March 8th

Same day events that happened in boxing history
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straycat
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March 8th

Post by straycat »

March 8th 1971: The Most Celebrated Date In Boxing History
By Frank Lotierzo
Today is the most important date in the history of the world, bar none. At least in my World it is. Not because it's my father's birthday, and not because it's one of my best friend's son's birthday. No, this date has only one meaning for me, "Fight Of The Century" better known as Frazier vs. Ali. Sorry dad and little Glenny. For This Was The Day A 10 Year Old Kid's Life Would Never Be The Same.
For on this day that 10 year old kid sat on the Kitchen floor at 108 Ardmore Ave in Haddonfield New Jersey, reading the Courier Post about tonight's big fight between Muhammad Ali and "Smokin" Joe Frazier. This kid counted down the months, days, hours and minutes to Monday Night March 8th. He kept asking his father that day who he thought would win tonight. This would eventually go onto become Christmas Eve, Easter Sunday, and New Years Eve for this 10 year old.
This was the night that Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier were scheduled to finally come to blows. On March 8th 1971, Ali and Frazier put on a fight for all time between two of the greatest Heavyweight Champion's who have yet lived. So don't call me tonight after 11:03 PM, because I'll be watching a tape of the fight at the exact time that it started. For one hour tonight I'll be reminiscing about that night up in the rafters (The Twenty dollar seats) at Madison Square Garden watching the fight with my father and cousin.
Sometime between 11:00 and midnight my cousin will most likely call me up and say do you know what today's date is. I'll say yes, why are you calling me now, you know I'm watching the tape. Maybe just one of these years, he'll call 24 seconds into the 15th round, then I won't be annoyed? Can't believe it's been 33 years. If you were a boxing fan then, I have no doubt you remember exactly where you were that night. There was never anything like it before, and I have no doubt that I'll never see anything like it again in my lifetime. Thank you Joe and Muhammad for providing boxing with it's most celebrated night and event!

Also on this day

2008- David Haye unifies the WBA WBC and WBO titles as he defeats Enzo Maccarinelli by a second round technical knockout.
David Haye and Enzo Maccarinelli met in an all-British world Cruiserweight title fight in the early hours of 9 March 2008. British trade paper Boxing News produced a pullout special on the match. Widely billed as the biggest all British bout since Chris Eubank met Nigel Benn, few pundits could decide who would walk away the victor. As both fighters are massive punchers with excellent KO records a short fight was predicted.

2009- Nate Campbell upsets Juan Díaz by split decision, Campbell becomes the unified WBA IBF WBO champion.
Campbell was the underdog coming into the fight against Juan Díaz. Juan Díaz was considered too strong and too technically sound against the likes of Campbell. Nate Campbell surprised the boxing world by controlling the tempo of the fight. The first 7 rounds were heavily contested but from the 8th round afterwards, Campbell completely controlled the fight as Diaz's eyes began swelling.
2008- Sam Peter wins the WBC Heavyweight title as he defeats Oleg Maskaev by 6th round TKO.
This long-anticipated fight took place on March 8, 2008, at the principal bullfighting venue in Cancun, Mexico. Peter won by TKO, with the referee stopping the fight with only a few seconds remaining in the 6th round.

Some controversy arose over the legitimacy of the referee's stoppage, as the fight had hardly been lopsided to that point, and so little time remained before the bell. Peter was repeatedly warned throughout the fight for punching Maskaev in the back of the head. However, Maskaev was clearly staggered and had taken several unanswered heavy shots, and appeared unable to defend himself as he was knocked against the ropes. Some of the controversy was muted when Maskaev opined that the referee did the right thing in stopping the fight. Peter was ahead on all three judges' scorecards at the time of the stoppage.
Ĩ ÁM ŚŤŔÁŶČÁŤ ÁŃĎ Ĩ ÁPPŔŐVĔ ŤĤĨŚ MĔŚŚÁĞĔ
>^^< ŚŤŔÚŤ!
ScapposeJohn commenting on Shane Mosely possibly being unaware he was taking PED's wrote: Likewise. It reminds me of President Clinton saying that he smoked weed in college but never inhaled. Yeah..........right.
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Papa1472002
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Post by Papa1472002 »

Here's a list of everything else that happened on March 8th as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_8
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straycat
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Post by straycat »

1944- Juan Zurita W 15 Sammy Angott, Hollywood. Wins NBA Lightweight Title.

1969- Lionel Rose W 15 Alan Rudkin, Melbourne. Retains World Bantamweight Title.

1971- "Smokin" Joe Frazier W 15 Muhammad Ali, NYC. Retains World Heavyweight Title. Referee: Arthur Mercante 8-6-1, judge: Artie Aidala 9-6, judge: Bill Recht 11-4. The most anticipated sporting event in history! Ali down in the 15th.

1981- Cornelius Boza-Edwards W 15 Rafael "Bazooka" Limon, Stockton, CA. Wins WBC Super Featherweight Title.

1981- Pedro Flores KO 12 Yoko Gushiken, Gushikawa, Japan. Wins WBA Junior Flyweight Title. Pedro Flores ends the nearly 5-year, including 13-title defenses, reign of Gushiken.

1991- Bobby Czyz W 12 Robert Daniels, Atlantic City. Wins WBA Cruiserweight Title.

1997- Danny Romero KO 6 Jaji Sibali, Albuquerque. Retains IBF Super Flyweight Title.

1997- Johnny Tapia KO 3 Jorge Barrera, Albuquerque.

1997- The Ring magazine celebrates its 75th Anniversary with an awards banquet in Atlantic City.

1998- Saman Sorjaturong KO 4 Shiro Yahrio, Yokohama, Japan. Retains WBC Junior Flyweight Title.

2002- Alexander Munoz KO 8 Celes Kobayashi, Tokyo. Wins WBA Super Flyweight Title.

2003- Corrie Sanders KO 2 Wladimir Klitschko, Hannover, Germany. Upset of the year.

2008- Samuel Peter KO 6 Oleg Maskaev, Cancun, Mexico. Wins WBC Heavyweight Title.

2008- David Haye KO 2 Enzo Maccarinelli, London. Retains World Cruiserweight Title.

2008- Nate "Galaxxy Warrior" Campbell W 12 Juan Diaz, Cancun, Mexico. Wins IBF/WBA Lightweight Title.

2008- Daisuke Naito D 12 Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Tokyo. Retains WBC Flyweight Title.
Ĩ ÁM ŚŤŔÁŶČÁŤ ÁŃĎ Ĩ ÁPPŔŐVĔ ŤĤĨŚ MĔŚŚÁĞĔ
>^^< ŚŤŔÚŤ!
ScapposeJohn commenting on Shane Mosely possibly being unaware he was taking PED's wrote: Likewise. It reminds me of President Clinton saying that he smoked weed in college but never inhaled. Yeah..........right.
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Post by KSTAT124 »

New York's sports radio stations spent most of the day focused in on the "Fight of the Century"- Ali-Frazier I. Boxing is usually ignored by WFAN and by the ESPN outlet, WEPN, but both had to give in and allow fans to reminisce on the 40th anniversary of that historic event!

And what an event it was!

How big was it? Frank Sinatra served as a ringside photographer and Burt Lancaster did the closed circuit telecast commentary with the one and only Don Dunphy and "The Old Mongoose" himself, Archie Moore. The other luminaries in attendance ranged from former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, who sat in the third balcony, to Diana Ross. The FBI actually became aware of how big the notorious Frank Lucas had become when they saw him sitting in the second row!
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Re: March 8th

Post by straycat »

[youtubefullurl]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqEANlBbhsA[/youtubefullurl]
Ĩ ÁM ŚŤŔÁŶČÁŤ ÁŃĎ Ĩ ÁPPŔŐVĔ ŤĤĨŚ MĔŚŚÁĞĔ
>^^< ŚŤŔÚŤ!
ScapposeJohn commenting on Shane Mosely possibly being unaware he was taking PED's wrote: Likewise. It reminds me of President Clinton saying that he smoked weed in college but never inhaled. Yeah..........right.
KSTAT124
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Re: March 8th

Post by KSTAT124 »

SIXTY YEARS AGO:

March 8, 1956-

Sunnyside, Queens, New York, New York, USA-

Future heavyweight contender Wayne Bethea (9-4-2) TKOed Ernie Cab (9-6-1) in the sixth round.

East St. Louis, Illinois, USA-

Welterweight Virgil Akins (36-14-1) stopped Andy Watkins (8-7) in the second round.

Akins would go on to win the vacant Massachusetts version of the World welterweight title on October 29, 1957 and the vacant lineal, NBA, New York State Athletic Commission, and Ring Magazine World welterweight titles on June 6, 1958.

Watkins retired after losing to Atkins.

San Francisco, California, USA-

Heavyweight Howard King (29-8-5) stopped Jake Williams (7-5-2-1 NC) in the fifth round.

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