burns
d) Jim Jeffries

Three new RING TRIVIA questions are posted up every month … with answers available for viewing about three weeks later for your enjoyment!

DOUG JONES

Heavyweights, History, Jim Amato, , ,

Doug Jones and Ernie Terrell (June 1966)

photo courtesy – Jim Carlin

By Jim Amato / Senior Boxing Writer

What do you say about a fighter who was good enough to challenge for world title recognition in two different weight classes? What do you say about a fighter who holds knockout victories over former world champion and Hall of Famers Carl “Bobo” Olson and Bob Foster?

In all he met six world title holders. He also crossed gloves with top contenders like Eddie Machen, Pete Rademacher, Zora Folley, Billy Daniels, George Chuvalo,Thad Spencer and Boone Kirkman.

Impressive? You bet! Here’s more. He gave “The Greatest” his toughest pre championship fight and to this day there are many who feel that the decision rendered that night was a travesty.

For some people timing is everything. Take Lennox Lewis and Roy Jones Jr. Talented boxers who were fortunate to come along when their respective divisions were void of serious challenges. Then take Jerry Quarry. A talented fighter who just happened to box in the greatest era of the heavyweight division. Go figure.
Continue reading DOUG JONES →

Muhammad Ali / Part Six

Ali, Heavyweights, History, Video,

By David Martinez / Boxing Historian

This is the last of a six part series on Muhammad Ali. It has truly been my pleasure to share with you my personal accounts of THE GREATEST heavyweight champion in my era of boxing.

For those of you who have missed any of this special series, you can simply go to the menu on this website and click on the category, “Ali”, to view each part.


So, in my final, part six, I will take you back to Saturday afternoon, March 5, 2005. The location was the Stevens Steak House, Commerce, California. The event was the annual California Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee ceremonies.

This wasn’t even a live fight, but I will simply recognize it as one of the most memorable events that I have attended in my almost fifty years of involvement in boxing. Continue reading Muhammad Ali / Part Six →