Light Heavyweight Boxing in History

Events in Sport

O'Brien vs. Fitzsimmons

1905-12-20 'Philadelphia' Jack O'Brien wins the World Light Heavyweight boxing title after defending champion Bob Fitzsimmons of England retires in round 13 of 20 in San Francisco

1923-10-04 Young Stribling ostensibly beats Mike McTigue on points in Columbus, Georgia for world light-heavyweight boxing title; referee Harry Ertle later calls fight a draw, claims coerced by promoters to award fight to Stribling; McTigue retains title
1936-09-01 Belgian boxer Gustave Roth beats Heinz Lazek of Austria in a 15 round points decision to win the EBU and vacant IBU world light heavyweight title in Vienna
1951-10-03 CBS-TV airs the first coast-to-coast telecast of a prize fight; Australian light-heavyweight Dave Sands outpoints American Carl 'Bobo' Olson in 10 rounds at Chicago Stadium

Nardico vs. LaMotta

1952-12-31 Danny Nardico stops former world middleweight champion Jake LaMotta in 7 rounds in a light heavyweight non-title bout in Coral Gables, Florida; LaMotta is knocked down for the only time in his career, his corner stopping fight after the round

World Middleweight Boxing Champion Jake LaMotta

Moore vs. Maxim

1954-01-27 American boxer Archie Moore beats Joey Maxim in 15-round unanimous decision to retain his world light heavyweight title at the Orange Bowl, Miami; last of famous trilogy of fights, all won by Moore

Boxing Title Fight

1955-09-21 In his last fight, undefeated world heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano KOs light heavyweight Archie Moore in the 9th round at Yankee Stadium, NYC

Olympic Gold

1960-09-05 Cassius Clay [Muhammad Ali] beats 3-time European champion Zbigniew Pietrzykowski of Poland by unanimous points decision to win Olympic light heavyweight boxing gold medal at the Rome Games

Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali

1966-08-15 Puerto Rican champion José Torres beats American Eddie Cotton on points in Las Vegas to retain the WBC/WBA light-heavyweight boxing title
1968-05-24 American boxer Bob Foster defeats holder Dick Tiger for the world light-heavyweight Championship at Madison Square Gardens, New York (goes on to defend title x 14)
1986-02-09 Marvin Johnson stops Leslie Stewart in 7 rounds in Indianapolis to win WBA light heavyweight boxing title; record 3rd time he regains a version of light heavyweight crown

Boxing Title Fight

1991-06-03 Thomas Hearns captures WBA light heavyweight title

2003-03-01 World light heavyweight boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. wins a unanimous decision against champion John Ruiz to capture the WBA heavyweight crown in Las Vegas
2004-08-29 Future undisputed world light heavyweight boxing champion Andre Ward of the US wins the light heavyweight gold medal at the Athens Olympics beating Magomed Aripgadjiev of Belarus on points
2013-03-09 Bernard Hopkins defeats Tavoris Cloud to win IBF light heavyweight title
2017-09-21 Andre Ward, unified light heavyweight champion and world’s top pound-for-pound boxer, announces his retirement

Birthdays in Sport

Bob Fitzsimmons (1863-1917)

1863-05-26 English boxer (first 3-division world champion; Middleweight 1981-96, Light Heavyweight 1903, Heavyweight 1897-99), born in Helston, England

1876-05-26 Jack Root, Czech-American boxer (First world light heavyweight champion 1903), born in Frahelž, Bohemia, Czech Republic (d. 1963)

'Philadelphia' Jack O'Brien (1878-1942)

1878-01-17 American boxer (World light heavyweight champion 1905), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1894-01-12 Georges Carpentier, French boxer (world light heavyweight champion; 1920-22; 1st $1m gate v J Dempsey), born in Lievin, France (d. 1975)

Eddie Eagan (1897-1967)

1897-04-26 American boxer (Olympic gold - light heavyweight, 1920) and bobsledder (Olympic gold - 4-man team,1932), born in Denver, Colorado

1907-10-01 Maxie Rosenbloom, American boxer, actor (world light heavyweight champion 1932-34), born in Leonard's Bridge, Connecticut (d. 1976)
1908-04-21 Louis Hostin, French weightlifter (Olympic gold 1932, 36), born in Saint-Étienne, France (d. 1998)

Archie Moore (1913-1998)

1913-12-13 American light-heavyweight boxing champion (1952-60), born in Benoit, Mississippi,

1914-05-01 John Henry Lewis, American boxer (World Light-Heavyweight champion 1935-38), born in Phoenix, Arizona (d. 1974)
1915-02-22 Gus Lesnevich, American light heavyweight boxing champ (1947 fighter of year), born in Cliffside Park, New Jersey (d. 1964)
1918-05-26 Anton Christoforidis, Greek boxer (NBA light heavyweight title 1941), born in Mersin, Turkey (d. 1985)
1922-03-28 Joey Maxim, American boxer (World Light Heavyweight Champion 1950-52), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2001)
1927-07-22 George Hunter, South African boxer (Olympic gold light heavyweight 1948), born in Brakpan, South Africa (d. 2004)
1928-09-06 Rudolf Plyukfelder, Soviet light heavyweight lifter (Olympic gold 1964), born in Novoorlivka, Ukraine
1930-11-30 Jim Boyd, American boxer (Olympic gold light-heavyweight 1956), born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina (d.1997)
1935-06-01 Jim George, American weightlifter (Olympic silver light heavyweight 1960; bronze 1956; WR snatch, clean & jerk 1956), born in Akron, Ohio
1936-05-03 José Torres, Puerto Rican boxer (world light-heavyweight champion), born in Ponce, Puerto Rico (d. 2009)
1938-12-15 Bob Foster, American boxer (world light-heavyweight champion 1968-74), born in Lubbock, Texas (d. 2015)
1948-11-02 Víctor Galíndez, Argentine boxer (WBA light heavyweight title 1974-79), born in Vedia, Buenos Aires (d. 1980)
1951-05-27 John Conteh, British boxer (WBC Light Heavyweight title 1974-77), born in Liverpool, England

Leon Spinks (1953-2021)

1953-07-11 American boxer (WBC, WBA heavyweight champion 1978; Olympic gold light heavyweight 1976), born in St. Louis, Missouri

Deaths in Sport

Bob Fitzsimmons (1863-1917)

1917-10-22 English boxer (first 3-division world champion; Middleweight 1981-96, Light Heavyweight 1903, Heavyweight 1897-99), dies from pneumonia at 54

'Philadelphia' Jack O'Brien (1878-1942)

1942-11-12 American boxer (World light heavyweight champion 1905), dies at 64

1963-06-10 Jack Root, Czech-American boxer (First world light heavyweight champion 1903), dies from a heart attack at 87
1964-02-28 Gus Lesnevich, American light heavyweight boxing champ (1947 fighter of year), dies at 49

Eddie Eagan (1897-1967)

1967-06-14 American boxer (Olympic gold - light heavyweight, 1920) and bobsledder (Olympic gold - 4-man team,1932), dies of a heart attack at 69

1974-04-18 John Henry Lewis, American boxer (World Light-Heavyweight champion, 1935-38), dies of emphysema and Parkinson's at 59
1975-10-28 Georges Carpentier, French boxer (world light heavyweight champion 1920-22; 1st $1m gate v J Dempsey), dies of a heart attack at 81
1976-03-06 Maxie Rosenbloom, American boxer, actor (world light heavyweight champion 1932-34), dies of Paget's disease of bone at 68
1980-10-25 Víctor Galíndez, Argentine boxer (WBA light heavyweight title 1974-79), dies in stock-car race pit area accident at 31
1985-10-31 Anton Christoforidis, Greek boxer (NBA light heavyweight title 1941), dies of a heart attack at 68
1997-01-25 Jim Boyd, American boxer (Olympic gold light-heavyweight 1956), dies at 66

Archie Moore (1913-1998)

1998-12-09 American light-heavyweight boxing champion (1952-60), dies at 84

2001-06-02 Joey Maxim, American boxer (World Light Heavyweight Champion 1950-52), dies from effects of a stroke at 79
2004-12-12 George Hunter, South African boxer (Olympic gold light heavyweight 1948), dies at 77
2009-01-19 José Torres, Puerto Rican boxer (world light-heavyweight champion), dies of a heart attack at 72
2012-03-10 Julio Gonzalez, Mexican light heavyweight boxer (WBO Champion 2003-2004), dies from a hit and run at 35
2015-11-21 Bob Foster, American boxer (world light-heavyweight champion 1968-74), dies at 76

Leon Spinks (1953-2021)

2021-02-05 American boxer (WBC, WBA heavyweight champion 1978; Olympic gold light heavyweight 1976), dies from prostate cancer at 67