This day in boxing. A look back.

[IamInuit]

August 20

Fight of the day
1977:Bobby Chacon vs Ruben Olivares 3


1931: Jimmy McLarnin W 10 Billy Petrolle, NYC.

1952: Billy Graham W 10 Carmen Basilio, Chicago.

1954: Carl Olson W 15 Rocky Castellani, San Francisco. Retains World Middleweight Title.

1977: Saensak Muangsurin KO 6 Mike Everett, Roi-et, Thailand. Retains WBC Super Lightweight Title.
-Bobby Chacon W 10 Ruben Olivares, Inglewood.

1989: Pernell Whitaker W 12 Jose Luis Ramirez, Norfolk. Retains IBF and wins
the vacant WBC Lightweight Title.

1994: Vuyani Bungu W 12 Kennedy McKinney, Hammanskraal, South Africa. Wins IBF Super Bantamweight Title.

1996: Vuyani Bungu W 12 Jesus Salud, Hammanskraal, South Africa. Retains IBF Super Bantamweight Title.

1999: Paul Spadafora W 12 Israel Cardona, Chester, WV. Wins vacant IBF Lightweight Title.

2000: Malcolm Tunacao D 12 Celes Kobayashi, Tokyo. Retains WBC Flyweight Title.
-Joma Gamboa W 12 Noel Arambulet, Tokyo. Wins WBA Strawweight Title.

Referee Mitch Halpern, 33, is found dead in his home in Las Vegas, the victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. I announce deaths and births sparingly but this guy was a gem of a ref

2005: Roberto Vasquez KO 4 Jose Antonio Aguirre, Panama City, Panama. Retains WBA Junior Flyweight Title.

[IamInuit]

August 21

Fight of the day

1994: Julio Cesar Vasquez vs Winky Wright


1910: Abe Attell KO 3 Eddie Marino, Calgary. Retains World Featherweight Title.

1915: Joe Lynch ND 10 Jack Wagner, NYC. Lynch’s pro debut.

1924: Harry Greb ND 10 Tiger Flowers, Fremont, OH. Non-title fight.

1929: Willie LaMorte W 15 Corp. Izzy Schwartz, Newark, NJ. Wins New York World Flyweight Title.

1947: Willie Pep KO 12 Jock Leslie, Flint, Mich. Retains World Featherweight Title.

1951: Joey Maxim W 15 Bob Murphy, NYC. Retains World Light Heavyweight Title.

1957: Floyd Patterson KO 6 Pete Rademacher, Seattle. Retains World Heavyweight Title.
Rademacher, a 1956 Melbourne Olympic Gold Medalist, is making history by fighting for the title in his pro debut.

1971: Vicente Rondon W 15 Eddie Jones, Caracas. Retains WBA Light Heavyweight Title.

1973: Bob Foster W 15 Pierre Fourie, Albuquerque. Retains World Light Heavyweight Title.

1977: Luis Estaba KO 11 Juan Alvarez, Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela. Retains WBC Junior Flyweight Title.

1981: Salvador Sanchez KO 8 Wilfredo Gomez, Las Vegas. Retains WBC Featherweight Title. T

1985: Lonnie Smith KO 8 Billy Costello, NYC. Wins WBC Super Lightweight Title.

1987: Julio Cesar Chavez W 12 Danilio Cabrera, Tijuana. Retains WBC Super Featherweight Title.

1988: Jose Sanabria W 12 Vincenzo Belcastro, Capo D’ Orlando, Italy. Retains IBF Super Bantamweight Title.

1993: Julio Cesar Vasquez W 12 Aaron Davis, Monte Carlo. Retains WBA Super Welterweight Title.
-Julio Cesar Borboa KO 3 Carlos Mercardo, Kalispell, MT. Retains IBF Super Flyweight Title.

1994: Julio Cesar Vasquez W 12 Winky Wright, St-Jean-de-Luz, France. Retains WBA Super Welterweight Title.

1996: Laurent Boudouani KO 5 Julio Cesar Vasquez, Le Cannet, France. Wins WBA Super Welterweight Title.

1999: Kostya Tszyu KO 10 Miguel Angel Gonzalez, Miami, FL. Wins vacant WBC Super Lightweight Title.

[Master]

How was Floyd Patterson allowed to defend against a fighter fighting his first professional fight is beyond me.

[IamInuit]

How was Floyd Patterson allowed to defend against a fighter fighting his first professional fight is beyond me.

Highly touted, kind of say the Lomachenko of his day and he spouted off a lot in the press and of course the "great white hope" aspect was played.

[Master]

How was Floyd Patterson allowed to defend against a fighter fighting his first professional fight is beyond me.

Highly touted, kind of say the Lomachenko of his day and he spouted off a lot in the press and of course the "great white hope" aspect was played.

Even lomachenko had one fight first. I think Cus was trying to avoid Sonny.

[IamInuit]

How was Floyd Patterson allowed to defend against a fighter fighting his first professional fight is beyond me.

Highly touted, kind of say the Lomachenko of his day and he spouted off a lot in the press and of course the "great white hope" aspect was played.

Even lomachenko had one fight first. I think Cus was trying to avoid Sonny.

Not in 57 my friend. Sonny was just starting out essentially and would not have been on the radar. I bet had Savon or Stevenson turned pro they may have gotten a title shot out of the gate. Its also important to note that there was only one title and he had just won Gold the previous year. Btw he's listed as the only fighter to get a title shot in his pro debut but there have been a couple more.

[IamInuit]

August 22

Fight of the day also a (FOTY)

1998: Ivan Robinson vs Arturo Gatti



1922: Frankie Genaro W 10 Pancho Villa, Brooklyn.

1925: Fidel LaBarba W 10 Frankie Genaro, Los Angeles.

1933: Boxing’s first televised fight, an exhibition between Archie Sexton and Laurie Raiteri, is broadcast in London.

1939: Lou Ambers W 15 Henry Armstrong, Bronx, NY. Regains World Lightweight Title. Armstrong was penalized in 5 different rounds for going to the junk.

1945: Jimmy Bivins KO 6 Archie Moore, Cleveland. Archie was dropped 3 times in round two and was counted out but nailed with a shot while on the canvas. He got a rest and was awarded the round but he was dropped twice again in the fifth and once more for the count in the sixth.

1966: L.C. Morgan KO 4 Jose Napoles, Reynosa, MX. Yet another major upset on this day.

1969: Ruben Olivares KO 5 Lionel Rose, Inglewood. Wins World Bantamweight Title.

1980: Wilfredo Gomez KO 5 Derrick Holmes, Las Vegas. Retains WBC Super Bantamweight Title.

1987: Marlon Starling KO 11 Mark Breland, Columbia, SC. Wins WBA Welterweight Title.

1992: John-John Molina KO 4 Fernando Caiceda, Bayamon, PR. Retains IBF Super Featherweight Title.
-Ricardo Lopez KO 5 Singprasert Kittikasem, Ciudad Madero, MX. Retains WBC Strawweight Title.

1995: Marco Antonio Barrera W 12 Agapito Sanchez, South Padre Island, TX.

1998: Charles Brewer KO 3 Antoine Byrd, Leipzig, Germany. Retains IBF Super Middleweight Title.
-Sven Ottke W 10 Wilhelmus Krijnen, Leipzig, Germany.
-Harry Simon W 12 Winky Wright, Hammanskraal, South Africa.
-Ivan Robinson W 10 Arturo Gatti, Atlantic City.

2009: Robert Guerrero W 12 Malcolm Klassen, Houston, TX. Wins IBF Super Featherweight Title.
-Raul Garcia W 12 Sammy Gutierrez, Los Cabos, Mexico. Retains IBF Mini Flyweight Title.