The Boxing History Blog

In December 2019 I was on a family vacation in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We visited Mystic Mountain, about five minutes from Dunn's River Falls (also highly recommended). On our ascent through the rainforest scenery on the SkyExplorer to take us to the famous Bobsled ride, I wasn't expecting to be greeted by a room full of sports memorabilia.  Obviously, the Jamaican Bobsled team dominated the room, but I was instantly drawn to the massive information board on Lennox Lewis and seeing smaller articles on Mike McCallum, Simon Brown and Glen Johnson, giving me the inspiration for The Pride of Jamaica posts. Lennox Claudius Lewis was born in West Ham, England on 02nd September 1965 to Jamaican parents. His mother agonised over whether to terminate the pregnancy when she found out the man she loved was already married to a woman in Montego Bay. Fortunately for the boxing world, Violet decided against a termination. "I was desperate. But the moment I held baby Lennox in my arms I kne...

In January 1977, aged twenty-one, Luigi Minchillo made his professional debut, stopping fellow Italian Silvano Bischeri in the fifth round. Minchillo went 17-0 before suffering his first defeat, a fourth-round stoppage due to cuts against Alvaro Scarpelli. In April 1979, only five months after his first setback, he challenged Clemente Gessi for the vacant Italian light-middleweight title, winning it in the maiden round. He defended his national championship four times and in July 1981 he challenged the French-Algerian Louis Acaries for the European light-middleweight title. Minchillo became champion by unanimous decision and the following month had a second-round TKO victory over America's Danny Myers, before his big date with Roberto Duran in September 1981.  Duran returned to Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, in his second bout since losing his world welterweight crown against Leonard. In the opposite corner was 'Il Guerriero Del Ring' or 'The Ring Warrior' Luigi Min...

26th June 1972, Madison Square Garden, New York WBA Lightweight Title Ken Buchanan Vs Roberto Duran World champion Ken Buchanan was born in  Edinburgh, Scotland on 28th June 1945. He became ABA champion in 1965, turning professional on 20th September that very same year, stopping Brian Rocky Tonks in the second round in the lightweight division. In his seventeenth bout he became the British Scottish Area lightweight champion, outpointing John McMillan over ten rounds for the vacant title. On 19th February 1968 he beat Maurice Cullen for the British lightweight title with an eleventh round knockout, taking his unbeaten record to 24-0 with nine KO's. Nine more victories put him in line for the vacant European lightweight title. He travelled to Madrid, Spain to take on Miguel Velasquez. The bout went the full fifteen rounds and the Spaniard was given the decision 72-69 by Italian referee and sole judge. Buchanan leaned dejected against the ropes as the home supporters inv...

Nigel Benn After his brutal and tragic encounter with Gerald McClellan, Nigel Benn considered retirement. Once his wounds healed, he decided to get his career back on track and defended his WBC super-middleweight championship against Vincenzo Nardiello. The Italian, born in Stuttgart, Germany on 11th June 1966 was nearly two-years younger than the champion. Nardiello had a good amateur pedigree, winning the national super-lightweight championship in 1984. In 1986 and 1987 he captured the Italian titles at super-welterweight and middleweight respectively. He also represented his country at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, losing a decision to eventual winner Park Si-Hun (who controversially outpointed Roy Jones Junior in the final). Nardiello turned professional in Dcember 1988 and went on an unbeaten run of seventeen, eleven early, when he challenged Victor Cordoba in December 1991, losing by an eleventh round TKO for the WBA super-middleweight title. Twelve months later he collected the vacan...

Pernell Whitaker One of boxing's most masterful defensive fighters passed away at the age of fifty-five on 14th July 2019. Pernell 'Sweet Pea' Whitaker was struck by a vehicle in his home state of Virginia in Virginia Beach at approximately 22-00 on the intersection of Northampton Boulevard and Baker Road. Emergency personnel performed CPR in an attempt to resuscitate him, but they were unsuccessful. The driver of the vehicle also remained at the scene to speak to police. Born on 02nd January 1964 in Norfolk, Virginia, Whitaker went on to be one of America's top amateur boxers, capping off his multi-championships by taking gold at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 as a lightweight, finishing his record as 201-14. Whitaker turned professional in November 1984, ending Farrain Comeaux's 11-0 ledger with a second-round TKO at Madison Square Garden. Also on the card, making their debuts, were the other US Olympic medal winners, Evander Holyfield, Meldrick Taylor, Ma...