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Philippines, 26 Apr 2024 |
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SPORTS SHORTS 111: FIVE BOXING EXHIBITIONS INVOLVING RETIRED WORLD CHAMPIONS By Maloney L. Samaco PhilBoxing.com Fri, 23 Apr 2021  The Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. was an eight-round exhibition boxing match at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on November 28, 2020, under the California State Athletic Commission. * * * The fight was very successful on pay-per-view selling over 1.6 million to become the biggest boxing PPV event of 2020 earning over $80 million in sales. * * * Then more exhibition bouts will follow involving retired former world champions who itched to wear their gloves and climb the ring again in pursuit of the fame and glory they missed for so many years. * * * First, Mike Tyson, age 54, vs. Evander Holyfield, age 58. They have a combined age of 112 years. But these two old heavyweight arch foes will stir up the best attraction if they finally collide again in a trilogy fight. * * * The Holyfield-Tyson rematch was billed "The Sound and the Fury" but after the fight it was infamously called as the "Bite Fight", taking place on June 28, 1997, for the WBA world heavyweight championship. * * * It achieved infamy as one of the most ludicrous fights in boxing history, after Tyson bit a portion of Holyfield's ear. Tyson was disqualified from the match and his boxing license was revoked but it was reinstated later. * * * Tyson lost to Holyfield twice in 1996 and 1997, and the puff of a third fight will be Tyson trying to resolve the outcome. Tyson came out of 15 years of retirement with the sellable exhibition bout against Jones Jr. in November. Then Tyson-Holyfield III will also be marketable. * * * Second, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., age 58, vs. Hector Camacho Jr., age 42. Chavez Sr. will fight Camacho Jr., in an exhibition bout to honor the late Hector "Macho" Camacho. Camacho Jr. will come to blows with a foe 16 years older than him, who once beat his father. * * * Mexico’s Chavez Sr. and Puerto Rico’s Camacho Sr. clashed at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on September 12, 1992. Chavez pummeled his opponent heavily from the opening bell but the legendary rivalry among Mexicans and Puerto Ricans gave a remarkable climate inside the venue. * * * Chavez Sr. successfully defended his WBC world junior welterweight title for the ninth time on a 12-round unanimous decision. The official scores were 120-107, 119-110 and 117-111. * * * Camacho Sr., age 50, on November 20, 2012, was shot once in the jaw while sitting in a car, by unknown individuals from a passing SUV. The driver of the car, Adrian Moreno, was also killed in the attack. Camacho was taken to San Pablo Hospital in Bayamón, Puerto Rico where he died after three days. * * * Camacho Jr. has not achieved the performance similar to that of Chavez who was a multiple-time world champion in three weight divisions, and was The Ring world's best boxer pound for pound, considered a legend in Mexico. * * * Third, Marco Antonio Barrera, age 47 years vs. Erik Morales, age 44 years for the fourth time. It was set on July 16, this fight might appeal to some boxing fans keen on sentimentality since these two Mexican fighters fought three memorable fights from 2000-2004. * * * The first bout took place on February 19, 2000, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, in Las Vegas and Morales was the winner by split decision of 115-112, 114-113 and 113-114 and captured the WBO super bantamweight title. * * * Several pundits believed that Barrera deserved the victory. The bout was named as Ring Magazine's Fight of the Year for 2000, before being named as the best fight of all time in the same year. * * * The second bout took place on June 22, 2002, in MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas. After the impact their first fight had on many of those that saw it, their second fight was made a Pay Per View event. * * * This is often described as the most tactical fight of the trilogy. Morales dropped Barrera to the canvas in the 7th with a body blow but was ruled a trip by referee Jay Nady. Barrera was declared the winner by unanimous decision, with scores of 116-112 and 115-113 twice and captured the WBC featherweight title. * * * The third and final bout of the trilogy was fought on November 27, 2004 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Barrera was declared the winner and new WBC super featherweight champion by majority decision, with scores of 115-113, 115-114, and 114-114. This bout was named Ring Magazine's Fight of the Year for 2004. * * * But the fourth encounter may not have the same intensity and they won't be fighting with the same speed and power than the time they last clashed. Barrera has not fought for 10 years. Morales has been inactive for nine years. * * * Fourth, Miguel Cotto, age 40 years vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, age 47 years. Cotto has retired three years ago, and Marquez, who is seven years older and has not fought for seven years. Their exhibition fight is scheduled on June 12 in Miami, Florida. * * * Cotto is a multiple-time world champion, and the first Puerto Rican boxer to win world titles at junior welterweight, welterweight, junior middleweight and middleweight. He last fought on December 2, 2017, and lost a unanimous decision to Sadam Ali. * * * Marquez has not fought since May 2014, when he got off from a knockdown to beat Mike Alvarado. Marquez has won titles at featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight. Marquez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2019. * * * Fifth, six-division champion and legendary Oscar De La Hoya has a preferred date for his planned ring comeback. At a news conference he stated that he would make his return fight on July 3. Now 48-years-old, he has no opponent yet. The last time he saw action was in 2008 in his eighth-round knockout loss to Manny Pacquiao. * * * Pascal Siakam scored 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Brooklyn Nets 114-103 for their fourth straight win. The Raptors have won 11 straight home games over the Nets. * * * Kyrie Irving had 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Nets. The Nets played without Kevin Durant with thigh injury and James Harden with hamstring injury. * * * Brahim Asloum of France won the 2000 Olympic gold medal at light-flyweight division. As a professional he became WBA light-flyweight world champion in 2007-2009. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.  |
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