JANUARY 17th

[the13r]

January 17, 1998
Angel Manfredy vs. Arturo Gatti, Lightweight Division
Manfredy w. TKO in the 8th round

[Astor]

January 17, 1936 - Freddie (Red) Cochrane, 20-6-4 (Elizabeth) won a 10 round decision over George Levy (Trenton).

[RASTA666]

I cant believe the Philly connection to this sport. It is unreal. Sticking to it.




James 'Black Gold' Shuler defended his NABF Middleweight Title with a 12-round decision against Nashville's Clint Jackson on this day in 1984.

Against Shuler, Jackson looked to finally break his local jinx, as his three losses to date had all come at the fists of Philly-area fighters - Camden's Tony Braxton (TKO by 9), Southwest Philly's Animal Fletcher (L12), & South Philly's Buster Drayton (KO by 2).

Jackson fought tough and went the distance, but in the end, it was Shuler, the undefeated-would-be Olympian who came out on top, staying undefeated (19-0) and keeping Jackson's curse intact. With the win Shuler, moved a step closer to a title shot against Marvin Hagler that of course, would never come.

In 1986, Shuler lost his big test to Thomas Hearns in a nightmare of a fight (KO by 1), and just one week later, was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident.


Other notables.

1936 - Leroy Haynes KO2 Sal Ruggirello at Philadelphia, PA
1958 - Harold Johnson W10 Bert Whitehurst at Syracuse, NY
1966 - Joe Frazier KO1 Mel Turnbow at Philadelphia's Convention Hall
1973 - Tyrone Everett W6 Luciano Santos at The Catholic Youth Center in Scranton, PA
1977 - Bennie Briscoe W10 Karl Vinson at The Philadelphia Spectrum
1978 - Augie Pantellas KO5 Isaac Vega at The Philadelphia Spectrum
1986 - Tim Witherspoon W15 Tony Tubbs at Atlanta, GA (Won WBA Heavyweight Title)

[the13r]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GREATEST!!!!

Muhammad Ali is 65 today (2007)!!!

[Woobase]

On January 17, 1916, at the Milwaukee Auditorium Ted "Kid" Lewis (from London, England) would defend his welterweight title against Perry "Kid" Graves. Lewis, nicknamed the Aldgate Sphinx, won the welterweight title on 8/31/1915 by dethroning Jack Britton via points in a twelve round bout. Lewis successfully defended the title in a rematch with Britton on 9/28/1915 with a 12 round points victory.

Kid Graves, a quick and clever fighter, had previously won the world welterweight title on 7-18-1914 by knocking out Johnny "Kid" Alberts in the 2nd round. A welterweight tourny was held by the American Boxing Association in an effort to fill the vacant title, which culminated in the Kid Graves verus Kid Alberts championship fight. Graves would face Alberts in the rematch on 9-24-1914, winning via newspaper decision in 10 rounds.

**NOTE: Although Graves would lose to Jack Britton 1-30-1915, Britton would not officially gain the World Welterweight Crown until 6-22-1915 when Britton defeated Mike Glover via PTS 12 in Boston, MA.

The championship fight on 1/17/1916 between Graves and Lewis, would end in the favor of Ted "Kid" Lewis, via newspaper decision in 10 rounds. Lewis would then fight Britton THREE days later, in Buffalo, NY, with the fight ending in a Draw.

Ted "Kid" Lewis, 215-44-24, 71 KO's, fought in six weight classes in his 20 year career. He became the youngest British champion when he captured the British Featherweight title at the age of 17 (Oct. 1913). On Feb. 1914 Lewis became the European Featherweight champion. When Lewis defeated Britton for the title, he became the FIRST British champion to win his title on American soil. As most of everyone knows, Lewis meet Britton 20 times, going 7-8-3, with 2 ND.

Nat Fleischer and Charley Rose ranked Lewis as the #4 All-Time Welterweight; The "Kid" was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.

Odd Fact: Ted "Kid" Lewis is reportedly the FIRST boxer to use a mouthpiece!



Ted Lewis


Perry "Kid" Graves

[KSTAT124]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GREATEST!!!!

Muhammad Ali is 65 today (2007)!!!

Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, once fought, as a professional, on his birthday. On January 17, 1961, fighting as Cassius Clay, he TKO'ed the more experienced Tony Esperti in the 3rd round of a scheduled 8 to improve to 3-0 with 2 KOs. Esperti slipped to 9-7-2 with 5 KOs.

[KSTAT124]

A year ago today, on Muhammad Ali's 67th birthday, Andre Berto outpointed Luis Collazo to retain the WBC welterweight title and:


http://www.the13thround.com/ttround/ite ... cordID=340

and

http://www.the13thround.com/ttround/ite ... cordID=339

and

http://www.the13thround.com/ttround/ite ... cordID=342

[straycat]

Cassius Clay born in Louisville

Muhammad Ali- On this day in 1942, Cassius Marcellus Clay was born in Louisville, Kentucky. The fighter, who would change his name to Muhammad Ali shortly after winning the heavyweight title, is the most influential athlete of the past 50 years.

After bringing home a gold medal as a light heavyweight at the 1960 Summer Olympics, he turned professional and won his first 19 bouts. It earned him a shot at heavyweight champion Sonny Liston in February of 1964. Few sportswriters gave the challenger, then known as the “Louisville Lip," a chance at winning and he was an 8-1 underdog in the days before the bout. However, Clay shocked everyone at ringside, evading Liston’s haymakers and landing several critical punches throughout the fight. Liston retired on his stool at the beginning of the seventh round because of an injured shoulder. At just a little over 22 years old, Clay was the heavyweight champion of the world.

Shortly after the bout, Clay joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He knocked out Liston in the first round in their rematch in the 1965, and then cleaned out the heavyweight division, successfully defending his belt eight times.

In late 1967, Ali refused to be drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, citing his religious beliefs. He was stripped of his heavyweight title and was convicted of rejecting induction into the U.S. Army. He also did not receive a boxing license from any state for three years. During that time, he supported himself by speaking at universities and through other ventures, such as a staged fight with Rocky Marciano and the short-lived Broadway musical, “Buck White."

In 1970, the Georgia and New York athletic commissions allowed Ali to return to the ring. He reeled off wins against Jerry Quarry and Oscar Bonavena before facing undisputed heavyweight champion Joe Frazier in March of 1971. “Smokin’" Joe had won the title in Ali’s absence and their match-up was one of the most anticipated bouts in boxing history. The bout lived up to its hype, but after 15 action-packed rounds, Frazier was awarded the decision.

Shortly after the bout, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Ali’s conviction. He immediately began pursuing a rematch with Frazier, ridding the division of all contenders in the process. After the Frazier loss to 1971, Ali’s only other loss was a split decision to Ken Norton in March of 1973, which he avenged later that year.

Frazier lost his belt to George Foreman via a savage second-round stoppage in January of 1973. This led to Ali and Frazier facing each other in a title eliminator bout in early 1974. This time, Ali won the decision and signed to face Foreman in Zaire in 1974. Like his first bout with Liston, most boxing aficionados worried for Ali’s health going into the “Rumble in the Jungle," and once again, Ali shocked them all. This time, he employed his rope-a-dope method to wear down Foreman before knocking him out in the eighth round.

As the champion, Ali faced Frazier for a rematch in the Philippines in 1975. Billed as the “Thrilla in Manila," the grueling fight was one of the greatest in history. Both fighters administered more punishment on each other than any man should ever suffer. Before the start of the 15th round, Frazier’s trainer, Eddie Futch, stopped the fight because of visibility-diminishing swelling around Frazier’s eyes.

Ali’s second run as heavyweight champion was one of the most successful, and controversial, in history. The run included defenses against Chuck Wepner, Ron Lyle, Frazier, Jimmy Young, Norton, and Ernie Shavers. However, it was apparent to all fans that Ali’s skills and health were deteriorating and there were many cries through the media for him to retire during this period.

In February of 1978, an out-of-shape Ali lost his title to Leon Spinks by unanimous decision. He returned to the ring more prepared seven months later and won his championship back with a smart and well-managed decision of Spinks.

Ali retired in 1979, vacating his title. He made two unsuccessful attempts to return to the ring before retiring for good in 1981. Since then, he has served as an elder statesman to the sport and as a national symbol for humanitarianism. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.

There are many testaments to Ali’s influence. Among them are the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Sports Illustrated’s naming of Ali as “Athlete of the Century," and Time’s listing of Ali as one of the “100 Most Important People of the 20th Century."

Also born on this date:
Constantine "Cus" D'Amato (January 17, 1908 – November 4, 1985) was an American boxing manager and trainer who handled the careers of Floyd Patterson, Jose Torres, and Mike Tyson. Several successful boxing trainers, including Teddy Atlas, Kevin Rooney, and Joe Fariello, were tutored by D'Amato.

D'Amato was born in Bronx, New York on January 17, 1908. When he was 22, he opened the Empire Sporting Club with Jack Barrow at the Gramercy Gym. D'Amato lived in the gym for years, waiting for a champion to walk in. He came close several times, but would always lose his fighters to the "connected" managers. One fighter "discovered" by D'Amato, but who went on to become middleweight champion of the world under the helm of other trainers and managers was Rocky Graziano.


1986- Tim Witherspoon outpoints Tony Tubbs over 15 rounds to win the WBA heavyweight title


Also on this day

1967- Barney Ross, welterweight Boxing Champ (1934), dies at 57 December 23, 1909 – January 17, 1967

Barney Ross was born in NYC in 1909 with the name "Dov-Ber Rasofsky." His father was a rabbi and a shopkeeper. As a boy, his family moved to Chicago where they landed in the heart of the Jewish ghetto, Maxwell Street. Although, life was tough on the streets, Ross followed the advice his father gave, admonishing him to "let the atheists be the fighters . . . the trumbeniks, the murderers - we are the scholars." 1 Heeding his father's words, Ross's goal was to become a Talmudic scholar like his father.

At 13, Ross's father was murdered, shot dead resisting a robbery in his store and his whole word turned upside down. Soon after, his mother suffered a nervous breakdown and most of his siblings were either sent to live in orphanages or with extended members of the family. With Ross left almost totally on his own he began to hang around the streets and quickly became a brawler, thief and money-runner. One of his street pals was the young Jack Ruby, who would later gain infamy as Oswald's executioner. For a period he even worked for Al Capone. Already, his life was intersecting with legendary, if not unsavory, characters.

In an effort to make enough money to reunite his family he became a boxer, realizing that, "he can make decent money as a "pawnshop fighter," an amateur boxer pawning off the watches and shoes he'd win in bouts." His mother returned soon after, but because she so disapproved of boxing, he fought under the name "Barney Ross," to conceal his new career.

Ross went on to win the Chicago and Intercity Golden Gloves in 1929 and fought nearly 200 amateur fights with an impressive record. He became well known for his speed, cleverness and stamina, although never a knockout artist. He turned pro in 1929 and fought a series of bouts leading up to March 26, 1933, when he faced world Lightweight and Jr. Welterweight champion and fellow three divisions world champions club member Tony Canzoneri in Chicago. He won by decision in ten rounds. This was a shocking victory, as he was a major underdog.

Alternating between welterweight and lightweight classes, he fought a series of fights over the next several years gaining and defending various world titles, which included three wars against his greatest nemesis Jimmy McLarnin. Ross "showed unflinching courage by counter punching when hit hard and always staying on his feet, a formula that served him throughout his life." 2 Always a crowd favorite, Ross, with the moniker "Pride of the Ghetto" was fighting in front of crowds as great as 70,000 fans.

In his private life, Ross was no saint. He was a chronic gambler, blowing huge fight purses ($30,000 or more) at the track, and perpetually owed money to bookies, loan sharks and mobsters. Just as with many other boxers of that or any era, "he drank, caroused, picked up tabs and lavished gifts upon his hangers-on with the fervency of a college student stumbling onto an open bar reception."

His last fight was on May 31, 1938, versus Henry Armstrong, where he lost by decision after 15 rounds. Although he was punished at will by Armstrong from the 4th round on, he refused to quit even with the referee begging his managers to throw in the towel. Ross had always gone the distance and desperately wanted to end his career in the same manner. Despite the brutal punishment he took, the referee, understanding the significance of letting it continue, allowed it to do so.

He retired with the record 72 wins, 4 losses, 3 draws and 2 no-contests, with 22 wins by way of knockout.

After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, Ross enlisted in the U.S. Marines, despite, at 32 (some sources cite his age at 34), being beyond draft age. Although he was assigned to work as a boxing instructor, he requested that he be sent into combat. He was sent to Guadalcanal Island, on which on one of the most brutal, U.S. military engagements ever took place against the Japanese.
One night he and three comrades were out on patrol and were attacked by Japanese troops. His three fellow soldiers were wounded and Ross shepherded them into a crater hole where he protected them throughout the night. During this long, bloody night, he fired off over 200 rounds at the enemy and when the bullets ran out he hurled 22 grenades at enemy machine gun positions. He was credited with killing roughly 20 of the enemy, in this overnight period. By the morning, two of his colleagues had died and he was able to carry the sole survivor to safety. For these exploits he received the Silver Star, Purple Heart, and a Presidential Citation.


While in the military hospital recovering from the wounds he had received during that night as well as a bad case of malaria, he was treated with morphine to which he quickly became addicted. At the height of his addiction the habit was costing him up to $500 per day. Eventually he beat the addiction and became an anti-drug spokesman, lecturing throughout U.S. high schools on the dangers and evils of drugs.

He worked tirelessly, lobbying for the emerging State of Israel, seeking donations from his underworld connections to buy and smuggle weapons into Israel. He also tried to create a corp. of American Jewish war veterans to send to Palestine to fight but this was blocked by the State Department.

Ross died of cancer in his adopted hometown of Chicago when he was 57 years old. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame

[straycat]

Passed Away On This Day

1909- Barney Ross (born Beryl David Rosofsky in New York City, New York December 23, 1909- January 17, 1967)
World champion boxer in three weight divisions and decorated veteran of World War II.
Dov-Ber (or Beryl) Rasofsky was born in New York City to Isidore "Itchik" Rasofsky and Sarah Epstein Rasofsky. His father was a Talmudic scholar who had emigrated to America from his native Brest-Litovsk after barely surviving a pogrom. The family then moved from New York to Chicago. Isidore became a rabbi and owner of a small vegetable shop in Chicago's Maxwell Street neighborhood, a vibrant Jewish ghetto akin to the New York's Lower East Side of the 1920s and '30s.
The young Rasofsky grew up on Chicago's mean streets, ultimately ignoring his father's admonition that Jews do not fight back.
"'Let the atheists be the fighters,'" Ross later recalled being told by his father. "'The trumbeniks, the murderers - we are the scholars.'" Ross's ambition in life was to become a Jewish teacher and a Talmudic scholar, but his life was changed forever when his father was shot dead resisting a robbery at his small grocery. Prostrate from grief, his mother Sarah suffered a nervous breakdown and his younger siblings—Ida, Sam and George—were placed in an orphanage or farmed out to other members of the extended family. Dov and his older brothers Ben and Morrie were left to their own devices.
In the wake of the tragedy, Dov became vindictive towards everything and turned his back on the orthodox religion of his father. He began running around with local toughs (including another wayward Jewish ghetto kid, the future Jack Ruby), developing into a street brawler, thief and money runner; he was even employed by Al Capone. Dov's goal was to earn enough money to buy a home so that he could reunite his family. He saw boxing as that vehicle and began training with his friend Ruby.
After winning amateur bouts, Dov would pawn the awards—like watches—and set the money aside for his family. There is speculation that Al Capone bought up tickets to his early fights, knowing some of that money would be funneled to Dov. Plagued by his father's death and feeling an obligation not to sully his name, Dov Rasofsky took the new name "Barney Ross." The name change was also part of a larger trend by Jews to assimilate in the U.S. by taking American-sounding names. Strong, fast and possessed of a powerful will, Ross was soon a Golden Gloves champion and went on to dominate the lighter divisions as a pro.
At a time—the late 1920s and '30s—when rising Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was using propaganda to spread his virulently anti-Jewish philosophy, Ross was seen by American Jews as one of their greatest advocates. He represented the concept of Jews finally fighting back. Idolized and respected by all Americans, Ross showed that Jews could thrive in their new country. He made his stand against Hitler and Nazi Germany a public one. He knew that by winning boxing matches he was displaying a new kind of strength for Jews. He also understood that Americans loved their sports heroes, and if Jews wanted to be embraced in the U.S. they would have to assume such places in society. So even though Ross had lost faith in religion, he openly embraced his role as a leader of his oppressed people.
Ross occupies the rarifed place as one of boxing's few triple division champions—lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight. He was never knocked out in 81 fights, and held his title against some of the best competition in the history of the divisions. Ross defeated great Hall of Fame champions like Jimmy McLarnin and Tony Canzoneri in epic battles that drew crowds of more than 50,000.
His first paid fight was on September 1, 1929, when he beat Ramon Lugo by a decision in six rounds. After ten wins in a row, he lost for the first time, to Carlos García, on a decision in ten.
Over the next 35 bouts, his record was 32–1–2, including a win over former world champion Battling Battalino, and one over a boxer named Babe Ruth (not the baseball player). Another bout included former world champion Cameron Welter. Then, on March 26, 1933, Ross was given his first shot at a world title, when he faced world lightweight and junior welterweight champion and fellow three division world champion club member Tony Canzoneri in Chicago. In one night, Ross became a two division world champion when he beat Canzoneri by a decision in ten rounds. It should be pointed out that Ross campaigned heavily in the city of Chicago. After two more wins, including a knockout in six over Johnny Farr, Ross and Canzoneri boxed again, with Ross winning again by decision, but this time in 15.
Ross was known as a smart fighter with great stamina. He retained his title by decision against Sammy Fuller to finish 1933, and against Peter Nebo to begin 1934. Then he defended against former world champion Frankie Klick, against whom he drew in ten. Then came the first of three bouts versus Jimmy McLarnin. Ross vacated the junior welterweight title to go after McLarnin's belt and won by a 15 round decision, his third world championship. However, in a rematch a few weeks later, McLarnin beat Ross by a decision, recovering the title, and after that, Ross went back down to the junior welterweights and reclaimed his title, with a 12 round decision over Bobby Pacho. After beating Klick and Henry Woods by decision to retain that title, he went back up in weight for his third and last fight with McLarnin, and recovered the title by outpointing McLarnin again over 15 rounds. He won 16 bouts in a row after that, including three over future world middleweight champion Ceferino Garcia, and one against Al Manfredo. His only two defenses, however, on that stretch were against Garcia and against Izzy Jannazzo, on points in 15.
In his last fight, Ross defended his title on May 31, 1938 against fellow three division world champion Henry Armstrong, who beat him by a decision in 15. Although Armstrong pounded Ross inexorably, and his trainers begged him to let them stop the fight, Ross absorbed the abuse and refused to stop or go down. Barney Ross was never knocked out in his career and was determined to leave the ring on his feet. Some boxing experts view Ross's performance against Armstrong as one of the most courageous in history. Some believe that Ross's will to survive every tough fight on his feet had to do with his understanding of his symbolic importance to Jews. That is, Jews would not only fight back, but they wouldn't go down.
Ross retired with a record of 72 wins, 4 losses, 3 draws and 2 no-contests, with 22 wins by knockout. He was ranked #21 on Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years.
In retirement in his early thirties, Ross enlisted in the United States Marine Corps to fight in World War II. The Marines wanted to keep him stateside and use his celebrity status to boost morale. Most of the athletes of the era like heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey had ceremonial roles in the military, but Ross insisted on fighting for his country.
Before he was to go overseas, Ross decked a non-com who had made an anti-semitic remark. He was to be court martialed at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot, San Diego. The other board members wanted to throw the book at Ross, but Captain Berthol E. Davis, who was also Jewish and knew of Ross' achievements, convinced the rest of the board to allow Ross to go overseas and avoid punishment. So, he was sent to [Guadalcanal] which turned out to be a much worse punishment than a court martial.
He was sent to Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. One night, he and three other comrades were trapped under enemy fire. All four were wounded; Ross was the only one able to fight. And fight he did. Ross gathered his comrades' rifles and grenades and single-handedly fought nearly two dozen Japanese soldiers over an entire night, killing them all by morning. Two of the Marines died, but he carried the third on his shoulders to safety; the other man weighed 230 lb (104 kg) compared to Ross' 140 lb (64 kg). Ross was awarded America's third highest military honor, the Silver Star, as well as a Presidential Citation. As one of America's greatest "celebrity" war heroes, he was honored by President Roosevelt in a Rose Garden ceremony.
During his time in Guadalcanal, Ross began a life-long friendship with the famous Father Frederic Gehring, a wartime chaplain who wrote regular correspondences for Reader's Digest magazine. Gehring considered Ross a national treasure who defied logic when it came to bravery and the defense of principle. Ross was the only one capable of playing a temperamental organ on the tropical island. On Christmas Eve before Barney and his Marines were to go to battle, Gehring asked him to learn "Silent Night" and other Christmas songs for the troops. Barney played these songs and sang with the homesick young men, after which Gehring implored Ross to play a Jewish song. Ross played a melancholy song called "My Yiddishe Momma" about a child's love for his self-sacrificing mother. Many of the Marines knew the melody of the song because Ross always had it played when he entered the ring. When the Marines heard the lyrics, newspaper reports say they were all in tears.
During his recovery at the hospital from his wounds suffered in that battle, Ross developed a habit for the morphine administered for pain. Back in the states, the morphine became heroin. This habit became so bad he would sometimes spend $500 a day on the drug. Ross went to a recovery center and beat his addiction. He gave lectures to high school students about the dangers of drug addiction.
Ross spent his last days using his celebrity status in promotional work for casinos and other businesses. He remained with his second wife Cathy Howlett, although they never had children. He was happy he reached the two goals he had set: reunite his family and become a world champion in boxing. He wrote an autobiography titled No Man Stands Alone.
He also remained loyal to his friend Jack Ruby and testified as a character witness on Ruby's behalf at his trial for killing Lee Harvey Oswald, who was under arrest for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Ross died in his hometown Chicago when he was 57 years old.
His relatives include Yuri Rasovsky, Solomon Rosowsky, and Baruch Leib Rosowsky.
Ross was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the World Boxing Hall of Fame, the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame,[1] and the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.
The Aleph Zadik Aleph chapter located in Chicago's South Suburbs, (primarily in Flossmoor, Homewood, and Olympia Fields), is named in his honor and memory.
Filmmaker and actor Sylvester Stallone paid tribute to Ross in his 2010 multi-star blockbuster The Expendables, about a group of mercenaries who undertake a mission to overthrow a South American dictator. Stallone had co-written, directed and starred in the motion picture. His character is named Barney Ross, in memory of the late fighter.
Ross's boxing career, World War II heroics, subsequent drug addiction and recovery are depicted in the film Monkey on My Back.

1899- George Dixon KO 10 Young Pluto, NYC. Retained World Featherweight Title. Referee: Johnny White.

1922- Harry Wills W 10 Sam Langford, Portland OR. Retains World "Colored" Heavyweight Title claim.

1922- Battling Siki W 12 Alphonse Rogiers, Paris, France. Light Heavyweight Bout.

1930- Leo Lomski W 10 James J. Braddock, Chicago, IL. Light Heavyweight Bout. Referee: Dave Miller.

1930- Jackie "Kid" Berg W 10 Tony Canzoneri, NYC. Lightweight Bout. Referee: Mike Hylis. "Fighting one of the most important ring struggles of his career, Berg rose to the occasion by giving Canzoneri one of the worst beatings he has ever experienced and winning the decision to the complete satisfaction of the crowd which jammed the Garden. However the official verdict was not unanimous." (James P. Dawson, New York Times). (Moderator's note: Berg would win the NBA World Junior Welterweight Title in his next bout, stopping defending champion Mushy Callahan in the 10th round on February 18, 1930 in Kensington, London, England.)

1941- Fritzie Zivic KO 12 Henry Armstrong, NYC. Retains World Welterweight Title.

1981- Marvelous Marvin Hagler KO 8 Fully Obel (Fulgencio Obelmeijas), Boston. Retains World Middleweight Title.

1986- "Terrible" Tim Witherspoon W 15 Tony Tubbs, Atlanta. Wins WBA heavyweight title. Witherspoon’s post fight urinalysis tests positive for a small level of weed. He is fined but not stripped of his title.

1988- Wifredo Vasquez Draw 12 Takuya Muguruma, Osaka. Retains WBA Bantamweight Title.

1998- Michael Grant KO 5 David Izon, Atlantic City. Retains IBC Heavyweight Title.

1998- Angel Manfredy KO 8 Arturo Gatti, Atlantic City. Lightweight Bout.

1998- Juan Domingo Cordoba W 12 Melchor Cob Castro, La Banda, Santiago del Estero, Argentina. Wins WBO Junior Flyweight Title.

2004- Zsolt Erdei W 12 Julio Gonzalez, Karlsruhe, Germany. Erdei, improving to 19-0 (13), wins the Lineal and WBO World Light Heavyweight Titles. Gonzalez loses for just the second time against 35 (22) wins.

2009- Andre Berto W 12 Luis Collazo, Biloxi, MS. Retains WBC Welterweight Title. Fantastic fight!

Born On This Day

1878- Philadelphia Jack O’Brien born James Francis Hagen in Philadelphia)
Light heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
Hagen was the older brother to Young Jack O'Brien and the cousin of heavyweight boxer Jack Rowan.
O'Brien turned pro in the 1890s. He stood 5-101/2 and weighed 152-165 pounds. He was agile, quick and limber, a two-handed puncher who landed often but not a particularly hard hitter. His best punches were a left jab and a hard overhand right, and he was a good defensive fighter who blocked punches well and counter-punched accurately.
O’Brien won the world light heavyweight championship with a 13-round TKO over Bob Fitzsimmons in San Francisco, California, but abandoned the title. He challenged world heavyweight champion Tommy Burns on November 28, 1906, in Los Angeles, and got a 20-round draw. The referee was former world champion James J. Jeffries. O’Brien challenged Burns again in Los Angeles on May 8, 1907, and this time Burns won the 20-round decision. He fought the fearsome middleweight champion Stanley Ketchel in a 10-round No Decision on March 26, 1909, in which O’Brien was saved by the bell at the end of the 10th round. He fought heavyweight champion Jack Johnson in a six-round No Decision on May 19, but on June 9 he faced Ketchel again and was beaten in three rounds.
His career record in 180 fights is 147 wins, 41 loses and 19 draws.
Hagan is believed to have managed a gym at 1658 Broadway, New York City, in the late 1920s/early 1930s.[1] World middleweight champion Harry Greb trained in O’Brien’s at gym, and the only existing films of Greb in action are workouts and sparring with O’Brien.
He died on November 12, 1942.
Known Exhibitions fought by O'Brien:
* 1909-8-20 EX4 Dick Gilbert, Denver, CO
* 1909-2-11 EX4 Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, Philadelphia, PA
* 1909-1-04 EX2 Fred Cooley, Washington S.C. Philadelphia, PA
* 1909-1-04 EX2 Jack Reed, Washington S.C. Philadelphia, PA
* 1909-1-04 EX2 Jack Cooper, Washington S.C. Philadelphia, PA
* 1908-9-23 EX4 Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, Philadelphia, PA
* 1908-4-04 EX4 Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, Philadelphia, PA
* 1902-3-26 EX Jack McCann, Reading, PA
* 1902-3-26 EX2 Morris Mahoney, Reading, PA
O’Brien was also the chief second to Jack Dempsey at the 1926 Dempsey-Tunney bout in Philadelphia.
Nat Fleischer, founder and editor of The Ring Magazine, ranked O'Brien as the No. 2 All-Time Light Heavyweight, and Charley Rose ranked him as the No. 3 All-Time Light Heavyweight. O'Brien was inducted into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1968, the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1987, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994

1905: Cus D’Amato (born Constantine D'Amato in The Bronx, New York)
D'Amato was an American boxing manager and trainer who handled the careers of Floyd Patterson, José Torres, and Mike Tyson. Several successful boxing trainers, including Teddy Atlas, Kevin Rooney, and Joe Fariello, were tutored by D'Amato.
D'Amato was born in the Bronx, New York on January 17, 1908. When he was 22, he opened the Empire Sporting Club with Jack Barrow at the Gramercy Gym. D'Amato lived in the gym for years, waiting for a champion to walk in. He came close several times, but would always lose his fighters to the "connected" managers. One fighter "discovered" by D'Amato, but who went on to become middleweight champion of the world under the helm of other trainers and managers was Rocky Graziano.
After years of waiting, a crazy, reclusive boy walked into his gym one day and announced he wanted to be a fighter. The boy was Floyd Patterson. Under D'Amato's training and guidance, Patterson captured the Olympic middleweight gold medal in the 1952 Helsinki games. D'Amato then guided Patterson through the professional ranks. Patterson gained weight and ultimately became a heavyweight.
D'Amato skillfully maneuvered Patterson into fighting for the title vacated by the legendary Rocky Marciano. In an elimination bout against Archie Moore, D'Amato's fighter won the heavyweight championship of the world.
D'Amato continued to skillfully handle Patterson's career and carefully selected his opponents to earn the most money with the least risk.[citation needed] This resulted in title defenses against the likes of Roy "Cut N' Shoot" Harris, Brian London, Tom McNeely and Olympic champion Pete Rademacher, in his very first pro bout. Meanwhile legitimate challengers, like Eddie Machen, Zora Folley, Cleveland Williams were by-passed. D'Amato also avoided matching Patterson with Sonny Liston, citing Liston's underworld connections, until Patterson finally overruled him and accepted the match.
D'Amato also confronted the seamy side of boxing politics, and decided, along with his friend Howard Cosell, to thwart the International Boxing Club of New York (IBC). Suspicious to the point of paranoia, D'Amato refused to match his fighter in any bout promoted by the powerful but corrupt IBC. The IBC was eventually found to be in violation of anti-trust laws and was dissolved.
Patterson and D'Amato split after Patterson's second consecutive one round KO loss to Sonny Liston, although his influence over the champion had begun to greatly diminish before then.
D'Amato also handled the career of José Torres. Torres won the light heavyweight championship of the world.
After Patterson's and Torres's careers had ended, D'Amato worked in relative obscurity. He eventually moved to Catskill, New York, where he opened a gym.
It was there that he met and began to work with the future heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson, who was in a nearby reform school. He took Tyson under his wing and adopted him after Tyson's mother died, and trained him over the next few years, teaching him all the techniques and movements a stocky heavyweight could use. Despite Tyson's small size he soon became a superb heavyweight contender. D'Amato was assisted by Teddy Atlas, who later became a respected trainer himself and later Kevin Rooney. D'Amato died shortly before Tyson became the youngest world heavyweight titleholder in history.
Footage of D'Amato can be seen in Tyson, a documentary film released in 2008. Tyson credits D'Amato with turning his life around. D'Amato also encouraged Tyson to use the peek-a-boo approach style of boxing, where the hands are placed in front of the boxers face for more protection.
In 2010, D’Amato protégé Kevin Rooney, to honor the legacy of his mentor Cus D’Amato, conceived the idea of a stage play about the life and struggles of the man who brought Patterson, Torres and Tyson to the championships; and especially his success in breaking the monopoly of the corrupt IBC. The play, “KNOCKOUT – The Cus D’Amato Story,” written by playwright Dianna Lefas, will be produced early in 2011, beginning with stage readings in Catskill and Kingston, NY.

1915- Sammy Angott (born Samuel Engotti in Washington, Pennsylvania)
He was known as a clever boxer who liked to follow up a clean punch by grabbing his opponent, causing him to be known as "The Clutch."
On May 3, 1940, the 5-8 fighter gained recognition from the National Boxing Association (NBA) as its world lightweight champion when he outpointed Davey Day over 15 rounds. In 1941 Angott outpointed Lew Jenkins, who was recognized as the world title holder, to become the undisputed lightweight king. He defended the title only once, a 15-round points win over Allie Stolz in May 1942.
Angott, retired but returned to defeat the reigning world featherweight king, Willie Pep in a non-title bout. Eventually he regained the NBA lightweight crown by outpointing Slugger White in 15 rounds. He lost the title for good to Juan Zurita on March 8, 1944.
In his career, Angott met the best fighters in the welterweight and lightweight divisions. He fought Sugar Ray Robinson, Bob Montgomery, Beau Jack, Fritzie Zivic, Henry Armstrong, Redtop Davis, Sonny Boy West, and Ike Williams.
Angott retired with a record of 99 wins (23 KOs), 28 losses and 8 draws. He was knocked out just once in his career, by Beau Jack in 1946.

1942- Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr in Louisville, Kentucky)
Former American boxer and three-time World Heavyweight Champion, who is widely considered one of the greatest heavyweight championship boxers. As an amateur, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. After turning professional, he went on to become the first boxer to win the lineal heavyweight championship three times.
Originally known as Cassius Clay, Ali changed his name after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964, subsequently converting to Sunni Islam in 1975 and more recently to Sufism. In 1967, Ali refused to be conscripted into the U.S. military, based on his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War. He was arrested and found guilty on draft evasion charges, stripped of his boxing title, and his boxing license was suspended. He was not imprisoned, but did not fight again for nearly four years while his appeal worked its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was successful.
Nicknamed "The Greatest", Ali was involved in several historic boxing matches. Notable among these are three with rival Joe Frazier and one with George Foreman, whom he beat by knockout to win the world heavyweight title for the second time. He suffered only five losses (four decisions and one TKO by retirement from the bout) with no draws in his career, while amassing 56 wins (37 knockouts and 19 decisions).[citation needed] Ali was well known for his unorthodox fighting style, which he described as "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee", and employing techniques such as the rope-a-dope. He was also known for his pre-match hype, where he would "trash talk" opponents on television and in person some time before the match, often with rhymes. These personality quips and idioms, along with an unorthodox fighting technique, made him a cultural icon. In later life, Ali developed Parkinson's disease. In 1999, Ali was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC.
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. The younger of two boys, he was named after his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr., who was named for the 19th century abolitionist and politician of the same name. His father painted billboards and signs, and his mother, Odessa Grady Clay, was a household domestic. Although Cassius Sr. was a Methodist, he allowed Odessa to bring up both Cassius and his elder brother Rudolph "Rudy" Clay (later renamed Rahman Ali) as Baptists. He is a descendant of pre-Civil War era American slaves in the American South, and is predominantly of African-American descent, with some Irish and English ancestry.
Clay was first directed toward boxing by the white Louisville police officer and boxing coach Joe E. Martin, who encountered the 12-year-old fuming over the theft of his bicycle. However, without Martin's knowledge, Clay also began training with Fred Stoner, an African-American trainer working at the local community center. In this way, Clay could make $4 a week on Tomorrow's Champions, a local, weekly TV show that Martin hosted, while benefiting from the coaching of the more experienced Stoner, who continued working with Clay throughout his amateur career.
Under Stoner's guidance, Cassius Clay won six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two national Golden Gloves titles, an Amateur Athletic Union National Title, and the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Clay's amateur record was 100 wins with five losses.
Ali states (in his 1975 autobiography) that he threw his Olympic gold medal into the Ohio River after being refused service at a 'whites-only' restaurant, and fighting with a white gang. Whether this is true is still debated, although he was given a replacement medal at a basketball intermission during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where he lit the torch to start the games.
After his Olympic triumph, Clay returned to Louisville to begin his professional career. There, on October 29, 1960, he won his first professional fight, a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker, who was the police chief of Fayetteville, West Virginia.
Standing tall, at 6-ft, 3-in (1.91 m), Clay had a highly unorthodox style for a heavyweight boxer. Rather than the normal style of carrying the hands high to defend the face, he instead relied on foot speed and quickness to avoid punches, and carried his hands low.
From 1960 to 1963, the young fighter amassed a record of 19–0, with 15 knockouts. He defeated boxers such as Tony Esperti, Jim Robinson, Donnie Fleeman, Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, Willi Besmanoff, Lamar Clark (who had won his previous 40 bouts by knockout), Doug Jones and Henry Cooper.
Clay built a reputation by correctly predicting the round in which he would "finish" several opponents, and by boasting before his triumphs. Clay admitted he adopted the latter practice from "Gorgeous" George Wagner, a popular professional wrestling champion in the Los Angeles area who drew thousands of fans. Often referred to as "the man you loved to hate," George could incite the crowd with a few heated remarks, and Ali followed suit.
Among Clay's victims were Sonny Banks (who knocked him down during the bout), Alejandro Lavorante, and the aged Archie Moore (a boxing legend who had fought over 200 previous fights, and who had been Clay's trainer prior to Angelo Dundee). Clay had considered continuing using Moore as a trainer following the bout, but Moore had insisted that the cocky "Louisville Lip" perform training camp chores such as sweeping and dishwashing. He also considered having his idol, Sugar Ray Robinson, as a manager, but instead hired Dundee.
Clay first met Dundee when the latter was in Louisville with light heavyweight champ Willie Pastrano. The teenaged Golden Gloves winner traveled downtown to the fighter's hotel, called Dundee from the house phone, and was asked up to their room. He took advantage of the opportunity to query Dundee (who was working with, or had, champions Sugar Ramos and Carmen Basilio) about what his fighters ate, how long they slept, how much roadwork (jogging) they did, and how long they sparred.
Following his bout with Moore, Clay won a disputed 10-round decision over Doug Jones in a matchup that was named "Fight of the Year" for 1963. Clay's next fight was against Henry Cooper, who knocked Clay down with a left hook near the end of the fourth round. The fight was stopped in the fifth due to deep cuts over Cooper's eyes.
Despite these close calls, Clay became the top contender for Sonny Liston's title. Despite his impressive record, however, he was not widely expected to defeat the champ. The fight was scheduled for February 25, 1964 in Miami, Florida, but was nearly canceled when the promoter, Bill Faversham, heard that Clay had been seen around Miami and in other cities with the controversial Malcolm X, a member of The Nation of Islam. Because of this, news of this association was perceived as a potential gate-killer to a bout which, given Liston's overwhelming status as the favorite to win (7–1 odds), had Clay's colorful persona and nonstop braggadocio as its sole appeal.
Faversham confronted Clay about his association with Malcolm X (who, at the time, was actually under suspension by the Nation as a result of controversial comments made in the wake of President Kennedy's assassination). While stopping short of admitting he was a member of the Nation, Clay protested the suggested cancellation of the fight. As a compromise, Faversham asked the fighter to delay his announcement about his conversion to Islam until after the fight. The incident is described in the 1975 book The Greatest: My Own Story by Ali (with Richard Durham).
During the weigh-in on the day before the bout, the ever-boastful Clay, who frequently taunted Liston during the buildup by dubbing him "the big ugly bear" (among other things), declared that he would "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee," and, summarizing his strategy for avoiding Liston's assaults, said, "Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see."
At the pre-fight weigh-in, Clay's pulse rate was around 120, more than double his norm of 54. Liston, among others, misread this as nervousness. In the opening rounds, Clay's speed kept him away from Liston's powerful head and body shots, as he used his height advantage to beat Liston to the punch with his own lightning-quick jab.
By the third round, Clay was ahead on points and had opened a cut under Liston's eye. Liston regained some ground in the fourth, as Clay was blinded by a substance in his eyes.[14] It is unconfirmed whether this was something used to close Liston's cuts, or deliberately applied to Liston's gloves;[14] however, Bert Sugar (author, boxing historian and insider) has recalled at least two other Liston fights in which a similar situation occurred, suggesting the possibility that the Liston corner deliberately attempted to cheat.
Liston began the fourth round looking to put away the challenger. As Clay struggled to recover his vision, he sought to escape Liston's offensive. He was able to keep out of range until his sweat and tears rinsed the substance from his eyes, responding with a flurry of combinations near the end of the fifth round. By the sixth, he was looking for a finish and dominated Liston. Then, Liston shocked the boxing world when he failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, stating he had a shoulder injury. At the end of the fight, Clay boasted to the press that doubted him before the match, proclaiming, "I shook up the world!"
When Clay beat Liston, he was the youngest boxer (age 22) ever to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion, a mark that stood until Mike Tyson won the title from Trevor Berbick on 22 November 1986. At the time, Floyd Patterson (dethroned by Liston) had been the youngest heavyweight champ ever (age 21), but he won the title during an elimination tournament following Rocky Marciano's retirement by defeating Archie Moore, the light-heavyweight champion at the time.
In the rematch with Liston, which was held in May 1965 in Lewiston, Maine, Ali (who had by then publicly converted to Islam and changed his name) won by knockout in the first round as a result of what came to be called the "phantom punch." Many believe that Liston, possibly as a result of threats from Nation of Islam extremists, or in an attempt to "throw" the fight to pay off debts, waited to be counted out (see Muhammad Ali versus Sonny Liston). Others, however, discount both scenarios and insist that it was a quick, chopping Ali punch to the side of the head that legitimately felled Liston.
Early title defenses
On November 22, 1965, Ali fought Floyd Patterson in his second title defense. Patterson lost by technical knockout at the end of the 12th round. As would later occur with Ernie Terrell, many sportswriters accused Ali of "carrying" Patterson so that he could physically punish him without knocking him out. Ali countered that Patterson, who said his punching prowess was limited when he strained his sacroiliac, was not as easy to down as may have appeared.
Ali was scheduled to fight WBA champion Ernie Terrell (the WBA stripped Ali of his title after his agreement to fight a rematch with Liston) on March 29, 1966, but Terrell backed out. Ali won a 15-round decision against substitute opponent George Chuvalo. He then went to England and defeated Henry Cooper by stoppage on cuts May 21, and knocked out Brian London in the third round in August. Ali's next defense was against German southpaw Karl Mildenberger, the first German to fight for the title since Max Schmeling. In one of the tougher fights of his life, Ali stopped his opponent in round 12.
Ali returned to the United States in November 1966 to fight Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams in the Houston Astrodome. According to the Sports Illustrated account, the bout drew an indoor world record 35,460 fight fans. A year and a half before the fight, Williams had been shot in the stomach at point-blank range by a Texas policeman. As a result, Williams went into the fight missing one kidney and 10 feet of his small intestine, and with a shriveled left leg from nerve damage from the bullet. Ali beat Williams in three rounds.
On February 6, 1967, Ali returned to a Houston boxing ring to fight Terrell in what became one of the uglier fights in boxing. Terrell had angered Ali by calling him Clay, and the champion vowed to punish him for this insult. During the fight, Ali kept shouting at his opponent, "What's my name, Uncle Tom ... What's my name?" Terrell suffered 15 rounds of brutal punishment, losing 13 rounds on two judges' scorecards, but Ali did not knock him out. Analysts, including several who spoke to ESPN on the sports channel's "Ali Rap" special, speculated that the fight continued only because Ali wanted to thoroughly punish and humiliate Terrell. After the fight, Tex Maule wrote, "It was a wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and a barbarous display of cruelty." When asked about this during a replay of the fight on ABC's popular "Wide World of Sports" by host Howard Cosell, Ali said he was not unduly cruel to Terrell- that boxers are paid to punch all their opponents into submission or defeat. He pointed out that if he had not hit and hurt Terrell, Terrell would have hit and hurt him, which is standard practice. Cosell's repeated reference to the topic surprised Ali. Following his final defense against Zora Folley in March 1967 Ali would be stripped of his title the following month for refusing to be drafted into the Army and had his professional boxing license suspended.
Religion
After winning the championship from Liston in 1964, Clay revealed that he was a member of the Nation of Islam (often called the Black Muslims at the time) and the Nation gave Clay the name Cassius X, discarding his surname as a symbol of his ancestors' enslavement, as had been done by other Nation members. On Friday, March 6, 1964, Malcolm X took Clay on a guided tour of the United Nations building (for a second time). Malcolm X announced that Clay would be granted his "X." That same night, Elijah Muhammad recorded a statement over the phone to be played over the radio that Clay would be renamed Muhammad (one who is worthy of praise) Ali (fourth rightly guided caliph). Only a few journalists (most notably Howard Cosell) accepted it at that time. Venerable boxing announcer Don Dunphy addressed the champion by his adopted name, as did British reporters. The adoption of this name symbolized his new identity as a member of the Nation of Islam.
Many sportswriters of the early 1960s reported[where?] that it was Ali's brother, Rudy Clay, who converted to Islam first (estimating the date as 1961). Others wrote that Clay had been seen at Muslim rallies a few years before he fought Liston. Ali's own version[where?] is that he would sneak into Nation of Islam meetings through the back door roughly three years before he fought Sonny Liston.
Aligning himself with the Nation of Islam made him a lightning rod for controversy, turning the outspoken but popular champion into one of that era's most recognizable and controversial figures. Appearing at rallies with Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad and declaring his allegiance to him at a time when mainstream America viewed them with suspicion—if not outright hostility—made Ali a target of outrage, as well as suspicion. Ali seemed at times to provoke such reactions, with viewpoints that wavered from support for civil rights to outright support of separatism. For example, Ali once stated, in relation to integration: "We who follow the teachings of Elijah Muhammad don't want to be forced to integrate. Integration is wrong. We don't want to live with the white man; that's all." And in relation to inter-racial marriage: "No intelligent black man or black woman in his or her right black mind wants white boys and white girls coming to their homes to marry their black sons and daughters." Indeed, Ali's religious beliefs at the time included the notion that the white man was "the devil" and that white people were not "righteous." Ali claimed that white people hated black people.
Ali converted from the Nation of Islam sect to mainstream Sunni Islam in 1975. In a 2004 autobiography, written with daughter Hana Yasmeen Ali, Muhammad Ali attributes his conversion to the shift toward Sunni Islam made by Warith Deen Muhammad after he gained control of the Nation of Islam upon the death of Elijah Muhammad in 1975. Later in 2005 he embraced spiritual practices of Sufism.
In 1964, Ali failed the U.S. Armed Forces qualifying test because his writing and spelling skills were sub-par. However, in early 1966, the tests were revised and Ali was reclassified as 1A. This classification meant he was now eligible for the draft and induction into the U.S. Army during a time when the United States was involved in the Vietnam War. When notified of this status, he declared that he would refuse to serve in the United States Army and publicly considered himself a conscientious objector. Ali stated that "War is against the teachings of the Holy Qur'an. I'm not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don't take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers." Ali also famously said in 1966: "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong ... They never called me nigger." Rare for a heavyweight boxing champion in those days, Ali spoke at Howard University, where he gave his popular "Black Is Best" speech to 4,000 cheering students and community intellectuals after he was invited to speak at Howard by a Howard sociology professor, Nathan Hare, on behalf of the Black Power Committee, a student protest group.
Appearing shortly thereafter for his scheduled induction into the U.S. Armed Forces on April 28, 1967 in Houston, he refused three times to step forward at the call of his name. An officer warned him he was committing a felony punishable by five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. Once more, Ali refused to budge when his name was called. As a result, he was arrested and on the same day the New York State Athletic Commission suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his title. Other boxing commissions followed suit.
At the trial on June 20, 1967, after only 21 minutes of deliberation, the jury found Ali guilty. After a Court of Appeals upheld the conviction, the case went to the U.S. Supreme Court. During this time, the public began turning against the war and support for Ali began to grow. Ali supported himself by speaking at colleges and universities across the country, where opposition to the war was especially strong. On June 28, 1971, the Supreme Court reversed his conviction for refusing induction by unanimous decision in Clay v. United States. The decision was not based on, nor did it address, the merits of Clay's/Ali's claims per se; rather, the Government's failure to specify which claims were rejected and which were sustained, constituted the grounds upon which the Court reversed the conviction.
Quotes about Vietnam war
“ I ain't got no quarrel with the Vietcong. No Vietcong ever called me Nigger. ”
“ No, I am not going 10,000 miles to help murder kill and burn other people to simply help continue the domination of white slavemasters over dark people the world over. This is the day and age when such evil injustice must come to an end. ”
“ Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights? ”
In 1970, while his case was still on appeal, Ali was allowed to fight again. On August 12, 1970, with the help of Leroy R. Johnson, a Georgia State Senator, he was granted a license to box by the City of Atlanta Athletic Commission. In Atlanta on October 26, 1970, he stopped Jerry Quarry on a cut after three rounds. Shortly after the Quarry fight, the New York State Supreme Court ruled that Ali had been unjustly denied a boxing license. Once again able to fight in New York, he fought Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden in December 1970. After a tough 14 rounds, Ali stopped Bonavena in the 15th, paving the way for a title fight against Joe Frazier, who was himself undefeated.
Ali and Frazier met in the ring on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden. The fight, known as '"The Fight of the Century," was one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts of all time and remains one of the most famous. It featured two skilled, undefeated fighters, both of whom had legitimate claims to the heavyweight crown. Frank Sinatra—unable to acquire a ringside seat—took photos of the match for Life magazine. Legendary boxing announcer Don Dunphy and actor and boxing aficionado Burt Lancaster called the action for the broadcast, which reached millions of people. The fight lived up to the hype, and Frazier punctuated his victory by flooring Ali with a hard, leaping left hook in the 15th and final round. Frazier retained the title on a unanimous decision, dealing Ali his first professional loss.
In 1973, Ali fought Ken Norton, who broke Ali's jaw and won by split decision in 12 rounds. Ali won the rematch, also by split decision, on September 10, 1973, which set up Ali-Frazier II, a nontitle rematch with Joe Frazier, who had already lost his title to George Foreman. The bout was held on January 28, 1974, with Ali winning a unanimous 12-round decision.
In one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, Ali regained his title on October 30, 1974 by defeating champion George Foreman in their bout in Kinshasa, Zaire. Hyped as "The Rumble In The Jungle", the fight was promoted by Don King.
Almost no one, not even Ali's long-time supporter Howard Cosell, gave the former champion a chance of winning. Analysts pointed out that Joe Frazier and Ken Norton had given Ali four tough battles in the ring and won two of them, while Foreman had knocked out both of them in the second round. As a matter of fact, so total was the domination that, in their bout, Foreman had knocked down Frazier an incredible six times in only four minutes and 25 seconds.
During the bout, Ali employed an unexpected strategy. Leading up to the fight, he had declared he was going to "dance" and use his speed to keep away from Foreman and outbox him. However, in the first round, Ali headed straight for the champion and began scoring with a right hand lead, clearly surprising Foreman. Ali caught Foreman nine times in the first round with this technique but failed to knock him out. He then decided to take advantage of the young champion's weakness: staying power. Foreman had won 37 of his 40 bouts by knockout, mostly within three rounds. Eight of his previous bouts didn't go past the second round. Ali saw an opportunity to outlast Foreman, and capitalized on it.
In the second round, the challenger retreated to the ropes—inviting Foreman to hit him, while counterpunching and verbally taunting the younger man. Ali's plan was to enrage Foreman and absorb his best blows to exhaust him mentally and physically. While Foreman threw wide shots to Ali's body, Ali countered with stinging straight punches to Foreman's head. Foreman threw hundreds of punches in seven rounds, but with decreasing technique and potency. Ali's tactic of leaning on the ropes, covering up, and absorbing ineffective body shots was later termed "The Rope-A-Dope".
By the end of the seventh round, Foreman was exhausted. In the eighth round, Ali dropped Foreman with a combination at center ring and Foreman failed to make the count. Against the odds, Ali had regained the title.
The "Rumble in the Jungle" was the subject of a 1996 Academy Award winning documentary film, When We Were Kings. The fight and the events leading up to it are extensively depicted in both John Herzfeld's 1997 docudrama Don King: Only in America and Michael Mann's 2001 docudrama, Ali.
In March 1975, Ali faced Chuck Wepner in a bout that inspired the original Rocky. While it was largely thought that Ali would dominate, Wepner surprised everyone by not only knocking Ali down in the ninth round, but nearly going the distance. Ali eventually stopped Wepner in the fading minutes of the 15th round. Following a title defense with Ron Lyle, in July Ali faced Joe Bugner, winning a 15 round decision.
On October 1, 1975, Ali fought Joe Frazier for the third time. The bout was promoted as the Thrilla in Manila by Don King, who had ascended to prominence following the Ali-Foreman fight. The anticipation was enormous for this final clash between two great heavyweights. Ali believed Frazier was "over the hill" by that point. Ali's frequent insults, slurs and demeaning poems increased the anticipation and excitement for the fight, but also enraged a determined Frazier. Regarding the fight, Ali famously remarked, "It will be a killa... and a chilla... and a thrilla... when I get the gorilla in Manila."
The fight lasted 14 grueling rounds in temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Ali won many of the early rounds, but Frazier staged a comeback in the middle rounds, while Ali lay on the ropes. By the late rounds, however, Ali had reasserted control and the fight was stopped when Frazier was unable to answer the bell for the 15th and final round (his eyes were swollen closed). Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, refused to allow Frazier to continue.
In February 1976, Ali easily beat Jean-Pierre Coopman. In April 1976 he defeated Jimmy Young and then Richard Dunn the following month, which would turn out to be Ali's last knockout victory. Following that fight, he staged an exhibition match with professional wrestler and Mixed Martial Artist Antonio Inoki. Although widely perceived as a publicity stunt, the match against Inoki would have a long-term detrimental affect on Ali's mobility. Inoki spent much of the fight on the ground trying to damage Ali’s legs, while Ali spent most of the fight dodging the kicks or staying on the ropes. At the end of 15 rounds, the bout was called a draw. Ali's legs, however, were bleeding, leading to an infection. He suffered two blood clots in his legs as well.
In September 1976, at Yankee Stadium, Ali faced Ken Norton in their third fight, with Ali winning a close but unanimous 15-round decision. 1977 saw Ali defend his title against Alfredo Evangelista and Earnie Shavers. Fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco left Ali's camp following the Shavers fight after being rebuffed for advising Ali to retire.
In February 1978, Ali lost the heavweight title to 1976 Olympics Champion Leon Spinks. On September 15, 1978, Ali fought a rematch in the New Orleans Louisiana Superdome against Spinks for the WBA version of the Heavyweight title, winning it for a record third time. Ali retired following this victory on June 27, 1979, but returned in 1980 to face current champion Larry Holmes in an attempt to win a heavyweight title an unprecedented four times. Angelo Dundee refused to let his man come out for the 11th round, in what became Ali's only loss by anything other than a decision. Ali's final fight, a loss by unanimous decision after 10 rounds, was to up-and-coming challenger Trevor Berbick in 1981.
Muhammad Ali defeated every top heavyweight in his era, which has been called the golden age of heavyweight boxing. Ali was named "Fighter of the Year" by Ring Magazine more times than any other fighter, and was involved in more Ring Magazine "Fight of the Year" bouts than any other fighter. He is an inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and holds wins over seven other Hall of Fame inductees. He is also one of only three boxers to be named "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated.
In 1978, three years before Ali's permanent retirement, the Board of Aldermen in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky voted 6–5 to rename Walnut Street to Muhammad Ali Boulevard. This was controversial at the time, as within a week 12 of the 70 street signs were stolen. Earlier that year, a committee of the Jefferson County Public Schools considered renaming Central High School in his honor, but the motion failed to pass. At any rate, in time, Muhammad Ali Boulevard—and Ali himself—came to be well accepted in his hometown.
In 1993, the Associated Press reported that Ali was tied with Babe Ruth as the most recognized athlete, out of over 800 dead or alive athletes, in America. The study, conducted by Nye Lavalle's Sports Marketing Group, found that over 97% of Americans, over 12-years of age, identified both Ali and Ruth.
He was the recipient of the 1997 Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1984, a disease for which those subject to severe head trauma, such as boxers, are many times more susceptible. Despite the disability, he remains a beloved and active public figure. In 1985, he served as a guest referee at the inaugural WrestleMania event. In 1987 he was selected by the California Bicentennial Foundation for the U.S. Constitution to personify the vitality of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights in various high profile activities. Ali rode on a float at the 1988 Tournament of Roses Parade, launching the U.S. Constitution's 200th birthday commemoration. He also published an oral history, Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times by Thomas Hauser, in 1991. That same year Ali traveled to Iraq during the Gulf War and met with Saddam Hussein in an attempt to negotiate the release of American hostages. Ali received a Spirit of America Award calling him the most recognized American in the world. In 1996, he had the honor of lighting the flame at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Muhammad Ali Center, alongside Interstate 64 on Louisville's riverfront
He appeared at the 1998 AFL (Australian Football League) Grand Final, where Anthony Pratt invited him to watch the game. He also greets runners at the start line of the Los Angeles Marathon every year.
In 1999, the BBC produced a special version of its annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award ceremony, and Ali was voted their Sports Personality of the Century, receiving more votes than the other four contenders combined. His daughter Laila Ali also became a boxer in 1999, despite her father's earlier comments against female boxing in 1978: "Women are not made to be hit in the breast, and face like that... the body's not made to be punched right here [patting his chest]. Get hit in the breast... hard... and all that."
On September 13, 1999, Ali was named "Kentucky Athlete of the Century" by the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies at the Galt House East.
In 2001, a biographical film, entitled Ali, was made, directed by Michael Mann, with Will Smith starring as Ali. The film received mixed reviews, with the positives generally attributed to the acting, as Smith and supporting actor Jon Voight earned Academy Award nominations. Prior to making the Ali movie, Will Smith had continually rejected the role of Ali until Muhammad Ali personally requested that he accept the role. According to Smith, the first thing Ali said about the subject to him was: "Man, you're almost pretty enough to play me."
On November 17, 2002, Muhammad Ali went to Afghanistan as "U.N. Messenger of Peace". He was in Kabul for a three-day goodwill mission as a special guest of the United Nations.
On January 8, 2005, Muhammad Ali was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George W. Bush.
He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony on November 9, 2005, and the "Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold" of the United Nations Association of Germany (DGVN) in Berlin for his work with the US civil rights movement and the United Nations (December 17, 2005).
As Mrs. Lonnie Ali looks on, President George W. Bush embraces Muhammad Ali after presenting him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 9, 2005, during ceremonies at the White House.
On November 19, 2005 (Ali's 19th wedding anniversary), the $60 million non-profit Muhammad Ali Center opened in downtown Louisville. In addition to displaying his boxing memorabilia, the center focuses on core themes of peace, social responsibility, respect, and personal growth.
According to the Ali Center website, "Since he retired from boxing, Ali has devoted himself to humanitarian endeavors around the globe. He is a devout Muslim, and travels the world over, lending his name and presence to hunger and poverty relief, supporting education efforts of all kinds, promoting adoption and encouraging people to respect and better understand one another. It is estimated that he has helped to provide more than 22 million meals to feed the hungry. Ali travels, on average, more than 200 days per year."
At the FedEx Orange Bowl on January 2, 2007, Ali was an honorary captain for the Louisville Cardinals wearing their white jersey, number 19. Ali was accompanied by golf legend Arnold Palmer, who was the honorary captain for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade.
A youth club in Ali's hometown and a species of rose (Rosa ali) have also been named after him. On June 5, 2007, he received an honorary doctorate of humanities at Princeton University's 260th graduation ceremony.
Ali lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with his fourth wife, Yolanda "Lonnie" Ali. They own a house in Berrien Springs, Michigan, which is for sale. On January 9, 2007, they purchased a house in eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky for $1,875,000. Lonnie converted to Islam from Catholicism in her late 20s.
On the 17th of August 2009, it was voted unanimously by the town council of Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland to make Ali the first Freeman of Ennis. Ennis was the birthplace of Ali's great grandfather before he emigrated to the U.S. in the 1860s, before eventually settling in Kentucky. On September 1, 2009, Ali visited the town of Ennis and at a civic reception he received the honour of the freedom of the town.
Ali is generally considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time by boxing commentators and historians. Ring Magazine, a prominent boxing magazine, named him number 1 in a 1998 ranking of greatest heavyweights from all eras.
Ali was named the second greatest fighter in boxing history by ESPN.com behind only welterweight and middleweight great Sugar Ray Robinson. In December 2007, ESPN listed Ali second in its choice of the greatest heavyweights of all time, behind Joe Louis..
Muhammad Ali has been married four times and has seven daughters and two sons. Ali met his first wife, cocktail waitress Sonji Roi, approximately one month before they married on August 14, 1964. Roi's objections to certain Muslim customs in regard to dress for women contributed to the breakup of their marriage. They divorced on January 10, 1966.
On August 17, 1967, Ali (aged 25) married 17-year old Belinda Boyd. After the wedding, she converted to Islam and changed her name to Khalilah Ali, though she was still called Belinda by old friends and family. They had four children: Maryum (b. 1968), Jamillah and Liban (b. 1970), and Muhammad Ali Jr. (b. 1972).
In 1975, Ali began an affair with Veronica Porsche, an actress and model. By the summer of 1977, Ali's second marriage was over and he had married Veronica. At the time of their marriage, they had a baby girl, Hana, and Veronica was pregnant with their second child. Their second daughter, Laila, was born in December 1977. By 1986, Ali and Veronica were divorced.
On November 19, 1986, Ali married Yolanda Ali. They had been friends since 1964 in Louisville. They have one adopted son, Asaad Amin, who they adopted when Amin was five.
Ali has two other daughters, Miya and Khaliah, from extramarital relationships.
As a world champion boxer and social activist, Ali has been the subject of numerous books, films and other creative works. In 1963, he released an album of spoken word on Columbia Records titled I am the Greatest! He has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on 37 different occasions, second only to Michael Jordan. He appeared in the documentary film Black Rodeo (1972) riding both a horse and a bull. His autobiography The Greatest: My Own Story, written with Richard Durham, was published in 1975. In 1977 the book was adapted into a film called The Greatest, in which Ali played himself and Ernest Borgnine played Angelo Dundee. When We Were Kings, a 1996 documentary about the Rumble in the Jungle, won an Academy Award, and the 2001 biopic Ali garnered an Oscar nomination for Will Smith's portrayal of the lead role.
For contributions to the entertainment industry, Muhammed Ali was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.

1964- James "Buddy" McGirt (born in Brentwood, New York)
Former boxer and current trainer.
In 1988, McGirt defeated Frankie Warren, avenging his only defeat, to win the IBF world junior welterweight title. In his second defense, he lost the title to Meldrick Taylor. Three years later, in November 1991, he defeated Simon Brown to win the WBC world welterweight title.
McGirt lost the title to Pernell Whitaker in 1993.[5] The following year, he again lost to Whitaker in an attempt to regain the title. In 1997, McGirt retired with a record of 73-6-1 (48 KOs).
After his career as a boxer ended, he became a trainer. McGirt trains many top ranked fighters, including Antonio Tarver, Timo Hoffmann and James McGirt Jr.. He has recently taken 3 English fighters, Paul Smith, Brian Mihtar, Matthew Macklin, and Audley Harrison. He won the Boxing Writers' Association of America Trainer of the Year Award for 2002.
Some of his high-profile fights have ended in defeats for his fighters, including Lamon Brewster who lost his WBO title in a rematch to Wladimir Klitschko, (IBF, WBO, Ring Magazine Heavyweight champion), Antonio Tarver who lost to Bernard Hopkins, Tomasz Adamek who lost WBC title to Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi who lost to Ricky Hatton (which saw Malignaggi leave McGirt in search of a new trainer), and Arturo Gatti who was KO'd by Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Carlos Baldomir.
However, McGirt has had some successes in title fights of some of his fighters. Those successes include Antonio Tarver's two victories over Roy Jones Jr, Vernon Forrest's victories over both Carlos Baldomir and Sergio Mora, and Arturo Gatti's victories over Gianluco Branco, Leonard Dorin, Jesse James Leija, and Thomas Damgaard.
His son, James McGirt Jr., is also a professional boxer.
McGirt also trains Kurt Pellegrino's boxing, his first venture into MMA.

1974- Marco Antonio Barrera (born Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia in Mexico City, Mexico)
Barrera is a seven time world champion in three different weight classes; he is a former world champion at WBO Super Bantamweight (122 lb), IBO / WBC / The Ring Featherweight (126 lb), WBC Super Featherweight (130 lb) and IBF Junior Lightweight (130 lb) divisions. He ranks # 43 on ESPN's 50 Greatest Boxers Of All Time.
As an amateur, Barrera had a record of 104-4 and was a five-time Mexican national champion. His Winning streak was 56-0 before losing his first amateur contest.
Barrera made his professional debut at 15 when he defeated David Felix by a knockout in round two on November 22, 1989. The victory marked the beginning of a 43 fight win streak.
In 1990, Barrera had seven fights, including his first rise in quality opposition, when he defeated veteran Iván Salazar, by a decision in eight rounds. In 1991, he had seven more fights, defeating boxers Abel Hinojosa, Javier Díaz and others.
Barrera began 1992 by winning his first professional title, defeating Justino Suárez by a decision in twelve rounds to win the Mexican national Super Flyweight championship. He retained the title three times before the end of the year which helped improved his ranking in the Super Flyweight division. He defeated Abner Barajas by a decision in ten rounds, and Angel Rosario by a knockout in six rounds.
In 1993, Barrera had six bouts, winning each. He defeated Salazar in a rematch and retained his title against Noe Santillana and among others.
By 1994, Barrera was attending University to become a lawyer and also continued his boxing career. On April 13, he defeated future champion Carlos Salazar by a ten round decision in Argentina. He also defeated former world champion Eddie Cook before the end of the year.
Barrera began 1995 by fighting for a world title. On March 31, he became the WBO Super Bantamweight world champion by defeating Puerto Rican boxer Daniel Cobrita Jiménez by a decision in twelve rounds at Anaheim, California. By this time, many boxing journalist were calling Barrera "Mexico's next Julio César Chávez."
He made four defenses before the year was over. On June 2, 1995, he defeated future champion Frank Toledo via second round knock out. Barrera knocked Toledo down twice before the fight was stopped.
On July 15, 1995, Barrera scored a first round knockout win over Maui Díaz (27-1). In his next bout, he won a twelve round unanimous decision over future champion Agapito Sánchez.
On February 6, 1996, he fought on the first installment of HBO Boxing's spin-off series "HBO Boxing After Dark". He was knocked down by former champion Kennedy McKinney, but he recovered off the floor to knockdown McKinney five times and retain the title by a knockout in round twelve.
After the McKinney fight, he defeated former champion Jesse Benavides by third round knockout. On July 14, 1996, he feated another former champion, Orlando Fernandez, by seventh round TKO.
On November 22, 1996, he suffered his first career loss and lost his title to American boxer Junior Jones, by a disqualification in round five. Barrera was knockdown in round five by what appeared to be a punch by Jones, he was declared the loser by disqualification and not by knockout because his managers climbed onto the ring to stop the fight.
On April 18, 1997, he was given a chance to regain his title, facing Jones in a rematch in Las Vegas. Barrera was defeated by a unanimous decision and retired from boxing.
Barrera announced a comeback in 1998, and he started off by defeating Angel Rosario by a knockout in round five. After two more wins, he was given another opportunity to fight for a world title by the WBO. On October 31, he became two time world Super Bantamweight champion by defeating Richie Wenton by a knockout in three rounds, winning the WBO's vacant title.
In 1999, he had two title defenses and then he ran in to controversy. On December 18, he defeated César Najera in four rounds at California. But upon finding out that Najera had a losing record and was part of Barrera's team, the California State Athletic Commission decided to rule the fight a no contest bout.
In February 2000, Barrera was defeated in twelve rounds by WBC's world Super Bantamweight champion Erik Morales, to a split decision. It was an intense battle in which both fighters were cut and battered. Ring Magazine named it

[straycat]

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[Quick Slick]

Great stuff

[DBO]

Regarding Marco Antonio Barrera, who turned 38 today:

"On February 6, 1996, he fought on the first installment of HBO Boxing's spin-off series "HBO Boxing After Dark". He was knocked down by former champion Kennedy McKinney, but he recovered off the floor to knockdown McKinney five times and retain the title by a knockout in round twelve."

This is my favorite fight of his. BAD sure had a great origin.

[KSTAT124]

TWO YEARS AGO TODAY:

January, 17, 2010-

Barangay Banilad, Cebu City, Philippines-

Tuning up for his challenge for the OPBF flyweight title, Rocky Fuentes knocked out Pit Anacaya in the 3rd round of a bout slated for 10 rounds.

In his next bout, Fuentes dethroned reigning OPBF champion Masafumi Okubo and has since won all 6 of his subsequent bouts including four in defense of the OPBF diadem. His record now stands at 32-6-2 with 19 KOs and is currently ranked #3 by the WBA, #3 by the IBF, #5 by The Ring, #5 by the WBO, and #6 by the WBA.

THREE YEARS AGO TODAY:

January 17, 2009-

Besides the Berto-Collazo bout and other bouts previously mentioned in this thread:

Dusseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany-

Victor Emilio Ramirez of Argentina won the vacant WBO interim junior heavyweight (cruiserweight) title by stopping Hamburg, Germany-based Alexander Alexeev at 3:00 of the 9th round.

Later in 2009, Ramirez was upgraded to full champion after David Haye vacated the WBO and WBC titles and the WBA super championship to campaign as a heavyweight. He made one successful title defense before being dethroned by Marco Huck.

On the same card as the Ramirez-Alexeev bout, WIBF and WBC Female featherweight champion Ina Menzer won a 10-round, unanimous decision over former WIBF super bantamweight titlist Esther Schouten and future WBA and IBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin halted Javier Mamani at 2:52 of the first round.

Golovkin has since won the vacant WBA Interim middleweight title, been upgraded to WBA champion (after champion Felix Sturm was upgraded to super champion), and defended the WBA title three times. In his last bout, a WBA title defense against Lajuan Simon, whom he stopped in the first round, Golovkin also won the vacant IBO title.

[KSTAT124]

SIXTY YEARS AGO TODAY:

January 17, 1956-

Streatham, London, England-

Future two-time world heavyweight title challenger Brian London stopped Jim Cooper, Henry's twin brother, in the 4th round of a scheduled ten-rounder.

London's second world title shot came on August 6, 1966 in Kensington, London, England. He was knocked out in the third round by defending champion Muhammad Ali, who turns 74 today! (See above for more regarding "The Greatest")

In the Streatham card's co-feature, perennial heavyweight contender Dick Richardson of Wales stopped Luxembourg-based German heavyweight Werner Wiegand in the sixth round of their scheduled ten round contest.

London would knock out Wiegand in two rounds on November 19, 1956 and be stopped by Richardson in the eighth round of a scheduled 15-rounder on August 29, 1960. The latter was contested for Richardson's EBU European title which he had won five months earlier.

Houston, Texas-

Future world junior lightweight title challenger Paul Jorgensen won a 10-round, majority decision over former world lightweight champion and future World Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Lauro Salas.