JANUARY 13TH

[the13r]

13th January 1890 -
'Torpedo' Billy Murphy wins the world featherweight boxing title


In defeating Ike Weir at San Francisco Murphy became the first New Zealander to win a world title in professional boxing.

“Torpedo Billy” Murphy, the fragile-looking little Aucklander who hit like a heavyweight, despite his 8½ stone, put New Zealand boxing on the map when he knocked out Ike Weir, the “Belfast Spider”, in 14 rounds at San Francisco in 1890 to become world featherweight champion. He was the only native New Zealander ever to win a world title. These, and men like Harry Laing, who in Sydney knocked out Joe Goddard for the Australian heavyweight title, and Dan Creedon, who campaigned with great distinction in the United States (and actually fought Fitzsimmons for the world middleweight championship), were the immortals who wrote the early chapters in New Zealand's boxing history.

[scappoosejohn]

From thesweetscience.com:

Today in Boxing History: Ezzard Charles KOs Archie Moore

Ezzard CharlesOn this day in 1948, Ezzard Charles knocked out Archie Moore in the eighth round in an action-packed, non-title fight in Cleveland, Ohio.

The two fighters had previously faced each other twice before with Charles winning decisions on each of those occasions. For their third bout, the pace was much faster, but Charles was on his way to winning another decision.

In the eighth round, Moore nailed Charles with a punishing left hook, dazing him. As Moore followed through with a succession of punches, it seemed that a knockout of Charles was only seconds away.

However, as The Ring reported, “[Charles] snapped out of his dazed condition, landed a volley of left hooks and then a perfect right cross.” Moore went to the canvas for the full count.

It was the last time the two faced each other, but bigger and better things awaited both fighters. Charles moved up in weight and won the world heavyweight title with a decision over Jersey Joe Walcott in 1949, and Moore decisioned Joey Maxim to win the world light heavyweight title in 1952.

[RASTA666]

Sticking to Philly fighters.



Matthew Saad Muhammad (then Matthew Franklin) fought for the first time as a professional on this day in 1974. He stopped Billy Early in round two on the undercard of the Kitten Hayward-Lil' Abner fight. It was the first of 16 appearances Saad made at The Spectrum, many of which were among the most exciting wars ever waged in Philadelphia.

In 1979, Saad Muhammad won the WBC Light Heavyweight title from Marvin Johnson and went on to make 8 successful defenses before losing to Dwight Muhammad Qawi in 1981.

Did you know? The young Matthew Franklin was a more of a boxer in the early days of his career, before he discovered his power and insanely exciting style.

[straycat]

The following entry has been merged from another thread into this one

1983 AMA urges ban on boxing sites Muhammad Ali's deteriorating condition.

Muhammad Ali is perhaps the most recognizable face in the world. As a championship boxer who is considered by most experts to one of the best fighters of all time, Muhammad Ali transcended the world of sports. He became a champion of social causes; he fought the government when he refused induction into the armed forces based on religious grounds; and, because of his popularity and charisma, he became a well-known spokesman for a myriad of companies and causes. He was much more than just a boxer, but his name will always be linked with his outstanding boxing career. And, unfortunately, as is plain for all the world to see, Muhammad Ali is sick. He can barely speak; he can barely walk without assistance; his hands tremble and shake. It's almost painful to juxtapose Muhammad Ali's current state with that of his "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" self; the Muhammad Ali who dazzled opponents with his blinding hand and foot speed, and the Muhammad Ali who would brag, boast, and proclaim that "I am the Greatest!" That Muhammad Ali is forever entombed in the world of video and fight footage, never to be heard from again. Muhammad Ali has Parkinson's Syndrome, a neurological condition that affects motor and speech control. While it's clear as to what Ali's affliction is, it's been a point of controversy over whether or not Ali's Parkinson's-like affliction was the direct result of his boxing career or not.

[straycat]

Passed Away On This Day

1997- Jackie McCoy (aka Warren Spaw, October 4th 1923 - January 13th 1997)
Longtime Southland boxing trainer who developed five world champions in a 46-year career
He is perhaps best known for bringing a popular Long Beach teenager named Mando Ramos to the world lightweight championship in 1969. But he also made world champions of welterweights Don Jordan (1958-'60) and Carlos Palomino (1977-'79); plus featherweight Raul Rojas (1968) and lightweight Rodolfo Gonzalez (1972-'74).
Jackie died after a long fight with cancer.

1921- Pete Herman KO 17 Jimmy Wilde, London. NYC. Non-title fight.

1922- Gene Tunney W 12 Battling Levinsky, NYC. Wins US light-heavyweight title.

1933- Ben Jeby KO 12 Frank Battaglia, NYC. Wins NY. World middleweight title.

1933- Freddie Miller W 10 Tommy Paul, Chicago. Wins NBA featherweight title.

1941- Anton Christoforidis W 15 Melio Bettina, Cleveland. Wins vacant NBA light-heavyweight title.

1941- Lou Salica W 15 Tommy Forte, Philadelphia. Retains world bantamweight title.

1948- Ezzard Charles KO 8 Archie Moore, Cleveland. "Charles won the first two rounds, lost the next two, and then won the next three. They set a terrific pace.... Midway in the eighth round, Moore caught Charles with a terrific left hook and followed his advantage.... Charles was definitely on the verge of a kayo... but, to the surprise of everyone, he snapped out of his dazed condition, landed a volley of left hooks and then a perfect right cross." (The Ring, April 1948, page 51).
Per the AP report: "A crashing left and right dumped Moore to the floor. He struggled around on one knee trying to rise immediately and Charles then applied the finisher, another right. Moore grabbed feebly for the ring rope as Referee Jackie Davis finished his toll of 10, but couldn't reach his feet again for some 20 seconds--and then only with the help of his handlers." Tacoma News Tribune

1976- Bobby "Boogaloo" Watts W 10 Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Philadelphia. Referee: Hank Cisco 46-46 | judge: Earl Vann 46-44 | judge: Nate Lopinson 48-44. Hagler’s first loss after a 25-0-1(19) start. A rather inauspicious Philly debut for the immortal Marvelous One.

1990- In Chul Baek KO 7 Yoshiaki Tajima, Ulsan, S. Korea. Retains WBA Super Middleweight title.

2001- Zab Judah KO 10 Reggie Green, Uncasville, CT. Retains IBF Junior Welterweight Title.

2003- Sirimongkol Singmanasak (AKA Sirimongkol Singwancha) W 12 Yong-Soo Choi, Tokyo. Retains WBC Super Featherweight Title.

Born On This Day

1977- Martin Castillo (born José Martín Castillo in Mexico City, Mexico)
Represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics, and is a former World Boxing Association (WBA) Super flyweight (115 lbs) champion.
Castillo had an Amateur Record of 160-20 (90 KOs). He represented Mexico as a Flyweight at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. He lost in the opening round to Zoltan Lunka of Germany 13-7 on points.
Castillo, nicknamed "Gallo" (Rooster), first fought for a world title on March 30, 2002, against Felix Machado. Castillo suffered a cut due to a headbutt, and the fight was stopped in the 6th round. By rule when a headbutt is ruled to be unintentional, the fight went to the scorecards. All three judges ruled against Castillo, although many thought he was winning the fight.
After winning the WBA interim title, Castillo fought the full WBA champion, Alexander Muñoz, on December 3, 2004 in Laredo, Texas. At the time, Muñoz was a widely respected and feared power puncher, with an undefeated record in 25 fights, with 24 wins by way of knock-out. Castillo frustrated Muñoz with slick boxing skills and expert use of angles. Castillo dropped Muñoz twice on the way to a fairly easy unanimous decision victory.
Castillo defended his title in a unanimous decision victory over former WBA flyweight champion Eric Morel on March 19, 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Castillo received some exposure in this fight, as it was the first televised bout on the Pay-Per-View (PPV) fight card featuring the first match between boxing superstars Érik Morales and Manny Pacquiao. However, Castillo's victory was a workman-like effort, largely because Morel employed a very defensive style. Castillo followed this victory with another unanimous decision defense of his belt over Hideyasu Ishihara on June 26, 2005 in a fight held in Nagoya, Japan.
The rematch between Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao on January 21, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada provided another opportunity to feature Castillo on the PPV undercard, this time as the chief supporting bout to the main event. Castillo was rematched with Muñoz, who had won three fights since losing his belt. This time Muñoz came much better prepared, applying pressure from the opening bell and dropping Castillo in the first round. Castillo also suffered bad cuts over both eyes as the fight progressed. The aggressiveness of Muñoz and his heavy punches won him the early rounds. However, Castillo rallied in the later rounds, using better technique and counter-punches, but also exhibiting aggressiveness. The last three rounds featured furious exchanges between the fighters, with Muñoz growing increasingly tired, but still launching dangerous power punches.
Castillo won a split decision victory, but perhaps more importantly, he demonstrated a crowd-pleasing style to a wide audience. Although hard-core boxing fans appreciate his use of boxing skills, "blood and guts" battles lead to larger purses.
On July 22, 2006, Castillo lost his title to Nobuo Nashiro in Japan. The fight was stopped in the 10th round as Castillo was bleeding heavily from cuts. As the cuts were caused by punches, Nashiro won the fight by technical knock-out. Nashiro, a young boxer with only 7 professional fights, surprised Castillo with an effective aggressive style in the early rounds. Castillo was winning later rounds - had the fight gone to the scorecards after the 9th round, it would have been a draw, as one judge had Nashiro winning, one had Castillo winning, and one had it even.
After the Nashiro fight, Castillo underwent surgery to fix the scar tissue over his eyes. As Castillo had always been susceptible to cuts, the surgeons also shaved down Castillo's prominent brow ridges, a procedure sometimes performed on boxers who cut a lot. Therefore, he was out of action for almost a year.
Castillo had two unremarkable wins after losing his title, and as of September 2007, is continuing his comeback.
Castillo is trained by Manuel Robles, managed by Frank Espinoza, and promoted by Bob Arum's Top Rank.

[KSTAT124]

Originally posted by kinggrissly on Tue Jan 13, 2009 7:10 am:

Got this from today's Phila. Daily News
Yesterday, today and tomorrow marked or will mark memorable dates in Philadelphia boxing history.

Yesterday: On Jan. 12, 1944, future heavyweight champion Joe Frazier was born in Beaufort, S.C. Smokin' Joe moved to Philly as a teenager, won the 1964 Olympic gold medal and engaged Muhammad Ali in the most celebrated trilogy in boxing history. Happy 65th birthday, Champ.

Today: On Jan. 13, 1976, North Philly middleweight Bobby "Boogaloo" Watts outpointed Marvelous Marvin Hagler over 10 rounds at the Spectrum to hang the first professional defeat on the Brockton, Mass., sensation. Hagler came to town with a 25-0-1 record that included 19 victories inside the distance.

"He was aggressive. He gave me a good fight," said Watts, now 59. "Him being a southpaw made it kind of difficult for me in spots. But my skills made the difference. Marvin was young and coming up. I think I was more advanced at that point. But you could see his potential."

Tomorrow: Matthew Franklin turned pro with a second-round knockout of Billy Early on Jan. 14, 1974, at the Spectrum. Franklin, of course, later changed his name to Matthew Saad Muhammad and earned a well-deserved reputation as boxing's premier action fighter in winning the WBC light-heavyweight championship and holding it through eight rock 'em, sock 'em defenses.

_________________
"Around the time Flav started cold lamping
Rebel Without a Pause was the street anthem
Old Memorex cassette tape collections
Bright spotlights on all the fights at the Spectrum..."
-Black Thought

[KSTAT124]

FIVE YEARS AGO TODAY:

January 13, 2007-

Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina-

Future IBF junior flyweight champion Luis Lazarte unanimously outpointed future WBA super flyweight title challenger Alberto Rossel over 10 rounds.

Halle an der Saale, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany-

Thomas Ulrich, who in his previous bout lost a 12-round, unanimous decision to defending lineal and WBO light heavyweight champion Zsolt Erdei, stopped Rachid Kanfouah in the 10th round to win the WBO Inter-Continental and vacant EBU European light heavyweight titles.

On the same card, Rudolf Kraj stopped Cesar David Crenz in the 8th round to retain the WBC International cruiserweight title, the legendary Regina Halmich unanimously outpointed Reka Krempf to retain the Women's International Boxing Federation (WIBF) flyweight title, and Karolina Lukasik won the vacant WIBF junior middleweight title with a 10-round, split decision over Jill Emery.

[KSTAT124]

SEVEN YEARS AGO:

January 13, 2004-

Jakarta, Indonesia-

Angky Angkota (who is sometimes listed with his actual last name of Angkotta) stopped Roy Saragih in the 3rd round.

Angkota would go on to beat such fighters as Marvin Tampus, future WBO mini-flyweight and junior flyweight champion Donnie Nietes, former WBA minimumweight champ Joma Gamboa, Rocky Fuentes, Sonny Boy Jaro, Omari Kimweri, and Federico Catubay. He would challenge for vacant WBO titles on two occasions- the junior bantamweight title in 2010 and the bantamweight title in 2011- but would lose to Jorge Arce on both occasions.

FIFTY YEARS AGO-

January 13, 1962-

Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico-

Future lineal, WBC, and Ring Magazine flyweight champion Efren "Alacran" Torres, a future World Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, outpointed Tony "Chico" Jasso over 10 rounds.

Torres would win the world flyweight titles from Chartchai Chionoi in 1969 and successfully defend them against Susumu Hanagata later that year. However, in 1970, he lost the titles back to Chionoi.

[DBO]

January 13, 2001-

Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Zab Judah W Reggie Green TKO 10 12 (retains IBF Junior Welterweight Title)
Justo Sencion W John Trigg UD 8 8
Emmanuel Lucero W Len Martinez KO 4 8
Juan Diaz W Bradley Jensen UD 6 6
Daniel Judah W Steve Detar TKO 3 6
Francisco Bojado W Detrick Castor TKO 2 4
Rocky Juarez W Pascali Adorno UD 4 4



This card gave me some of my first exposure to guys like Diaz, Bojado, and Juarez.

[straycat]

http://www.bestboxingblog.com/twibh-jan ... s-watts-i/

TWIBH: January 13, 1976 — Hagler vs. Watts I




No matter where you place Marvelous Marvin Hagler in a ranking of the best middleweight champions of all-time, there can be no disputing the fact that few boxers have ever dominated a division as comprehensively and for as long as Hagler did his in the 1970s and 80s. Because of his record-breaking fourteen straight title defenses, many regard Carlos Monzon as the most dominant middleweight of his time. But Hagler, who ascended the ranks just as Monzon retired, was clearly the best for longer, close to a full decade. While he would not win a world title until September of 1980, long before then boxing observers knew he was the top middleweight in the world, a dangerous and highly skilled southpaw who no one wanted to fight and who was robbed by the judges in his title match with Vito Antuofermo the year before. After finally winning the championship from England’s Alan Minter, he would reign supreme until 1987.

Long before Hagler reached the top, no less a luminary than Joe Frazier had warned Hagler he would have a difficult time securing opportunities for himself. According to the former heavyweight champion of the world, Hagler had three strikes against him that spelled trouble: he was black, a southpaw, and good. Of course Hagler would eventually prove to everyone how “good” he was, but a long, hard road had to be journeyed before the general public would acknowledge his greatness. In the 70’s there was little recognition for Hagler beyond the fight writers and hardcore boxing fans, despite the fact that by 1978 he had defeated more quality opponents than anyone else.

It was fitting that Frazier of all people gave Hagler the news on the struggle that lay ahead because the hard road Hagler took to the championship went straight through Smokin’ Joe’s adopted home of Philadelphia, the toughest city in all of boxing at the time. Hagler and his managers, the Petronelli brothers of Brockton, Massachusetts, sized up the situation and recognized that the “City of Brotherly Love” was a hotbed of fistic talent and home to some of the best middleweights in the world. If Hagler wanted to get to the top, it meant venturing into Philly to prove himself against the very best. It was a risky move, but as Goody Petronelli would put it years later, “We knew if we were going to get anywhere we had to fight ‘the iron.’ So we went to Philadelphia.”



Hagler (right) mixes it up in the Philadelphia Spectrum with one of the toughest of Philly fighters, Bennie Briscoe.


When Hagler strode down the aisle of the Philadelphia Spectrum for the very first time, he was undefeated in 26 fights. His opponent, Bobby “Boogaloo”Watts, a tall, rangy scrapper with quick hands and a sharp jab, was five years older and more experienced. It was a tough test for Marvin but one he had to pass in order to graduate to facing some of the top contenders, fighters like Mike Colbert, Eugene Hart and Bennie Briscoe. Philly fight fans demanded action and they got it that night as Watts and Hagler staged a fast-paced and bruising battle, both men giving their all. It was clear Hagler had the edge in terms of aggressiveness, strength and power, but Bobby Watts was from Philadelphia and so were the ringside officials. While Marvin clearly deserved the win, after ten rounds the judges gave the decision to Boogaloo. The verdict was bad enough to prompt J. Russell Peltz, the Spectrum’s boxing promoter, to actually go over and apologize to Hagler’s people.

“It might not have been the worst decision of all time,” Peltz would say later, “but it was pretty bad.”

So bad, that after the decision had been announced and Watts had left the ring, the Philly fans actually gave Hagler an ovation. And the next morning, there was the perfect headline in The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Welcome to Philadelphia, Marvin Hagler!”

Hagler refused to let the setback discourage him. He was back in the win column less than a month later, and back in Philly for another tough fight, and another close decision loss, this time against Willie “The Worm”Monroe. A lesser fighter might have resolved right then and there to forever stay far away from the mean streets of Philadelphia, but not Hagler. A series of wars at the Spectrum would soon follow, with Hagler avenging his loss to Monroe not once, but twice, and scoring big wins over Eugene Hart and “Bad” Benny Briscoe. Those fights constituted Hagler’s baptism of fire, the tough battles that brought out the best in him and moulded him into the great champion he would soon be. Hagler may have learned to box in Brockton, Mass. but it was in Philadelphia that he became “Marvelous.”

As Bobby Watts would eventually find out. In April of 1980 Hagler and Watts finally met again and this time the judges might as well have stayed at home. Marvelous Marvin stopped Boogaloo Bobby in round two.


Michael Carbert

[KSTAT124]

SIXTY YEARS AGO TODAY:

January 13, 1956-

Schoeneberg, Berlin, Germany-

Perennial middleweight contender Charley Humez of France won his rematch with Germany's Hans Stretz via a 10-round decision. Humez improved to 83-4-1 while Stretz slipped to 66-9-9.

Their first bout, held January 17, 1955 in Paris, ended when Humez KOed Stretz in the ninth round.

During his career, Humez held the French welterweight title, the European welterweight title, the French middleweight title, and the European middleweight title. He retired in January of 1959 with a record of 94-7-1 with 1 No Contest and 47 wins by knockout.