JOHN HENRY LEWIS w pts 15 LEN HARVEY
November 9, 1936
HARVEY is unlikely to register with many attending this weekend’s occasion however he was a real British nice from yesteryear.
As is the case with many boxers working again then, his document on modern-day web site, BoxRec, solely tells half of the story. At the time of his demise in 1976, Reuters reported that Harvey, who boxed in each weight class from flyweight to heavyweight throughout a 23-year profession, had misplaced simply 10 of his 414 bouts. BoxRec record his stats as 122-14-10 (57).
Not up for dispute is that Harvey, seemingly in decline and with a loss to British rival Jack Peterson in his current previous, was merely not ok to take the excellent champion Henry Lewis’ crown. In truth, Harvey – additionally performing as a promoter for the occasion – did nicely to hear the last bell inside Wembley’s Empire Pool.
Alongside his father, Henry Lewis arrived in Southampton in October after travelling to the UK on the SS President Roosevelt, an ocean liner that went out of service following WWII.
The champion injured his eye in coaching and it flared up once more throughout the combat however was by no means actually any concern. Harvey, who took fairly the shellacking, ended the bout with a swollen eye, a busted nostril and a large factors loser.
ninth November 1936: Len Harvey and John Henry Lewis weigh in forward of their combat at Wembley Stadium (David Savill/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)
FREDDIE MILLS w pts 15 GUS LESNEVICH
July 26, 1948
LESNEVICH had been pushed onerous by Mills in a world title defence at Haringey Arena two years earlier.
Mills, in his first combat for 15 months, had rallied from being dropped thrice in the second to break the champion’s nostril and depart his left eye closing earlier than dramatically falling aside in the tenth.
The rematch went forward in entrance of greater than 46,000 followers at White City Stadium and the feeling was, Mills had a greater probability this time.
Lesnevich – now 33 years outdated and the “Russian Lion” (he had Russian and American parentage – hadn’t boxed at 175lbs since the first combat with Mills and regarded drained at the weigh-in. The event made Mills nervous in his altering room earlier than a comic got here in to assist settle him and he made a breakthrough inside the opening seconds of the combat, slicing open a minimize on Lesnevich’s proper eyebrow with a counter.
Mills quickly opened a wound over the champion’s different eye and it grew to become clear Lesnevich was not the fighter he was. The proper hand that had repeatedly landed on Mills in the first combat got here out slower and Mills was in a position to decide his moments to win quiet rounds.
Twice the referee requested for extra from each fighters and Mills put his punches collectively in the tenth to drop Lesnevich twice.
He obtained up and presumably shaded the thirteenth earlier than Mills stepped up the tempo in the final two rounds to ensure that of the choice.
14th May 1946: Gus Lesnevich shakes the hand of Freddie Mills in London (Davies/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)
BOB FOSTER w ko 14 CHRIS FINNEGAN
September 26, 1972
FOSTER was an impressive champion. The 6 ft 3 ½ins tall box-puncher had change into champion by flattening Dick Tiger with a left hook in May, 1968 and got here to London for his eleventh defence.
At the Empire Pool (now Wembley Arena), British champion Finnegan was anticipated to go the similar manner as Foster’s earlier 10 challengers and there have been instances in the opening rounds when it appeared a matter of time earlier than the southpaw from Iver Heath, Bucks, fell from a Foster proper hand.
Finnegan stored taking the shot and firing again to get the crowd at Wembley Arena behind him and there have been enormous roars when he held his personal with Foster in an change in the seventh and put him on the again foot for the first time in the subsequent.
Foster responded with some clear rights late in the eighth and that was the punch that put Finnegan down in the tenth. As he had executed all through the combat, Finnegan punched again when he was harm and he had his successes, although Foster’s blows had extra impact.
There have been boos when Foster obtained on his toes in the eleventh and twelfth and when he planted his ft in the thirteenth, Finnegan, minimize over each eyes and his nostril bloodied by then, began to land punches once more.
Finnegan stayed in the combat till the 14th when he shipped a proper hand and landed on the seat of his trunks.
Shattered, bloodied and harm, Finnegan didn’t transfer whereas he was counted out.
twenty sixth September 1972: Chris Finnegan and Bob Foster (Roger Jackson/Central Press/Getty Images)
JOHN CONTEH w pts 15 JORGE AHUMADA
October 1, 1974
HARRY CARPENTER informed BBC viewers throughout the 14th spherical they have been watching what was “shaping up to be the greatest night in British boxing history for over 20 years.”
By that stage, Conteh had taken cost towards the Argentine, simply as the vibrant Liverpudlian had predicted.
The 23-year-old had been ringside in Albuquerque 4 months earlier to watch Ahumada problem Foster. That combat was scored a draw after Foster’s late rally, however Conteh wasn’t alone in considering Ahumada deserved higher.
Foster clearly wasn’t happy together with his efficiency, saying his retirement weeks later. Though he later reversed the choice, the WBA and WBC belts have been vacant with the latter being on the line right here.
Conteh fancied he might outlast the Argentine at Wembley’s Empire Pool and that was the way it turned out. There have been some gruelling rounds in the first half earlier than Conteh was in a position to get behind his polished lead hand and rating with left hooks to depart Ahumada’s left eye swelling shut from the eleventh.
Conteh nonetheless shipped a number of stable pictures in the 14th earlier than dominating the final.
He would later say it was his “spirit” that “dragged me through” to win by 5 rounds and he celebrated in model.
The proprietor of a close-by nightclub despatched champagne to the new champion’s dressing room and he remembered: “We drank the champagne and used the ice to ease the swellings on my face.”
John Conteh assaults Jorge Ahumada at Wembley on October 1, 1974 (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
JEFF HARDING w pts 12 DENNIS ANDRIES
September 11, 1991
HARDING received the first combat in Atlantic City, Andries levelled the rating in Melbourne and the decider went forward at the Hammersmith Odeon – finally.
The format had to be rearranged earlier than well being and security officers mentioned the combat might go forward and on the night time, a Wednesday, Andries took the flawed turning out of his altering room, delaying his entrance. Andries and Harding had no bother discovering one another as soon as the opening bell rang.
Harding tried to field – however had to combat simply to preserve Andries off him.
“Every round was a war,” mentioned promoter Mickey Duff afterwards and the back-and-forth motion in the 11th spherical had BBC commentator Harry Carpenter gasping: “Have you ever seen anything like it?”
The twelfth spherical would determine their trilogy on the scorecards and Harding received it to take a majority choice. There have been those that thought Andries was onerous executed by and Harding didn’t seem like a winner afterwards.
He was minimize round each eyes and round an hour after the combat, he had bother remembering what had occurred.
“Yeah I did take a few punches,” he mentioned, “but that’s okay. It’s not table tennis.”
Many years later, in dialog with Boxing News, Harding mirrored on his rivalry with Andries: “He was like your worst nightmare,” he mentioned, “like some demonic Duracell bunny. He just kept coming for you.”
11 SEP 1991: Dennis Andries ships a left hook from Jeff Harding throughout their WBC light-heavyweight title combat in London
CLINTON WOODS w pts 12 GLEN JOHNSON
September 2, 2006
WOODS was considering over a profession change after Johnson gave him “a bit of a pasting” in their rematch. He had been thought of lucky to get away with a draw in their first combat as nicely.
But after a number of weeks spent adorning his home, Woods had a rethink and ended up beating Rico Hoye for the IBF title vacated by Johnson, who took a extra profitable combat towards Antonio Tarver as a substitute.
He shared two fights with Tarver and back-to-back wins following defeat in the rematch gave 38-year-old Johnson a shot at Woods for the belt.
“Our styles collided,” was how Woods remembered the combat. “It was brutal.”
The ninth spherical was particularly brutal for the champion from Sheffield. He went again to his stool praying Johnson didn’t have one other related three minutes left in him.
He didn’t, and as was the case in many of his fights, Woods completed the stronger. So desperately drained was Johnson at the last bell he didn’t even have the power to elevate his arms and his work in the championship rounds noticed Woods dwelling through break up choice.
Johnson and Woods throughout their combat in 2006 (Photo by John Gichigi/Getty Images)
SERGEY KOVALEV w rsf 4 NATHAN CLEVERLY
August 17, 2013
CLEVERLY mentioned he had been “very impressed” by what he had seen of Kovalev earlier than they fought.
He was much more impressed as soon as the combat obtained underway.
“I could feel it [Kovalev’s power] on my shoulders and arms and I said to myself: ‘Whatever you do, don’t get caught cleanly…’”
Cleverly did get hit cleanly – and the WBO strap modified arms.
That had been the expectation of US broadcasters HBO once they headed to Cardiff, whereas Frank Warren hoped he would see a repeat of the Joe Calzaghe-Jeff Lacy masterclass when an overhyped challenger was put in his place.
There was an ice-cool confidence about the smirking Kovalev throughout the referee’s directions earlier than the combat and as soon as the bell rang, the Russian was straight down to enterprise.
He took the centre of the ring and let his punches circulation in threes and fours.
Cleverly stood his floor and tried to get his jab working, however the weight and quantity of the challenger’s punches put him on the again foot.
Cleverly opened a nick underneath Kovalev’s proper eyebrow in the second, however the Russian nonetheless received the spherical and buckled the champion’s legs with a clean mixture in the third.
Cleverly bravely waved him forwards and Kovalev blasted him to his knees with a pair of rights. Never beforehand off his ft, Cleverly was up shortly and was quickly punched to his knees once more.
Kovalev had him on rubbery legs once more earlier than the bell and dropped him for a 3rd time earlier than it was waved off in the fourth.
Kovalev and Cleverly combat in 2013 (Scott Heavey/Getty Images)
DMITRY BIVOL w pts 12 CRAIG RICHARDS
May 1, 2021
TO SEE the place Bivol is at this time – the conqueror of Canelo Alvarez, the solely rival to Beterbiev’s declare to be the world’s main light-heavyweight and one of the finest fighters in any weight class – it feels peculiar that he fought inside an empty nook of the Manchester Arena as just lately as 19 months in the past.
The Russian’s expertise was recognized to the hardcore and Richards was rightly deemed an enormous outsider to nab Bivol’s WBA strap, as the pandemic stored followers at bay. Bivol didn’t drastically impress on this night time, nonetheless.
Whether preventing beneath himself as a consequence of the pin-drop ambiance or – extra seemingly – content material he was doing sufficient to win, Richards turned in a spirited effort to depart his nook satisfied he’d executed sufficient to win.
Far from a memorable or thrilling combat, Richards took his time to discover the perception that he actually belonged as Bivol, proper arm cocked and prepared to fireplace when required, boxed his manner to an early lead. The Londoner unquestionably improved throughout the second half of the bout however most members of the media felt that the 118-110 tally from choose Giuseppe Quartarone in Bivol’s favour was a extra correct reflection of what transpired than the a lot nearer scores of 115-114 and 115-113 from Steve Gray and Yury Kopstev respectively.
Bivol and Richards in 2021 (Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
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