This day in boxing. A look back.

[NoSavingByTheBell]

German boxer Max Schmeling beats Jack Sharkey by disqualification in 4 rounds in NYC for vacant NBA, NYSAC, The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles; first time title won on a foul

[Master]

British boxer Danny Williams knocked out Mike Tyson

British fighter Danny Williams caused one of the biggest upsets in boxing history when he knocked out Mike Tyson in Louisville.

Former undisputed world heavyweight champion Tyson was left on the canvas towards the end of the fourth round in what proved to be the penultimate fight of his career.

It was only the fifth time the 38-year-old had been beaten.

Londoner Williams, a 9-1 outsider who was largely written off before the fight in Kentucky, said: “This is the greatest feeling in the world and by far my biggest moment in boxing.

“I proved people wrong – they have to take me seriously now.”

Tyson began well, landing a couple of heavy blows, but later had no answer to his 31-year-old opponent.

According to the American’s manager, Shelly Finkel, he tore a ligament in his left knee during the bout and became unable to throw meaningful right-handed punches.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/day...050000546.html



Tyson announced his retirement the following year after failing to appear for the seventh round of his fight with Irishman Kevin McBride in Washington DC.

[Spicoli]

Crazy to think Williams was still 15 long years from bowing out for good. I'm a bit fuzzy but what was the story behind he and Tyson fighting in Kentucky of all places. You see what's going on today with Mike about to gimmick PPV and there he was with some dime store promotion company and 2,3 fights down on a Showtime card. Weird how somethings always return in this back asswards sport.

[Master]

On this day in 1927 – Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey meet in Chicago rematch

When Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney strode into the ring for an eagerly-anticipated re-match in September 1927, the sporting world held its breath.

Some 40 minutes later, they emerged from a bruising encounter having written themselves into sporting folklore after a contest which ever since has been known as the “Long Count” fight.

An estimated 150,000 packed into Soldier Field in Chicago to witness Dempsey’s attempt to regain the world heavyweight title he had surrendered to Tunney a year earlier in Philadelphia.



The champion was out-boxed on that occasion and is later said to have told his wife, ‘Honey, I forgot to duck”.

At 32, former firefighter Dempsey had learned his trade the hard way, competing in the saloons of mining towns in the West with his brawling style earning him the nickname “the Manassa Mauler”.

By contrast 30-year-old Tunney, a veteran of the Marine Corps who served in the First World War – he was known as “the Fighting Marine” – was a cultured boxer and renowned ring tactician.

For six rounds, the two men probed without real incident before in the seventh, Dempsey backed up a left hook to the jaw with a furry of blows which sent Tunney to the canvas for the first time in his career.

However, rather than heading for a neutral corner, the challenger returned to his own, pursued by referee Dave Barry, who crucially did not start the count until the error had been rectified.

Tunney eventually hauled himself up by the ropes with the count on nine, but around 14 seconds after he had gone down, and he somehow survived the remainder of the round before regrouping for the final three to claim a unanimous points victory.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/day...050000647.html

[Master]

On this day in 1980: Muhammad Ali loses final world heavyweight title fight

Muhammad Ali fought for the world heavyweight title for the last time on October 2 in 1980 and, although it was not the ‘Last Hurrah’ it was deemed, he was unable to enjoy one last glory night against Larry Holmes.

The former undisputed champion was back in the ring for the first time in two years and with the WBC and vacant The Ring heavyweight title on the line.

Ali had bowed out of the sport in 1978 after winning his rematch with Leon Spinks in New Orleans, but wanted to show he could still “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” in his 25th world heavyweight title fight.

It would prove a step too far though, with old sparring partner Holmes able to use all his experience against ‘the Greatest’ to dominate before it was stopped after the 10th.

Angelo Dundee, Ali’s trainer, brought the bout to an end, but faced criticism along with his team for even going ahead with the clash after Mayo Clinic had to exam the then-38-year-old before he was granted a boxing licence.

This would not be the finale for the three-time lineal heavyweight champion after he returned a year later but suffered another defeat, this time to Trevor Berbick in the Bahamas.

It meant Ali finished with a record of 56 victories and five losses and yet his legacy as the greatest of all time could not be diminished.



After he won gold at the 1960 Summer Olympics aged 18, the Kentucky boxer stunned Sonny Liston four years later to clinch his first world heavyweight title before his boxing career was halted after he opposed to fighting in the Vietnam War.

When he resumed his career at the age of 28, Ali became the undisputed world champion twice more and was involved in memorable bouts like the ‘Thriller in Manila’ and the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ to ensure he will go down as arguably the greatest of all time.

Following his eventual retirement in 1981, one of the biggest personalities in sport carried on fighting outside the ring to raise awareness for people’s rights and donated money to various charities.

He died aged 74 on June 2, 2016 from septic shock after a four-decade battle with Parkinson’s.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/day...050000760.html

[Master]

On this day in 1987: Frank Bruno beats Joe Bugner at White Hart Lane

On this day in 1987, Frank Bruno took a significant step on the road towards a showdown with world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson when he beat Joe Bugner at White Hart Lane.

Bruno, the darling of the British boxing public, had seen his dream of lifting the world title put on hold when he was knocked out by WBA champion Tim Witherspoon in the July of the previous year and needed to work his way back into contention for a shot at the fearsome Tyson.

At 37, Hungarian-born Briton Bugner had never been forgiven by his adopted country for ending Henry Cooper’s career in a controversial points victory back in 1971 as a 21-year-old.

Bruno had been due to fight Trevor Berbick in the September, but when his opponent pulled out through injury, Bugner, who had beaten top Americans James Tillis, David Bey and Greg Page in his three previous fights, stepped in for a Battle of Britain clash at White Hart Lane.

Battle lines were drawn – the former British, European and Commonwealth champion, who had fought Muhammad Ali for the world title in June 1975, had been less than complimentary about the 25-year-old fans’ favourite in the run-up to the bout, and although he went into the ring almost two stones heavier, both the bookmakers and the crowd were firmly behind Bruno.

The younger fitter man gradually wore the durable Bugner down with his punishing jab before unleashing a barrage, and referee John Coyle called a halt at the end of the eighth round as the towel came in.

Bruno went on to lose to Tyson in February 1989 after famously rocking the undisputed world champion, but out-pointed Oliver McCall to claim the WBC crown in September 1995.

Bugner, who had initially announced his retirement in 1976, finally hung up his gloves for good in 1999 having lifted the WBF title at the age of 48.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/day...050000304.html

[Master]

On this day in 2009: David beats Goliath as Haye claims heavyweight title

On this day in 2009, David Haye fought his ‘David v Goliath’ battle with Nikolai Valuev to claim the WBA world heavyweight title.

The Briton, a world champion at cruiserweight, stepped up a division to meet his Russian opponent in a bout which captured the imagination simply as a result of the relative statures of the combatants.

At 6’3”, Haye was conceding 11 inches and seven stones to a man whose giant frame had helped him win all but one of his 51 previous fights, 34 of them by knockout.

Such was the disparity between the two men physically, the 29-year-old challenger had cheekily suggested during the build-up that his preparations had included some unusual video research.

Haye said with a twinkle in his eye: “I’ll often watch DVDs of King Kong, Godzilla or Frankenstein, just to keep my mind on the task in hand and remind myself of the magnitude of the challenge.”

The fight took place at the Arena Nurnberger Versicherung in Nuremberg on a night when the imagery was stark.



Valuev’s 7’2”, 22st 8lbs frame dwarfed that of his opponent, but the Englishman’s mobility and game-plan ultimately proved too much for the giant Russian.

Haye landed repeatedly as he flitted in and out of range, scoring well with his left hook to sap the champion’s energy and after enduring a testing seventh round, rocking him in the twelfth to seal a majority points victory despite, as he later revealed, fracturing a knuckle during round two.

Two of the judges scored it 116-112 in Haye’s favour with the third calling it all-square at 114-114.

He would defend his title twice, against John Ruiz and Audley Harrison, before losing it to Wladimir Klitschko back in Germany two years later.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/day...060000904.html