Examples of World champions losing their titles in the first round

Arturo Frias lost the WBA lightweight title to Ray Mancini in the first round, making his second defense.

Not quite someone losing it as it was a vacant title, but Troy Dorsey won the vacant IBF featherweight title by KO 1 over Alfred Rangel, which was an unexpected result given Dorsey wasn’t a big puncher. And it was a one-punch KO iirc.

 

Prudencio Cardona KO1 Antonio Avelar
Akinobu Hiranaka KO1 Edwin Rosario

 

Kuniaki Shibata won the WBA jr. lightweight title from Ben Villaflor on a 15 round decision, but lost the rematch and the title to Villaflor on a 1st round KO.

 

Roger Mayweather to Rocky Lockridge.

 

* Paul Williams-Carlos Quintana II (that was pretty shocking)
* Virgil Hill-Fabrice Tiozzo II (also shocking)
* Roy Jones-Montell Griffin II (not so shocking)

Sensing a pattern there.

 

Rocky Lockridge KO1 Roger Mayweather
Hall of Famer Pone Kingpetch lost world titles by first round knockout twice in his career.
Ricardo Torres in the rematch with Kendall Holt...

 

True, Quintana had outboxed Williams in fight one.
Then also true I thought Tiozzo was robbed in fight one and Tiozzo is one of those guys who should be in the IBHOF, he built an IBHOF career after the first loss to Hill and I saw the rematch also, and I thought it was gonna be far better than it was lol but Hill had gotten better also, I guess!

 

Witherspoon was a near great. One time we even saw him as the next Larry Holmes, after his close and debatable loss to the Easton Assassin. A rematch was desirable, over 15 rounds for the IBF title. That is why many like him.

But he did admit and in fact, I think the Smith rematch may have been fixed because Tim wanted out of his contract with Don King and there had been a problem the week of the fight in which I think Witherspoon threatened to pull out of it. I saw the fight live, I was 14 and pretty ignorant and green about the ways of the world at the time lol and I thought Witherspoon was going to beat Smith again and after the bout, I thought it was a good knockout lol but I have changed my mind about it. I cant say it was fixed because Im not an insider or anything but it definitely looks suspicious when I think about it.

 

Jimmy Carruthers beat Vic Toweel for the bantam title in 1952, landing 110 punches to Toweel's zero

 

I'd say its more on Don King.

 

Don King promoted a lot of fighters. Never saw Larry Holmes show up completely listless and disinterested and woefully out of shape, to name one.

Tim had a heavyewight championship belt. He has some responsibility to prepare to defend it.

Winners adjust. Losers make excuses. It has always been so.

 

Frank Erne to Joe Gans.
George Chip to Al McCoy.

 

Good shouts. Gans win over Erne is one of the greatest in LW history, imo.