March 9th

Same day events that happened in boxing history
scappoosejohn
MODERATOR
Posts: 5224
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:00 pm
Location: Oregon, USA

March 9th

Post by scappoosejohn »

From East Side Boxing:

Twenty-Two Years Ago Today - Foreman Comes Back To Fight Zouski!

09.03.09 - by James Slater - When he made the shocking decision to return to the ring to face journeyman heavyweight Steve Zouski twenty-two years ago today, George Foreman was in no way the beloved and hugely popular figure he is today. What he was when he entered the ring at The Arco Arena in Sacramento, was a curiosity of a former champion who was returning, after a ten year absence, to the sport he once dominated. Typically, there was as much negativity as there was curiosity surrounding this bizarre comeback..

No-one, least of all the sports writers, felt they would see "Big" George go on from the 4th round TKO he scored over Zouski that March evening in 1987 and become, A: a two-time heavyweight champion of the world, B: a multi, multi, multi-millionaire, and C: a cherished figure known for partaking in the sport of boxing's most successful comeback in heavyweight history. Yet Foreman, who weighed-in for his first action in a decade at the 267-pound mark, did all the great things listed above and more.

In many ways, George's ability to ignore the barbs thrown his way by the media was his most impressive achievement. Openly ridiculing Foreman and his chances of reigning again as absurd, the press called Foreman all manner of things - crazy, a disgrace, shameless. You name it, George had to hear it. Yet being the incredibly strong-minded fighter no-one yet knew he was, the 38-year-old soldiered on and slowly but surely made the critics eat their words.

And some strong words they were, too. This from the March, 1987 issue of World Boxing, whose cover bellowed the ignominious headline - "Foreman's Flabby Comeback!"

"After a few more bruised eyelids Foreman's comeback will fade away to nothing." And from George's former trainer Gil Clancy as quoted in the same issue. "George called me and told he was going to comer back. I said, okay, come to the gym so I can take a look at you. I never heard back from George after that."

The magazine had inside its pages some unflattering text describing the Foreman-Zouski fight, and it was in no way unclear that the publication gave the former heavyweight king not much more than a snowball in hell's chance of getting anywhere near where he wanted to go - namely into a ring with current champion Mike Tyson. And who could really blame the magazine's writers or Clancy for thinking the way they did? After all, what George was trying to do was pretty mind boggling.

Yet, in daring to be great and, more importantly, in daring to dream, George achieved his lofty and seemingly farfetched goal. He never got into a ring with Tyson, but he fought for the title on two separate occasions - losing admirably on points to Evander Holyfield in April of 1991 (Holyfield being a fighter who would go on to TKO Tyson) and then realising his dream in the 10th round against Michael Moorer in November of 1994.

World Boxing, in its report on the Zouski fight, said only the former champion's left jab had remained from his prime years. As it turned out, George had a lot more left than just that!

(A little mention should go to Zouski. After losing to Foreman, the then 33-year-old from Brockton fought on for a further four years - winning six and losing six. One of the fighters he met, and went the distance with during this time, was a 11-0 bomber named Tommy Morrison. Though he lost to all the name fighters he met - including Tyson, who stopped him in the 3rd-round a year before he met Foreman - Zouski was one tough guy. Today he is best known as the man a living legend chose as opponent #1 in a fairytale comeback!)
"A champion, a true champion is to take on all capable challengers. A true champion defends his title, and looks for matches that pose a threat in order to prove to the world he deserves to be called the best of the best."
User avatar
straycat
TTR Superfights Challenge #9 Champion
TTR Superfights Challenge #9 Champion
Posts: 27504
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2006 1:31 pm
Location: We Miss You Buddy, Though You're Gone You Are Not Forgotten!
Contact:

Post by straycat »

1984- Tim Witherspoon beats Greg Page in 12 for the vacant WBC heavyweight title. In December, 1983, Larry Holmes relinquished his WBC title rather than defend against Page. Page, in constant war with promoter Don King, turned up overweight and was outpointed in a close, mauling fight.

1987- Thomas Hearns becomes the ninth boxer in history to win world titles in three divisions, and the first American to do so since Henry Armstrong, knocking out WBC world Light-Heavyweight champion Dennis Andries, born in Guyana but a British resident, in round ten in Detroit. The 3 time champion Andries was knockdown 7 times in this fight,
Ĩ ÁM ŚŤŔÁŶČÁŤ ÁŃĎ Ĩ ÁPPŔŐVĔ ŤĤĨŚ MĔŚŚÁĞĔ
>^^< ŚŤŔÚŤ!
ScapposeJohn commenting on Shane Mosely possibly being unaware he was taking PED's wrote: Likewise. It reminds me of President Clinton saying that he smoked weed in college but never inhaled. Yeah..........right.
USMILMAN
TTR SuperFights Challenge #5 Champion
TTR SuperFights Challenge #5 Champion
Posts: 19466
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2006 10:34 am
Location: Norfolk, VA
Contact:

Post by USMILMAN »

1976 - Marvin Hagler losses a decision against Willie "the Worm" Monroe. Two months prior, he lost a decision to Bobby "Boogaloo" Watts. He avenged the two losses by knocking out both opponents on the way to the world middleweight title in 1980.
User avatar
straycat
TTR Superfights Challenge #9 Champion
TTR Superfights Challenge #9 Champion
Posts: 27504
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2006 1:31 pm
Location: We Miss You Buddy, Though You're Gone You Are Not Forgotten!
Contact:

Post by straycat »

1880: Terry McGovern born John Terrence McGovern.

1900- "Terrible" Terry McGovern KO 3 Oscar Gardner, NYC. Retains World Featherweight Title.

1955- Raul Macias KO 11 Chamrern Songkitratn, San Francisco. Wins vacant NBA Bantamweight Title.

1979- Wilfredo Gomez KO 5 Nestor Jimenez, NYC. Retains WBC Super bantamweight Title.

1984- Tim Witherspoon W 12 Greg Page, Las Vegas. Wins vacant WBC Heavyweight Title. Quite possibly the worst “title fight” ever!

1984- Carlos De Leon W 12 Anthony Davis, Las Vegas. Retains WBC Cruiserweight Title.

1985- Milton McCrory W 12 Pedro Vilella, Paris. Retains WBC Welterweight Title.

1986- Donald Curry KO 2 Eduardo Rodriguez, Ft. Worth, TX. Retains World Welterweight Title. At this point in his career, Curry seemed like a sure-fire hall of famer.

1986- Myung Woo Yuh W 15 Jose DeJesus, Suwon, South Korea. Retains WBA Junior Flyweight Title.

1987- George Foreman KO 4 Steve Zouski, Sacramento. George’s first fight since losing a 12-round verdict to Jimmy Young on 03/17/1977.

1989- Raul Perez W 12 Lucio Lopez, Los Angeles. Retains WBC Bantamweight Title.

2001- Dale Crowe KO 10 Greg Page, Erlanger, Kentucky. The 42-year old Page suffers a blot clot on the brain.

2002- Paul Spadafora W 12 Angel Manfredy, Pittsburgh, PA. Retains IBF Lightweight Title.

Born On This Day

1973- Danny Green (born Daniel Green from Perth, Western Australia)
Australian professional boxer and the current IBO cruiserweight champion.
Born in Perth, Western Australia, Green began as an amateur boxer. Success at the State Amateur level led to him being selected for an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship to prepare for 1998 Commonwealth Games and the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
Green qualified for the Olympic team, stopping Brazilian Laudelino Barros in the fourth and final round of his first bout. However, Russian Alexander Lebziak stopped Green in the fourth and final round of the second bout. Lebziak went on to claim the Gold Medal.
After the Olympics, Green decided to turn professional. He won his first bout by a second round technical knockout ovr Waqa Kolivuso on 29 June 2001 in his adopted hometown of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. A strong puncher, Green won all of his first 16 fights by KO or TKO, earning him a match with Germany's Super Middleweight World Champion Markus Beyer.
Green fought Beyer on 16 August 2003 in Germany. Green floored Beyer twice, opening a cut above the champion's right eye that had to be closed between the third and fourth round. In the fifth round, a clash of heads opened the cut again. The referee ruled it was deliberate on Green's part, and he was disqualified. All three judges had Green ahead on their scorecards. Green was granted a rematch on the condition that he fight two contenders nominated by the WBC.
Green defeated Eric Lucas by a 6th round knockout on 20 December 2003, in Montreal, Canada. He next defeated Sean Sullivan by a unanimous decision on 21 March 2004 in Perth. On 29 September 2004, Green fulfilled the WBC requirements for a rematch by stopping Omar Eduardo Gonzales in the fifth round in Sydney. Beyer was still the reigning champion, and a bout with Green was scheduled for March 2005. Once again it would be fought in Germany.
Green began his rematch cautiously, trying to outbox Beyer in the early rounds. However, Beyer was the more skilled boxer and opened a large points lead. Near the end of the fight, Green realized he needed a knockout to win. He took the last three rounds, and scored the fight's only knockdown in the final round. Beyer was a majority winner on two of the three cards, with one judge scoring it a draw.
Green dismissed his trainer, former world champion Jeff Fenech, and hired Cuban Olympic trainer Ismael Salas. Green stopped James Crawford in the 5th round of his next fight on 3 July 2005 in Perth.
Green long had a rivalry with Australian Super Middleweight boxer Anthony Mundine, a son of former champion Tony Mundine. Following Green's loss to Beyer, both boxers found themselves at a low and negotiations commenced.
Green had more popular support, but he was forced to make concessions for a Mundine showdown. A qualifying fight was assigned for each man. The bouts were on the same card in Perth on December 11, 2006, and it was considered a double main event.
Green defeated Mexican Kirino Garcia in a match that went the full ten rounds. All three judges scored it for Green at 100-90. Green changed clothes and returned to watch Mundine battle New Zealander Rico Chong Nee.
Mundine entered to boos, catcalls and abuse. He stopped Nee in the third round, then threatened Green from the ropes. Mundine left the arena in a hail of plastic cups and bottles.
Green and Mundine fought in Sydney on 17 May 2006. Green did well in the opening rounds with his strong power jabs, but by the 6th round Mundine had taken control of the bout. Mundine landed a solid right hook on Green's jaw in round 7, and Green began to look fatigued. The concession in moving from his native Cruiser Weight to the Mundine specified weight division was taking its toll. He managed to last the full 12 rounds, but Mundine won by a unanimous points decision: 118-113, 116-113 and 118-111.
The following day, Green announced the rivalry between Mundine and himself was over. He said he respects Mundine as a fighter, but he would seek a rematch to prove he had an off night.
After his loss to Mundine, Green moved back up to the Light Heavyweight to fight Jason DeLisle. Danny had fought Jason twice before, losing to him on points in 2000 as an amateur and beating him in 2003 by KO in the 5th.
Green and DeLisle fought on the 20th of Sept. Danny won convincingly by TKO in the 9th.
It was announced on 7 December that Danny's next opponent would be fellow Australian Paul Murdoch. The light heavyweight bout took place 21 January and Green won the bout, stopping Murdoch in the second round when a member of his corner threw in the towel.
Following the Murdoch bout it was announced that Danny's next opponent would be Manny Siaca in an IBO World Title Eliminator. However the fight was cancelled after Siaca contracted a viral infection and in its place Green fought American Otis Griffin at Challenge Stadium on 19 July. Griffin, who began his boxing career after winning a reality TV show hosted by Oscar de la Hoya, was no match for Green who knocked him down three successive times in the third round.
His next bout was against World Boxing Association light heavyweight champion Stipe Drvis at Challenge stadium, where Green won the title by a unanimous points decision. Green became the first Australian light heavyweight champion since Jeff Harding's loss to Mike McCallum in 1994.
On 25 March 2008 Danny Green announced his retirement, which lasted until April 2009, when he returned to the ring and defeated Anthony van Niekerk in Perth.
On December 2 Danny Green defeated Roy Jones, Jr. in Sydney to keep the International Boxing Organization cruiserweight title, claiming victory in the first round by Technical knock out. Square Ring Inc. have requested the fight be marked a no contest, due to illegal hand wraps used by Green, who refused to remove his gloves on camera after the bout. Jones said "I'd rather lose fair than win cheating." The investigation is still on-going, and a rematch clause was also signed prior to the fight. Danny Green was sued in 2010 for refusing to abide by the contract, refusing to allow Jones a rematch. On April the 14th 2010 Danny Green faced lightly regarded boxer Manny Siaca. He dominated the majority of the fight while flooring Siaca in the 2nd round. Danny Green won the fight in round 3 by way of KO.
On 21 July 2010 Green took on Paul Briggs putting the IBO cruiserweight title on the line. Before the bout Green labelled Briggs "unprofessional" after the he weighed in nearly 4 kg over the agreed-upon weight. The ensuing fight was seen as a "farce", with Briggs collapsing after 29 seconds following an innocuous left jab by Green, his first in the fight, which appears to have at most brushed the top of Briggs' head. Briggs was subsequently booed out of the stadium by irate fans, and had to be protected by management from projected missiles being thrown at him. In a post-bout interview Green labelled Briggs "less than canine" and claimed Briggs would not be getting paid for the fight, while also apologising to fans who had paid to attend. Speculation has arisen as to whether Briggs threw the fight, as online bookmaker Centrebet labelled the bout "highly, highly dubious" following a massive betting plunge shortly before the fight. Centrebet spokesman Neil Evans stated "We've never ever in the history of boxing seen so much money go on a specific decision outcome, as in a first- or second-round knockout. There was a massive go on first or second-round knockout starting from very early yesterday morning, right through the day, certainly up until early afternoon. There was one bet of $50,000, which is extraordinary on an option of a first-round knock-out, even on a hot favourite. They were both into even money, paying $2 each at around lunch-time almost, such was the amount of money just poured in the gate." The fight had been due to be held in Sydney but was moved at the last minute after the New South Wales Combat Sports Authority refused to commission the bout claiming Briggs was "unfit" to fight. It is highly possible that many fight fans were privy to leaked information that Briggs was not fighting-fit, with rumours and speculation that he had been dropped several times in training leading up to the bout.
In 2006 a documentary called The Fight Game was released based on Green. It covers the triumph and tragedy of the first four years of his professional boxing career. Also an interview/documentary with Green in 2008 after his retirement called Closed Fists, Open Heart which covers his entire boxing career up to his retirement.
Green was a contestant on the 2008 season of the Australian version of Dancing With the Stars. On Nov. 9, 2008, Green and partner Natalie Lowe finished second to actor Luke Jacobz and his partner Luda Kroitor.
Ĩ ÁM ŚŤŔÁŶČÁŤ ÁŃĎ Ĩ ÁPPŔŐVĔ ŤĤĨŚ MĔŚŚÁĞĔ
>^^< ŚŤŔÚŤ!
ScapposeJohn commenting on Shane Mosely possibly being unaware he was taking PED's wrote: Likewise. It reminds me of President Clinton saying that he smoked weed in college but never inhaled. Yeah..........right.
User avatar
straycat
TTR Superfights Challenge #9 Champion
TTR Superfights Challenge #9 Champion
Posts: 27504
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2006 1:31 pm
Location: We Miss You Buddy, Though You're Gone You Are Not Forgotten!
Contact:

Re: March 9th

Post by straycat »

2013:
Bernard Hopkins W 12 Tavoris Cloud, Brooklyn, NY. Wins IBF World Light Heavyweight Title.
Referee: Earl Brown | judge: John Poturaj 116-112 | judge: Tom Schreck 117-111 | judge: John Stewart 116-112. Hopkins breaks his own record as the oldest fighter to win a world title.

Argenis Mendez KO 4 Juan Carlos Salgado, Costa Mesa, CA. Wins IBF World Junior Lightweight Title.
Ĩ ÁM ŚŤŔÁŶČÁŤ ÁŃĎ Ĩ ÁPPŔŐVĔ ŤĤĨŚ MĔŚŚÁĞĔ
>^^< ŚŤŔÚŤ!
ScapposeJohn commenting on Shane Mosely possibly being unaware he was taking PED's wrote: Likewise. It reminds me of President Clinton saying that he smoked weed in college but never inhaled. Yeah..........right.
KSTAT124
TTR Rankings & Results Editor
TTR Rankings & Results Editor
Posts: 23953
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 10:22 pm
Location: Valley Stream, New York

Re: March 9th

Post by KSTAT124 »

SIXTY YEARS AGO TODAY:

March 9, 1956-

Schoeneberg, Berlin, Germany-

Hans Stretz (67-9-9) dethroned defending BDB German light heavyweight champion Willi Hoepner (45-6-2) via a 12-round decision.

New York, New York, USA-

In the main event at Madison Square Garden, lightweight Ludwig Lightburn (38-6) of Belize unanimously outpointed Algeria's Hoacine Khalfi (46-14-6) over 10 rounds.

On the same card, up-and-coming, undefeated middleweight Rory Calhoun (19-0) of White Plains, New York stopped Andre Tessier (17-6-2) of Springfield, Massachusetts in the 5th round of a scheduled 8.

Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil-

In a non-title bout scheduled for 10 rounds, unbeaten Brazilian light heavyweight champion Luis Ignacio (12-0-1) stopped veteran middleweight Miguel Rodriguez (63-9-8) of Argentina in the first round.

Return to “Today in Boxing History”