Cancelled Fights over the years

1973-11-13 John Conteh - Mike Quarry [Light Heavyweight]
(?)

@Mastrangelo , I did a little checking and found out why Conteh bowed out of the Quarry fight. He withdrew on November 7th citing a hand injury. He claimed he bruised his left hand in a bout with Baby Boy Rolle on October 23rd. Seems a little funny waiting to say that less than a week before the fight. But who knows?

 

Alexis Arguello and Aaron Pryor were schedule to fight a week apart in July 1983 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas ahead of their rematch in September of that years. Both tuneups were canceled but the rematch went ahead on the scheduled date.

Alexis was supposed to fight Billy Costello and Aaron was scheduled to face Reyes Cruz on Aug. 17 and 24, respectively.

No reason was given for the cancelations. I suspect the plan was to get both on network TV (CBS would be my best guess) to hype the rematch, and the promoter decided to pull the plug rather than risk an upset, cut or other injury from derailing or at least postponing their second go.

Costello fought I think twice after the AA bout was canceled before winning the WBC belt at 140. Cruz, who was I think 26-0-1 and a fight or two removed from a win over John Verderosa, had maybe one or two fights in the U.S. after that before moving his base to the Dominican Republic.

Costello ended up fighting (and losing to) Alexis a few years later. Cruz didn’t lose until 1986 when he fought Gary Hinton for the vacant IBF title at 140.

https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/06/sports/sports-people-two-bouts-canceled.html

 

Sorry if I’m repeating things as I’m not going through the whole thread to see what’s been mentioned.

Mike Weaver was scheduled to defend his WBA heavyweight title vs. Randall “Tex” Cobb on June 2, 1982, but it was postponed about three weeks earlier due to Weaver sustaining a shoulder injury in training. The fight ended up not ever happening.

Weaver instead fought Michael Dokes late in the year and lost on a quick stoppage. Cobb ended up fighting Larry Holmes for the WBC crown next time out also late in 1982.

Also, Ray Leonard was scheduled to fight Roger Stafford in Buffalo, NY, when his detached retina was discovered.

Both are mentioned in this story:

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/05/11/Weaver-bout-postponed/1599389937600/

 

It was a big thing, when Eddie didn't make the weight. Remember trying to see the fight on HBO when they talked about it.

 

Wilfredo Gomez-Alfonso Zamora in February 1983.

Zamora told the WBC he had won some fights in Mexico, but the WBC discovered this was false.

Alexis Arguello-Edwin Rosario in 1983 also. Rosario injured his wrist during training.

Great topic!

 

This marathon would have been the greatest undercard ever put in place.

 

I’ve read since that Pryor was to face Saoul Mamby. I know he was supposed to be on the card but until I was researching canceled fights for this thread I had never seen an opponent listed.

 

Here are a few more:

Earnie Shavers v George Chuvalo - This was to take place in Cleveland on May 9, 1973, but Chuvalo pulled out citing a bad back.

Jose Napoles v Angel Espada - this was signed on January 11, 1975 and was to take place in Puerto Rico on March 22, 1975. I simply cannot recall the reason why but on app. February 13th, Napoles pulled out of the fight and sought another opponent. This action caused the first splinter of the world welterweight title when the WBA did not take kindly to this action, stripped Napoles of their title and set up a match between Espada and Clyde Gray for their vacant title.

Armando Muniz v Ernie 'Indian Red' Lopez II - this rematch was signed on app. Feb. 11, 1975 and to take place at the Anaheim Convention Center on March 28, '75. However, Jose Napoles was looking for a challenger since pulling out of the Espada fight and alighted on Muniz, who accepted. The problem was the date of the fight, which was to take place in Acapulco, was March 29, 1975, the day after the Lopez fight. Clearly Muniz couldn't do both and had to pull out of the Lopez fight to concentrate on his title challenge. He was under legal obligation to repay the Forum Boxing Club for stadium rental, advertisement, etc. as well as app. $2,000 to Lopez.

Clyde Gray v Dave 'Boy' Green - Clyde Gray was signed to defend his Commonwealth welterweight title against Dave 'Boy' Green in England. The bout was to take place first on March 3rd, 1978, then postponed to the 7th and then finally March 9th, 1978. Gray arrived in England, set up camp and began training when Green, who was looking for a rematch with Carlos Palomino, pulled out on February 24th, stating his right hand had been injured in a February 21st bout with Roy Johnson.

 

3 interesting fights. how do you think they'd gone?

 

For some reason, and it's been stuck in my head for yrs ( And correct me if I'm wrong, guys ) but I'd swear on a stack of Bibles
Tony Ayala was supposed to fight Roberto Duràn.
But Ayala ended up going to prison .
I'm sure I read in one of the old boxing mags some 40 yrs ago that fight was was going to happen.
( And God, I wish that it did, no fighter in history deserved a savage beat down worse than Ayala)
But I could be wrong, going off memory from many ,many years ago!!!

 

Actually, I think what derailed it was Duran losing to Kirkland Laing.

But I couldn’t swear to it.

 

I remember being disappointed about the Mosley-Berto fight being cancelled. That would have been a fight of the year candidate for sure.

 

On Aug. 14, 1982, ABC was scheduled to televise a heavyweight doubleheader featuring four top 10 heavyweights - Tim Witherspoon vs. James "Quick" Tillis and Trevor Berbick vs. Renaldo Snipes in Cleveland, Ohio.

Days before the fight, Witherspoon, Berbick and Snipes all pulled out. Shortly after, Berbick and Witherspoon were fined by the Ohio athletic commission because they couldn't prove they were actually sick or injured.

So, Don King found Pinklon Thomas, who hadn't yet fought on national television and was training for another fight, and quickly signed him to face WBC #6 rated Tillis (who was coming off a win over Shavers) to save the broadcast

Thomas stopped Tillis on ABC in a fun fight, and it catapulted Thomas into the top 10.

(Berbick-Snipes would end up fighting two months later, and Witherspoon-Tillis would end up fighting the following year.)

Thomas said this about his big break.

"It was funny because at that time, I was training at Joe Frazier's gym in Philadelphia. I was training to fight Jeff Shelburg in Atlantic City. Two days before the Shelburg fight, I get a call from Cleveland that Witherspoon had pulled out of the fight against 'Quick' for some reason I can’t recall. Georgie Benton knew I was in great shape and had really been training. We took the fight with them thinking I was a pushover. 'Quick' didn’t hurt me in the fight and I was ready to face someone in the top ten so I could make a name for myself on the boxing scene. Once I had a big win like this over a top ten guy, I made a concerted effort to get out and meet the boxing fans. I wanted the boxing folks to know me and enjoyed every bit of meeting with them."

 

WBA Lightweight champ Roberto Duran and Junior Welterweight champ Wilfred Benitez were supposed to meet in a non-title 10-rounder on Nov 10, 1977 at Madison Square Garden.

But, on Nov. 1, Duran pulled out with the flu.

Future champ Bruce Curry was brought in as a late substitute for Duran, floored Benitez several times, and arguably should've won.

Duran and Benitez would fight nearly five years later. Benitez won a comfortable decision.

https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/01/archives/flu-forces-duran-out-of-garden-bout.html