chop
09-23-2006, 06:36 AM
May 30 1833. In the longest "bare knuckle" title fight, James "Deaf" Burke successfully defended his heavyweight championship, when Irish titlist Simon Byrne could not continue after 99 rounds of fighting. Time 3 hours and 16 minutes. Byrne died three days after the beating. Burke was hounded by the press and the public after the tragedy.
September 18, 1856. In a clash between two of the outstanding bantamweights of the era, Charlie Lynch is declared the winner when Andy Kelly collapses while trying to "toe-the-line" after 86 rounds and nearly two hours of battling. Carried to his corner, Kelly died soon after.
May 24, 1913. Number-one "White-Hope," Luther McCarty, 21, is knocked out in one round by Arthur Pelkey and later dies. An autopsy later revealed that McCarty had injured his neck and had broken his collarbone in a fall from a horse shortly the bout. In subsequent fights, the haunted Pelkey claims to see McCarty's ghost.
August 25, 1930. Frankie Campbell is KO'd and killed by one right-hand blow from future heavyweight champion Max Baer, in the fifth round. Campbell was the brother of Brooklyn Dodger baseball player Dolph Camilli.
February 10, 1933. Ernie Schaaf dies following a 13th round knockout by future heavyweight champion Primo Carnera. The damage had been done in Scaaf's previous fight, a ten-round loss at the hands of Max Baer.
January 30, 1937. Ex-world bantamweight champion Tony Marino losses 8-round decision to Indian Quintana, and dies from a cerebral hemorrhage on February 1st.
April 17, 1947. Former world lightweight champion and boxing legend Benny Leonard, suddenly collapses and dies while refereeing at prelim bout at St. Nick's Arena, New York. Grown men cry openly as Leonard's body is carried from the ring. The Hall of Fame boxer was 49-years old.
June 24, 1947. In a world welterweight title fight, champion Sugar Ray Robinson TKO's challenger Jimmy Doyle in eight rounds. Doyle dies never regaining consciousness. When questioned about if he knew Doyle was hurt, Robinson replied, "Mister, it's my business to hurt people."
February 20, 1948. In a action-packed fight, future heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles KO's Sam Baroudi in the tenth-round. Baroudi died several days later. The religious Charles never fully recovers from the shock and losses his "killer instinct" in the ring.
March 24, 1962. In their rubber match at Madison Square Garden, welterweight champ Benny "Kid" Paret knocks down ex-champ Emile Griffith in round five. Griffith rallies and in the 13th unleashes a wicked salvo of punches while Paret is trapped on the ropes. Griffith lands no less than 35 unanswered punches as referee Ruby Goldstein watches the slaughter. On April 3rd, Paret died from his injuries. Paret had taken a "bad beating" at the hands of middleweight champion Gene Fullmer in his previous bout (KO'd by 10). Like Charles, Griffith continues to have success in the ring but without the "fire" or the intensity he once processed.
March 24, 1963. In a vicious featherweight war, world champion Davey Moore losses his title and his life when Cuban bomber Ultimino "Sugar" Ramos stops him in ten rounds. Moore slips into a coma in his dressing room and dies the next day. The featherweight champ was the second man to die in the ring facing the dangerous Ramos.
April 1, 1964. Argentina heavyweight Alejandro Lavorante dies from injuries received from a KO loss to Johnny Riggins, on September 21, 1964. Lavorante had been in a lengthy coma, and had been KO'd by both former light heavyweight king Archie Moore and future heavyweight champion Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), prior to the bout with Riggins.
May 10, 1965. Heavyweight contender Sonny Banks, the first man to knock down Muhammad Ali in the pro ranks, dies following a KO loss to Leotis Martin. The Philly fight gossip at the time, said that Joe Frazier's "brain trust," wanted no part of Martin and the two never met in the ring.
November 23, 1979. Middleweight prospect Wilfred Scypion fatally KO's Willie Classen in round ten. Classen took a pounding in the 8th and 9th, and was driven through the ropes and on to the ring apron in the 10th.
September 18, 1980. Lanky challenger Johnny Owens is KO'd in 12-rounds by WBC bantamweight champion Lupe Pintor. Owens never regained consciousness and died 46-days later. In perhaps one of the ugliest scenes witnessed in boxing, drunken "fans" threw beer cups of urine on the fallen Welshman as he was carried from the ring.
November 13, 1982. In an extremely hard fought contest, WBA lightweight champion Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini TKO's Korean Deuk-Koo Kim in round fourteen. Kim dies without regaining consciousness. In his hotel room prior to the fight, Kim had scrawled on a lamp shade, "kill or be killed." Kim's distraught mother commits suicide several months later.
September 1, 1983. Fighting for the vacant WBC bantamweight title, Albert Davila knocks out Kiko Bejines in 12 rounds. The popular Bejines does not recover and dies. Ironically, Davila is known more for his boxing skills rather than his punching power.
July 22, 1994. Former Olympic Silver medalist Robert Wangila is stopped in nine rounds by junior middleweight prospect David Gonzlaes and dies. Wangila had suffered a brutal KO loss to Austrailian Troy Waters in late 1993. Wangila was the second fighter to die after facing Gonzales.
May 18, 1995. WBC junior lightweight champion Gabe Ruelas pounds game but outclassed Jimmy Garcia into submission after eleven one-sided rounds. Garcia falls into a coma and dies 12 days later. Like Pelkey, Ruelas claims to be haunted by Garcia's spirit.
September 26, 1997. In a lightweight bout, James Crayton catches Johnny Montantes with a right hand in round six. Montantes goes down hard and slams his head into the canvas. Referee Kenny Bayless doesn't bother to count but it is too late. Montantes dies 40-hours later, never regaining consciousness.
September 18, 1856. In a clash between two of the outstanding bantamweights of the era, Charlie Lynch is declared the winner when Andy Kelly collapses while trying to "toe-the-line" after 86 rounds and nearly two hours of battling. Carried to his corner, Kelly died soon after.
May 24, 1913. Number-one "White-Hope," Luther McCarty, 21, is knocked out in one round by Arthur Pelkey and later dies. An autopsy later revealed that McCarty had injured his neck and had broken his collarbone in a fall from a horse shortly the bout. In subsequent fights, the haunted Pelkey claims to see McCarty's ghost.
August 25, 1930. Frankie Campbell is KO'd and killed by one right-hand blow from future heavyweight champion Max Baer, in the fifth round. Campbell was the brother of Brooklyn Dodger baseball player Dolph Camilli.
February 10, 1933. Ernie Schaaf dies following a 13th round knockout by future heavyweight champion Primo Carnera. The damage had been done in Scaaf's previous fight, a ten-round loss at the hands of Max Baer.
January 30, 1937. Ex-world bantamweight champion Tony Marino losses 8-round decision to Indian Quintana, and dies from a cerebral hemorrhage on February 1st.
April 17, 1947. Former world lightweight champion and boxing legend Benny Leonard, suddenly collapses and dies while refereeing at prelim bout at St. Nick's Arena, New York. Grown men cry openly as Leonard's body is carried from the ring. The Hall of Fame boxer was 49-years old.
June 24, 1947. In a world welterweight title fight, champion Sugar Ray Robinson TKO's challenger Jimmy Doyle in eight rounds. Doyle dies never regaining consciousness. When questioned about if he knew Doyle was hurt, Robinson replied, "Mister, it's my business to hurt people."
February 20, 1948. In a action-packed fight, future heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles KO's Sam Baroudi in the tenth-round. Baroudi died several days later. The religious Charles never fully recovers from the shock and losses his "killer instinct" in the ring.
March 24, 1962. In their rubber match at Madison Square Garden, welterweight champ Benny "Kid" Paret knocks down ex-champ Emile Griffith in round five. Griffith rallies and in the 13th unleashes a wicked salvo of punches while Paret is trapped on the ropes. Griffith lands no less than 35 unanswered punches as referee Ruby Goldstein watches the slaughter. On April 3rd, Paret died from his injuries. Paret had taken a "bad beating" at the hands of middleweight champion Gene Fullmer in his previous bout (KO'd by 10). Like Charles, Griffith continues to have success in the ring but without the "fire" or the intensity he once processed.
March 24, 1963. In a vicious featherweight war, world champion Davey Moore losses his title and his life when Cuban bomber Ultimino "Sugar" Ramos stops him in ten rounds. Moore slips into a coma in his dressing room and dies the next day. The featherweight champ was the second man to die in the ring facing the dangerous Ramos.
April 1, 1964. Argentina heavyweight Alejandro Lavorante dies from injuries received from a KO loss to Johnny Riggins, on September 21, 1964. Lavorante had been in a lengthy coma, and had been KO'd by both former light heavyweight king Archie Moore and future heavyweight champion Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), prior to the bout with Riggins.
May 10, 1965. Heavyweight contender Sonny Banks, the first man to knock down Muhammad Ali in the pro ranks, dies following a KO loss to Leotis Martin. The Philly fight gossip at the time, said that Joe Frazier's "brain trust," wanted no part of Martin and the two never met in the ring.
November 23, 1979. Middleweight prospect Wilfred Scypion fatally KO's Willie Classen in round ten. Classen took a pounding in the 8th and 9th, and was driven through the ropes and on to the ring apron in the 10th.
September 18, 1980. Lanky challenger Johnny Owens is KO'd in 12-rounds by WBC bantamweight champion Lupe Pintor. Owens never regained consciousness and died 46-days later. In perhaps one of the ugliest scenes witnessed in boxing, drunken "fans" threw beer cups of urine on the fallen Welshman as he was carried from the ring.
November 13, 1982. In an extremely hard fought contest, WBA lightweight champion Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini TKO's Korean Deuk-Koo Kim in round fourteen. Kim dies without regaining consciousness. In his hotel room prior to the fight, Kim had scrawled on a lamp shade, "kill or be killed." Kim's distraught mother commits suicide several months later.
September 1, 1983. Fighting for the vacant WBC bantamweight title, Albert Davila knocks out Kiko Bejines in 12 rounds. The popular Bejines does not recover and dies. Ironically, Davila is known more for his boxing skills rather than his punching power.
July 22, 1994. Former Olympic Silver medalist Robert Wangila is stopped in nine rounds by junior middleweight prospect David Gonzlaes and dies. Wangila had suffered a brutal KO loss to Austrailian Troy Waters in late 1993. Wangila was the second fighter to die after facing Gonzales.
May 18, 1995. WBC junior lightweight champion Gabe Ruelas pounds game but outclassed Jimmy Garcia into submission after eleven one-sided rounds. Garcia falls into a coma and dies 12 days later. Like Pelkey, Ruelas claims to be haunted by Garcia's spirit.
September 26, 1997. In a lightweight bout, James Crayton catches Johnny Montantes with a right hand in round six. Montantes goes down hard and slams his head into the canvas. Referee Kenny Bayless doesn't bother to count but it is too late. Montantes dies 40-hours later, never regaining consciousness.