We are going to look at wonderful boxers who once beaten former greats. So, who is better if you are considering meeting in their lead, or because of some controversy?
In October 1951, in Madison Square Garden in New York, Rocky Marciano37-0 (32), stop the former champion Joe ‘The Brown Bomber’ Louis66-2 (52), in the eighth round. It was just the second time Louis had been stopped.
Behind the eighth round, Louis was hit twice. Only with a left hook dropped Marciano Louis for an 8 scores by referee Rudy Goldstein. After that, Marciano Louis sent through the ropes, while referee Goldstein called a downtime without a score.
After that, Marciano began to cry, after stopping his hero, ‘The Brown Bomber’. Would Marciano Louis have beaten when both were in their lead?
Ring Magazine called Jack ‘Galveston Giant’ Johnson, the biggest heavyweight champion.
In April 1915, heavyweight champion Johnson, 53-5-10, was beaten in the 26th round of a scheduled 45 rounds at 6:06 ½, Jess ‘Pottawatomy Giant’ Willard, 22-5-2, in Oriental Park, Havana, Cuba.
Johnson was crossed on the canvas on his back with both arms to keep the sun out of his eyes, making it look like he was taking a dive!
Two battles later Willard lost his title Jack Dempsey51-5, in Toledo, Ohio. Williard was down the first round seven times. Willard was officially discontinued at the end of third place before the towel was thrown in front of the fourth round. Willard hit with ribs and broke the jaw, it was reported.
In October 1980, former champion Muhammad ‘The Greatest’ Ali, 56-4, came out of the pension after a year and he stopped for the only time in his career by Larry ‘The Easton Assassin’ Holmes, 35-0. Ali’s one -time sparring partner had him a beat for the body. Holmes sometimes signaled to stop referee Richard Green.
Ali’s long -time -cut man, dr. Ferdie Pacheco, Ali advised to never fight again, saying that he would never work his corner if he did, after Ali won the title for a third time again and Leon ‘Neon’ Spinks defeated a split decision.
Would Holmes defeat Ali’s prime time before losing his license for three years?
In August 1943, in Madison Square Garden, New York, Sugar ‘Ray Robinson, 44-1, former 3 division champion Henry’ Homicide Hank ‘Armstrong, 132-17-8, defeated 10 rounds.
Robinson is considered the greatest boxer of all time as pound-by-pound, and this writer considers Armstrong as possible the second largest. What would have happened if both were in their lead when they met?
In November of 1982, at Miami’s Orange Bowl, the WBC World Lightweight Champion Aaron ‘Hawk’ Pryor, 31-0, stopped in the fourteenth round in the fourteenth round.
Arguello hurt pryor in the thirteenth round and looked exhausted. He was on two of the three cards. Between rounds, his coach, Panama Lewis, said to his second, “No, I want the black bottle!”
Pryor came out in the fourteenth round and looked like he got his ‘second wind’ after drinking out of the bottle. After a minute, he had Arguello with a flurry of push on his feet, which forced referee Christodoulou to stop. What was in the bottle? It looked like the end of the thirteenth round, Pryor seemed to be ready to be stopped in the next round, but came out of energy. The bottle was never checked by the commission afterwards. What if he didn’t get a drink from the bottle?
Last updated on 04/21/2025
