Boxing
Sugar Ray Leonard fights Roberto Duran for the third and final time
On December 7, 1989, the boxer Sugar Ray Leonard triumphs over a lackluster Roberto Duran in a unanimous 12-round decision at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. Leonard became a sensation in the boxing world during the 1980s, providing a superstar presence that boxing lacked after ...read more
The ‘White Slavery’ Law That Brought Down Jack Johnson is Still in Effect
He was known as the Galveston Giant—a boxer who fought his way toward the first world heavyweight title held by an African-American. But in 1912, Jack Johnson became something else: a wanted man. Accused of violating the Mann Act, which forbade transporting a woman across state ...read more
Only Known Boxing Gloves From Roman Empire Discovered
Historians have long known that boxing was popular in the Roman Empire. The sport appears in mosaics from the period and pops up in literature like Virgil’s The Aeneid. Now, archaeologists have uncovered more evidence: a pair of well-preserved Roman boxing gloves. A discovery ...read more
Muhammad Ali vs. the United States of America
The eight men knew the next step they took would not only change their lives, it could possibly end them as well. “You will take one step forward as your name and service are called and such step will constitute your induction into the Armed Forces indicated,” Lieutenant Steven ...read more
The 19th-Century Black Sports Superstar You’ve Never Heard Of
You haven’t heard of him because his improbable rise wasn’t possible in America. Richmond was born into slavery on what’s today the New York borough of Staten Island on August 5, 1763. When the British landed there in 1776, at the start of the American Revolution, Richmond did ...read more
Why are left-handers called “southpaws”?
The “American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language” cites the conventional wisdom that the word “southpaw” originated “from the practice in baseball of arranging the diamond with the batter facing east to avoid the afternoon sun. A left-handed pitcher facing west would ...read more
The “Rumble in the Jungle,” 40 Years Ago
Although hours still remained before the sun would dawn over the Congo River, none of the 60,000 fans packed inside the enormous stadium near its banks worried about lost sleep. Even at 4:30 a.m., an electric energy crackled through the sweltering air of Kinshasa, Zaire, as ...read more
Who was the first world heavyweight boxing champ?
One of history’s most ancient sports, boxing can trace its origins to the ancient Olympic games of 688 B.C., when a fighter named Onomastos of Smyrna won the first known boxing championship. The sport evolved from early bare-knuckle prizefighting under the London Prize Rules its ...read more
10 Things You May Not Know About Muhammad Ali
1. A red-and-white Schwinn bicycle launched his boxing career. When the 12-year-old Clay’s beloved bicycle was stolen in October 1954, he reported the theft to Louisville, Kentucky, police officer Joe Martin and vowed to pummel the culprit. Martin, who was also a boxing trainer, ...read more
America’s First Sports Superstar
It was a beautiful day for barbarity. The brilliant mid-winter sun transformed the Gulf of Mexico’s placid blue canvas into a sparkling sea of diamonds. The ivory sands of the Mississippi coastline glistened like a blanket of fresh powdered snow as lazily drifting clouds offered ...read more
Joe Louis
Joe Louis (1914-1981), nicknamed the “Brown Bomber,” was heavyweight champion of the world from 1937 to 1949, an almost twelve-year streak that set a new world record. Louis, an African American, is perhaps best known for his legendary matchups against German boxer Max ...read more
Jack Johnson wins heavyweight title
Jack Johnson becomes the first African American to win the world heavyweight title when he knocks out Canadian Tommy Burns in the 14th round in a championship bout near Sydney, Australia. Johnson, who held the heavyweight title until 1915, was reviled by whites for his defiance ...read more
Switzerland welcomes first drive-through bank
On June 7, 1962, the banking institution Credit Suisse—then known as Schweizerische Kreditanstalt (SKA)—opens the first drive-through bank in Switzerland at St. Peter-Strasse 17, near Paradeplatz (Parade Square) in downtown Zurich. Like many developments in automotive ...read more
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) was an American former heavyweight champion boxer and one of the greatest sporting figures of the 20th century. An Olympic gold medalist and the first fighter to capture the heavyweight title three times, Ali won 56 times in his 21-year professional ...read more
George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ
On November 5, 1994, George Foreman, age 45, becomes boxing’s oldest heavyweight champion when he defeats 26-year-old Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their WBA fight in Las Vegas. More than 12,000 spectators at the MGM Grand Hotel watched Foreman dethrone Moorer, who went ...read more
Young Muhammad Ali knocks out Sonny Liston for first world title
On February 25, 1964, 22-year-old Cassius Clay shocks the odds-makers by dethroning world heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston in a seventh-round technical knockout. The dreaded Liston, who had twice demolished former champ Floyd Patterson in one round, was an 8-to-1 favorite. ...read more
Muhammad Ali wins world heavyweight championship
On September 15, 1978, boxer Muhammad Ali defeats Leon Spinks at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans to win the world heavyweight boxing title for the third time in his career, the first fighter ever to do so. Following his victory, Ali retired from boxing, only to make a ...read more
Sugar Ray Robinson defeats Carmen Basilio for middleweight title
On March 25, 1958, Sugar Ray Robinson defeats Carmen Basilio to regain the middleweight championship. It was the fifth and final title of his career. Robinson is considered by many to be the greatest prizefighter in history. No less an authority than heavyweight champion Muhammad ...read more
Sugar Ray Robinson wins back belt
On September 12, 1951, former middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson defeats Randy Turpin to win back the belt in front of 61,370 spectators at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Robinson, a New York City native, had lost the belt to Turpin two months prior in Turpin’s native ...read more
Rocky Marciano retires as world heavyweight champion
On April 27, 1956, world heavyweight champ Rocky Marciano retires from boxing at age 31, saying he wants to spend more time with his family. Marciano ended his career as the only heavyweight champion with a perfect record–49 wins in 49 professional bouts, with 43 knockouts. Rocco ...read more
Muhammad Ali wins the Rumble in the Jungle
On October 30, 1974, 32-year-old Muhammad Ali becomes the heavyweight champion of the world for the second time when he knocks out 25-year-old champ George Foreman in the eighth round of the “Rumble in the Jungle,” a match in Kinshasa, Zaire. Seven years before, Ali had lost his ...read more
Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction
On April 28, 1967, boxing champion Muhammad Ali refuses to be inducted into the U.S. Army and is immediately stripped of his heavyweight title. Ali, a Muslim, cited religious reasons for his decision to forgo military service. Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., in Louisville, ...read more
Mike Tyson bites ear
On June 28, 1997, Mike Tyson bites Evander Holyfield’s ear in the third round of their heavyweight rematch. The attack led to his disqualification from the match and suspension from boxing, and was the strangest chapter yet in the champion’s roller-coaster career. Mike Tyson ...read more
Mike Tyson becomes the youngest heavyweight champ in history
On November 22, 1986, 20-year-old Mike Tyson knocks out 33-year-old Trevor Berbick in just five minutes and 35 seconds to become the youngest titleholder ever. “I’m the youngest heavyweight boxing champion in history,” Tyson told his manager after the fight, “and I’m going to be ...read more