Boxing in the 1980s was filled with important fights, events and personalities that shaped the sport.[1] Boxing in the 1980s was shaped by many different situations, such as the continuous corporate battles between the different world sanctioning organizations, the void left by
Muhammad Ali as the sport's ambassador and consequent search for a new boxing hero, the continuous presence of
Don King as the sport's most famous promoter, the surge of rival promoters as
Bob Arum,
Butch Lewis and
Murad Muhammad, and major rule changes. In 1986,
Mike Tyson emerged as a fresh new face in the heavyweight division, which had seen a decline in champion quality level (particularly in the
WBA side) after Ali's retirement and, later on, after longtime
WBC ruler
Larry Holmes' prime. In addition, the
IBF and
WBO began operating.
Another important aspect of boxing in the 1980s was the rivalry between five world champions:
Wilfred Benítez,
Roberto Durán,
Marvin Hagler,
Thomas Hearns and
Sugar Ray Leonard.[citation needed] Of all the possible match-ups between these five, Benitez-Hagler was the only one that never happened. The circle of fights between these five gladiators actually began on November 30, 1979, when Leonard beat Benitez by
knockout in round fifteen to win the WBC world Welterweight title, on the same night Hagler drew (tied) with
Vito Antuofermo in his first bid to become the world's middleweight champion.
March 29 - In a rematch from 7 months earlier,
Matthew Saad Muhammad knocks out
John Conteh in Round 4 to retain his WBC Light Heavyweight Championship at Atlantic City, New Jersey.
June 20 –
Roberto Durán conquers the WBC world Welterweight title defeating
Sugar Ray Leonard by unanimous decision over fifteen rounds in
Montreal, Canada.
July 6 - In
Bloomington,
Minnesota Larry Holmes knocked down
Scott LeDoux in the sixth round and then stopped the partially blinded challenger in the seventh round to retain his WBC world Heavyweight crown.
July 13 -
Matthew Saad Muhammad, surviving an incredible beating in the 8th round, comes back to floor
Yaqui Lopez four times, stopping him in 14 rounds in Mcafee
New Jersey to retain his
WBC Light Heavyweight Title.
August 2 –
Thomas Hearns becomes
WBA world Welterweight champion, knocking out
Pipino Cuevas in two rounds in Detroit. In that same undercard,
Samuel Serrano loses his WBA world Jr. Lightweight crown to
Yasutsune Uehara, by knockout in round six.
September 27 –
Marvin Hagler becomes world Middleweight champion, scoring a technical knockout over
Alan Minter on cuts in three rounds in London. The boxers then have to be protected by police from rioting Minter fans.[2]
October 2 –
Larry Holmes retains his WBC world Heavyweight crown with an eleventh-round technical knockout over
Muhammad Ali after beating Ali merciless in nearly every round. This
fight is seen by many as one of the most despicable events in the history of the sport. Ali had been in a hospital for treatment for a good portion of the months before the fight, and it has been alleged that
Don King made him fight for Ali to pay King the hospital bills King had gotten from Ali's stay at the hospital.
November 25 – The
No Más Fight, Sugar Ray Leonard regains his WBC world Welterweight title with an eighth-round knockout of Roberto Durán, who quit inexplicably, leading to many rumors.
May 23 –
Wilfred Benítez becomes the first
Hispanic and
Puerto Rican to be a three time world champion, as well as the fifth boxer to do it and the first one to do it since
Henry Armstrong four decades before, when he defeats
Maurice Hope by knockout in round twelve to win the
WBC's world Jr. Middleweight title in
Las Vegas
June 20 –
Alexis Argüello becomes the sixth three time world champion in boxing history when he defeats
Jim Watt by decision in fifteen rounds to win the WBC world Lightweight title in London.
September 16 – A much anticipated bout takes place, and Sugar Ray Leonard unifies his WBC world Welterweight title with the WBA one by knocking out the WBA's champion
Thomas Hearns in round fourteen at Las Vegas.
January 24 –
Eusebio Pedroza retains his
WBA world Featherweight title with a fifteen-round unanimous decision over
Juan Laporte in
Atlantic City. The fight proves controversial: many observers thought they had seen Pedroza commit a large amount of infractions which, in their opinion, could have led to points deductions or disqualification.
June 11 – After one of the most racially charged fight promotions in history,
Larry Holmes retains his WBC world Heavyweight title with a thirteen-round knockout over the fighter dubbed as the White Hope,
Gerry Cooney, in Las Vegas (see:
Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney).
July 21 –
Salvador Sánchez retains his WBC world Featherweight title with a fifteenth-round knockout over
Azumah Nelson in New York City. It would be Sánchez's last fight.
August 12 – Salvador Sánchez killed in a car accident in
Mexico City, Mexico.
September 21 – The
National Football League Players Association launches a
strike against the NFL, wiping out seven games.
CBS adds additional boxing telecasts during the strike.
November 12 – The Battle of The Champions,
Aaron Pryor retains his WBA world Jr. Welterweight title with a fourteen-round knockout of
Alexis Argüello, who was attempting to become boxing's first four division world champion, in Miami.
November 13 – Tragedy in the ring:
Ray Mancini retains his WBA world Lightweight title by knockout in round fourteen in Las Vegas over
Duk Koo Kim, who passes away five days later, leading to the instituting of twelve rounds at the most as the mandatory fight distance and mandatory eight counts quickly. It was also the last fight to air as part of strike replacement programming on
CBS because of the NFL strike, which ended three days later.
November 26 – Larry Holmes retains his WBC world Heavyweight title with a fifteen-round unanimous decision over
Randall "Tex" Cobb, fight after which
Howard Cosell quits as a boxing commentator, disgusted by what he described as mismatches.
December 3 – the
Carnival of Champions:
Wilfredo Gómez retains his WBC world Super Bantamweight championship with a fourteen-round knockout over
Lupe Pintor and
Thomas Hearns becomes the WBC's world Jr. Middleweight champion with a fifteen-round majority decision over Wilfred Benítez.
1983
January 31 – In the first world title fight scheduled for twelve rounds instead of fifteen in various decades,
Rafael Orono retains his
WBC world Jr. Bantamweight championship with a four-round knockout over
Pedro Romero in
Caracas, Venezuela.
March – the
IBF surges, becoming boxing's third world sanctioning body.
March 18 –
Michael Spinks unifies his
WBA world Light Heavyweight title with the WBC one, defeating the WBC's world champion,
Dwight Muhammad Qawi, by a unanimous decision in fifteen rounds at
Atlantic City.
June 16 – On his 32nd birthday,
Roberto Durán becomes the seventh fighter in history to be a three division world champion, knocking out WBA Jr. Middleweight champion
Davey Moore in eight rounds at New York City.
August 7 –
Héctor Camacho wins his first of several world titles, knocking out
Rafael Limón in five rounds to win the vacant WBC Jr. Lightweight title in San Juan.
September 1 – Tragedy strikes again:
Alberto Davila wins the vacant WBC world Bantamweight championship with a twelve-round knockout over Kiko Bejines, who dies three days later.
September 9 –
Aaron Pryor retains his WBA world Jr. Welterweight title with a tenth-round knockout over Alexis Argüello, who once again was attempting to become the first man to win world titles in four different divisions, in
Las Vegas. Both men announce their retirements after their rematch.
September 23 –
Gerrie Coetzee of South Africa becomes the first African world Heavyweight champion in history, and the first White man to win the world Heavyweight title in twenty four years, when he defeats
Michael Dokes for the WBA championship with a ten-round knockout in
Akron.
November 10 –
Marvin Hagler retains his world Middleweight title with a fifteen-round unanimous decision over Roberto Durán in Las Vegas. Duran was also attempting to become the first four division world champion in history.
November 25 - Michael Spinks knocks out
Oscar Rivadeneyra at 1:42 of the tenth round to retain his WBC and WBA Light Heavyweight titles at Vancouver, Canada.
December 11 –
Larry Holmes vacates the WBC World Heavyweight championship and becomes the first Heavyweight champion recognized by the fledgling
International Boxing Federation.
December 13 – The IBF's first world title fight, as
Marvin Camel becomes world Cruiserweight champion for the second time, knocking out
Roddy McDonald in five rounds for the IBF's vacant title, in
Halifax,
Nova Scotia Canada.
June 15 –
Thomas Hearns retains his WBC world Jr. Middleweight title with a second-round knockout over
Roberto Durán, who had been forced by the
WBA to leave his WBA championship vacant before the fight, in Las Vegas.
September 13 –
Julio César Chávez knocks out
Mario Martinez in round eight at Los Angeles, to win the vacant WBC world Jr. Lightweight title, his first of multiple titles.
November 3 – In a rematch of their 1983 bout,
José Luis Ramírez avenges his defeat against
Edwin Rosario, knocking him out in four rounds to win the WBC world Lightweight title in San Juan.
December 8 –
Azumah Nelson wins his first of multiple titles, knocking out Wilfredo Gómez in eleven rounds at San Juan, to win the WBC world Featherweight title.
1985
March 6 – Future Heavyweight champion
Mike Tyson turns pro at 18 years of age. He knocked out Puerto Rican Hector Mercedez in the first round to win his first professional fight.
April 15 –
The War,
Marvin Hagler retains his undisputed world Middleweight championship with a three-round knockout over
Thomas Hearns in
Las Vegas. Round one of their fight is considered the greatest round in history by many.
April 26 – Six months after becoming a professional fighter,
Jeff Fenech wins his first of three world titles, knocking out
IBF world Bantamweight champion
Satoshi Shingaki in the ninth round at
Moore Park, Australia.
May 19 –
Wilfredo Gómez becomes the eighth boxer to win world championships in three divisions, defeating
Rocky Lockridge by a fifteen-round majority decision to win the
WBA world Jr. Lightweight title in
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
June 8 –
Barry McGuigan defeats
Eusebio Pedroza by a fifteen-round unanimous decision in London to win the WBA's world Featherweight title.
June 15 -
Pinklon Thomas tko
Mike Weaver in the eighth round to retain the WBC Heavyweight Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada.
September 21 –
Michael Spinks makes history by becoming the first boxer to go from world Light-Heavyweight champion to world Heavyweight champion, defeating IBF ruler
Larry Holmes by a fifteen-round unanimous decision in Las Vegas.
Julio César Chávez dedicates his successful defense of his WBC world Jr. Lightweight title over
Dwight Pratchett in the same boxing card, to the victims of the
Mexico City earthquake of September 19.
November 13 - In his first bout since his trainer
Cus D'Amato died, Mike Tyson knocks out Eddie Richardson at 1:17 of the very first round to remain unbeaten at 12-0.
December 6 –
Donald Curry unifies his WBA world Welterweight title with the WBC championship, with a two-round knockout win over WBC world champ
Milton McCrory in Las Vegas.
March 10 –
Marvin Hagler retains his undisputed world Middleweight title with an eleventh-round knockout of
John Mugabi,
Thomas Hearns wins the
NABF Middleweight title with a first-round knockout of
James Shuler, and
Gaby Canizales wins the WBA world Bantamweight title with a seventh-round knockout of
Richie Sandoval, who was critically injured and almost died in the days after the fight. The three fights took place in
Las Vegas.
March 22 – James Shuler dies only twelve days after fighting Thomas Hearns, in a motorcycle accident, in
Pennsylvania.
March 22 – In the continuation of Don King's Heavyweight tournament,
Trevor Berbick wins the
WBC world title with a twelve-round decision over
Pinklon Thomas at Las Vegas. In the same boxing card,
Carlos De León becomes the first man to be three times Cruiserweight world champion, defeating the WBC world champion
Bernard Benton by decision.
April 19 –
Michael Spinks retains his
IBF world Heavyweight title by a fifteen-round split decision over
Larry Holmes in their Las Vegas rematch, to continue Don King's Heavyweight tournament.
June 23 – The Triple Header: Thomas Hearns retains his WBC world Jr. Middleweight title with an eighth-round knockout win against former world champion
Mark Medal,
Roberto Durán loses a ten-round decision to Marvin Hagler's half brother
Robbie Sims, and
Barry McGuigan loses his WBA world Featherweight title on a fifteen-round unanimous decision to
Stevie Cruz.
July 12 –
Evander Holyfield wins his first world title, the WBA's Cruiserweight championship, with a fifteen-round decision over
Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
July 19 – The fourth installment of Don King's Heavyweight tournament as Tim Witherspoon retains his WBA world title with an eleventh-round knockout of
Frank Bruno in London.
September 6 – Don King's Heavyweight tournament continues as Michael Spinks defeats
Steffen Tangstad by a knockout in round four to retain his IBF belt, in Las Vegas.
November 22 – In the words of
HBO Boxing commentator,
Barry Tompkins, And we have a new era in Boxing, when
Mike Tyson becomes the youngest world Heavyweight champion in history, beating Trevor Berbick by knockout in round two to take the WBC world championship as Don King's Heavyweight tournament continues in Las Vegas.
December 12 – In the next chapter of Don King's Heavyweight tournament,
James Smith becomes WBA world Heavyweight champion, defeating Tim Witherspoon by knockout in round one, in New York City.
1987
March 7 –
Mike Tyson unifies the
WBC and
WBA world Heavyweight titles with a twelve-round unanimous decision win over
James Smith, in
Las Vegas.
March 9 –
Thomas Hearns becomes the ninth boxer in history to win world titles in three divisions, and the first American to do so since
Henry Armstrong, knocking out WBC world Light-Heavyweight champion
Dennis Andries, born in
Guyana but a British resident, in round ten in Detroit. After a 10-year absence
George Foreman returns as he beat Steve Zouski by TKO in Round 4 in
Sacramento.
April 6 – In what is considered by many to be the greatest comeback in boxing history,
Sugar Ray Leonard comes back after three and a half years without fighting to outpoint
Marvin Hagler and win the undisputed world Middleweight championship in Las Vegas. Leonard becomes the tenth boxer in history to be world champion in three different divisions.
May 30 –
Don King's Heavyweight tournament continues as
Tony Tucker defeats
Buster Douglas to win the
IBF's world Heavyweight title that had been vacated by
Michael Spinks, and
Mike Tyson retains his WBC and WBA titles with a sixth-round knockout over former world champion
Pinklon Thomas in Las Vegas.
August 1 – The final of Don King's Heavyweight tournament: Mike Tyson defeats Tony Tucker by a twelve-round unanimous decision to become undisputed world Heavyweight champion.
October 16- Mike Tyson retains the undisputed heavyweight championship against Tyrell Biggs by seventh-round knockout in Atlantic City.
October 28 –
Jorge Vaca dethrones
WBC world Welterweight champion
Lloyd Honeyghan with a controversial eighth round technical decision in London. The controversy was that a point deducted to Honeyghan by the referee that night proved to be the margin of difference.
October 29 – Thomas Hearns makes history, becoming the first boxer in history to win world titles at four different divisions, knocking out
Juan Roldán in four rounds for the
WBC's vacant world Middleweight title in Las Vegas.
1988
January 22 –
Mike Tyson retains his undisputed world Heavyweight championship with a fourth-round knockout win against former world champion
Larry Holmes in
Atlantic City.
March 4 - At Las Vegas, Nevada
Michael Moorer began his professional boxing career with a first-round knockout of Adrian Riggs at 2:26 of that round.
March 7 –
Jeff Fenech becomes the eleventh boxer to win world titles in three different divisions, knocking out former world champion
Victor Callejas in ten rounds at Sydney, for the vacant
WBC world Featherweight title.
March 21 -
Mike Tyson traveled to
Japan as he beat
Tony Tubbs by TKO in Round 2 to retain his undisputed world Heavyweight title.
March 29 –
Lloyd Honeyghan recovers the WBC world Welterweight championship with a third-round knockout of
Jorge Vaca in their rematch at London.
June 6 –
Iran Barkley conquers the WBC world Middleweight title with a third-round knockout of
Thomas Hearns, who had cut Barkley seriously in round two, in Las Vegas.
July 29 – In an extremely controversial bout,
Colombia's
Tomas Molinares becomes WBA world Welterweight champion by knocking out
Marlon Starling in six rounds in Atlantic City. Starling's camp protested that the knockout punch had landed after the bell to end the round, therefore, it should not have counted. After further review, the WBA agreed with Starling's camp, but decided not to withdraw recognition from Molinares as world champion.
August 4 – The last fifteen rounds bout, as
Jorge Páez defeats
Calvin Grove by a majority decision to become the
IBF's world Featherweight champion, in Mexicali, Mexico.
October 29 –
Julio César Chávez unifies his WBA world Lightweight title with the WBC one, beating his friend and neighbor,
José Luis Ramírez, by a technical decision in round eleven in Las Vegas.
November 7 – The first fight in many decades involving titles in two different categories and the WBC world Super Middleweight championship sees
Sugar Ray Leonard become boxing's second four division world champion and five division world champion when he knocks out WBC world Light Heavyweight champion
Donnie Lalonde in the ninth round, also winning the WBC's vacant Super Middleweight championship, at Las Vegas.
1989
February 11 -
Rene Jacquot beat
Donald Curry in a twelve-round unanimous decision to win the WBC Light Middleweight Championship in Grenoble, Isere
France
February 24 –
Roberto Durán makes history by becoming the third fighter to win world titles in four different divisions, the first Hispanic to do so and also the fighter with the longest period between his first and latest world championships (17 years) when he defeats
Iran Barkley by a split decision to become the
WBC's world Middleweight champion, in
Atlantic City.
February 25 –
Mike Tyson retains his undisputed world Heavyweight championship, with a fifth-round knockout over future world champion
Frank Bruno in
Las Vegas.
March 6 – The
WBO's first major world championship bout, as
Héctor Camacho defeats
Ray Mancini by unanimous twelve-round decision, to win the WBO's vacant world Jr. Welterweight title and become boxing's twelfth world champion in three different divisions, at Las Vegas.
May 13 –
Julio César Chávez becomes the thirteenth boxer to win world titles in three or more different categories, knocking out
Roger Mayweather in ten rounds in their rematch, to win the WBC's world Jr. Welterweight title in Los Angeles.
May 17 –
Carlos De León becomes the first boxer to win the world Cruiserweight title four times (and also joins a handful of champions who have won world titles in one division that many times) when he knocks out
Sammy Reeson in nine rounds in London, picking up the WBC belt that had been vacated by his former conqueror,
Evander Holyfield, when Holyfield moved to the Heavyweight division.
June 12 –
Sugar Ray Leonard retains his WBC world Super Middleweight title with a twelve-round draw in a rematch with
Thomas Hearns in Las Vegas.
June 21- Mike Tyson retains undisputed heavyweight championship by first-round knockout against Carl Williams in Atlantic City.
July 8 -
John Mugabi who 3 years earlier fought
Marvin Hagler for the Undisputed Middleweight Championship, knocks out René Jacquot in the first round to win the WBC Light Middleweight Championship in Cergy-Pontoise, Val-d'Oise, France.
December 7 – The decade in boxing finishes almost where it started, as Sugar Ray Leonard defends his WBC world Super Middleweight title with a twelve-round unanimous decision victory over Roberto Durán in their third encounter.
Boxing in the 1980s was filled with important fights, events and personalities that shaped the sport.[1] Boxing in the 1980s was shaped by many different situations, such as the continuous corporate battles between the different world sanctioning organizations, the void left by
Muhammad Ali as the sport's ambassador and consequent search for a new boxing hero, the continuous presence of
Don King as the sport's most famous promoter, the surge of rival promoters as
Bob Arum,
Butch Lewis and
Murad Muhammad, and major rule changes. In 1986,
Mike Tyson emerged as a fresh new face in the heavyweight division, which had seen a decline in champion quality level (particularly in the
WBA side) after Ali's retirement and, later on, after longtime
WBC ruler
Larry Holmes' prime. In addition, the
IBF and
WBO began operating.
Another important aspect of boxing in the 1980s was the rivalry between five world champions:
Wilfred Benítez,
Roberto Durán,
Marvin Hagler,
Thomas Hearns and
Sugar Ray Leonard.[citation needed] Of all the possible match-ups between these five, Benitez-Hagler was the only one that never happened. The circle of fights between these five gladiators actually began on November 30, 1979, when Leonard beat Benitez by
knockout in round fifteen to win the WBC world Welterweight title, on the same night Hagler drew (tied) with
Vito Antuofermo in his first bid to become the world's middleweight champion.
March 29 - In a rematch from 7 months earlier,
Matthew Saad Muhammad knocks out
John Conteh in Round 4 to retain his WBC Light Heavyweight Championship at Atlantic City, New Jersey.
June 20 –
Roberto Durán conquers the WBC world Welterweight title defeating
Sugar Ray Leonard by unanimous decision over fifteen rounds in
Montreal, Canada.
July 6 - In
Bloomington,
Minnesota Larry Holmes knocked down
Scott LeDoux in the sixth round and then stopped the partially blinded challenger in the seventh round to retain his WBC world Heavyweight crown.
July 13 -
Matthew Saad Muhammad, surviving an incredible beating in the 8th round, comes back to floor
Yaqui Lopez four times, stopping him in 14 rounds in Mcafee
New Jersey to retain his
WBC Light Heavyweight Title.
August 2 –
Thomas Hearns becomes
WBA world Welterweight champion, knocking out
Pipino Cuevas in two rounds in Detroit. In that same undercard,
Samuel Serrano loses his WBA world Jr. Lightweight crown to
Yasutsune Uehara, by knockout in round six.
September 27 –
Marvin Hagler becomes world Middleweight champion, scoring a technical knockout over
Alan Minter on cuts in three rounds in London. The boxers then have to be protected by police from rioting Minter fans.[2]
October 2 –
Larry Holmes retains his WBC world Heavyweight crown with an eleventh-round technical knockout over
Muhammad Ali after beating Ali merciless in nearly every round. This
fight is seen by many as one of the most despicable events in the history of the sport. Ali had been in a hospital for treatment for a good portion of the months before the fight, and it has been alleged that
Don King made him fight for Ali to pay King the hospital bills King had gotten from Ali's stay at the hospital.
November 25 – The
No Más Fight, Sugar Ray Leonard regains his WBC world Welterweight title with an eighth-round knockout of Roberto Durán, who quit inexplicably, leading to many rumors.
May 23 –
Wilfred Benítez becomes the first
Hispanic and
Puerto Rican to be a three time world champion, as well as the fifth boxer to do it and the first one to do it since
Henry Armstrong four decades before, when he defeats
Maurice Hope by knockout in round twelve to win the
WBC's world Jr. Middleweight title in
Las Vegas
June 20 –
Alexis Argüello becomes the sixth three time world champion in boxing history when he defeats
Jim Watt by decision in fifteen rounds to win the WBC world Lightweight title in London.
September 16 – A much anticipated bout takes place, and Sugar Ray Leonard unifies his WBC world Welterweight title with the WBA one by knocking out the WBA's champion
Thomas Hearns in round fourteen at Las Vegas.
January 24 –
Eusebio Pedroza retains his
WBA world Featherweight title with a fifteen-round unanimous decision over
Juan Laporte in
Atlantic City. The fight proves controversial: many observers thought they had seen Pedroza commit a large amount of infractions which, in their opinion, could have led to points deductions or disqualification.
June 11 – After one of the most racially charged fight promotions in history,
Larry Holmes retains his WBC world Heavyweight title with a thirteen-round knockout over the fighter dubbed as the White Hope,
Gerry Cooney, in Las Vegas (see:
Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney).
July 21 –
Salvador Sánchez retains his WBC world Featherweight title with a fifteenth-round knockout over
Azumah Nelson in New York City. It would be Sánchez's last fight.
August 12 – Salvador Sánchez killed in a car accident in
Mexico City, Mexico.
September 21 – The
National Football League Players Association launches a
strike against the NFL, wiping out seven games.
CBS adds additional boxing telecasts during the strike.
November 12 – The Battle of The Champions,
Aaron Pryor retains his WBA world Jr. Welterweight title with a fourteen-round knockout of
Alexis Argüello, who was attempting to become boxing's first four division world champion, in Miami.
November 13 – Tragedy in the ring:
Ray Mancini retains his WBA world Lightweight title by knockout in round fourteen in Las Vegas over
Duk Koo Kim, who passes away five days later, leading to the instituting of twelve rounds at the most as the mandatory fight distance and mandatory eight counts quickly. It was also the last fight to air as part of strike replacement programming on
CBS because of the NFL strike, which ended three days later.
November 26 – Larry Holmes retains his WBC world Heavyweight title with a fifteen-round unanimous decision over
Randall "Tex" Cobb, fight after which
Howard Cosell quits as a boxing commentator, disgusted by what he described as mismatches.
December 3 – the
Carnival of Champions:
Wilfredo Gómez retains his WBC world Super Bantamweight championship with a fourteen-round knockout over
Lupe Pintor and
Thomas Hearns becomes the WBC's world Jr. Middleweight champion with a fifteen-round majority decision over Wilfred Benítez.
1983
January 31 – In the first world title fight scheduled for twelve rounds instead of fifteen in various decades,
Rafael Orono retains his
WBC world Jr. Bantamweight championship with a four-round knockout over
Pedro Romero in
Caracas, Venezuela.
March – the
IBF surges, becoming boxing's third world sanctioning body.
March 18 –
Michael Spinks unifies his
WBA world Light Heavyweight title with the WBC one, defeating the WBC's world champion,
Dwight Muhammad Qawi, by a unanimous decision in fifteen rounds at
Atlantic City.
June 16 – On his 32nd birthday,
Roberto Durán becomes the seventh fighter in history to be a three division world champion, knocking out WBA Jr. Middleweight champion
Davey Moore in eight rounds at New York City.
August 7 –
Héctor Camacho wins his first of several world titles, knocking out
Rafael Limón in five rounds to win the vacant WBC Jr. Lightweight title in San Juan.
September 1 – Tragedy strikes again:
Alberto Davila wins the vacant WBC world Bantamweight championship with a twelve-round knockout over Kiko Bejines, who dies three days later.
September 9 –
Aaron Pryor retains his WBA world Jr. Welterweight title with a tenth-round knockout over Alexis Argüello, who once again was attempting to become the first man to win world titles in four different divisions, in
Las Vegas. Both men announce their retirements after their rematch.
September 23 –
Gerrie Coetzee of South Africa becomes the first African world Heavyweight champion in history, and the first White man to win the world Heavyweight title in twenty four years, when he defeats
Michael Dokes for the WBA championship with a ten-round knockout in
Akron.
November 10 –
Marvin Hagler retains his world Middleweight title with a fifteen-round unanimous decision over Roberto Durán in Las Vegas. Duran was also attempting to become the first four division world champion in history.
November 25 - Michael Spinks knocks out
Oscar Rivadeneyra at 1:42 of the tenth round to retain his WBC and WBA Light Heavyweight titles at Vancouver, Canada.
December 11 –
Larry Holmes vacates the WBC World Heavyweight championship and becomes the first Heavyweight champion recognized by the fledgling
International Boxing Federation.
December 13 – The IBF's first world title fight, as
Marvin Camel becomes world Cruiserweight champion for the second time, knocking out
Roddy McDonald in five rounds for the IBF's vacant title, in
Halifax,
Nova Scotia Canada.
June 15 –
Thomas Hearns retains his WBC world Jr. Middleweight title with a second-round knockout over
Roberto Durán, who had been forced by the
WBA to leave his WBA championship vacant before the fight, in Las Vegas.
September 13 –
Julio César Chávez knocks out
Mario Martinez in round eight at Los Angeles, to win the vacant WBC world Jr. Lightweight title, his first of multiple titles.
November 3 – In a rematch of their 1983 bout,
José Luis Ramírez avenges his defeat against
Edwin Rosario, knocking him out in four rounds to win the WBC world Lightweight title in San Juan.
December 8 –
Azumah Nelson wins his first of multiple titles, knocking out Wilfredo Gómez in eleven rounds at San Juan, to win the WBC world Featherweight title.
1985
March 6 – Future Heavyweight champion
Mike Tyson turns pro at 18 years of age. He knocked out Puerto Rican Hector Mercedez in the first round to win his first professional fight.
April 15 –
The War,
Marvin Hagler retains his undisputed world Middleweight championship with a three-round knockout over
Thomas Hearns in
Las Vegas. Round one of their fight is considered the greatest round in history by many.
April 26 – Six months after becoming a professional fighter,
Jeff Fenech wins his first of three world titles, knocking out
IBF world Bantamweight champion
Satoshi Shingaki in the ninth round at
Moore Park, Australia.
May 19 –
Wilfredo Gómez becomes the eighth boxer to win world championships in three divisions, defeating
Rocky Lockridge by a fifteen-round majority decision to win the
WBA world Jr. Lightweight title in
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
June 8 –
Barry McGuigan defeats
Eusebio Pedroza by a fifteen-round unanimous decision in London to win the WBA's world Featherweight title.
June 15 -
Pinklon Thomas tko
Mike Weaver in the eighth round to retain the WBC Heavyweight Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada.
September 21 –
Michael Spinks makes history by becoming the first boxer to go from world Light-Heavyweight champion to world Heavyweight champion, defeating IBF ruler
Larry Holmes by a fifteen-round unanimous decision in Las Vegas.
Julio César Chávez dedicates his successful defense of his WBC world Jr. Lightweight title over
Dwight Pratchett in the same boxing card, to the victims of the
Mexico City earthquake of September 19.
November 13 - In his first bout since his trainer
Cus D'Amato died, Mike Tyson knocks out Eddie Richardson at 1:17 of the very first round to remain unbeaten at 12-0.
December 6 –
Donald Curry unifies his WBA world Welterweight title with the WBC championship, with a two-round knockout win over WBC world champ
Milton McCrory in Las Vegas.
March 10 –
Marvin Hagler retains his undisputed world Middleweight title with an eleventh-round knockout of
John Mugabi,
Thomas Hearns wins the
NABF Middleweight title with a first-round knockout of
James Shuler, and
Gaby Canizales wins the WBA world Bantamweight title with a seventh-round knockout of
Richie Sandoval, who was critically injured and almost died in the days after the fight. The three fights took place in
Las Vegas.
March 22 – James Shuler dies only twelve days after fighting Thomas Hearns, in a motorcycle accident, in
Pennsylvania.
March 22 – In the continuation of Don King's Heavyweight tournament,
Trevor Berbick wins the
WBC world title with a twelve-round decision over
Pinklon Thomas at Las Vegas. In the same boxing card,
Carlos De León becomes the first man to be three times Cruiserweight world champion, defeating the WBC world champion
Bernard Benton by decision.
April 19 –
Michael Spinks retains his
IBF world Heavyweight title by a fifteen-round split decision over
Larry Holmes in their Las Vegas rematch, to continue Don King's Heavyweight tournament.
June 23 – The Triple Header: Thomas Hearns retains his WBC world Jr. Middleweight title with an eighth-round knockout win against former world champion
Mark Medal,
Roberto Durán loses a ten-round decision to Marvin Hagler's half brother
Robbie Sims, and
Barry McGuigan loses his WBA world Featherweight title on a fifteen-round unanimous decision to
Stevie Cruz.
July 12 –
Evander Holyfield wins his first world title, the WBA's Cruiserweight championship, with a fifteen-round decision over
Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
July 19 – The fourth installment of Don King's Heavyweight tournament as Tim Witherspoon retains his WBA world title with an eleventh-round knockout of
Frank Bruno in London.
September 6 – Don King's Heavyweight tournament continues as Michael Spinks defeats
Steffen Tangstad by a knockout in round four to retain his IBF belt, in Las Vegas.
November 22 – In the words of
HBO Boxing commentator,
Barry Tompkins, And we have a new era in Boxing, when
Mike Tyson becomes the youngest world Heavyweight champion in history, beating Trevor Berbick by knockout in round two to take the WBC world championship as Don King's Heavyweight tournament continues in Las Vegas.
December 12 – In the next chapter of Don King's Heavyweight tournament,
James Smith becomes WBA world Heavyweight champion, defeating Tim Witherspoon by knockout in round one, in New York City.
1987
March 7 –
Mike Tyson unifies the
WBC and
WBA world Heavyweight titles with a twelve-round unanimous decision win over
James Smith, in
Las Vegas.
March 9 –
Thomas Hearns becomes the ninth boxer in history to win world titles in three divisions, and the first American to do so since
Henry Armstrong, knocking out WBC world Light-Heavyweight champion
Dennis Andries, born in
Guyana but a British resident, in round ten in Detroit. After a 10-year absence
George Foreman returns as he beat Steve Zouski by TKO in Round 4 in
Sacramento.
April 6 – In what is considered by many to be the greatest comeback in boxing history,
Sugar Ray Leonard comes back after three and a half years without fighting to outpoint
Marvin Hagler and win the undisputed world Middleweight championship in Las Vegas. Leonard becomes the tenth boxer in history to be world champion in three different divisions.
May 30 –
Don King's Heavyweight tournament continues as
Tony Tucker defeats
Buster Douglas to win the
IBF's world Heavyweight title that had been vacated by
Michael Spinks, and
Mike Tyson retains his WBC and WBA titles with a sixth-round knockout over former world champion
Pinklon Thomas in Las Vegas.
August 1 – The final of Don King's Heavyweight tournament: Mike Tyson defeats Tony Tucker by a twelve-round unanimous decision to become undisputed world Heavyweight champion.
October 16- Mike Tyson retains the undisputed heavyweight championship against Tyrell Biggs by seventh-round knockout in Atlantic City.
October 28 –
Jorge Vaca dethrones
WBC world Welterweight champion
Lloyd Honeyghan with a controversial eighth round technical decision in London. The controversy was that a point deducted to Honeyghan by the referee that night proved to be the margin of difference.
October 29 – Thomas Hearns makes history, becoming the first boxer in history to win world titles at four different divisions, knocking out
Juan Roldán in four rounds for the
WBC's vacant world Middleweight title in Las Vegas.
1988
January 22 –
Mike Tyson retains his undisputed world Heavyweight championship with a fourth-round knockout win against former world champion
Larry Holmes in
Atlantic City.
March 4 - At Las Vegas, Nevada
Michael Moorer began his professional boxing career with a first-round knockout of Adrian Riggs at 2:26 of that round.
March 7 –
Jeff Fenech becomes the eleventh boxer to win world titles in three different divisions, knocking out former world champion
Victor Callejas in ten rounds at Sydney, for the vacant
WBC world Featherweight title.
March 21 -
Mike Tyson traveled to
Japan as he beat
Tony Tubbs by TKO in Round 2 to retain his undisputed world Heavyweight title.
March 29 –
Lloyd Honeyghan recovers the WBC world Welterweight championship with a third-round knockout of
Jorge Vaca in their rematch at London.
June 6 –
Iran Barkley conquers the WBC world Middleweight title with a third-round knockout of
Thomas Hearns, who had cut Barkley seriously in round two, in Las Vegas.
July 29 – In an extremely controversial bout,
Colombia's
Tomas Molinares becomes WBA world Welterweight champion by knocking out
Marlon Starling in six rounds in Atlantic City. Starling's camp protested that the knockout punch had landed after the bell to end the round, therefore, it should not have counted. After further review, the WBA agreed with Starling's camp, but decided not to withdraw recognition from Molinares as world champion.
August 4 – The last fifteen rounds bout, as
Jorge Páez defeats
Calvin Grove by a majority decision to become the
IBF's world Featherweight champion, in Mexicali, Mexico.
October 29 –
Julio César Chávez unifies his WBA world Lightweight title with the WBC one, beating his friend and neighbor,
José Luis Ramírez, by a technical decision in round eleven in Las Vegas.
November 7 – The first fight in many decades involving titles in two different categories and the WBC world Super Middleweight championship sees
Sugar Ray Leonard become boxing's second four division world champion and five division world champion when he knocks out WBC world Light Heavyweight champion
Donnie Lalonde in the ninth round, also winning the WBC's vacant Super Middleweight championship, at Las Vegas.
1989
February 11 -
Rene Jacquot beat
Donald Curry in a twelve-round unanimous decision to win the WBC Light Middleweight Championship in Grenoble, Isere
France
February 24 –
Roberto Durán makes history by becoming the third fighter to win world titles in four different divisions, the first Hispanic to do so and also the fighter with the longest period between his first and latest world championships (17 years) when he defeats
Iran Barkley by a split decision to become the
WBC's world Middleweight champion, in
Atlantic City.
February 25 –
Mike Tyson retains his undisputed world Heavyweight championship, with a fifth-round knockout over future world champion
Frank Bruno in
Las Vegas.
March 6 – The
WBO's first major world championship bout, as
Héctor Camacho defeats
Ray Mancini by unanimous twelve-round decision, to win the WBO's vacant world Jr. Welterweight title and become boxing's twelfth world champion in three different divisions, at Las Vegas.
May 13 –
Julio César Chávez becomes the thirteenth boxer to win world titles in three or more different categories, knocking out
Roger Mayweather in ten rounds in their rematch, to win the WBC's world Jr. Welterweight title in Los Angeles.
May 17 –
Carlos De León becomes the first boxer to win the world Cruiserweight title four times (and also joins a handful of champions who have won world titles in one division that many times) when he knocks out
Sammy Reeson in nine rounds in London, picking up the WBC belt that had been vacated by his former conqueror,
Evander Holyfield, when Holyfield moved to the Heavyweight division.
June 12 –
Sugar Ray Leonard retains his WBC world Super Middleweight title with a twelve-round draw in a rematch with
Thomas Hearns in Las Vegas.
June 21- Mike Tyson retains undisputed heavyweight championship by first-round knockout against Carl Williams in Atlantic City.
July 8 -
John Mugabi who 3 years earlier fought
Marvin Hagler for the Undisputed Middleweight Championship, knocks out René Jacquot in the first round to win the WBC Light Middleweight Championship in Cergy-Pontoise, Val-d'Oise, France.
December 7 – The decade in boxing finishes almost where it started, as Sugar Ray Leonard defends his WBC world Super Middleweight title with a twelve-round unanimous decision victory over Roberto Durán in their third encounter.