The “rematch clause” is a widely known time period in boxing’s language. Before a punch is thrown a security web is put in place for one fighter, normally dubbed the “A-Side”, which permits them a second chew at the cherry ought to they lose.
This usually applies to fights of nice significance the place a number of of the world belts are on the line. Sivenathi Nontshinga was one recipient of a rematch clause prior to defending his IBF light-flyweight strap in Monte Carlo three months in the past. The supremely assured South African was extensively anticipated to win however was humbled by challenger Adrian Curiel in simply two rounds.
To win his belt again Nontshinga should not solely overturn a second-round knockout defeat however accomplish that on Curiel’s dwelling turf in Mexico on Friday night time (February 16).
History reveals that bouncing again in the subsequent combat after such a shattering defeat will be achieved. Boxing News presents 5 examples of rematches the place the overwhelmed man didn’t have lengthy to wait to proper the result.
Floyd Patterson vs. Ingemar Johansson
Fight 1: June 26, 1959 – Johansson wins by third-round TKO.
Fight 2: June 20, 1960 – Patterson wins by fifth-round KO.
Ingemar Johannson weighed 14lbs greater than Floyd Patterson when the European heavyweight champion took on the world champion at Yankee Stadium in June 1959. It mattered little to observers who believed Patterson would efficiently defend his title for a fifth time. Patterson let or not it’s identified beforehand he had by no means seen Johannson combat.
The Swede went on to ground Patterson seven instances in spherical three earlier than referee Ruby Goldstein stopped the combat. “Toonder and Lightning”, the numerous names for Johansson’s proper hand, had most actually struck.
One yr later and this time Johannson was the favorite. The normally placid Patterson sought revenge and had a dislike for the new champ. This time the mighty proper hand of Johannson wouldn’t work to its fullest impact. And in spherical two it whacked Patterson who staggered however shook it off, displaying resilience and dedication.
History was towards Patterson, who hoped to change into the first man in historical past to regain the heavyweight title; one thing that Bob Fitzsimmons, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis and extra failed to do earlier than him. But Patterson, who weighed eight kilos extra for the rematch, was a modified fighter after experiencing the embarrassment of shedding to Johansson. In the fifth he cracked the champ’s jaw with a proper hand and adopted up with a leaping left hook which put Johansson on the ground. Cut and bloodied, the Swede recovered solely to be met with extra left hooks earlier than the remaining one, one in all the best punches ever thrown by Patterson, met Johannson’s face and despatched him crashing together with his head thudding off the canvas. Referee Arthur Mecante counted the champion out at 1.51 of spherical 5.
Patterson accomplished the comeback in March 1961, beating Johansson by sixth spherical knockout. During their unexpected trilogy the two males visited the canvas 12 instances between them.
Lennox Lewis vs. Hasim Rahman
Fight 1: April 22, 2001 – Rahman wins by fifth-round KO.
Fight 2: November 17, 2001 – Lewis wins by fourth-round KO.
After spending time in Las Vegas filming scenes for an element in the Ocean’s Eleven remake, Lennox Lewis acquired again to his actual job as an actual boxer when he put his WBC and IBF heavyweight belts on the line towards the unfancied Hasim Rahman in South Africa.
British followers had been delighted to be given the likelihood to watch Lewis on free-to-air tv with the combat proven reside on the BBC. Lewis’s preparations had been affected by jetlag, arriving in South Africa later than required and overlooking Rahman, who entered the combat with losses to wrecking ball David Tua and Oleg Maskaev.
Against Lewis, he made the most of his shot and shocked the world by knocking the champion out in the fifth spherical. Seven months later, Lewis was again in Vegas, however this time starring in his personal sequel. The build-up turned bitter with rising animosity between the pair which resulted in a brawl between the two huge lumps on ESPN.
Lewis was a special animal in the rematch. The challenger was laser-focused on getting his belts again and shutting up Rahman. And in the fourth-round Lewis delivered a devastating one-two which ended Rahman’s brief reign. Beating his chest in celebration, it was revenge and redemption for Lewis.
Israel Vazquez vs. Rafael Marquez
Fight 1: March 3, 2007 – Marquez wins after Vazquez retires in spherical seven.
Fight 2: August 4, 2007 – Vazquez wins by sixth-round TKO.
Seventeen years in the past, one in all the best boxing rivalries kicked off at the Home Depot Centre in Carson. Vazquez was defending his WBC super-bantamweight strap for the third time and was in advantageous type having out-gunned Jhonny Gonzalez six month earlier.
Marquez, Juan Manuel’s brother, was lastly shifting up in weight after a prolonged keep at bantamweight. Both he and Vazquez had been at their peak however in the opening spherical the nostril of Vasquez had been punctured by his opponent who then rocked him with a proper hand afterward. The tide turned in spherical three when Marquez, who was getting the higher of exchanges, discovered himself on the ground from a left hook. However, Vazquez’s nostril challenge nearly price him the combat in the fifth when he turned his again. At the finish of the seventh the combat was over due to the damage. A Mexican by no means needs to exit like that.
Fans solely had to wait eight months for the rematch. The first spherical felt like an complete combat in three minutes. The exchanges grew to become extra frequent, and if one man was compelled again by a shot he would step proper again into the hearth for extra. Despite a minimize on his nostril and swelling round his eyes, Vazquez wouldn’t cease.
If you blinked, you’ll miss one thing. The punches continued all through. Both males bloodied, the brutality by no means ceased; it was stirring however profession shortening. More drama got here in the fifth when Vazquez was on the deck however referee Jose Guadalupe appropriately dominated it a slip. Marquez was then lit up by a three-punch mixture which put him down in the sixth. A torrent of pictures adopted earlier than the combat was stopped with over a minute to go. One superlative wouldn’t do the combat justice.
The trilogy arrived in March 2008 – one other barnburner which Vazquez received by cut up resolution – earlier than an pointless fourth installment, during which a now broken Vazquez was knocked out in the third spherical, got here two years later.
Sergey Kovalev vs. Eleider Alvarez
Fight 1: August 4, 2018
Fight 2: February 2, 2019
After back-to-back defeats towards Andre Ward, the fame of Sergey Kovalev was broken. “Krusher” had been a damaging pressure who occurred to run into a contemporary nice.
By beating up Vyacheslav Shabranskyy and Igor Mikhalin, the Russian acquired again into the swing of issues earlier than defending his WBO light-heavyweight strap towards challenger Eleider “Storm” Alvarez.
The Colombian swept into Atlantic City in little question he would beat the man he described as “the best in the division”, a pop at Adonis Stevenson who Alvarez had been ready three years as WBC necessary challenger to face.
Alvarez introduced his arrival at the high desk in spectacular style. The 6ft underdog utilised his efficient jab, moved nicely, and confirmed no impact from his opponent’s physique pictures. Kovalev seemed to be in management and profitable till a protracted proper hand had him down in spherical seven. Alvarez repeated the feat on two extra events, signalling a brand new pressure at 175lbs and maybe the starting of the finish for Kovalev.
Six months later, Kovalev quietened everyone by displaying his underrated boxing talents to boss Alvarez, who carried nowhere close to the risk from their first bout. The challenger picked his pictures, snapping Alvarez’s head again all through with a wide range of punches, and proved as soon as once more why he was one in all the finest in the world by profitable 120-108 and 116-112 (twice) on all three scorecards.
Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz
Fight 1: June 1, 2019 – Ruiz wins by seventh-round TKO.
Fight 2: December 7, 2019 – Joshua wins by unanimous resolution.
Anthony Joshua’s try to conquer America couldn’t have gone extra mistaken.
Original opponent Jarrell Miller was pulled after testing optimistic for a banned substance and then Andy Ruiz, all quick palms and podgy body, was drafted in as Joshua’s opponent for his U.S debut at Madison Square Garden. A foregone conclusion quickly become a dwelling nightmare. Ruiz punched with the heavier-handed Joshua and recovered from a third-round knockdown to blitz AJ, placing him on the deck 4 instances. It was a seismic upset which added to the wealthy boxing historical past of The Garden.
Speculation over what went mistaken in Joshua’s preparations and the picture of a person clearly not wanting proper in the ring pre-fight wouldn’t go away. He had no selection however to take a rematch.
To banish the demons, he would have to accomplish that in Saudi Arabia, lengthy earlier than anybody in boxing began saying “His Excellency”, to get his three belts again. Ruiz had been having fun with life as a champion – perhaps a bit an excessive amount of. In their rematch the Californian barely laid a glove on Joshua, who used stable fundamentals and ring craft to field his manner to a large factors win.
Leigh Wood vs. Mauricio Lara
Fight 1: February 18, 2023 – Lara wins by seventh-round TKO.
Fight 2: May 27, 2023 – Wood wins by unanimous resolution.
Wood strolled into the Nottingham Arena 12 months in the past feeling 10-feet tall and using the wave of a three-fight run which included an spectacular win over Can Xu and an epic battle towards Michael Conlan.
Next up was the crude however efficient Mauricio Lara, who had battered Josh Warrington in 2021. Wood may have given up his WBA featherweight belt, however he wasn’t about to let down his Nottingham devoted. He and Lara went toe-to-toe and selected to discover out who punched the hardest. Wood’s coach, Ben Davison, confirmed smarts and compassion, saving Wood for an additional day after his man was dropped in spherical seven.
No-one would have blamed Wood if he selected an different route when resuming his profession, however he wasn’t having any of that. Instead, he wished extra of Lara, and it turned out to be the proper transfer. Lara ended his personal WBA reign on the scales the day earlier than, leaving him stripped of his belt.
The fear now was how huge would Lara be on the night time and how a lot had the Battle of Nottingham three months earlier taken out of Wood. But worry not. The Brit, preventing this time in Manchester, used ring smarts to comfortably beat an ineffective Lara, who was a shadow of the man as soon as deemed unstoppable. Mexico doesn’t typically lose to Britain in a boxing ring so this one was to be savoured.
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