What's win #2 on Ken Norton's resume: Jerry Quarry, Jimmy Young, Randall Cobb, or someone else? Norton was awarded the WBC title as Leon Spinks chose to defend against Muhammad Ali instead of Norton, who was their #1 contender.
Non-heavyweight answer.... Akinobu Hiranka, unheralded fighter from Japan does a KO1 over Edwin Rosario to take his 140 pound title, loses his next fight and never figtts again.
Good call here. I remember watching him stop Rosario in 1. He was actually ahead on points in his next (and final) fight against Morris East when he was KO'd in the 11th round. He suffered a brain injury and had to retire after that fight.
Not that he didn’t have a fine career overall, but the day Jose Luis Ramirez battered Edwin Rosario in their rematch he was a legit monster. Absolutely devastating performance.
After a 2½ year layoff, following the Maxim defeat, Robinson picked Ralph "Tiger"Jones as his second comeback opponent - obviously expecting an easy win against a boxer who was on a 5-fight losing streak. However, to everybody's surprise (not least Robinson's!), Jones completely manhandled the Sugarman and won almost every one of the 10 rounds on all 3 cards. I think Jones fits the description pretty well.
Well this is rather embarrassing, I forget which fight it was. It was from my hometown (Winnipeg) Canada on ESPN Friday or Tuesday night fights. The setting was at the baseball stadium for the goldeyes semi pro team. Billy Irwin, a Canuck from Ontario Canada iced (sorry for forgetting) some dude with a viscious left hook that dropped him and put him out for the count. As billy the kid looked at the camera he blinked his eye a few times. And he also did that "I'm the best" non chalont walk away. Irwin was basically a good fighter who struggled against a young Juan diaz on his last fight before he retired. It's safe to say that the beatdown from Juan diaz is what made him pack it in. But that one.night, I tell you he was able to live vicariously through Deontay wilder.
Al McCoy when he flattened George Chip in 1 to win the MW title. McCoy then parlayed the "no-decision" rule into a lengthy title reign, typically getting outfought (& sometimes beaten up) by his challengers but just doing enough to avoid getting stopped & thus retaining his title.
OMG Stevie Cruz man....as a Puerto Rican I was kind of happy because Barry McGuigan had beaten another Latin legend, Eusebio Pedroza...but I never expected Stevie Cruz to pull the trigger. But it totally makes sense now...McGuigan was having trouble making weight, he was not preparing for Steve Cruz but Fernando Sosa, and Cruz was more used to fighting in warmer weathers (Texas and Nevada) than McGuigan who was always fighting in Europe and trust me..ive never been to Europe but studied it and even among the warmest countries there (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, France) there are parts where it snows. Madrid is actually north of New York City. You cannot compare their heat to the Arizona/Nevada heat in the summer. McGuigan was melted by the 10th and dehydrated and Cruz was not! McGuigan's management were so desperate for the money and USA fame, they did not think it through. He should have gone the Steve Collins way and at ,least had a 6 rounder or 2 or 3 or 4 in Las Vegas before all that. Anyways I recorded that fight and showed it to all my friends in the days after, including the girl-friends.......who were all promptly saying how Stevie Cruz was "sooo cute (and he looked) like Ralph Macchio" lmao!
Great post and all true. McGuigan had no business fighting in that heat. A fish out of water. And broke this Irishman's heart.