When Tavoris Cloud risks his IBF light heavyweight belt against onetime WBA titleholder Gabriel Campillo on Saturday in Corpus Christi, Texas, the expectations for two-way action will be sky-high.
That’s because this match pits a volume-punching knockout artist in Cloud (23-0, 19 knockouts) against Campillo (21-3-1, 8 KOs), a slick southpaw capable of firing 100-plus punches per round once he gets his motor going.
The questions surrounding this match are plentiful. Will the dynamic Cloud be encased in ring rust after eight months on the shelf and having just one fight in 14 months? How will the notoriously slow-starting Spaniard deal with Cloud’s opening sprint? Will Campillo’s 10 years in the pro game and 33 years on earth prove too burdensome against the champion’s all-out style? The answers, quite literally, are in the fighters’ hands.
One underlying issue that applies to all title fights is their ultimate place in history. Most bouts are quickly forgotten because they’re non-competitive, repetitively routine or dreadfully dull. Even fights that surpass expectations have a tough time stacking up against the sport’s glorious past. But every so often a championship encounter ignites a spark of history that explodes into an inextinguishable flame. Even when the fight is still in progress — as was the case with Hagler-Hearns, Ali-Frazier I, Zale-Graziano I and II and Corrales-Castillo I — those who watch know they’re witnessing something they’ll remember until their dying day. These are the fights that fans live for and that’s why they keep tuning in.
The light heavyweight division is one of boxing’s star-crossed divisions because it’s stuck between the glamorous and money-laden heavyweight and middleweight classes. But one can’t deny that the 175-pounders have produced more than their share of fantastic fights. The mingling of 160-pound speed and heavyweight clout sometimes delivered extraordinary contests that rivaled — and often exceeded — the best efforts of their more famous brethren. This article honors 10 such fights — and there were plenty from which to choose.
Will Cloud and Campillo produce a spectacle worthy of joining the following list? The odds say no, especially when one considers the heights they must approach. Many of these fights are all-time classics while others are under-the-radar cult favorites. Whichever category they fall under, the common denominator is that they represent everything that makes boxing such a compelling sport.
10. May 21, 2005 — United Center, Chicago — Tomasz Adamek W 12 Paul Briggs I
Setting the Scene: This fight was for the WBC title stripped from Antonio Tarver when he chose to fight Glen Johnson for the unofficial title of “best light heavyweight in the world” instead of facing mandatory challenger Briggs. The Australian-based New Zealander brought a 23-1 (17 KOs) record and a style befitting his “Hurricane” moniker to the fray while the number-three rated Adamek (28-0, 23 KO) was making his first appearance on U.S. soil. Sight unseen, the native of Zywiec, Poland was the overwhelming sentimental and nationalistic favorite for a crowd who was there to see Andrew Golota’s failed challenge to WBO heavyweight titleholder Lamon Brewster, which lasted a division record 52 seconds.
What Happened: The far taller Adamek started the fight popping Briggs from long range while Briggs landed several thumping overhand rights. An accidental butt early in round two opened a cut that bled copiously for the rest of the contest yet Briggs bravely fought through it as if nothing had happened. An electric one-two staggered Adamek in the third and by the fourth Briggs’ jabs swelled Adamek’s right eye and brought blood from his nose — a nose that had been broken two weeks earlier in training.
Adamek surged in the seventh behind quick-fisted combinations that turned Briggs’ face into a gruesome mask. Adamek’s visage didn’t look much better. The fight’s best action occurred in the eighth; two rights to the ear had Adamek stumbling forward into the ropes and another sizzling right rocked the Pole moments later. Adamek pulled himself together quickly and picked away with two- and three-punch bursts but Briggs nearly floored Adamek again with another wicked right with a minute remaining. The grueling war of attrition continued in the ninth but in the 10th Adamek found his salvation behind busy, point-scoring flurries that allowed him to pull away late. In the end, two judges voted for Adamek 117-113 and 115-113 while the other saw it 114-114.
9. October 7, 2006 — Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois — Tomasz Adamek W 12 Paul Briggs II
Setting the Scene: Seventeen-and-a-half months after the original, Adamek and Briggs moved their act 18 miles west to see whether Adamek could repeat his razor-thin triumph or if Briggs could exact revenge. Adamek had only one fight in the interim, a sixth-round knockout over Thomas Ulrich in Germany 12 months earlier while Briggs stopped Etianne Whitaker in five on the Adamek-Ulrich undercard and a fifth-round disqualification over Jose Alberto Clavero in Brisbane four months before the Adamek rematch.
What Happened: This was a fight with many shifts of fortune. Adamek controlled the first 100 seconds with long-armed volleys but all that changed when Briggs’ compact right over Adamek’s jab knocked the champ to the canvas for the first time in his career. Early in round two Adamek re-opened the left eye cut that bedeviled Briggs in fight one and his sharper combinations ruled the roost in the third and through most of the fourth. Briggs summoned a rally late in round four then swung the fight in the fifth through seventh by closing the gap and landing rights that bloodied Adamek’s nose and mouth.
The fight shifted again in the eighth when a swooping right sent Briggs reeling and the ninth produced two major swings. A low blow by Adamek prompted a one-minute time-out and a follow-up right to the ear buckled Briggs’ legs. A second low blow to the hip removed a point from Adamek’s score and Briggs consolidated his sudden advantage with several powerful rights. The action was so intense that HBO’s Larry Merchant quipped “it almost hurts my eyes to watch these guys fight.”
The lead continued to shift in rounds 10 and 11 as Adamek fired combinations in contrast to Briggs’ meatier but less frequent power shots. With the fight still in the balance, both went all out in the 12th. Adamek’s last-ditch burst in the final 30 seconds might have made the difference as he captured his second majority decision victory.
8. September 26, 1972 — Empire Pool, Wembley, London — Bob Foster KO 14 Chris Finnegan
Setting the Scene: The 33-year-old Foster was still in magnificent form entering his 11th defense. Three months earlier he blasted Mike Quarry into unconsciousness with a terrifying left hook and two months before that he left WBA titleholder Vicente Rondon on his face in less than six minutes’ time.
The 28-year-old Finnegan was in the midst of a 10-0-1 streak, picking up the British and Commonwealth titles and then, after vacating them, the European belt. The southpaw had all the vocal support he needed from the Wembley crowd but against the formidable Foster they realized their man was facing an enormously difficult assignment.
What Happened: A respectful Finnegan kept his distance in the first two rounds as Foster targeted the Brit’s vulnerable brows with stiff jabs and rifle-shot rights. Finnegan excited the masses with occasional southpaw lefts but Foster stopped his momentum with single-shot howitzers. A rippling right in the third stopped a Finnegan rally in its tracks and another cross in round four opened a cut under the challenger’s left eye.
Finnegan turned the fight in rounds five through seven by blocking and slipping Foster’s blows to set up lefts to the belly and counters that snapped Foster’s head with surprising frequency. The Wembley crowd roared with every Finnegan success because they knew Foster had seldom been pushed this hard during his four-year reign. The drama continued to build in the ninth as they swapped heavy blows but Foster’s one-punch prowess instantly turned the fight in the 10th. A thunderous right sent Finnegan crashing back-first near his own corner, but instead of conceding Finnegan fought with gallant defiance.
A jauntily confident Foster taunted Finnegan in the 11th by dancing with hands at his side, but he also found time to drive in punishing jabs and crosses. A more serious Foster sought the decisive KO in the 13th, but Finnegan summoned a desperate burst that forced an instant retreat. A stinging Foster right in the 14th ignited another Finnegan surge, but all that ended with one pile-driving right to the chin that ended Finnegan’s fearless challenge. This classic encounter was named THE RING magazine’s 1972 Fight of the Year, one of only four light heavyweight fights to earn such a distinction.
7. September 11, 1991 — Odeon Cinema, London — Jeff Harding W 12 Dennis Andries III
Setting the Scene: One of boxing’s most underrated trilogies culminated with an encounter that befitted each fighter’s “hard man” reputation. Both had scored come-from-behind title-winning knockouts away from home; Harding — just 97 seconds away from defeat — snatched fight one from an exhausted Andries in Atlantic City while “The Hackney Rock” regained the belt with a sensational seventh-round TKO in Melbourne.
What Happened: Andries captured the first two rounds with hard, clubbing blows from all angles as Harding uncharacteristically applied side-to-side motion. Harding’s iron chin absorbed the blows with aplomb and gave him enough time to shift strategic gears. In round three, the larger Harding started bulling Andries toward the ropes and belaboring him with crisp shots at close range. That strategy also paid dividends in rounds five through seven but this time Harding mixed in plenty of neck-wrenching uppercuts and spirit-sapping relentlessness.
Andries found his second wind in the eighth and ninth, lifting the fight into a sensational symphony of slugging. The effort, however, took its toll because Harding never stopped throwing and the effects began to show on the 37-year-old Andries late in the 10th. Though Andries, who some say was actually 40, did his best to fight through exhaustion Harding was still astonishingly fresh — and unfettered by cuts. The decision was razor-thin — 115-113, 115-114 and 114-114 — but Harding ended the series with yet another on-the-road title change.
6. May 15, 1976 — Rand Stadium, Johannesburg — Victor Galindez KO 15 Richie Kates I
Setting the Scene: The ferocious “Leopardo de Moron” was making the fifth defense of his WBA belt and was already putting together an admirable reign. After stopping Len Hutchins to win the belt stripped from John Conteh, Galindez twice turned back perennial contender Pierre Fourie by decision as well as Jorge Ahumada (W 15) and the unbeaten Norwegian Harald Skog (KO 3). The 32-1 Kates had also beaten Fourie (W 10) to earn his first title opportunity and his victims included Hutchins (W 8), Roger Rouse (KO 5), Don Fullmer (W 10) and veteran Jimmy Dupree (KO 1).
What Happened: Kates controlled the first two rounds with spearing jabs and well delivered rights while Galindez unsuccessfully tried to rough him up. The fight’s signature moment happened one minute into the third when a massive accidental butt opened a gaping wound over Galindez’s right eye. An enraged Galindez clutched at his eye and an army of photographers, thinking the fight was over, rushed toward the champion’s corner. Referee Stanley Christodoulou cleared the ring and, for the first time, applied the WBA’s newly adopted “no foul” rule, meaning an injured fighter received a five-minute time-out to recover. After that, the fight either continued or became a no-contest.
The lengthy rest — and the situation’s urgency — energized Galindez while Kates was thrown off his game. Galindez dealt with the cut by flicking his head, brushing blood away and even wiping his face on Christodoulou’s shirt. A searing right uppercut floored Kates in the seventh and in the 10th and 11th the champion pinned Kates to the ropes and dished out merciless punishment. Kates somehow soaked it all up and even managed a brief rally. In the fight’s waning moments, Galindez’s triple hook put Kates down and out. The time: 2:59 of round 15.
5. September 20, 1986 — Market Square Arena, Indianapolis — Marvin Johnson KO 13 Jean-Marie Emebe
Setting the Scene: Seven months earlier the 32-year-old Johnson — now nicknamed “Pops” for his elder statesman standing — became the first man to win a 175-pound belt three times by stopping Leslie Stewart on cuts. But Johnson had one more goal in mind: Making a successful title defense. That’s because the no-nonsense Johnson chose to fight Matthew Franklin and Eddie Gregory after dethroning Mate Parlov and Victor Galindez respectively instead of the usual mandatory stiffs. Johnson-Emebe was originally scheduled to take place three months earlier in Bermuda but was postponed and moved to Johnson’s home arena.
Emebe, a Cameroon native, was rated second by the WBA and first by the WBC and he got there largely on the strength of a 10-round nod over perennial contender Johnny Davis. The tightly-muscled West African carried a dangerous punch and a reservoir of willpower that could exploit Johnson’s late fades.
What Happened: Johnson came out with his patented rush but he quickly discovered that the taller Emebe had the upper body strength and cardiovascular conditioning to hang with Johnson in the trenches. Worse yet for Johnson, Emebe’s sledgehammer punches — especially to the body — moved him more than his moved Emebe. Also, the challenger mixed in shoulders, elbows, low blows and hold-and-hit tactics to further tire Johnson. After six rounds Emebe was on top and appeared poised to wear “Pops” out in the later rounds.
The first fortunate turn for Johnson happened midway through the eighth when an accidental butt cut Emebe’s left eye. While the crimson bothered Emebe, it inspired Johnson. Going against his history, Johnson found a second wind and it eventually left Emebe choking in his dust. Though Emebe continued to throw thunderous shots, the tenacious Johnson fought like a demon that refused to be stopped. Johnson’s furious volleys sliced Emebe’s other eye in the 10th and soon the champ landed lefts with impunity. While the challenger looked able to last the distance, referee Luis Pabon determined the blood from Emebe’s eyes presented too big of a danger. At 1:41 of round 13, Pabon stepped in and raised Johnson’s arm, ending a most extraordinary war.
4. April 22, 1979 — Market Square Arena, Indianapolis — Matthew Franklin KO 8 Marvin Johnson II
Setting the Scene: Franklin-Johnson I saw both men relentlessly hammer away for 11-plus rounds before “Miracle Matthew” finally prevailed in the 12th and final round. Since then Franklin had added six wins over the likes of Billy Douglas (father of Buster), Richie Kates, Dale Grant and Yaqui Lopez. Johnson had gone 7-1, losing to Lotte Mwale but beating Douglas, Eddie Davis and Jerry Celestine to earn a crack at WBC titlist Mate Parlov. After Johnson stopped Parlov in 10, he decided to grant Franklin the first crack, not only because Franklin was a credible opponent worthy of ABC’s coverage but also for the chance to avenge his first pro loss.
What Happened: Johnson instantly took the fight to the slow-starting Franklin to win round one and a bone-rattling left shook the challenger early in the second. Franklin came alive in the round’s final minute with a succession of rights that wobbled Johnson and from that point forward they fired their best artillery at each other. Johnson enjoyed a decisive fourth and got the better of the chest-to-chest action in round five, particularly with his bone-rattling left uppercuts. By the sixth Johnson’s right eye sported an abrasion while Franklin’s right eye was puffy.
Johnson bloodied Franklin’s nose in the seventh with his oft-maligned right jabs but in the final nine seconds of the session Franklin connected with a lead right to the jaw that stiffened Johnson’s body and had him teetering toward oblivion. Somehow, Johnson recovered by the start of round eight, destined to be THE RING’s Round of the Year for 1979.
Johnson’s slashing punches ripped open Franklin’s scar tissue and within seconds the challenger’s face was awash in blood. Just like Sugar Ray Robinson had in his rematch with Randy Turpin, Franklin channeled his urgency into a rally for the ages. A rapid-fire fusillade of power shots capped by a left uppercut left Johnson on his face in his own corner. Johnson struggled to his feet but his dazed expression told referee George DeFabis all he needed to know. With a wave of his arms the title had changed hands and it signaled the start of a most drama-filled reign.
3. March 20, 1992 — Caesars Palace, Las Vegas — Iran Barkley W 12 Thomas Hearns II
Setting the Scene: In June of 1988 Hearns was on top of the world. Eight months earlier he stopped Juan Domingo Roldan to become the first man to win titles in four weight classes and he entered his first defense against Iran Barkley as a heavy favorite. Hearns dominated the first two rounds and sliced Barkley’s brittle brows to ribbons only for Barkley to launch a Hail Mary in round three to score THE RING’s Upset of the Year.
Since then Hearns had gone 5-0-1, the lone blemish a draw against Sugar Ray Leonard that everyone, including Leonard, said Hearns deserved to win. Hearns again was coming in on a high, for nine months earlier he toppled previously unbeaten Virgil Hill to claim the WBA light heavyweight title while Barkley endured a three-fight losing streak (to Roberto Duran, Michael Nunn and Nigel Benn) followed by three straight victories (against Juan Hernandez, Jesus Castaneda and Darrin Van Horn). The Van Horn victory earned Barkley his second title (the IBF super middleweight) as well as the cache to challenge Hearns for a third.
What Happened: Every second of every round was intensity personified. Most of the fight was contested at point blank range with Barkley pinning Hearns to the ropes and both men blasting away with their Saturday best. In the early rounds Hearns occasionally broke away long enough to drive in piston-like jabs and ferocious hooks to the body but Barkley never stopped driving forward and over time he forced Hearns to fight his fight.
A major turning point occurred in the fourth when Barkley, moments after tasting a pair of hooks, delivered a short counter hook that dropped Hearns like a shot. “The Hit Man” — bigger, stronger and hungrier for victory than was the case four years ago — pulled himself up and fired back in kind, opening a cut over Barkley’s left eye along the way. The rest of the fight was waged on Barkley’s terms and the results were breathtaking, at least from a spectator’s standpoint. The punishing action left Hearns with a broken nose, swollen lips and sore ribs while Barkley suffered a broken left hand, a hematoma over the left eye and a cut on the top of his head.
Whatever animosity Barkley and Hearns brought into the ring was exorcised by fight’s end as they hugged, smiled and congratulated each other. The judges were split, as Lou Tabat scored 114-113 for Hearns while Chuck Giampa (115-113) and Jerry Roth (114-113) gave Barkley the fight and the WBA belt.
2. July 13, 1980 — Great Gorge Playboy Club, McAfee, N.J. — Matthew Saad Muhammad KO 14 Yaqui Lopez II
Setting the Scene: Twenty-one months earlier Saad Muhammad — then known as Matthew Franklin — stopped Lopez in 11 extraordinary rounds at the Spectrum in Philadelphia to retain his North American title. Since then the champion won the belt from Marvin Johnson, changed his name and notched three defenses against John Conteh (twice) and Louis Pergaud while Lopez went 6-1 (5 KOs), the only loss coming to James Scott via decision at Rahway State Prison. Based on that lone result some believed the 29-year-old Lopez was a fading force, but the fighter fervently believed he’d finally cash in on title shot number four.
What Happened: Lopez was determined to carry out a more disciplined fight plan. In the first fight Lopez emptied his gas tank on a furious eighth round assault only to fall victim to Franklin’s trademark resilience. Lopez started strongly by working the jab and countering Saad’s power shots well. The jabs opened a cut on the corner of Saad’s right eye late in the second and an emboldened Lopez moved inside and pounded the champ’s ribs in the third. Each time Saad tried to initiate a war Lopez got in his shots, then smartly moved away.
Lopez appeared well ahead entering the eighth when history suddenly repeated itself. Ring’s Round of the Year saw Saad effectively pressuring Lopez for the first time in the fight and slicing the bridge of the challenger’s nose. Lopez then fought his way off the ropes and hurt Saad with what would become a blistering 47-punch assault that had the champ on the edge of being dethroned. But just like the first fight Lopez became arm-weary with a full minute to go and Saad blasted the challenger with powerful overhand rights and uppercuts to conclude the round.
Saad continued his stirring comeback in the ninth through 12th, cutting deeply into Lopez’s early lead and worsening Lopez’s nose cut. Lopez summoned a final surge in the 13th but Saad snuffed it out with four resounding knockdowns in the 14th that broke Lopez’s nose as well as his championship dreams. It was no surprise that THE RING named Saad-Lopez II its Fight of the Year for 1980, which beat out Duran-Leonard I among other worthy candidates.
1. December 10, 1958 — Forum, Montreal, Canada — Archie Moore KO 11 Yvon Durelle I
Setting the Stage: Though nearly 13 years younger, the 29-year-old “Fighting Fisherman” from New Brunswick appeared to pose little threat. He sported a respectable 78-19-2 record and captured the Commonwealth belt from Mike Holt five months earlier, but his ledger couldn’t compare to that of the legendary “Mongoose.” With more than 200 fights and 173 wins under his belt, Moore was seven days away from finishing his sixth year as world champion and three days from turning 42. Moore’s seventh defense was expected to be fairly routine, but, as Moore knew well, Father Time was always lurking around the corner.
What Happened: Fifty-seven seconds after the opening bell Durelle shocked the boxing world by landing a thunderbolt right that sent Moore crashing hard for a four count. With the hometown crowd in a full-throated frenzy, Durelle stormed after Moore with all guns blazing. Moore fell a second time, more from Durelle’s pressure than a single punch. Just seconds after rising at two he was blasted to the floor a third time from yet another right. The 22-year veteran called upon every resource to survive the final 60 seconds and return to his corner. As the referee — former heavyweight champion Jack Sharkey — walked toward his corner, Moore smiled and winked to convince him he was fit to continue.
Moore proved his resilience in rounds two through four by calmly dissecting Durelle with educated jabs and deceivingly quick crosses. Just when it appeared Moore had put the chaos behind him it returned in the fifth when another powerhouse right scored Durelle’s fourth knockdown. Again, Moore was forced to survive and again, he did it brilliantly, though he did so on tottering legs.
Moore’s skills laid the groundwork for a historic comeback that allowed him to repay Durelle in equal measure. Three solid rights scored the first knockdown in round seven while a beautifully delivered four-punch volley produced the second late in the 10th. Saved by the bell, Durelle had no more to give. Two more knockdowns followed in the 11th, the final of which came from a ferocious hook-right to the jaw.
Those final two punches allowed Moore to register his 127th knockout, supplanting Young Stribling as boxing’s knockout king. The stylish Moore couldn’t have asked for a more fitting scenario to illustrate his own greatness — as well as that of the light heavyweight division.
