Barry Hugman's World Championship Boxing

Following Memphis Pal Moore’s defeat by Jimmy Wilde on 17 July 1919 at 116lbs all title fights in the weight class settled down at 118lbs. The bantamweight division had been in operation since gloves were introduced at varying weights, but in the last few years had been seen as either 116 or 118lbs, and at this moment Pete Herman was considered to be the best man at 118lbs in the world having beaten Kid Williams at that weight on 9 January 1917. He had gone on to defend that claim against Sammy Sandow, Harry Kabakoff, Jabez ‘Red Head’ White, Dutch Brandt, Harry Coulin, Earl Puryear, Frankie Burns, Young Solberg, Johnny Ertle and Dick Griffin. Strong on the inside and a tough competitor who was both skilful and hit hard, Herman added real quality to the division. With 102 bouts under his belt, made up of 44 wins, nine draws, eight defeats and 41 no-decisions, he had reversed the only stoppage suffered when defeating Burns and had beaten other men such as Johnny Rosner, Eddie Campi, Johnny Eggers (2), Al Shubert, Young Zulu Kid and Roy Moore, all top men. In short, he had mopped up the division.

15 August 1919. Pete Herman nd-l pts 10 Little Jackie Sharkey

Venue: The Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Recognition: World. Referee: Walter Houlehan.

Fight Summary: Reported as a title fight at 118lbs, with both men inside the weight according to the Milwaukee Sentinel, the contest itself saw Herman fail to open up until the fifth round after being warned by the referee to provide more action. However, Herman was soon back in his shell, treating it as a sparring session. While Sharkey continually forced the action he lacked the power to harm the champion, being guilty of hitting with the open glove. Even taking that into account, Sharkey influenced most of attending press that he would have been a worthy winner had a decision been given.

19 August 1920. Pete Herman nd-w pts 10 Roy Moore

Venue: Stratton Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. Recognition: World.

Fight Summary: The Colorado Springs Gazette reported that Herman (116) retained his title after both men had come to the ring inside 118lbs. With much of the fight being contested at close quarters, Moore (116) hammering away to little effect, it was the champion’s cleverness that prevented any damage being done. Not only that, but Herman also landed some vicious blows, putting blood on Moore’s face in the third, and was deemed by the press to have won seven rounds, with two even. The fight had been moved from Denver when a permit for a 15-rounder had been declined.

The next man up for Herman, the hard-hitting Joe Lynch was a tough competitor with 95 contests under his belt, comprising 28 wins, four draws, two losses and 61 no-decision affairs. Tall for his weight, he had wins over Monte Attell, Eddie O’Keefe, Terry Martin, Memphis Pal Moore, Kid Williams, Dick Loadman, Tommy Noble, Dick Griffin, Kid Regan, Abe Goldstein, Johnny Ritchie and Jackie Sharkey.

22 December 1920. Joe Lynch w pts 15 Pete Herman

Venue: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: World. Referee: Patsy Haley.

Fight Summary: Even though he made a good start, Herman (116) was soon pegged back by Lynch (116), who quickly realised that he could hurt the champion with the right hand. He also used his longer reach effectively to take at least ten of the 15 rounds on his way to winning the title by a unanimous points decision. Although neither man took unnecessary risks, Herman was far too negative, boxing mainly in defensive mode and rarely showing his wares at close quarters where he was expected to be at his most effective. This was the first bantamweight title fight held under Walker Law.

28 February 1921. Joe Lynch nd-w pts 10 Young Montreal

Venue: Roller Palace Rink, Detroit, Michigan, USA. Recognition: World.

Fight Summary: With Montreal (118) having no trouble in reaching Lynch (117½) with his left jab, the opening seven rounds were relatively even. However, after the champion floored Montreal for 'eight' in the eighth he walked off with the next two sessions as well as the press decision.

A return with Pete Herman would be next for Lynch. In the seven months since he had lost his title, Herman had twice visited England to beat Jimmy Wilde and Jim Higgins, and in nine contests, of which he lost two to Young Montreal, he listed Willie Spencer, Young Solberg and Frankie Daly among his victims.

25 July 1921. Pete Herman w pts 15 Joe Lynch

Venue: Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: World. Referee: Patsy Haley.

Fight Summary: In what was a skilful contest rather than an exciting one, Herman (116 ¾) regained his title when taking all but three of the rounds to fully justify the unanimous decision according to the New York Times. The paper went on to say that Herman fought as though his life depended on the result, Lynch (116¾) seemingly nonplussed as he took a steady, systematic beating. Working the body to drain the champion of his strength before targeting the head enabled Herman to take the sting from his rival’s heavy right hand and to dictate matters. There were no knockdowns, but Lynch was cut on the left eye in the 13th which further hindered his progress.

Booked to meet Roy Moore in a New York title defence on 23 September, Herman made it safely through a warm-up contest against Charles Ledoux before being left without a challenger when Moore pulled out on 12 September, having damaged his right hand. A day later it was announced that the current American flyweight title claimant, Johnny Buff, would be substituting for Moore. The 29-year-old Buff, who had started out in December 1917, had run up 70 contests, comprising 21 wins, one defeat and 48 no-decisions. Having beaten Mike Ertle, Frankie Mason, Frankie Daly (2), Abe Goldstein, Young Zulu Kid, Eddie O’Dowd and Charles Ledoux, he was no pushover.

23 September 1921. Johnny Buff w pts 15 Pete Herman

Venue: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: World. Referee: Patsy Haley.

Fight Summary: As the aggressor throughout, despite often rushing in regardless, Buff (113½) shook the harder-hitting Herman (117¾) free of the title when winning the unanimous decision of the judges. Herman, who was cut over the left eye in the second session, must have sensed that he was in danger of losing the championship when staging a fast finish in the final two rounds, but in reality it was too little too late. While neither man was ever in danger of being knocked out, although Buff hit the floor in the fourth before getting up without a count, Herman, who let several opportunities slip through his hands, was a big disappointment.

10 November 1921. Johnny Buff w pts 15 Little Jackie Sharkey

Venue: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: World. Referee: Patsy Haley.

Fight Summary: Only seven weeks after winning the title, Buff (114½) proved that he wanted to be seen as a fighting champion when risking his crown against a logical and dangerous opponent such as Sharkey (116½). In winning at least 11 of the 15 rounds to land the unanimous decision, Buff set a steady pace, never relented in his assaults, and generally outworked the weight-weakened Sharkey, whose only answer was to punch back wildly. Sharkey, who was knocked over in the second from a left swing to the jaw, was always competitive but lacked the speed to put his rival on the back foot.

15 December 1921. Johnny Buff nd-l pts 10 Memphis Pal Moore

Venue: National AC, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Recognition: World.

Fight Summary:  Having to win inside the distance if he wanted to land the title, Moore (116½) had the best of the contest, his two-handed swings and uppercuts causing Buff (113½) many problems, but the champion was never at risk from the former title claimant who often slapped and lacked real power. Regardless of whether Buff was in any danger or not, he was made to appear limited as Moore, cut on the head in the seventh round, continued to make life difficult for him with his jumping-and-bobbing-about tactics right up to the final bell.

The former champion, Joe Lynch, would be next for Buff. In the 12 months since he had been shorn of his title, Lynch had won and lost against Terry Martin, won and drawn against Phil O’Dowd, and beaten Patsy Wallace, Patsy Johnson and Jimmy Mendo.

10 July 1922. Joe Lynch w rsc 14 (15) Johnny Buff.

Venue: The Velodrome, Bronx, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: World. Referee: Patsy Haley.

Fight Summary: Coming back to regain his old title Lynch (117¼) proved himself still to be a brilliant, brainy boxer with fine judgement, speed, stamina and, last but not least, a powerful puncher. It was his snappy and precise straight left that devoured Buff (113½) round after round and eventually set him up for an inside-the-distance defeat when the referee brought the contest to a halt after his corner threw the towel in after only 0.06 of the 14th had elapsed. At that stage, Buff, who had one-sidedly been beaten and had no chance of winning, was on the floor and doomed to defeat. Immediately following the contest both men were suspended by the NYSAC pending an enquiry into private financial arrangements between the pair. They were absolved of any wrong doing on 2 August.

21 August 1922. Joe Lynch w co 6 (15) Frankie Murray

Venue: Southern AC, Shreveport, Louisiana. Recognition: World. Referee: William Best

Fight Summary: In what was Shreveport’s first ever world title bout, with both men inside 118lbs, it was an exciting affair as both men went for it. Murray, who claimed to be the Canadian champion, was always looking to get one over on Lynch, and in the fourth a wild swing had the champion down for a count of ‘five’. Lynch soon put that behind him, however, before belting Murray to the floor for a count-out in the sixth.

30 November 1922. Joe Lynch nd-w pts 10 Frankie Daly

Venue: Tomlinson’s Hall, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Recognition: World.

Fight Summary: Reported by the Indianapolis Star as a title fight, with both men inside 118lbs the previous day, the champion proceeded to outbox Daly all the way, the championship never being in danger. A very average fighter who was nearly put out in the seventh and tenth rounds, Daly’s main attribute was in absorbing punishment. Apart from shaking up Lynch in the fourth with a right to the jaw he never had a look-in.

22 December 1922. Joe Lynch w pts 15 Midget Smith

Venue: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: World. Referee: William McPartland.

Fight Summary: Jabbed at will and battered from pillar to post throughout, Smith (118), cut on the left eye early, showed himself to be as game as they come when taking his medicine and coming back for more. There was no doubting that Lynch (116¾) deserved the unanimous decision as it had been very one-sided, virtually every round going to the champion, but in the eyes of the crowd he should have finished the challenger off way before the verdict was announced.

Booked to defend his title against Joe Burman on 19 October 1923, Lynch, who withdrew after being supposedly injured in an accident just two days before the contest was due to take place, was decreed by the NYSAC to have forfeited his title. Although Abe Goldstein defeated Joe Burman on 19 October 1923 to win what was thought to be the NYSAC version of the world title, just eight days later it was unclear as to the true extent of Goldstein’s title status after the NYSAC stated that they had redrafted clause V11 to read: “Ring champions who decline to defend their titles in a decision contest within the sixth-month period specified by the revised Walker Law will be suspended until such time they agree to defend”. The announcement followed a meeting with Lynch’s physician on 23 October 1923 and an acceptance that the fighter had indeed been injured and unable to defend his title.

23 January 1924. Joe Lynch nd-w co 2 (10) Paddy Owens

Venue: The Coliseum, El Dorado, Arkansas, USA. Recognition: NBA/Lineal. Referee: Frank Foster.

Fight Summary: According to the El Dorado News-Times, with both men inside the championship weight Lynch’s title was on the line. Lynch (118) obviously had no intention of losing his championship on the road, the fight being short and sweet, and ended with Owens (116) being counted out in the second round having already been decked twice earlier in the session. Lynch’s challenger, who was reported in the local papers as 20-year-old Parky Owens from Boston, was almost certainly Paddy Owens, an experienced 26-year old from the same city.

After the recently reorganised New York State Athletic Commission had voted to wipe the slate clean of all suspensions and penalties imposed prior to 13 February 1924, they announced that Lynch would have to meet Abe Goldstein in his next defence. The more than capable Goldstein had put together 103 contests, comprising 57 wins, seven draws, seven defeats and 32 no-decision affairs. Among the men he had beaten were Mike Dundee, Patsy Wallace, Tommy Murray (2), Frankie Daly (4), Earl Puryear, Frankie Genaro, Wilbur Cohen (2), Danny Edwards (2) and Joe Burman for the NYSAC version of the title.

21 March 1924. Abe Goldstein w pts 15 Joe Lynch

Venue: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: World. Referee: Jack O’Sullivan.

Fight Summary: In winning the title by a unanimous decision, Goldstein (117) boxed coolly and cleverly against a weight-weakened Lynch (117½), who was forced to take off nearly two pounds on the afternoon of the fight. It was all too much for the listless Lynch as he was outfought all the way, retreating steadily before the jabs and hooks, being on the verge of getting knocked out several times. Clearly at the end of his career, Lynch only won one of his next nine contests before retiring.

5 May 1924. Abe Goldstein nd-w pts 10 Clarence Rosen

Venue: Fair Ground Coliseum, Detroit, Michigan, USA. Recognition: World. Referee: Harry Ertle.

Fight Summary: Winning the opening eight rounds by a wide margin, the champion displayed much class and a willingness to take the fight to Rosen (116½) before upping it in the last two sessions. With Rosen hitting back the fight took off as Goldstein (117) looked to end matters, and in the tenth he had his man over three times from heavy rights to the jaw. Showing plenty of courage and toughness Rosen made it up on each occasion and was fighting back hard at the final bell. Rosen finished with both eyes cut and swollen, a lump on his forehead, his nose damaged, but pride intact. 

16 July 1924. Abe Goldstein w pts 15 Charles Ledoux

Venue: The Velodrome, Bronx, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: World. Referee: Ed Purdy.

Fight Summary: Dropped in the eighth and 14th rounds, the badly marked-up challenger showed that he was only a shadow of the once top fighter he was when making such a poor showing and being in distress from the very first round. That Goldstein (116) was unable to put Ledoux (117¾) to sleep upset the crowd, but the Frenchman had only been stopped inside the distance once in 125 previous contests. On realising that it might be a long night it was hardly surprising that Goldstein depended on his boxing to land the unanimous decision.

8 September 1924. Abe Goldstein w pts 15 Tommy Ryan

Venue: Queensboro Stadium, Queens, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: World. Referee: Patsy Haley.

Fight Summary: Boxing cautiously for the opening five rounds, Goldstein (116¾), despite being cut on the left eye in the second, got going to batter his way to a one-sided points win over the game Ryan (117), who went down to defeat on all three scorecards. With the challenger concentrating on the body, several times Goldstein had him on the verge of a kayo from right crosses. However, he was unable to find a finisher when often wild in his application.

Goldstein’s next challenger would be Eddie Martin, who despite losing in his second outing had put together 64 contests, comprising 60 wins, two draws and two defeats, and had victories over men like Charley Phil Rosenberg (2), Wilbur Cohen, Midget Smith, Bobby Wolgast and Johnny Curtin.

19 December 1924. Eddie Martin w pts 15 Abe Goldstein

Venue: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: World. Referee: Tom Sheridan.

Fight Summary: After 15 rounds of spectacular boxing all three judges voted for the tireless Martin (118), who although looking likely to lose inside the distance on occasion showed great courage and stamina to overcome the speed and defensive skills of Goldstein (117). Following the fight, on 31 December it was reported that the National Boxing Association (NBA) would not recognise Martin, who they saw as a synthetic champion despite him winning the title by right of succession.

Nicknamed ‘Cannonball’, Martin’s first NYSAC recognised defence would be against Charley Phil Rosenberg, who since turning pro in 1921 had an in-and-out record, winning just three of his first ten contests. With 23 wins, seven draws and 15 defeats on his tab, Rosenberg had drawn with Martin over ten rounds earlier in 1924 before running up ten victories, but was not really considered a threat.

20 March 1925. Charley Phil Rosenberg w pts 15 Eddie Martin

Venue: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: NY/Lineal. Referee: Patsy Haley.

Fight Summary: Amazingly, Rosenberg (116) took off 39lbs in a few weeks before surprising Martin (117) by winning the unanimous decision. Allowing the champion to make a reasonable start, and having taken a good look at him, Rosenberg pushed on in the fifth, with left jabs to the face and countering hooks to the body opening Martin up. Growing stronger as the fight progressed, the challenger began to control the action completely, and after Martin had run out of ideas there was only going to be one winner.

Although The Ring magazine continued to refer to Rosenberg as a ‘mythical’ champion, on 8 June the IBU followed the NBA in announcing that they recognised him as the title holder and expected him to defend against the best men available.

23 July 1925. Charley Phil Rosenberg w co 4 (15) Eddie Shea

Venue: The Velodrome, Bronx, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: World. Referee: Patsy Haley.

Fight Summary: Having appeared to most onlookers as being a savage affair while it lasted, the NYSAC suspended Rosenberg (118) indefinitely and Shea (117¾) for life following rumours that the latter's life had been threatened unless he ‘threw’ the fight. The fight itself saw Shea going after the champion with both hands in the opening two rounds before he was dropped twice in the third, possibly the result of a sustained body attack that weakened him considerably. Although seriously used up, Shea charged out for the fourth, and following a blistering exchange two heavy rights to the jaw sent him crashing. When the count had reached five Shea's corner threw in the towel but was ignored by the referee who continued counting to ‘ten’, the finish coming on the 0.37 mark. Due to a suspicious fluctuation in the betting odds just before the fight many thought that this had been a fix. This was debunked by one newspaperman who reported: “If this was a fake, let us have more of them”. Controversy was never far away where Rosenberg was concerned, and during the proceeding weeks he had once more been forced to drastically reduce in weight, this time by 23lbs.

On 26 October 1926, following the failure to post a forfeit for a forthcoming title defence against Bud Taylor in Chicago, Illinois, the NBA stripped Rosenberg of their version of the championship, naming the latter as champion. Somewhat surprisingly, Rosenberg then forfeited his NY title on the scales in New York when weighing in at 122½lbs for a defence against Bushy Graham. With any number of claimants such as Bud Taylor, Teddy Baldock and Bushy Graham supported in some quarters, it was not until Panama Al Brown, who had won the NYSAC version of the world title when beating Gregorio Vidal on 18 June 1929 and had been recognised as champion by the NBA since 7 October 1929 that my version of the 'world' title was once again in good hands. Prior to putting his titles on the line when meeting Johnny Erickson, the 5’9” Brown had taken part in 75 contests (59 wins, six draws, seven defeats and three no-decision bouts) since turning pro in 1922. As a fast-moving fighter with hand-speed to match he made a difficult target for opponents, and with a solid jab and fair power he had beaten Willie LaMorte, Frankie Ash, Davey Abad, Dominick Petrone, Davey Adelman, Tommy Hughes, Edouard Mascart, Eugene Criqui and Gustave Humery, as well as Kid Francis and Domenico Bernasconi. Erickson, with 25 wins, eight draws, 20 defeats and two no-decision bouts on his record, was a strange choice for Brown’s first defence, having lost his previous eight contests, albeit against top class men.

8 February 1930. Panama Al Brown w disq 4 (15) Johnny Erickson

Venue: Olympia AC, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: NBA/NY. Referee: Jack Dorman.

Fight Summary: Warned for fouling the champion in the first two rounds, Erickson (117) was eventually thrown out by the referee at 2.40 of the fourth of an uneven contest after he landed two heavy left-hand drives to the body, both of which went low. Although Brown (116½), who had used his height-and-reach advantage to great effect, wanted to carry on, the official was having none of it, recognising that Erickson had no chance of winning by fair means.

Not fully recognised in Europe, it was only when Brown signed to meet France’s Eugene Huat that the IBU gave him champion status.

4 October 1930. Panama Al Brown w pts 15 Eugene Huat

Venue: Winter Velodrome, Paris, France. Recognition: World. Referee: Moss Deyong.

Fight Summary: Prior to the tenth round Huat (117¼) had been well outboxed, having failed to put Brown (117½) under enough pressure and allowing him too much room, but for the next two sessions he gave it everything before blowing up and struggling to the final bell. For the ungainly, gangling Brown it was a relatively easy defence, and he proved to be too good for the challenger, often playing a cat and mouse game with him while picking up the points. Despite not being at his best, the decision in Brown’s favour was unanimous.

25 August 1931. Panama Al Brown w pts 15 Pete Sanstol

Venue: The Forum, Montreal, Canada. Recognition: World. Referee: John W. Clinnin.

Fight Summary: Brown (117) once again unified the title on defeating Sanstol (117) by a split decision, but it was close. The press scorecards gave seven rounds to Brown, five to Sanstol, and three even. In the main, Brown used his greater reach, fancy footwork and powerful right hand to get in the ascendancy, while the ‘Blond Bullet’, who finished strongly, bobbed and weaved to get inside where he scored well. According to The Ring Record Book, Brown weighed 119lbs to Sanstol’s 118½, which would have made the contest an over-the-weight affair, but the Montreal Daily Star categorically stated that both men made the official weight. The weights reported are those shown in the New York Times.

27 October 1931. Panama Al Brown w pts 15 Eugene Huat

Venue: The Forum, Montreal, Canada. Recognition: World. Referee: George Rivet.

Fight Summary: Even though he allowed Huat (116¾) to make the running, Brown (117) was never extended in what became too one-sided to be even interesting, the champion consistently holding the former off with his long left-hand lead before cutting loose when the challenger broke through. Towards the end, Brown was treating the contest and Huat as he would a workout, and after virtually winning every round all three judges had no difficulty in finding the decision in his favour.

10 July 1932. Panama Al Brown w pts 15 Kid Francis

Venue: Bullring Circus, Marseilles, France. Recognition: World. Referee: Carlo Lomazzi.

Fight Summary: Showing his usual nonchalance, Brown (117½) easily avoided the challenger’s rushes early on before getting his left hand working. He also brought the right into play, vicious punches crashing on his rival’s jaw. However, Francis (117) remained in the fight, crouching and swaying under Brown’s guard, but the latter’s superiority was such that it was surprising when he began to hold and push. Even when Francis managed to get inside, despite lacking power all Brown could do was to stay out of harm's way before waking up in the seventh round to plaster the former with a variety of punches. Although Francis was game, always coming back for more, Brown’s accuracy and speed was prevalent through to the final bell, the result appearing a formality. Regardless of that, it was declared a no contest after certain members of the audience took away two of the judges' scorecards by force, both of whom had voted for Brown. Justice was finally served when the IBU awarded the unanimous decision to the champion the following day.

19 September 1932. Panama Al Brown w co 1 (15) Emile Pladner

Venue: The Coliseum, Toronto, Canada. Recognition: World. Referee: Lou Marsh.

Fight Summary: Making a fast start and giving Pladner (117) no time to settle, Brown (117½) put the challenger down from a right to the jaw. Back on his feet after taking a count of ‘six’ Pladner was again sent crashing from another heavy right, being counted out at 2.21 of the opening round. 

19 March 1933. Panama Al Brown w pts 12 Domenico Bernasconi

Venue: Sports Palace, Milan, Italy. Recognition: World. Referee: Jack Hart.

Fight Summary: Although Brown (117½) was awarded seven rounds to Bernasconi’s three on the judges’ scorecards, with two even, it was not as straightforward as it appeared. In the fourth round, the champion was actually sent to his corner by the referee, who had apparently disqualified him. With the ring announcer not really understanding what had transpired, the secretary of the Italian Boxing Federation jumped into the ring and persuaded Hart to give Brown another chance as the Italians felt that winning the title by disqualification was not what they wanted. After discussions with the judges the fight got underway, and following the unanimous decision there were no protests forthcoming from Bernasconi (117½).

3 July 1933. Panama Al Brown w pts 15 Johnny King

Venue: King’s Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, England. Recognition: World. Referee: Jack Dare.

Fight Summary: Knocked down in the second, third, fifth, seventh and eighth rounds from heavy counters, King (117¾) looked spent, but in the ninth session he found renewed strength to tear into Brown (117) with a vengeance. Subsequently, it was all King, despite him being momentarily knocked down again in the 11th. From there on all the champion did was to flagrantly hold his man throughout the rest of the contest on his way to an unpopular referee’s decision. There were many who thought that the elongated 5’11” Brown should have been disqualified, but their views fell on deaf ears.

Continuing to remain in Europe, and following the breakdown in negotiations for a proposed February defence against Speedy Dado in Paris, the Californian Boxing Commission eventually ran out of patience with Brown, stating that they would probably recognise the winner of a forthcoming State title fight between Dado and Young Tommy as being the world champion.

19 February 1934. Panama Al Brown w pts 15 Young Perez

Venue: Sports Palace, Paris, France. Recognition: IBU/NBA/NY/Lineal. Referee: Teodoro Mario.

Fight Summary: Unable to get to the champion, Perez (117) was outclassed, winning just two rounds, while Brown (117) appeared uninterested in a kayo win, merely being content to jab and move through to the final bell in order to collect the judges’ unanimous verdict. Even when Perez did manage to give it a go, especially in the fourth and ninth rounds, Brown quickly got back in charge, scoring plenty of points with monotonous regularity but doing little damage.

With Montreal wanting Brown to meet Sixto Escobar being followed by the news that the NYSAC and NBA would both recognise a fight between the winner and Salica as deciding the title, Brown was now only supported by the IBU.

1 November 1934. Panama Al Brown w co 10 (15) Young Perez

Venue: Belvedere Stadium, Tunis, Tunisia. Recognition: IBU/Lineal. Referee: Mario De Fante.

Fight Summary: As in their first fight, the champion merely adopted his usual tactics of pecking away with both hands at the shorter Perez (116). Still, the end came as a surprise when Perez suddenly went to his corner in the tenth complaining that Brown (116½) had butted him in the liver when to all and sundry it appeared that it was a heavy blow that landed just above the liver. When the referee ordered Perez to continue, the latter refused before being counted out.

The tough, uncompromising Baltasar Sangchilli would be Brown’s next challenger, having recently outpointed the latter in a non-title fight. Bringing to the ring a 77-fight record, which showed 57 wins, ten draws and ten defeats, Sangchilli had marked up wins over men such as Young Perez (2), Victor Ferrand (2) and Kid David.

1 June 1935. Baltasar Sangchilli w pts 15 Panama Al Brown

Venue: The Bullring, Valencia, Spain. Recognition: IBU/Lineal. Referee: Rene Schemann.

Scorecard: 13-2.

Fight Summary: Postponed from the previous week when torrential rain made it impossible for the fighters to start, Brown (117¾) suffered the most from the postponement due to weight-making problems, being only a shadow of his self on the night. Understandably weak, at no stage did the champion look likely to win, spending much of the time spoiling, while Sangchilli (118) fought with great gusto to become Spain’s first ever world champion on receiving the decision.

On beating Brown but not being accepted by the NBA as champion, Sangchilli was supported by The Ring magazine who saw him as the rightful world champion. Eventually, Sangchilli set sail for America in March 1936 with a view to meeting Sixto Escobar to decide the championship. With Escobar unavailable, Sangchilli won two warm-up fights before being matched against Tony Marino, who had recently shocked Lou Salica (w pts 10 at the Queensboro Stadium, Queens, NYC, New York on 2 June 1936). The brother of Tommy Ryan, a former bantamweight challenger, Marino had a patchy record of 23 wins, two draws and 11 defeats. However, he had beaten Frisco Grande, Joey Ross and Bobby Olivas, and had gone 12 unbeaten after turning pro in 1930. Extremely competitive, Marino would look to outwork Sangchilli.

29 June 1936. Tony Marino w co 14 (15) Baltasar Sangchilli

Venue: Dyckman Oval, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: Lineal.

Fight Summary: Although it was a contest that could not be given title billing as the NYSAC already supported Sixto Escobar as their title holder, it went ahead under championship conditions for the lineal title. Floored for ‘seven’ in the opening session was not the best of starts for Marino (115½), but showing plenty of good movement and ringcraft he kept out of harm’s way until the seventh when he was put through the ropes and cut over the right eye. Despite giving it a real go in the eighth he was dropped twice, the last count being for ‘nine’. Although Marino, behind on the cards, continued to stay in the fight he appeared to have punched himself out until a left hook to the body followed by a solid right to the jaw put Sangchilli (117½) down to be counted out at 1.43 of the 14th round.

Following his win over Sangchilli, the next man up for Marino was Sixto Escobar, who was recognised as champion by the NBA and the NYSAC, having defeated Lou Salica. Despite having a spotty record of 28 wins, two draws and 11 defeats since turning pro in 1930, Escobar had come good when beating men such as Pedro Ruiz, Bobby Leitham (2), Joey Archibald (2), Rodolfo Casanova, Eugene Huat and Pete Sanstol, the last three named for the Montreal version of the title. He had also won and lost to Simon Chavez.

31 August 1936. Sixto Escobar w rsc 13 (15) Tony Marino

Venue: Dyckman Oval, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: NBA/NY/Lineal. Referee: Billy Cavanagh.

Fight Summary: Dropped five times in the second round from heavy right-hand smashes to the jaw, somehow Marino (115¼) kept going against all odds until the referee pulled him out of the contest during the interval following the 13th, with both of his eyes cut and blood pouring from nose injuries. While Escobar (117½) proved to be a fighting champion with the punch of mule this was the end of Marino’s world title aspirations. Just six fights later, on 30 January 1937, at Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, NYC, having collapsed after being beaten over eight rounds by Indian Quintana he died from a cerebral haemorrhage two days later.

13 October 1936. Sixto Escobar w co 1 (15) Indian Quintana

Venue: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: NBA/NY/Lineal. Referee: Arthur Donovan.

Fight Summary: The fight had hardly started when Escobar (118) landed a terrific right-hander on the challenger’s jaw, a punch that finished the contest there and then. Worryingly, Quintana (117½), who was counted out on the 1.49 mark, was in a coma for over an hour before he came round.

21 February 1937. Sixto Escobar w pts 15 Lou Salica

Venue: Escambron Beach Baseball Park, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Recognition: NBA/NY/Lineal. Referee: Jack Dempsey.

Fight Summary: In what was Puerto Rico’s first world title fight, there was no let-up in the action as both boys went at it from start to finish like gamecocks. Although the unanimous decision favoured Escobar (117½), who suffered an injured right eye, there were no knockdowns, and the challenger, Salica (116¾), was always in the fight. There was never much between them, despite Salica taking the engagement at short notice.

Harry Jeffra, who would be Escobar’s next challenger, was a man who had twice outpointed him over ten rounds in non-title bouts. In 49 fights, Jeffra had won 45, drawn one and lost three, but apart from Lloyd Pine, Ruby Bradley and Escobar he had few well-known opponents on his record.

23 September 1937. Harry Jeffra w pts 15 Sixto Escobar

Venue: Polo Grounds, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: NBA/NY/Lineal. Referee: Frank Fullam.

Fight Summary: Having already beaten Escobar (117¼) on points twice previously in non-title bouts, Jeffra (116½) used his left hand to perfection, jabbing and moving at speed to win the points while making himself a difficult target. With Escobar continually looking for an opening to land a knockout punch rather than keeping busy, the challenger, who it was thought would be weakened by weight-making, just kept going.

With a return fight against Escobar just around the corner Jeffra took in five non-title bouts in preparation, even losing to Panchito Villa with just seven weeks to go, while Escobar drew with Johnny DeFoe during the same period.

20 February 1938. Sixto Escobar w pts 15 Harry Jeffra

Venue: Escambron Beach Baseball Park, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Recognition: NBA/NY/Lineal. Referee: Johnny McAvoy.

Fight Summary: Learning from his mistakes of their previous fight, from the eighth round onwards Escobar (117¾) forced the action to win the unanimous decision by a wide margin. Prior to then it had been an even contest, but once the challenger tasted victory following the effects of a terrific right-hand blow to Jeffra’s jaw in the eighth the end never looked far away. How Jeffra (117¾) made it to the final bell only he knew as he was dropped for three counts of 'nine', cut up around the right eye, and suffered a double dislocation of the jaw.

During an international boxing convention held in Rome, Italy, which was concluded on 20 April, the IBU agreed to recognise Escobar, not Panama Al Brown who had beaten Baltasar Sangchilli in a so-called title contest, as world champion.

2 April 1939. Sixto Escobar w pts 15 KO Morgan

Venue: Escambron Beach Baseball Park, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Recognition: World. Referee: Pablo Albanese.

Fight Summary: Over 15 hectic rounds, Morgan (117¾) proved to be as game as they come. Several times on the verge of being kayoed, especially in the tenth when he seemed all-in under a body attack, Morgan came back strongly to survive. There was no doubt that Escobar (118), who had the challenger down in the eighth, was a worthy winner of the unanimous decision, an analysis of the fight showing him to be a two-to-one victor over his opponent on clean, solid hits.

The Morgan fight virtually signalled the end for Escobar as a top-class fighting machine, losing three of his next four contests, and he eventually relinquished the title on 27 October due to weight-making difficulties following a ten-round points defeat at the hands of the 120lbs Tony Olivera. It was only when the NBA champion, Georgie Pace, defended his title against Lou Salica, who was seen by the NYSAC as their representative, that my version of the 'world' title was again at stake. A former champion, having held Californian, beating Pablo Dano, and NYSAC and NBA versions of the title, defeating Sixto Escobar, Salica had a great jab and was a clever all-round fighter who had a record of 49 wins, ten draws and nine defeats in a career that started in 1932. Prior to the contest, Pace had put together 11 consecutive wins and had been handed the NBA title on 2 November after beating Henry Hook. With a record showing 23 wins and eight defeats, Pace had actually lost seven of his initial 13 bouts.

4 March 1940. Georgie Pace drew 15 Lou Salica

Venue: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada. Recognition: NBA/NY. Referee: Billy Burke.

Fight Summary: With the veteran Salica swarming two-handedly into the attack, most of the fans thought that he had done enough in what was a hard-fought contest for the vacant title, but all three judges disagreed when making it a draw. While all agreed it had been a close-run thing, those sitting ringside had a different perspective on who won, believing Pace’s telling counters gave him the edge. Having retained his title under the auspices of the NBA, and in an effort to help clear up the title mess, Pace (118) agreed to give Salica (118) a rematch later in the year, this time in New York. Interestingly, for the above contest, The Ring Record Book recorded that Pace came in over the weight at 118¼lbs, while the Toronto Daily Star reported that both men were spot on the championship weight.

With the two men matched in a return, once again the NYSAC, NBA and my version of the 'world' title were on the line. Since the above bout, Salica had drawn with Jackie Callura, while Pace had defeated Pablo Dano and Lawrence Gunn.

24 September 1940. Lou Salica w pts 15 Georgie Pace

Venue: The Coliseum, Bronx, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: NBA/NY. Referee: Eddie Joseph.

Fight Summary: Contesting the vacant title for the second time, the two men were initially wary of each other. However, following a slow start Salica (117½) gradually forged his way to the front over the last third, using steady two-handed body attacks interspersed with sharp rights to the head to decide matters. The counter-punching Pace (117½) had some successes, especially early on, when making Salica miss before picking him off with sharp lefts, but after being generally outworked the split points verdict went against him. There were no knockdowns.

2 December 1940. Lou Salica w rsc 3 (15) Small Montana

Venue: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada. Recognition: NBA/NY. Referee: Billy Burke.

Fight Summary: Salica (118) soon got down to work, his second right-hand blow to the body flooring Montana (114), who was then decked a further ten times before being rescued by the referee at 1.30 in the third round. Surprisingly, in between the knockdowns the challenger outboxed Salica, making him miss badly. Following a post-fight investigation and X-rays, which showed no sign of fractured or broken ribs, the doctor advised that it was a torn muscle which had caused Montana’s downfall. As far as The Ring magazine was concerned it was only a portion of the title that Salica defended.

​

3 February 1987. Bernardo Pinango w pts 15 Frankie Duarte

Venue: Inglewood Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA. Recognition: WBA/Lineal. Referee: Hubert Earle.

Scorecards: 142-141, 143-140, 145-140.

Fight Summary: Coming back from a three-year absence due to drug and alcohol abuse, Duarte (117¾) put up a game performance. Having been cut over the right eye in the third and over the left eye in the tenth, Duarte floored Pinango (118) in the 12th and gave him all kinds of problems. The trouble for the champion was that although he gained points through good work in attack and defence he was deducted three points for low blows, which made the contest appear closer than it was.

Due to defend against Takuya Muguruma, Pinango decided to relinquish the WBA title on 15 March, just two weeks before the fight, being replaced by his stablemate, Azael Moran, at short notice. The lineal title was also automatically vacated. The next fight to involve my version of the 'world' title came when the top-rated Raul Perez defended his WBC title against the second-ranked Gaby Canizales on 22 January 1990. Perez had been a pro since 1984 with 45 (28 inside the distance) wins, one technical draw and one defeat on his record, and was known as ‘The Thin One’ at 5’10” tall. Having shown himself to be a hard hitter, stopping 18 of his first 21 opponents, he had won the WBC title when defeating Miguel Lora before successfully defending the belt against Lucio Lopez, Cardenio Ulloa and Diego Avila. A former WBA champion, who had lifted the title from the head of Richie Sandoval, Canizales, who was beaten in his first defence by Pinango, had a record of 45 wins and six defeats.

22 January 1990. Raul Perez w pts 12 Gaby Canizales

Venue: Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Vince Delgado.

Scorecards: 119-109, 116-102, 117-109.

Fight Summary: Yet again enjoying a tremendous reach advantage, Perez (117½) kept the left jab going all night, with Canizales (116¼) having great difficulty in avoiding it. In the final third of the contest the champion smashed in several heavy rights, but still Canizales stayed on his feet. Continuing to be outboxed, Canizales proved there was nothing wrong with his heart when making it to the end without much to show for it.

7 May 1990. Raul Perez w rsc 9 Gerardo Martinez

Venue: Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Henry Elesperu.

Fight Summary: Retaining the title for the fifth time, Perez (117) once again got the left jab working while banging in chopping rights that gradually wore Martinez (118) down. All the challenger could do was to charge in, and during the ninth round when running out of steam and badly swollen on the left side of his face he was put down twice from combination punches before being rescued by the third man on the 2.59 mark.

14 September 1990. Raul Perez drew 12 Jose Valdez

Venue: Sinaloense Bullring, Culiacan, Mexico. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Carlos Padilla.

Scorecards: 116-115, 112-117, 115-114.

Fight Summary: In a very tight contest the southpaw challenger, Valdez (117¼), proved that he deserved another title shot when running Perez (117¼) close. Both men were guilty of holding, often tying each other up, but Perez, who possessed the better boxing skills, should have kept the challenger at bay more often. The last three rounds contained the most action, Perez attacking the body while Valdez looked to get off combinations.

17 December 1990. Raul Perez w co 8 Candelario Carmona

Venue: The Auditorium, Tijuana, Mexico. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Guillermo Ayon.

Fight Summary: Cut on the left eye early on, the challenger stayed on the back foot while having no idea as how to back Perez (118) up, thus making it a fairly easy defence for the champion. By the eighth round, Carmona (118) had run out of ideas, and on being dropped more from the accumulation of punches rather than a single shot he was counted out at 2.17 of the session.

Perez’s next challenger would be Greg Richardson, who had a record showing 27 wins and four defeats. Ranked at number eight, the fast and slick Richardson had wins over Felix Marquez, Harold Petty, Alfonso Lopez, Oscar Muniz, Gaby Ganizales, Elly Pical and Eddie Rangel, and although he had lost to Jeff Fenech for the WBC junior featherweight title he was much more at home among the bantams.

25 February 1991. Greg Richardson w pts 12 Raul Perez

Venue: Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Vince Delgado.

Scorecards: 116-112, 115-113, 115-113.

Fight Summary: The 33-year-old Richardson (116½) dominated from start to finish as Perez’s reign fizzled out, continually catching his man with a dazzling array of sharp counters. Looking to dictate on the front foot, Perez (118) failed to nail the American and ended up well beaten.

20 May 1991. Greg Richardson w pts 12 Victor Rabanales

Venue: Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Lou Filippo.

Scorecards: 115-111, 117-112, 113-115.

Fight Summary: It was a fight of two halves, the first part being totally dominated by Richardson (118) who used his six-inch-reach advantage to perfection to keep the aggressive Rabanales (117) at bay, and the latter part by the challenger. Having been cut over the right eye following a butt, Richardson was subjected to a non-stop war of attrition as the Mexican got inside and stayed there. Although losing two points for indiscretions, Rabanales looked a good winner according to the fans but not by the men who counted - the judges.

The next challenger for Richardson would be the unranked Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, who had only turned pro in September 1989 and had participated in just seven contests. With six (five inside the distance) wins and a draw against Abraham Torres he had already become a crowd pleaser in Japan, his all-action style coupled to knockout power keeping fans on the edge of their seats.  

19 September 1991. Joichiro Tatsuyoshi w rtd 10 Greg Richardson

Venue: Moriguchi City Gym, Tokyo, Japan. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Tony Perez.

Fight Summary: After a fairly measured start, Tatsuyoshi (117¼) decided to work the body to slow the older man down, and while Richardson (116) came back strongly in the seventh round to batter the challenger to the head he was soon a spent force. When Tatsuyoshi attacked Richardson from head to body in the tenth session, although it seemed that the latter would keel over he somehow made it back to his corner where he was retired at the end of the round.

Sometime after the fight when it was discovered that Tatsuyoshi had suffered a ruptured retina it was widely reported that he would be forced to retire. On that basis, the WBC set up a match between Victor Rabanales and Yong-Hoon Lee to decide the vacant title. However, when it was heard that the doctors were hopeful of Tatsuyoshi returning to action in the not too distant future, Rabanales v Lee was retrospectively recognised as having being for the ‘interim’ title. Contested on 30 March 1992, at the Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA, Rabanales won on a ninth-round technical decision after he had been accidentally cut following a head clash. Rabanales then went on to defend the ‘interim’ title twice more before Tatsuyoshi was fit to box again, defeating Luis Alberto Ocampo (w rsc 4 at the Bullring, Tuxtla, Mexico on 16 May 1992) and Chang-Kyun Oh (w pts 12 at the Great Western Forum on 27 July 1992). With 34 wins, two draws and ten defeats on his record, the tough, hard-working Rabanales had been a pro since August 1983 and had already been beaten by Greg Richardson in an unsuccessful tilt at the title.

17 September 1992. Victor Rabanales w rsc 9 Joichiro Tatsuyoshi

Venue: Castle Hall, Osaka, Japan. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Richard Steele.

Fight Summary: Having come back after surgery to correct an eye problem, Tatsuyoshi (117¼) started quite well before succumbing to body punches and being rescued by the referee after 79 seconds of the ninth round had been clocked. Both men had scored well to the body throughout, but it was Rabanales (117½) who came out on top.

25 January 1993. Victor Rabanales w pts 12 Dadoy Andujar

Venue: Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Rudy Ortega.

Scorecards: 116-113, 117-111, 118-110.

Fight Summary: Knowing only one way to fight, the rugged Rabanales (118), blood streaming from both eyes, ground out a gruelling points victory over the game Andujar (118), who was also decidedly marked up at the finish. It was not pretty to watch, but both men gave it everything and more, and the scoreline was hardly a true reflection of the Filipino’s wonderful efforts.

Rabanales’ next defence would be against Jung-Il Byun, a hard-hitting southpaw who had caused a stir at the 1988 Olympic Games when he refused to leave the ring after losing. Turning pro in February 1990 he had run up eight wins, but as an unranked fighter it was a major surprise when he was given a shot at the title.

28 March 1993. Jung-Il Byun w pts 12 Victor Rabanales

Venue: Hyundai Hotel, Kyongju, South Korea. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Lou Filippo.

Scorecards: 117-112, 115-113, 117-111.

Fight Summary: Despite having limited experience, Byun (117¾), a southpaw, boxed impressively to take the first six rounds when countering the lunging Rabanales (116¾) with accurate punches. Byun then took a breather for two or three rounds as the champion came on strongly. Following that, Byun came back to take over, scoring with big straight lefts as he marched on to victory.

28 May 1993. Jung-Il Byun w pts 12 Josefino Suarez

Venue: Inter-Continental Hotel, Seoul, South Korea. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Richard Steele.

Scorecards: 120-104, 120-106, 119-109.

Fight Summary: Looking for a fast start, the southpaw champion dropped Suarez (116¾) with a cracking left in the opening round. However, from then on, although winning handsomely, Byun (117¾) appeared to lack the power to take out the teak-tough, stationary Mexican who absorbed punishment throughout.

When it was clear that Byun would be unable to defend his WBC title due to an injured hand, Joichiro Tatsuyoshi outpointed Victor Rabanales over 12 rounds at the Prefectural Gym, Osaka, Japan on 22 July in a battle to decide the ‘interim’ title, but on Byun's return to the ring it was another Japanese fighter, Yasuei Yakushiji, who challenged him due to Tatsuyoshi being banned by the Japanese Boxing Commission after they became dissatisfied with his eye condition. However, they later relented when making a ‘special ruling’ that he could participate in Japan as long as the contest carried a world title label. The unranked Yakushiji had participated in 22 contests, winning 19, drawing one and losing two, and had put together a winning run of 16, which included 14 inside-the-distance victories. He had also won the Japanese title.

23 December 1993. Yasuei Yakushiji w pts 12 Jung-Il Byun

Venue: Aichi Prefectural Gym, Nagoya, Japan. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Tony Perez.

Scorecards: 115-113, 116-115, 113-115.

Fight Summary: In a very close contest which was difficult to score, Yakushiji (117½) beat Byun (118) after impressing the judges that his aggressive tactics had overcome the accuracy of the southpaw champion’s blows. There were no knockdowns as the contest swayed first one way and then the other, and following the result the South Korean Boxing Commission made an official protest to the WBC, who, although recognising the decision, agreed that a return was warranted.

16 April 1994. Yasuei Yakushiji w co 10 Josefino Suarez

Venue:  Inae Sports Centre, Nagoya, Japan. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Carlos Padilla.

Fight Summary: Prior to round six, Yakushiji (117¾) had not really imposed himself on Suarez (116¾), but after gaining control despite suffering a cut over the left eye he steadily piled up the points with the straight right working well in his favour. Meanwhile, the challenger was always dangerous with his attacks to the body. Then having absorbed a solid right to the head in the tenth Yakushiji got down to business in that area himself, dropping Suarez for the full count on the 2.21 mark.

31 July 1994. Yasuei Yakushiji w rsc 11 Jung-Il Byun

Venue: Aichi Prefectural Gym, Nagoya, Japan. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Lou Filippo.

Fight Summary: In a return match, Yakushiji (117½) belted the southpaw Byun (118) to the canvas on five occasions, once in the first, third and tenth, and twice in the 11th, before the referee stopped the contest on the 52-second mark with the latter on his feet but not fit to continue. Immediately prior to the stoppage, Byun’s corner had thrown in the towel when it had become patently obvious that their man could not carry on much longer. The champion was the bigger puncher of the two, but the challenger also had some success, always being a danger while the fight lasted.

4 December 1994. Yasuei Yakushiji w pts 12 Joichiro Tatsuyoshi

Venue: Rainbow Hall, Nagoya, Japan. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Richard Steele.

Scorecards: 116-112, 115-114, 114-114.

Fight Summary: Despite having suffered a pair of detached retinas, Tatsuyoshi (117¼), the ‘interim’ title holder and former undefeated champion, was beaten by Yakushiji (117¾) on a split decision in what was Japan’s ‘Fight of the Year’. Both men made a fast start, jabbing away, before getting to close quarters and letting the punches go until the pace, and wear and tear took effect. Despite being cut near the right eye, Yakushiji came on strongly in the sixth to take control before the challenger, his left eye almost closed, came with a late run to take three of the last four sessions to almost close the gap in what had been a desperate struggle for supremacy.

2 April 1995. Yasuei Yakushiji w pts 12 Cuahtemoc Gomez

Venue: Rainbow Hall, Nagoya, Japan. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Frank Cappuccino.

Scorecards: 116-112, 117-111, 114-114.

Fight Summary: Five inches taller than the challenger, Yakushiji (117¾) immediately made his man pay with the jab before opening up in rounds three and four and getting countered with right hands over the top. Following that experience Yakushiji went back to his superior skill in an effort to quell the aggression coming his way, outboxing Gomez (117½) in five of the last eight sessions. Gomez might have done better had he thrown combinations rather than single shots.

Known as ‘The Pocket Rocket’, Wayne McCullough would be Yakushiji’s next challenger. Having won a silver medal at the 1992 Olympic Games, he turned pro in 1993 and was undefeated after 16 contests, with 13 of them ending inside the distance. A two-fisted, all-action fighter, McCullough had beaten Jerome Coffee, Victor Rabanales and Fabrice Benichou, and had a number three ranking.

30 July 1995. Wayne McCullough w pts 12 Yasuei Yakushiji

Venue: Aichi Prefectural Gym, Nagoya, Japan. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Joe Cortez.

Scorecards: 118-110, 116-113, 115-116.

Fight Summary: Both men started fast and initially sustained the pace, the jabs and rights over the top from McCullough (117¾) against the long jab of the champion who was determined not to be pushed back. As the fight progressed, however, it was noticeable that Yakushiji (118), despite fighting back, was being forced to concede ground more and more, while the Irishman appeared to be getting stronger as he sailed through the rounds. Only in the latter stages when cut on the right eye did McCullough slow to any degree, but by then he had done more than enough to become the first Briton to win a world title in Japan.

2 December 1995. Wayne McCullough w rsc 8 Johnny Bredahl

Venue: King’s Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Lupe Garcia.

Fight Summary: Although making a fair start over the first couple of rounds the challenger was soon being hunted down, and once McCullough (117½) found the range in the fifth it was just a matter of time. At that point Bredahl (116¾), who was hardly able to see out of his left eye, was literally running from McCullough who sensed that victory was just around the corner. The contest was eventually called off at 1.55 of the eighth after Bredahl had failed to heed the referee’s earlier warning that he needed to start throwing punches or be turfed out.

30 March 1996. Wayne McCullough w pts 12 Jose Luis Bueno

Venue: Point Depot, Dublin, Ireland. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Lou Filippo.

Scorecards: 118-114, 116-112, 113-116.

Fight Summary: While superior work-rate kept the weight-drained McCullough (118) ahead for nine rounds despite suffering damage to an eardrum in the second, Bueno (118) had been getting in to the fight more and more. The Mexican really came on strongly in the latter stages to make it exceedingly close when firing in big right hands. By now tiring rapidly the champion took a lot of heavy shots from Bueno in that period, but showing great resolve he produced a massive effort to take the 12th session and with it the split decision.

McCullough stated that win, lose or draw he was relinquishing the WBC title when challenging Daniel Zaragoza on 11 January 1997 for the WBC junior featherweight crown, and following his defeat the WBC title were also automatically vacated. My version of the 'world' title would next be contested when the top-rated Tim Austin’s tenth defence of the IBF title he had won from Mbulelo Botile on 19 July 1997 would be against the fourth-ranked Rafael Marquez. Having defeated Botile, Austin had successfully defended the title against Paul Lloyd, Andrian Kaspari, Sergio Aguila, Bernardo Mendoza, Arthur Johnson, Jesus Salvador Perez, Steve Dotse, Ratanachai Singwancha and Adan Vargas. A southpaw with 25 wins and a technical draw on his slate, Austin had been a pro since 1993, whereas Marquez had turned to the paid ranks two years later. A compact and solid fighter with a big right hand, Marquez had won 28 (26 inside the distance) contests and lost three, and had beaten Aquiles Guzman, Gerardo Espinoza, Marc Johnson (twice), the second time being an IBF eliminator, and Jorge Otero.

15 February 2003. Rafael Marquez w rsc 8 Tim Austin

Venue:  Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Vic Drakulich.

Fight Summary: Although he started reasonably well, Austin (118) grew wary of the hard-hitting Marquez (118), who then surprisingly faded in the fifth through to the seventh as he came under pressure from the champion’s jab. The eighth turned out to be the most exciting round of the fight as both slammed away at each other, and both were hurt before Marquez got the upper hand when a left hook and a right put Austin down. After taking a long count (Austin was officially up at ‘nine’), the latter was being pounded by the wild-swinging Marquez before the referee had seen enough, rescuing him at 1.18 of the round.

4 October 2003. Rafael Marquez w pts 12 Mauricio Pastrana

Venue: Staples Centre, Los Angeles, California, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Jon Schorle.

Scorecards: 118-110, 118-110, 117-111.

Fight Summary: Much too fast for Pastrana (116½), the compact little Marquez (117) kept on top of his rival who mainly stayed on the outside in order to keep out of harm's way. Sent stumbling in the seventh, Pastrana took more heavy blows from the champion in the eighth before giving it all he had in the last two sessions, only to be repeatedly hurt by body shots.

31 January 2004. Rafael Marquez w rsc 2 Pete Frissina

Venue: Dodge Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Raul Caiz Jnr.

Fight Summary: Coming out in aggressive fashion, the challenger initially met Marquez (117¾) blow for blow until a four-punch combination followed by a straight right dumped him. Although dazed he made it to his feet before he was sent sprawling again and saved by the bell. Still intent on fighting his way back into it Frissina (118) continued to plough forward, but Marquez had his number in every department, picking him off with good jabs prior to driving him back against the ropes. With Frissina in real difficulty, the referee stopped it after just 22 seconds of the second round had elapsed.

31 July 2004. Rafael Marquez w rsc 3 Heriberto Ruiz

Venue: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Tony Weeks.

Fight Summary: With little happening following two rounds of inaction, and the crowd preparing itself for a long drawn out battle of wits, the contest was suddenly over at 2.11 of the third. It came about after the champion missed with a left hook and was countered by a similar punch from Ruiz (118). However, just as that was landing, Ruiz was himself nailed by a tremendous right uppercut to the jaw from Marquez (118) that dropped him face down on the canvas. Although it was clearly a kayo the referee did not even bother to count, immediately bringing the contest to a conclusion in order that Ruiz could receive attention.

27 November 2004. Rafael Marquez w rtd 8 Mauricio Pastrana

Venue:  MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Robert Byrd.

Fight Summary: Although shaken up by Marquez (118) following a couple of solid blows in the opener, the challenger nearly floored the latter with a cracking right in the third. Unfortunately, Pastrana (117) was cut over the left eye in the same round, but it did not stop his forward march when giving Marquez plenty to think about until it began to become a bit one-sided by the seventh. From there on Marquez’s power-laden blows started to have an effect, and although Pastrana remained upright he was taking a fair amount of punishment before being retired at the end of the eighth, complaining of a damaged left arm.

28 May 2005. Rafael Marquez w pts 12 Ricardo Vargas

Venue: Staples Centre, Los Angeles, California, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Pat Russell.

Scorecards: 118-109, 116-111, 116-111.

Fight Summary: Looking to win quickly, Marquez (116½) was ultimately given a bit of a test against a challenger who was happy to dart in behind the southpaw lead and fire off right-lefts to head and body whenever he saw the opportunity. Although he was taking a fair few punches, Vargas (118) was always coming back with his own brand before taking a breather in the ninth after being cut over the right eye. With Marquez upping the pace in the tenth and 11th rounds Vargas was forced to back off to some degree, and when he was eventually put down in the final session after running into a fusillade of blows most fans thought that was it. But back he came, trading with Marquez right through to the bell to earn the appreciation of the crowd.

5 November 2005. Rafael Marquez w rsc 4 Silence Mabuza

Venue: Caesar’s Palace, Lake Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Norm Budden.

Fight Summary: The fight had barely started when a big left hook dropped Mabuza (118), and although the challenger made it to the end of the round he was still dazed upon returning to his corner. Despite taking some hefty blows from Marquez (118) in the next couple of sessions it looked as though Mabuza was gradually beginning to find his way towards the end of the third, but in the fourth the situation became even more tenuous for the South African after he was cut on the left cheek. Realising it was his last chance Mabuza went toe-to-toe with Marquez, but after being badly cut over the right eye following a fierce exchange the referee, on the advice of the doctor, pulled him out of the fight on the 2.08 mark.

5 August 2006. Rafael Marquez w rtd 9 Silence Mabuza

Venue: Montbleu Resort Casino, Stateline, Nevada, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Tony Weeks.

Fight Summary: Making his seventh defence, and a return contest, Marquez (118) moved into an early lead before Mabuza (117½) picked it up in the third through to the fifth with solid shots from head to body. Getting back into the swing of things in the sixth, Marquez reverted to type when opening up a cut under Mabuza's left eye in the eighth before battering the latter with incessant left and rights throughout the ninth. The contest ended at the end of the ninth when Mabuza's corner pulled him out.

Marquez vacated the IBF title on 16 March 2007, having become the WBC junior featherweight champion on 3 March 2007. My version of the 'world' title next became available when the WBO’s Fernando Montiel met Hozumi Hasegawa, the WBC champion, in a unification contest on 30 April 2010. Having beaten Veeraphol Sahaprom to lift the WBC title on 16 April 2005, Hasegawa, a hard-hitting southpaw, had successfully defended the belt against Gerardo Martinez, Sahaprom, Genaro Garcia, Simpiwe Vetyeka, Simone Maludrottu, Cristian Faccio, Alejandro Valdez, Vusi Malinga, Nestor Rocha and Alvaro Perez, and sported a record showing 28 wins and two losses. Having been an undefeated WBO flyweight champion and having two spells as the WBO junior bantamweight title holder, Montiel had made one defence of the WBO bantam title he had been handed on 25 April 2009, against Ciso Morales. With a record of 41 wins, two draws, which included one of the technical variety, and two defeats he still had plenty left.

30 April 2010. Fernando Montiel w rsc 4 Hozumi Hasegawa

Venue: Nihon Budokan Arena, Tokyo, Japan. Recognition: WBC/WBO. Referee: Laurence Cole.

Fight Summary: This was a battle between the WBC champion, Hasegawa (117¾), and the WBO title holder, Montiel (118), and it was the latter who picked up both belts when stopping his rival on away territory. Up until then it had been a clever contest, with Hasegawa moving in on Montiel with solid southpaw right-lefts, while the three-weight WBO champion used clever movement to avert trouble. After missing badly in the fourth, Hasegawa was caught by a short left hook and, following a similar shot that sent him into the ropes, Montiel quickly unleashed further heavy blows from both hands that sent the Japanese fighter tottering. With Montiel hammering in blow after blow against the defenceless Hasegawa the referee intervened on the 2.59 mark.

17 July 2010. Fernando Montiel w rsc 3 Rafael Concepcion

Venue:  Fairground Stockade, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico. Recognition: WBC/WBO. Referee: Robert Byrd.

Fight Summary: Putting both of his championship belts on the line against Concepcion (118), the champion proved yet again how good he was when stopping his man inside three rounds. Montiel (118) had been scheduled to meet Eric Morel, the mandatory challenger, but when the latter pulled out several weeks earlier Concepcion stepped in. Although there was not a lot of activity in the opener within moments of the bell ringing to start the second a solid left hook had Concepcion down, and upon getting up he was again floored by the same punch. Obviously hurt, Concepcion tried to last out the round by holding on to Montiel, only to be deducted a point for the transgression. Into the third, extremely wary of Montiel's left, Concepcion failed to spot the two heavy rights that sent him crashing and saw the referee stop the contest at 1.07 of the session to allow immediate medical attention to be administered.

Montiel’s next defence would be against Nonito Donaire, the former undefeated IBF flyweight champion with 25 wins and one defeat on his record. An aggressive fighter who was always looking to get power punches off, since moving up to 118lbs he had beaten Wladimir Sidorenko to earn himself a number five rating.

19 February 2011. Nonito Donaire w rsc 2 Fernando Montiel

Venue: Mandalay Bay Events Centre, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: WBC/WBO. Referee: Russell Mora.

Fight Summary: In a battle between the WBC/WBO champion, Montiel (118), and Donaire (118, it was the latter who came out on top when stopping his Mexican opponent in the second round. Having taken some good shots in the opener, and showing no signs of things to come, when Montiel stepped into Donaire in the second and was countered by a cracking left hook that landed to the side of his face he was sent crashing. Somehow managing to make it to his feet immediately prior to the count of 'ten', although Montiel was allowed to continue the moment he was caught again by a left-right the referee stopped the fight with 35 seconds of the session remaining. On winning, Donaire became a two-weight world champion.

22 October 2011. Nonito Donaire w pts 12 Omar Narvaez

Venue: WaMu Theatre, MSG, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: WBC/WBO. Referee: Benjy Esteves Jnr.

Scorecards: 120-108, 120-108, 120-108.

Fight Summary: Winning every round on the cards against Narvaez (117), his two championship belts on the line, Donaire (116½) was unable to finish the fight early as his little southpaw challenger made life difficult for him by remaining on the back foot throughout. Having hurt Narvaez in the fourth with some solid shots, Donaire was unable to get many more chances again. The veteran of 21 successful world championship defences at fly and junior bantam, Narvaez was always on the move. Even when Donaire landed heavily to the body in the eighth he was warned for going low, something he disagreed with. Following that, there was little action as the contest drew to a close.

It was clear that Donaire was going to move on, and after signing for a fight against Wilfredo Vazquez Jnr for the WBO junior featherweight crown he relinquished all of his titles on 24 November. Less than two months later my version of the 'world' title was on the line again, when the top-ranked Anselmo Moreno, the WBA champion, defended against Vic Darchinyan, rated at number four, on 3 December. Having won the WBA title when defeating Wladimir Sidorenko on 31 May 2008, the lanky Moreno had successfully defended the belt against Cecilio Santos, Rolly Lunas, Sidorenko, Mahyar Monshipour Frederic Patrac, Nehomar Cermeno (twice) and Lorenzo Parra, and in doing so had proved to be a fast, slick counter-punching southpaw. With a record of 31 wins, one draw and a loss early in his career, Moreno still had plenty left in the tank. Up against a two-weight world champion in the 35-year-old Darchinyan (37 wins, one draw and three defeats), who was a tough man to handle, it would not be easy.

3 December 2011. Anselmo Moreno w pts 12 Vic Darchinyan

Venue: Honda Centre, Anaheim, California, USA. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Raul Caiz Jnr.

Scorecards: 116-111, 117-110, 120-107.

Fight Summary: This clash of southpaws saw the champion prevail against the tough Darchinyan (117¾), who had a point deducted in the fourth for rough-house tactics when throwing the Panamanian to the floor. Far too clever for Darchinyan, the fast moving Moreno (118) led his man a merry old dance as he moved in and out with jabs and countering hooks and uppercuts. Despite all of that Darchinyan never stopped trying, body shots being his only real successes, and he was still there at the final bell trying to chase Moreno down.

21 April 2012. Anselmo Moreno w rtd 8 David De La Mora

Venue: Don Haskins’ Centre, El Paso, Texas, USA. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Luis Pabon.

Fight Summary: Winning virtually every round, the southpaw champion proved to be in a different league to De La Mora (117½). Working the body well, Moreno (117½) had De La Mora down in the second from a right to the head and carried on punishing the latter downstairs until there was not much coming back. Dropped again in the sixth by a left hook to the body, De La Mora struggled on before being retired on his stool at the end of the eighth.

10 August 2013. Anselmo Moreno w pts 12 William Urina

Venue: Megapolis Convention Centre, Panama City, Panama. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Stan Christoloudou.

Scorecards: 118-110, 118-110, 116-112.

Fight Summary: In a match-up between southpaws the champion was superior to Urina (116), who was undone by a great jab and ruthless bodywork despite always being in the fight. Although cut on the right eye from a head butt it did not concern Moreno (117) unduly, and he was virtually in control all the way despite Urina looking to load up with heavy blows. Coming into the fight with a high percentage of stoppages Urina had been expected to run Moreno close, but found the latter far too clever to catch.

22 March 2014. Anselmo Moreno w pts 12 Javier Nicolas Chacon

Venue: Roberto Duran Arena, Panama City, Panama. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Russell Mora.

Scorecards: 117-108, 117-109, 118-108.

Fight Summary: Defending against a tough customer in Chacon (117), the tall southpaw champion used his height and reach well to pick up points despite being forced to take some solid shots in return. The second round was the most dramatic of the fight, Chacon going down twice, firstly from a push-punch and then a left hook as he walked on to it. From thereon in, however, Chacon was always in the fight, and always looking to take Moreno (118) out if he had half a chance. Although he was docked a point in the tenth for going low, it hardly made a difference to Moreno's points tally.

Moreno’s next defence would be against the unrated 30-year-old Juan Carlos Payano, a southpaw who had beaten Luis Maldonado and had two victories over Jhon Alberto Molina. A hard-working, aggressive fighter, Payano had run up 15 straight wins since leaving the amateur ranks in 2010.  

26 September 2014. Juan Carlos Payano w tdec 6 Anselmo Moreno

Venue: The Arena, Mesquite, Texas, USA. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Luis Pabon.

Scorecards: 59-55, 58-56, 58-56.

Fight Summary: Defending for the 13th time, it proved to be an unlucky 13 for Moreno (117½) in this battle of southpaws. On top right from the opening bell, Payano (117½) ruined Moreno's plans, giving him no room in which to work, pressing him at all times, and clinching when he had to. Despite an unintentional head butt causing a bad cut over Payano's right eye in the second it did not stop the latter from winning the opening five rounds. However, when the wound did not respond to treatment the ringside doctor advised the referee to go to the cards at the end of the sixth, which brought about a technical decision in favour of Payano.

2 August 2015. Juan Carlos Payano w pts 12 Rau'shee Warren

Venue:  Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida, USA. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Frank Santore Jnr.

Scorecards: 113-111, 113-111, 109-115.

Fight Summary: Up against a fellow southpaw, Payano (117½) had a tough time against Warren (117) before eking out a narrow split-decision win. In a difficult fight to score, the judges being unable to agree on seven of the rounds, there were three points deductions, one for Payano in the third and two for Warren in the ninth. Payano made the better start, but it was messy as both men kept coming together. Having hurt Warren in the sixth, Payano was cut over right eye in the same session, and under pressure from the fired-up challenger in the last two sessions the latter was put down in the 12th by a right hook to the head before fighting back hard.

The champion’s next defence would be a return against Warren, due to the latter going close last time around. A former US amateur champion and World Championship gold medallist, the 28-year-old southpaw had participated in 15 bouts as a pro, with 13 wins, one no contest and the loss to Payano on his slate. Having shown impressive speed of both hand and foot, he had also produced power on occasion.

18 June 2016. Rau'shee Warren w pts 12 Juan Carlos Payano

Venue: UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Celestino Ruiz.

Scorecards: 115-113, 115-113, 114-114.

Fight Summary: Following on from their first meeting, Warren (117) got his hands on the title this time around when outscoring the champion by a majority. In a clash of southpaws, it was Warren who pipped Payano (117¼) at the post, the better quality coming from him. There were no knockdowns, but both men took heavy shots in their stride at times. Coming into the 11th it looked as though Payano had done enough, but after Warren struck in that session with two terrific right hooks to head and body that took everything out of the Dominican he was on his way to becoming the first member of the 2012 American Olympic team to win a pro title.

Zhanat Zhakiyanov, the WBA ‘interim’ champion, who had turned pro in 2007, would be the next man to get a crack at Warren. With 26 wins and one defeat on his record, the Kazakh warrior was ready. Having won the European title when beating Karim Guerfi, he had plenty of stamina, allied to strength and determination, despite being on the wrong side of 30.

10 February 2017. Zhanat Zhakiyanov w pts 12 Rau’shee Warren

Venue: Huntington Centre, Toledo, Ohio, USA. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Gary Rosato.

Scorecards: 115-111, 116-110, 111-115.

Fight Summary: Starting like a train, the champion twice hammered Zhakiyanov (116½) to the floor in the opening session, a southpaw left cross and a right hook doing the damage. Not dispirited, Zhakiyanov got to his feet both times and was soon going forward to force Warren (116) onto the back foot. In the third the fight had turned as three punches put Warren down, only for the referee to rule it as a push. From there through to the seventh the harder punches were coming from the Kazakh, before Warren started his fightback in the eighth. Even then Warren made little impression on the challenger, and although the action went back and forth until the final bell it was Zhakiyanov’s work-rate and cleaner punching that swung it his way.

Zhakiyanov’s first defence would be against Ryan Burnett, the former undefeated British champion and current IBF title holder, having overcome Lee Haskins. Defeating Jason Booth among others, he was undefeated in 17 (nine inside the distance) contests. Burnett, who had been an Olympic Games Youth gold medallist in 2010, had already proved that he had both skill and good power to do well at this level.

21 October 2017. Ryan Burnett w pts 12 Zhanat Zhakiyanov

Venue: SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Recognition: IBF/WBA. Referee: Howard Foster.

Scorecards: 118-110, 116-112, 119-109.

Fight Summary: With the IBF’s Burnett (117½) up against Zhakiyanov (117¼), the WBA champion, the fight was a unification match which also involved my version of the 'world' title. Boxing brilliantly, with jab-and-move tactics working a treat, Burnett went to the front from the start, confusing the 33-year-old Kazakh who almost always came forward in a straight line. Although Zhakiyanov remained dangerous with uppercuts and body shots, Burnett, whose left eye was beginning to close in the eighth, outmanoeuvred his man right through to the final bell.

Burnett relinquished the IBF title on 12 February 2018 in order to defend the WBA crown and not to be held up by a mandatory IBF defence.

31 March 2018. Ryan Burnett w pts 12 Yonfrez Parejo

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Terry O’Connor.

Scorecards: 120-108, 120-108, 116-112.

Fight Summary: Having broken his right hand in the third round, the champion was forced to adopt different tactics to those he had planned for Parejo (117). However, it did not stop Burnett (117¾) from bossing the contest against a tough opponent who had good skills and a solid countering left hook at his disposal. It was speed of movement that confused Parejo, making him miss repeatedly and at the same time inviting him in. In the seventh Burnett suffered a cut on his left eye from a head clash, but he continued to outbox Parejo, who failed to up his work-rate, right through to the final bell.

As an entrant in the World Boxing Super Series, Nonito Donaire, a former three-weight champion, was drawn to meet Ryan Burnett at the quarter-final stage in what would also be a defence of the latter’s WBA title. Although Donaire’s previous contest was a losing one against Carl Frampton for the ‘interim’ WBO 126lbs title, he was confident of being able to drop down to 118lbs without losing his strength. With 38 wins and five losses on his record, he had beaten some good men in a career that started back in 2001.

3 November 2018. Nonito Donaire w rtd 4 Ryan Burnett

Venue: SSE Hydro, Glasgow Scotland. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Howard Foster.

Fight Summary: In what was a quarter-final leg of World Boxing Super Series, as well as a defence of his WBA title, Burnett (117¾) was unfortunate to lose to Donaire (117½) when being forced to retire at the end of the fourth. The champion had started well enough before taking a knee in the fourth after suffering what was thought to be a slipped disc. Somehow making it to the end of the round, Burnett was eventually put on Oxygen and stretchered away to hospital.

27 April 2019. Nonito Donaire w rsc 6 Stephon Young   

Venue: Cajun Dome, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Mark Nelson.

Fight Summary: Stepping in at three days notice for the injured Zolani Tete in what was the semi-final leg of the World Boxing Super Series, Young (117¼) found himself up against a champion who was that much stronger and far more experienced. Despite that, the southpaw challenger made things difficult for Donaire (117½) early on when speeding around the ring, but once the latter hurt his man with a left hook in the third the writing was on the wall. By now well on top, even though Young looked resurgent in the sixth the fight was over at 2.37 of that session after Donaire landed a crunching left hook to the jaw that sent the former crashing. Not even bothering to take up the count, the referee decided that the stricken fighter required immediate treatment.

Contesting the final of the World Boxing Super Series, Donaire was due to meet the top-ranked Naoya Inoue, the holder of the IBF belt, on 7 November 2019. Also recognised by The Ring as their champion, and known as ‘The Monster’ due to his prodigious power, Inoue was undefeated in 18 contests that had seen 16 of his opponents beaten inside the distance. And as a three-weight champion who had held both the junior flyweight (WBC) and junior bantamweight (WBO) titles prior to moving up to bantam, he had beaten Juan Carlos Payano and Emmanuel Rodriguez, the IBF champion, to reach the WBSS final.   

7 November 2019. Naoya Inoue w pts 12 Nonito Donaire

Venue: Super Arena, Saitama, Japan. Recognition: IBF/WBA/The Ring. Referee: Ernie Sharif.

Scorecards: 116-111, 114-113, 117-109.

Fight Summary: Not given a chance by many, the 36-year-old Donaire (117½) showed that he belonged in the same ring as the big-hitting Inoue (118) when taking his rival the full course and presenting him with plenty of problems. Coming forward while taking Inoue’s best punches, as early as the second round the latter was cut on the right eyelid and was being forced to take some heavy shots. By the middle rounds Donaire had already proved that he could hold a shot as Inoue opened up with both hands on several occasions, and in the ninth it was his turn to rock the man from Japan with a heavy right counter. With blood pouring from the right eye, Inoue came back strongly in the tenth to have Donaire holding on before unleashing a cracking left to the body in the 11th that eventually sent the WBA champion to the deck for a long count. Clearly hurt, Donaire was almost downed again prior to the bell. The final session saw Inoue open up with all guns blazing, but being unable to put his man away in what had been a memorable contest that would long remain in the minds of those who witnessed it.      

31 October 2020. Naoya Inoue w rsc 7 Jason Moloney

Venue: MGM Grand Bubble, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: IBF/WBA/The Ring. Referee: Kenny Bayless.

Fight Summary: Happy to outbox Moloney (117¾) from distance in the opening two sessions, the champion upped his work-rate in the third when starting to land heavy shots that shook the Australian up. In the fifth it seemed to be just a matter of time after Inoue (117½) had hurt Moloney with a right cross, before having the latter down with a left hook in the sixth. It came as no surprise when the champion finished the job in the seventh, a corking right cross having Moloney scrambling desperately to get off the floor until the referee called a halt when the count had reached ‘eight’ at 2.59 of the session. 

19 June 2021. Naoya Inoue w co 3 Michael Dasmarinas

Venue: Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: IBF/WBA/The Ring. Referee: Russell Mora. 

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14 December 2021. Naoya Inoue w rsc 8 Aran Dipaen

Venue: Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena, Tokyo, Japan. Recognition: IBF/WBA/The Ring. Referee: Michiaki Someya.

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7 June 2022. Naoya Inoue w rsc 2 Nonito Donaire

Venue: Super Arena, Saitama, Japan. Recognition: IBF/WBA/WBC/The Ring. Referee: Michael Griffin.