BOXING - What Happened On This Day???????

Yes, Lester Ellis is 45 today.

...and who could forget his war at Melbourne's Festival Hall with Barry Michael in mid 1985?

 

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Sven Ottke W 12 Byron Mitchell, Berlin.
Ottke unifies the WBA & IBF super middleweight titles.

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Manny Pacquiao W 12 Juan Manuel Marquez, Las Vegas.
Pacquiao wins World super featherweight title.

 

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Nelly Saunders & Rose Harland contested the 1st female boxing match - New York.

(Leon: I'm looking for video of this bout please mate. Provided that's okay with the cyber police of course)

This bout consisted of a sparring match with boxing-gloves between the two women, and as a prize $200 and a piece of silver. The two combatants were variety dancers. Miss Saunders the wife of John Saunders, a boxer, and Miss Harland iunmarried.

Miss Saunders wore a white bodice, purple knee-breeches, red stockings and shoes. Miss Harland wore blue trunks and white tights. Both appeared exceedingly nervous.

Time was then called, and the female boxers shook hands. After some preliminary sparring, Saunders managed to hit Harland fair in the face. Miss Harland endeavored to get square and was again worsted, but finally succeeded in some retaliation.

Miss Saunders hitting out from the shoulder, while Miss Harland swung her hands around in the air.

Miss Harland seeing that she was overmatched in science, presumed on her superior strength and “sailed in” for punishment. The exchanges were lively and hard.

The wind-up saw Miss Saunders declared the winner by a point, and she accordingly received the prize and the applause of the audience.

c/o Martial History Magazine.

 

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Roberto Duran KO 11 Esteban De Jesus - Panama City.
Duran retains World lightweight title and avenges an earlier defeat (10-round non-title decision) by De Jesus.

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Mike Tyson KO 3 Frank Bruno - Las Vegas.
Tyson regains WBC heavyweight title.

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Sven Ottke W 12

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(Australia) - Magdeburg, Germany.
Ottke retains IBF super middleweight title for the 13th time. He would retire undefeated after successfully defending it 21 times!
Thornberry certainly fought some high calibre opposition including Wharton (for Comm title), Calzaghe (WBO super middle), Ottke (IBF as above) and fellow Aussie Mundine.

 

late entry:

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Matt Ropis v Blakeney Kid Mathews for Australian lightweight title - Blacktown RSL, NSW.
Ropis makes successful first defence of the Australian title he won against Milton Cooper.

(just noticed you're logged on today Matt and didn't want to miss this one out)

 

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Jimmy Young W 12 George Foreman - San Juan, Puerto Rico.
1977’s Fight of the Year, and Big George's last loss for 13 years (the next would be to Hollyfield). Granted he was in retirement for 10 of those years, but 'Foreman Grill' George returned with a vengance, winning the WBA & IBF titles from Michael Moorer in late 1994.

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Juan Manuel Marquez W 12 Marco Antonio Barrera - Las Vegas.
Marquez wins WBC super featherweight title.

 

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Hasim Rahman v 12 James Toney - Atlantic City.
Rahman retains WBC heavyweight title by majority draw (114-114, 117-111, 114-114).
They would meet again two years later for the WBO title in what was originally deemed a TKO3 win to Toney, but later corrected to an NC due to an accidental headbut by Toney.

 

Good get FH.

(incidentally 18th March 1959 was the day I was born)

 

Cheers boys!

(does that mean I'd be fighting multiple opponents Leon?)