Louis Tops Tyson: EBC World Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis (20-0, 16 KOs) defeated number one contender Mike Tyson (10-2-1, 8 KOs) over 15 rounds on August 23rd. The challenger came out fast as expected, but Louis did his homework in training camp and was able to ward off Tysons early attack using his footwork and straight punches to keep just enough distance that Tysons punches werent having the desired effect. The pace slowed in the fourth, and that actually helped Tyson, who was able to land more effective shots even though he was throwing less. Louis started to open up in the ninth and pretty much controlled the fight from that point on, except for one instance in the 13th where he was badly staggered by a Tyson hook that nearly saw us crown a new belt holder. The champ came back in a big way though, and dropped Tyson with a straight right for a seven count. Tyson was doing little more than trying for a one punch KO through the remainder of the contest, a hail mary shot that never came. When all was said and done, Joe Louis retained the world title with a unanimous decision, scores of 148-139, 148-138, and 147-140. As I said earlier, despite the scoring, it was a good contest.

Gibbons retains light heavy title over Chris Eubank: Tommy Gibbons (13-0-2) defeated Chris Eubank (8-2-1, 3 KOs) August 9th in Eubanks first shot at a world title. Eubank held his own, landing some heavy shots in the bout but it wasn't enough to get the champ off his game. Two knockdowns in the ninth and 14th rounds by Gibbons were the cherry on top of a unanimous decision by scores of 147-137 twice and 145-139.

Chaves wins vacant LBC title: Julio Cesar Chaves regained the LBC lightweight title with a ninth round knockout over Jose Miguel Cotto. It was a pretty easy outing for Chaves, who had little to worry about other than getting bored. Two knockdowns in the eighth were the beginning of the end for Cotto who stayed down for 10 when he was dropped again the following round.

Regional Title News

Oscar Larios KO10 Jose Legra (LBC featherweight title)

Legra (6-3-2) put up a good fight, and nearly had this one in the bag, but big rounds in the eighth and ninth by Larios (13-2-1, 7 KO's) turned things around. The tenth saw Legra dropped for an eight count before being dropped again by the champ for the ful1 ten count, leaving his title hopes in the dust. Scores at the stoppage were 88-83 and 87-84 for Larios and 86-85 for Legra.

Emile Pladner TKO7 Yuri Arbachakov (EBU flyweight title)

A great back and forth contest between these two with an unfortunate ending. Arbachakov (17-4-1, 10 KO's) nearly took it in the first, having Pladner (7-2-3, 1 KO) stunned and nearly out before rounds end. after three evenly fought rounds, Pladner came back big in the fifth, stunning the defending champ and causing a severe cut on his forehead, an injury that would ultimately decide the fight. Arbachakov was checked by the ringside physician three times, and in the seventh round the cut was deemed too severe for the bout to continue. On the doctors advice, the referee stopped the contest awarding the win and the EBU flyweight belt to Emile Pladner by TKO in the seventh round. Scores on all three judges cards were dead even at the time of the stoppage at 57-57.

Khaosai Galaxy TKO8 Ellyas Pical (ABF bantamweight title)

Pical ( 8-2-2, 1 KO) did well at the start, but Galaxy (13-2-1, 10 KO's) took over in the third and despite getting cut under his left eye in the fourth, kept his aggression up and wore down Pical, dropping him in the eighth frame and stopping him by TKO later that round. Scores at the stoppage were 68-65 across the board at the time of the stoppage.

Roberto Duran (C) KO11 Vicente Mosquera (SABF lightweight title)

Duran (15-1-1, 9 KO's) had a relatively easy time with Mosquera (5-3-3), as was expected. After getting dropped in the opening frame, Mosquera looked as if he was making his way into the fight with a good third round, but his success was short lived. Duran worked him over for the next seven rounds before dropping him again for good in the 11th.

Muhammad Ali W10 Elmer Ray

Former NABF champ Ali (16-1, 9 KO's) got all he could handle from Ray (6-3-3) in what was viewed by many as a simple "stay busy" match up as Ali is attempting to work his way back into the heavyweight top 10. Ray came out strong from the start, stunning Ali badly in the second round, and laid on such a heavy attack in the third that the bout was nearly stopped. The middle rounds were all scored even by the judges as Ray appeared to tire. The latter third of the bout saw Ali drop Ray twice in the seventh, with the final three rounds being close enough to go either way. When all was said and done, Ali walked away with a hard fought split decision win by scores of 96-94 twice in his favor with one judge seeing the contest 96-95 for Ray.

Teofilo Stevenson TKO2 Pete Boddington

Top 10 heavyweight Stevenson (9-1-1, 4 KO's) made short work of Boddington (4-5-2, 2KO's) with a one sided contest that lasated less than two rounds. Boddington was dropped in the second round for an eight count before the referee called off the bout.

World Title News

Benny Leonard W15 Joe Gans (C) (Empire World Lightweight Championship)

Leonard (11-0, 2 KOs) kept his undefeated record in tact and took home the world lightweight title, defeating Joe Gans (15-1, 4 KO's) and dealing the former champ his first loss in the process. Gans did well early on despite getting dropped in the third round, but Leonard settled in and began to control the contest in the middle rounds. He made easy work of the defending champ in the latter part of the bout to win a unanimous decision. Scores were 147-137, and 145-139 twice.

Vicente Saldivar (C) W15 Antonio Esparragoza (Empire World Featherweight Championship)

This bout was more competitive than the score cards make it look. Saldivar (13-0-1, 6 KO's) came out strong, and it looked like it would be an early night for Esparragoza (10-1), who took some heavy shots in the opening frames and was dropped hard in the fourth round, barely beating the count. The challenger however, managed to come back and take over the middle rounds and it almost seemed as if Saldivar was running out of gas. The champ would get a second wind though, and despite taking a flash knockdown in the 13th round, would control the bouts final rounds and score another knock down of the challenger in the final frame before the fights conclusion. Scores of 145-137 twice and 143-139, all scored for the champ, see Saldivar retainb his title and undefeated record.

Regional Title News (part 2)

More regional title news from June

Gene Fullmer (C) KO10 Julian Jackson (NABF MW)

Jackson (8-3-1, 5 KOs), as many expected, came out out fast looking for the early knockout and it nearly got him stopped in the opening round as Fullmer (11-1, 3 KOs) dropped the challenger for a nine count just a minute in. Jackson recovered quickly and took control, landing some heavy shots over the next few rounds and scored a knockdown of his own in the fourth. The defending champ weathered the early storm however, and by the seventh round, Jackson was out of gas and it was pretty much target practice for Fullmer from that point on. Jackson was dropped in the ninth round and twice in the 10th, the last being for the 10 count giving Fullmer the win. Scores at the time of the knockout were 84-84 on two cards and 85-83 for Fullmer on the third.

Sugar Ray Robinson (C) TKO3 Simon Brown (NABF WW)

An easy outing for Robinson (14-1, 10 KOs) as he easily dispatched Brown (7-4-1, 2 KOs) in just three rounds. Brown was dropped in the second round and twice in the third and took a few added shots before the referee stepped in th end it.

Elysee Castre (C) TKO9 Baltazar Sangchili (EBU BW)

Both fighters put on a good performance, but Castre (7-4-1, 4 KOs) fell behind and was on his way to losing his title. No knockdowns scored in this one, but Sangchili 12-4-5, 3 KOs) unfortunately suffered a cut over his right eye in the sixth round that would end up being the deciding factor here. The bout was called off in the ninth round when the bleeding couldn't be stopped and Castre retains the title. Scores at the stoppage were 80-72, 78-74, and 77-75 all in favor of Sangchili. A rematch is in the works.

Jersey Joe Walcott (C) W12 Buster Mathis Jr. (NABF HW)

Jersey Joe remains undefeated in a one sided 12 rounder. Walcott (14-0-1, 5 KOs) had little trouble with Mathis Jr. (6-4-1, 1 KO) who had little power behind his punches but was expected to goive the defending champ some trouble with his slick defense. Walcott gets one step closer to a world title shot with a unanimous decision win by scores of 120-104 and 118-106 twice.

Regional Title News (part 1)

June was a busy month as far as regional titles go, there were eight bouts that took place fore those belts across the globe.

Pascual Perez (C) KO3 Kermin Guardia (SABF FLY)

Perez (15-1, 7 KOs) successfully defended his flyweight belt with a short and convincing third round knockout over Kermin Guardia (8-2-1). Guardia had a good start in the opening three minutes, but that was it. Perez controlled the second round, and dropped the challenger twice in the third frame, with Guardia unable to beat the count the second time around.

Young Griffo W12 Gairy St. Claire (vacant OCB FW)

Griffo (13-1, 5 KOs) and St. Claire (2-7-3) contested for the vacant OCB strap, with Griffo controlling the majority of the fight. St. Claire scored a flash knockdown in the seventh, and Griffo was penalized a point in the 11th for landing a shot after the bell, but there was little doubt as to which was this contest was going when the final bell rang. Griffo took a unanimous decision by scores of 118-109, 116-111, and 116-112 to win the bout and the belt.

Archie Moore (C) TKO6 Syd Vanderpool (NABF LHW)

Moore improves his record to 13-2 (6 KOs) with a win over Vanderpool (7-5, 1 KO) . The challenger suffered a cut over the right eye in the second round, an injury that would show obvious effects as the bout went on, but also send him into a more offensive fight strategy, fearing the cut would cause the bout to be stopped. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened. By the sixth round, the bleeding was so severe that the doctor saw fit to recommend the fight be stopped. The referee agreed, and Moore took the victory by TKO. Vanderpool was ahead in the fight at the time of the stoppage by scores of 48-47 on two cards with one judge having Moore ahead 49-46.

Felix Trinidad TKO10 Jose Luis Castillo (C) (LBC WW)

Saying this was a great fight is an understatement; from the opening round until the end, these two warriors went toe to toe non-stop, with neither taking a backwards step. Both fighters landed numerous heavy shots and both were repeatedly staggered throughout the contest, it was an extremely difficult fight to score. Castillo suffered a cut forehead in the fourth round, an injury that would ultimately be his undoing. The defending champ did manage to score a knockdown in the ninth, with Trinidad barely beating the count, but moving into the tenth Castillo wasn't so fortunate. An overheand shot from Trinidad worsened his cut to the extent that the fight was stopped with Felix Trinidad being named the new LBC welterweight champ. Scores at the stoppage were 86-84 in favor of Castillo and 85-85 on the other two judges scorecards. This is one that definitely needs to be fought again.

Tyson Destroys Innocent, Louis Up Next

In a heavyweight elimination bout, "Iron" Mike Tyson (10-1-1, 8 KOs) dispatched of Gene Innocent (4-5-2, 1 KO) in quick and easy fashion, ending the scheduled 12 round contest in just 2 and a half minutes. Innocent was dropped 30 seconds into the opening frame, and after barely beating the count, took another two minutes of punishment before the referee stopped the action. The win makes Tyson the top contender for the heavyweight crown, now held by undefeated champ Joe Louis. There was little doubt as to how this bout would end, and Tysn now gets a shot at the crown in a bout tentatively scheduled for September.

Welter, Fly Champs Barely Retain World Titles

It was a pair of tough outings for two defending EBC world champions, as welterweight belt holder Rube Ferns and flyweight champ Miguel Canto both retained their titles in come from behind victories that both were on the verge of losing.

Ferns (15-0, 6 KO's) faced previously undefeated Wilfred Benitez (10-1, 1 KO) in a scheduled 15 round bout for the welterweight strap. Benitez came out fast, overwhelming the champ over the first five rounds, cutting Ferns forehead so severely in the fifth frame that the bout was nearly halted. A sense of urgency must have kicked in for Rube, because in the sixth he was a new fighter; he dropped Benitez twice in the round, and followed up with a barrage of shots that gave the referee no choice but to waive off the bout giving him the TKO victory.

Flyweight title challenger Venice Borkhorser (10-1, 4 KO's) nearly succeeded in his quest for the flyweight belt when he face reigning champ Miguel Canto (14-0, 1 KO). Borkhorsers power looked to be too much for Canto to handle, as he hurt the champ with every solid shot he landed. The challenger scored a knockdown in the fifth round, and two more in the 10th that many figured would have secured him the win. At the end of 15 rounds however, two of the judges saw things in favor of the defending champ, awarding him the win via split decision.

Also on schedule is the heavyweight elimination contest between number one contender Gene Innocent (4-4-2, 1 KO) and number two ranked Mike Tyson (9-1-1, 8 KOs). The 12 round contest will determine who faces undefeated world champion Joe Louis later this year. Louis is 19-0 with 16 knockouts.

Louis Retains EBC Heavyweight Title

It was a short night for defending heavyweight champion Joe Louis (19-0, 16 KOs) as he made quick work of top challenger Monte Barrett (9-1, 5 KOs). There's not much to say about this bout, as Barret was simply overwhelmed by the superior skill and strength of the champ, and was counted out at the 2:35 mark of round three. This was Louis' third defense of the title, and it looks like his next challenger could be Mike Tyson (9-1-1, 7 KOs) or Gene Innocent (4-4-2, 1 KO) as the two top heavyweights are set to face off next month. The winner will face Louis in three or four months time afterward.

McCallum Stops Gans To Win EBC World Middleweight Title

Undefeated Mike McCallum (11-0, 6 KOs) stopped defending world middleweight champion Panama Joe Gans (13-3, 6 KOs) in the 12th round of the pairs contest to win the Empire world middleweight championship. Gans did well early on, but once the "body snatcher" was able to get inside, he simply beat down the defending champ, causing a cut over Gans right eye and swelling his left eye closed. Gans was defenseless heading into the later rounds and the referee had no choice but to stop the contest in McCallums favor. This was the two fighters second meeting; McCallum scored a six round decision win in an earlier fight.

Herman retains EBC World Bantamweight title

Bantamweight champion Peter Herman (13-0, 2 KOs) retained his title with a 15 round decision over previously undefeated challenger Johnny King (10-1, 4 KOs). It was a close bout throughout, with King landing the heavier shots while Herman was the quicker and busier of the pair. Neither fighter was ever in serious trouble, and both looked relatively fresh at the contests end. Scores for the champ were unanimous: 144-142, 143-142, and 144, 141 keep Peter Herman undefeated.