Novices Vs Champions
On the 26th August 2017 Conor McGregor, the featherweight and lightweight UFC champion will make his professional boxing debut against one of the best boxers in the last twenty years, Floyd Mayweather Jnr, in the 154 lbs weight class.
There are many opinions and predictions on how this contest will pan out, but here are a few fights where the novice challenger have taken on the more experinced champion:
22nd August 1957, Sticks' Stadium, Seattle, Washington, USA
World Heavyweight Title
Floyd Paterson Vs Pete Rademacher
Thomas Peter Rademacher was born on 20th November 1928 in Tieton, Washington USA. His Amateur record stood at 72-7, which included four Seattle Golden Gloves Championships (1949, 1951 to 1953), he lost out on the 1950 title when Zora Foley, the future heavyweight title challenger, beat him.
He qualified for the 1956 Olympic Games held in Melbourne, Australia. He knocked out Josef Nemec from Czechoslovakia in the second round. Next he beat the South African Daan Bekker with a third round KO, which set up a showdown with the Russian Lev Mukhin in the heavyweight final. Rademacher took the title with a first round knockout. Eight months later he was contesting his professional debut against heavyweight champion Floyd Paterson.
Floyd Paterson had an amateur record of 40-4 (37KO's). He started the professional ranks as a light-heavyweight and knocked out Eddie Godbold with a fourth round knockout. He won thirteen in a row, eight by knockout before he dropped an eight round unanimous decision to 'Sugar' Ray Robinson conquerer and former light-heavyweight champion Joey Maxim.
He fought nine more times at light-heavy, before taking on Archie McBride in his heavyweight bow on 06th July 1955. Paterson stopped McBride in the seventh round. Eight fights later he fought veteran Archie Moore on 30th November 1956 for the vacant heavyweight championship, which was vacated when Rocky Marciano retired with an unblemished record of 49-0.
Paterson at the age of twenty-one became the youngest heavyweight champion of the world when he knocked out Moore, the former long serving light-heavyweight champion in two minutes 27 seconds of the fifth round. He held this record until Mike Tyson beat Trevor Berbick in November 1986, aged twenty.
The new champion took on Tommy Jackson in his first defence. Jackson lost a split decision to Paterson in their previous meeting in June 1956, but this time Paterson stopped his man in the tenth round.
Just under a month later Paterson put his belt on the line against the 1956 Olympic champion Peter Rademacher. This was the first time in history that an amateur champion stepped into the ring against a world titleholder - and the first time anyone had challenged for a world professional championship on their pro debut.
Rademacher talked twenty-two wealthy Georgians into stumping up the $250,000 to guarantee Paterson's purse and was expecting to win, even though the odds were stacked against him and one down-town businessman put it. "Nobody is betting - while sober."
Paterson weighed in at his heaviest ever at 187¼ pounds (84.94 KG), while the challenger scaled 202 pounds (991.63 KG). An upset looked highly likely as midway through the second round a right cross from Rademacher floored the champion. Paterson was up at the count of four and referee Tommy Loughran waved off the count and ruled it a slip, but Paterson would later admit in his dressing room that the punch had bowled him over.
The third round saw Paterson's superiority take over, as out of his crouch he fired in a right that decked the Olympic champion for a count of nine, with the bell saving him. The fourth saw Paterson stalk his man around the ring as he looked for an opening to land one of his pay-off bombs.
The 16,961 crowd watched Rademacher getting blasted four times to the canvas in the fifth round. Somehow the debutant got up and tried valiantly to trade blows. During the minute break Loughran went to the challenger's corner and asked if he was all right and got a smiling nod from the weary and hurt challenger.
The few blows Rademacher did manage to land lacked any sting. He clinched and as the referee went in to separate them Paterson unloaded with a left then a right to floor the bigger man again. The outclassed challenger got up only to be flattened for a seventh time by the champion's left. This time Rademacher didn't beat the count and his challenge was over, with three seconds left of the sixth.
15th February 1978, Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Undisputed Heavyweight Title
Muhammad Ali Vs Leon Spinks
After an amateur record of 178-7 with 133 knockouts and a gold medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Leon Spinks turned professional on 15th January 1977, winning by a fifth round TKO against Bob Smith. In his sixth contest he drew a ten rounder against Scott LeDoux. In his next fight he beat the undefeated Italian Alfio Righetti, who was 27-0, over a close ten round unanimous decision. All three judges scored it 46-44. Ali's promotor Bob Arum had said before the fight that Muhammad Ali (who was in attendance), had signed to face the winner on 15th February 1978.
Spinks was contesting only his eighth bout challenged Ali for the undisputed crown (WBC & WBA). The gulf in experience was plain to see, Spinks was just 6-0-1 (5 KO's) while Ali's record stood at 55-2 (37 KO's), plus Ali had mixed with world class opposition since winning the title for the first time against the feared Sonny Liston on 25th February 1964. Even though Ali was thirty-six-years-old, the twenty-four-year-old Spinks was still a 10-1 underdog to cause an upset.
Spinks piled on points early on with his aggressiveness. He jolted the two-time heavyweight champion with left leads to the head and right uppercuts. Ali used his rope-a-dope tactics, but unlike George Forman, who punched himself out and allowed Ali to regain the title nearly four years previously, Spinks was able to fire punches through the champion's gloves and occasionally snap his head back.
Many observers felt Spinks would gas, as he'd only been ten rounds twice before and one of those was a draw against Scott LeDoux, but the challenger kept up the pace for the fifteen rounder. Ali needed a knockout to keep the belts, but he didn't come close to scoring one as Spinks took all that was thrown at him. Even a stiff right to the temple from the champion wasn't enough.
Spinks heard the final bell and became the first challenger to win the heavyweight crown by a decision since 'Cinderella Man' Jim Braddock beat Max Baer on 13th June 1935. Two judges scored the bout 145-140 and 144-141 for Spinks, while the third judge saw Ali the victor by 143-142.
Minutes after the decision was announced, Spinks said "I trained hard. I dedicated myself to training. I had a great opportunity and I thank God - God's the main man. We knew what we had to do to become the man on top.
"Yeah I'll fight him again but I haven't decided when yet."
Ali vowed to be back. "I'll be the first man to win the world championship three times," he said.
15th September 1978, Superdrome, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
WBA Heavyweight Title
Leon Spinks Vs Muhammad Ali
Even though Muhammad Ali lost his last fight to "Neon" Leon Spinks and was thirty-six years old, he was still a 2½-1 betting favourite with the bookies to win the world heavyweight crown for an unprecedented third time. "This will be my last fight. I will go down as the first man to win the title three times," Ali said before the contest.
The fight was only for the WBA version of the crown as on 05th November 1977 the WBC sanctioned a world title eliminator between Ken Norton, top challenger for the WBC & WBA and number two contender for both belts Jimmy Young. Norton won a split decision and on 01st December 1977 the WBC sanctioned the first Ali/Spinks fight, providing the the winner would box Norton next. Spinks refused and decided to have a rematch with Ali, meaning the WBC stripped him of the belt and awarded it to Ken Norton.
The gap toothed Spinks' biggest win last time out was ultimately his biggest downfall. His lack of education and discipline didn't prepare him to handle the money or the attention that victory brought him, though his ring pedigree said otherwise. He came into the bout ill prepared. Even the team around him was a shambles!
In his dressing before the fight, nobody had remembered his protective cup, water bottle or water bucket. Spinks' chief trainer, Sam Solomon said to Chet Cummings, the public relations man for the Top Rank promotional organisation. "For God's sake get Leon a cup." Cummings looked at another Top Rank employee, Vickie Blain and said. "Get Leon a cup for ice."
"Not that kind of cup," yelled Solomon. "A cup, cup, for God's sake. A cup, cup!"
Finally they borrowed what they needed from Mike Rossman, who was sharing the dressing room with Spinks. Solomon also told co-trainer George Benton he could only give advice every third or fourth round, as they would alternate who would be in the corner. First would be Solomon, then Michael Spinks, his younger brother then Benton. "Remember," Solomon reminded Benton, "if it's not your turn in the corner but you have something to say to Leon, just tell the guy whose turn it is and he'll relay the message." By the fifth round Benton had had enough and walked out saying "My God, it's a Zoo."
Ali gave a masterful performance in what wasn't a very exciting contest. He neglected to sit on the ropes this time and took the centre of the ring as much as possible. The inexperience of the champion showed and the shambles of his corner proved detrimental in Spinks surrendering the crown on points over fifteen rounds to Ali, who made history.
Ali announced his retirement. "I killed myself to get ready for Spinks. I suffered and sacrificed more than I ever did. There's nothing for me to gain by fighting."
Two weeks after his defeat Spinks said. "I congratulated Ali. He is still my idol."
06th March 1999, Convention Center, Atlantic City, USA
WBA Light-middleweight Title
Laurent Boudouani Vs David Reid
David Reid had a stellar amateur career, winning numerous national titles. Like Oscar De La Hoya in the 1992 Olympics, Reid was the sole US boxer at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 to take a gold medal.
'The American Dream' turned professional with lots of attention from boxing magazines on 21st March 1997 against the unbeaten Sam Calderon, winning a unanimous four round decision. In his fifth contest he took on former welterweight champion Jorge Vaca, beating the thirty-seven-year-old in the first round.
The following June he was in against another former welterweight champion and ex light-middleweight title holder Simon Brown. The Jamaican was halted in the fourth. His next fight saw him get off the floor twice to win the WBC Continental Americas light-middleweight championship on points against the undefeated James Coker.
In his twelfth paid contest Reid faced Frenchman Laurent Boudouani, the WBA 154 pounds (69.85 KG) champion. Boudouani turned pro in 1989, beating Djamel Zeghadi and winning fifteen on the bounce before losing an eighth round TKO to Gilbert Baptist. After that defeat he went 9-0, picking up the European title before losing it in his third defence to Bernard Razzano.
Three victories later he regained the EBU belt, defending it twice. On the 21st August 1996 he challenged WBA light-middleweight champion Julio Cesar Vasquez with a fifth round knockout on home soil. He beat Carl Daniels in America, drew, won a split decision against Guillermo Jones then TKO'd the great Terry Norris in the ninth round in France. With a record of 38-2-1, the champion took on Reid in only his seventh fight outside of his native country.
Reid had the advantages in youth, hand speed and power over his thirty-two-year-old opponent, but boxed cautiously throughout the bout. Boudouani occasionally clubbed the challenger with his right hand which won him the first round and very nearly the second too.
In the third round Reid got his rhythm going as his right hand started to find its target. The challenger targeted the body, which made the champion drop his left, leaving him open to those rights. Reid doubled up his jab and did as he pleased as he started to bank many rounds with the judges.
Boudouani stayed disciplined and stuck to his counter right hand, which after five rounds created a mouse under Reid's notorious droopy left eye. Reid controlled the pace in the sixth and was busier with his punching. The champion fired desperate rights, but the challenger showed composure and a good chin when under fire.
The Frenchman did nothing in the seventh, until the very end when he caught the Olympic champion with six unanswered rights. The eighth saw Reid take control as he used his speed to land with flurries. The ninth had the champion ship a short left hook that had him wobbling.
He upped his game in the tenth, but found the American matched him punch for punch. Reid let his hands go in the final round, fighting with the air of confidence that made him a star. The last round cemented Reid's victory with scores of 117-112, 117-111 & 118-112.
03rd March 2000, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
WBA Light-Middleweight Title
David Reid Vs Felix Trinidad
On 10th March 1990, Felix Trinidad made his professional debut against another debutant Angel Romero, winning by a second round knockout. He won nineteen bouts before stepping in with the experienced Maurice Blocker for the IBF welterweight championship.
On 19th June 1993, it didn't take long for the twenty year old 'Tito' to rip the title from the champion who was ten years his senior, as he blasted him out in two rounds. By February 1999 he defended the belt for the fourteenth time against Pernell 'Sweet Pea' Whitaker.
After his fifteenth defence he took on WBC welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya, inflicting the 'Golden Boy's' first defeat and adding the green belt to his IBF strap. He then moved up a division to take on David Reid.
Trinidad was 36-0 (29 KO's) while Reid was 14-0 (7 KO's). The new weight seemed to suit the long time welter as he didn't look so skinny and looked quicker and stronger when he threw his punches. The challenger took the first minute of the contest to figure out the younger champion. He left fly with a wicked left hook, but Reid's defence was tight, but was just edged out of the round by the busier challenger.
The second was more of the same with Trinidad just out working his man. With the corner giving him a talking to, Reid was still reluctant to engage with anything significant, until mid-round when he threw an overhand right, which caught Trinidad's attention. Stunned he stood his ground. Reid was spurred on and caught the Puerto Rican with a straight right, which put him down in a squatting position.
He sprang up quickly and bounced around the ring to regain his legs as he took the mandatory eight count. Reid rushed him, making faces and doubling up with the left hook. Trinidad got through the round, but his early lead was cancelled out by the knockdown.
In round four, Reid's inexperience came to the fold as he let his man off the hook. Instead of rushing Trinidad, he looked for the single shot, which allowed the challenger to get his punches together, taking the round. The action stalled in the fifth. The champion looked good defensively whilst he slipped most of Trinidad's work.
The sixth had Reid using his defensive tactics, so Trinidad reverted to a body attack, looking to sap the energy out of his younger foe. Reid attacked the body in round seven, but he was cautioned for low blows by the referee. Trinidad's left hook was quick and caught Reid flush. He was hurt and on rubbery legs as he staggered back into the ropes before hitting the canvas. He beat the count, but was still unsteady - luckily for him there wasn't enough time left in the round for the challenger to finish him.
Round eight was getting worse for the champion as he picked up a cut over the right eye. Trinidad also never let up on his attack to the body, which was slowly beginning to take its toll. Reid fell further behind in the next stanza as a low blow brought him a point deduction. Ominously for the champion, Trinidad began to warm to the pace and looked like he could raise it without much of a problem.
Trinidad had a great eleventh round as he put the now desperate looking champion down three times. There was no three knockdown rule in affect and Reid was able to hold on to hear the bell. 'The American Dream' was in survival mode as he negated his way through the last three minutes without taking much of a beating. The scores were unanimous, 114-106 and 114-107 twice for the new WBA light-middleweight champion.
01st March 2014, Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, USA
Vacant WBO Featherweight Title
Orlando Salido Vs Vasyl Lomachenko
Vasyl Lomachenko was born in the Ukraine and became the junior flyweight European under 17 amateur champion in 2004 and in 2006 he lifted the Junior World Championships against Sergey Vodopyanov. In 2008 he won Gold at the Beijing Olympics as a featherweight and four years later, in London, he became the lightweight Olympic champion. His amateur record is claimed to be 396-1, where he avenged his only defeat twice against Albert Selimov.
He turned professional on 12th October 2013 and challenged WBO International featherweight champion Jose Ramirez, knocking him out in the fourth round. In his second pro contest he challenged for the vacant WBO crown against Salido.
Mexican Orlando Salido had a record of 42-12-2 (28 KOs'), compared to Lomachenko's 1-0-0. Salido had been in with some good fighters during his eighteen year career, holding points wins over Regilio Tuur, Alfred Kotey and Cesar Soto. He lost a title challenge to Juan Manuel Marquez on a unanimous decision.
The WBO belt was only up for grabs for Lomachenko, as Salido was stripped of the crown as he couldn't make the featherweight division's limit. With all of his experience, Salido was a slight underdog for the bout.
Southpaw Lomachenko started patiently, but in the third found his range as he let some combinations fly. The fourth got a warning for Salido from the referee for hitting after the bell. A solid right from the Ukranian was taken well by Mexican in the sixth.
Lomachenko took a backward step in the tenth as the more seasoned opponent appeared to have hurt him. Sensing he needed a big round to clinch the title, the novice hurt Salido with body shots in the final frame, bringing the contest to an exciting conclusion.
The last round purge wasn't enough as Lomachenko dropped a split decision with scores of 116-112, 115-113 (Salido) and 115-113 (Lomachenko), meaning the belt was still vacant.
06th April 2014, Ota-City General Gymnasium, Japan
WBC Light-flyweight Title
Adrian Hernandez Vs Naoya Inoue
Mexico's WBC light-flyweight champion Adrian Hernandez first won the belt against Gilberto Keb Baas on 30th April 2011 by an eleventh round retirement. He lost it in his second defence by a tenth round knockout to Thailand's Suriyan Satorn. On 06th October 2012 the Mexican gained revenge and the world crown with a sixth round TKO over Satorn.
In his fifth defence he faced off against the five fight novice Naoya Inoue. On 02nd October 2012 Inoue won his professional debut by a fourth round knockout against Crison Omayao. The twenty-year-old Japanese, who is nicknamed 'The Monster' looked to make history by becoming the quickest countryman to do so.
Hernandez had a record of 29-2-1 (18 KOs') whilst Inoue had only been the distant once, taken ten rounds in his fourth fight against Ryoichi Taguchi.
What looked like an easy defence for the hardened two-time champion was anything but as 'The Monster' dominated from the start, winning five rounds on all three judges cards. In the sixth the champion was down - he was taking a beating and he suddenly turned his back on his challenger, refusing to go on when asked by the referee, making Inoue the new WBC champion.
30th December 2014, Metropolitan Gym, Japan
WBO Super-flyweight Title
Omar Andres Narvaez Vs Naoya Inoue
The experienced Argentinian world super-flyweight champion had a record of 43-1-2. He turned professional on 01st December 2000. In his twelfth contest he became WBO flyweight champion with a unanimous twelve round decision over Adonis Rivas. He made sixteen successful defences, drawing with Italian Andrea Sarritzu in his fourth defence.
On 15th May 2010 he stepped up to the super-flyweight division and won the vacant WBO crown against Nicaraguan Everth Briceno with a unanimous decision. Against Inoue he was making his thirteenth defence.
Experience counted for nothing in this contest as 'The Monster' floored 'El Huracan' twice in the first round. The second didn't go any better for the long-serving champion as he was felled another twice more. The fourth and last knockdown of the fight saw Narvaez on all fours as he was counted out at the very end of the round, making Inoue the quickest two-weight champion with just eight contests under his belt.
11th June 2016, Madison Square Garden Theatre, New York, USA
WBO Super-featherweight Title
Roman Martinez Vs Vasyl Lomachenko
After his loss to Orlando Salido, Vasyl Lomacenko took on Gary Russell Jr in his third pro contest for the vacant WBO featherweight crown. Russell was unbeaten in twenty-four bouts, but dropped a 116-112 (twice) 114-114 majority decision.
The Ukrainian made three successful defences before stepping up a weight division to challenge WBO super-featherweight champion Roman Martinez.
The champion from Puerto Rico came to Manchester to take the title off Nicky Cook via a fourth round TKO. In his third defence he found himself in Britain again as he lost his belt to the Scot, Ricky Burns, by unanimous decision. One victory later he was back in the ring for his old belt against Miguel Beltran Jr, winning a split decision on 15th September 2012. A draw and a win later he lost the crown for a second time to Mickey Garcia, who stopped him in the eighth round.
After a second round knockout of Herbert Quartey, he took on Orlando Salido and became a three time WBO super-featherweight champion winning a unanimous decision. In his first defence he was back in the ring against Salido, only managing a draw before he took on Lomachenko.
The Ukrainian dominated from the first bell and couldn't miss, or be hit by his opponent. His footwork was world class, with Martinez chasing shadows for the first four rounds of the contest. The fourth round saw the challenger start to let his hands go. He landed straight lefts from his southpaw stance, which was made the champion look fragile at times.
In the fifth Lomanchenko led with a left uppercut, followed up by a right uppercut come hook, which knocked out Martinez with the referee not bothering to count after one minute and 09 seconds of the round.
The victory meant that Lomanchenko became a two-weight champion within seven fights, breaking the record of Nayoa Inoue's eight fights set in 2014.
All the best fight fans
All the best fight fans
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