On This Day…November 23

Gerry Peñalosa vs. Youngjoo Cho (11/23/1997)

Result: TKO 10, Peñalosa.

Gerry Peñalosa defended his WBC Super Flyweight World Title against the undefeated Youngjoo Cho in the latter’s hometown, Seoul. Despite fighting in hostile territory, Peñalosa, an experienced Filipino boxer, dominated the fight until securing a technical knockout in the tenth round. This victory consolidated his reign and demonstrated his quality as a world champion.

Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz II (11/23/2019)

Result: KO 7, Wilder.

In a rematch for Wilder’s WBC Heavyweight World Title, the American champion faced the Cuban, Luis Ortiz. Similar to their first encounter, Ortiz was clearly winning on the judges’ scorecards (he was ahead 59-55, 59-55, 58-56) thanks to his technical boxing. However, in the seventh round, Wilder showed why he is known as “The Bronze Bomber”: he landed a devastating straight right hand that spectacularly knocked out Ortiz. It was a classic example of Wilder’s one-punch power to finish a fight he was losing.

Callum Smith vs. John Ryder (11/23/2019)

Result: Unanimous Decision (UD) 12, Smith.

Callum Smith defended his Super Middleweight titles (including the WBC Diamond) in his hometown of Liverpool against the mandatory challenger, John Ryder. Contrary to expectations, Ryder offered a performance of extreme pressure and bravery, largely managing to negate Smith’s reach advantage and trouble the champion in several rounds (Smith suffered a cut). Smith won by unanimous decision (117-111, 116-112, 116-112).