This week in boxing history, PBC recalls a punishing performance, celebrates the youngest heavyweight champ, delivers a comeback KO, remembers an infamous ending and wraps up a storied trilogy.
November 22, 1965 – Muhammad Ali scored a 12th-round KO of Floyd Patterson at the Las Vegas Convention Center to retain his world heavyweight title.
It was the second title defense by Ali, who punished Patterson in the ring after the former two-time heavyweight champion continually called Ali “Cassius Clay” leading up to the bout.
November 22, 1986 – Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history when he stopped Trevor Berbick in the second round to earn the WBC title at the Las Vegas Hilton.
The 20-year-old Tyson broke the record previously held by Floyd Patterson, who was 21 years and 11 months old when he defeated Archie Moore in November 1956.
November 23, 1974 – Alexis Arguello knocked out Ruben Olivares in the 13th round at the Forum in Inglewood, California, to claim the WBA world featherweight title.
Olivares, a two-time bantamweight champion, was winning after 12 rounds in his first 126-pound title defense, but Arguello dropped him in the 13th with a short left uppercut, then finished him off moments later.
November 25, 1980 – Sugar Ray Leonard regained the WBC welterweight championship when Roberto Duran quit in the eighth round of the infamous “no mas” fight at the Superdome in New Orleans.
Duran, a former undisputed lightweight world champion, had defeated Leonard by unanimous decision in Montreal in June to win the 147-pound title, but he was continually frustrated in the rematch before giving up.
November 27, 2004 – Marco Antonio Barrera defeated Erik Morales by majority decision to win the WBC super featherweight title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The final fight in their legendary trilogy was named Fight of the Year by The Ring, which also tabbed Round 11 as the Round of the Year.
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