On This Day… December 3rd
Billy Backus vs. José Nápoles (1970)
Date and Location: 12/03/1970, Syracuse, New York, U.S.A.
Category: Welterweight (WE)
Result: Backus won by TKO in Round 4.
Considered one of the biggest upsets in the Welterweight division. The great Cuban-Mexican champion José “Mantequilla” Nápoles was defending his world title against the little-known American Billy Backus. The fight ended abruptly when Nápoles suffered a deep cut on his face due to an accidental headbutt. Unable to continue, the doctor stopped the contest in the fourth round, granting Backus the victory via technical knockout and one of the most coveted Welterweight titles.
Wilfredo Gómez vs. Lupe Pintor (1982)
Date and Location: 12/03/1982, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.
Category: Super Bantamweight (SB)
Result: Gómez won by TKO in Round 14.
A true clash of titans and one of the great Mexico vs. Puerto Rico rivalries. The WBC Super Bantamweight champion, Puerto Rican Wilfredo Gómez, faced the WBC Bantamweight champion, Mexican Lupe Pintor. It was an intense and brutal war that lived up to all expectations. Gómez showed his superiority in the late rounds, stopping a brave Pintor in the 14th round, in a fight that became an instant classic.
Thomas Hearns vs. Wilfredo Benítez (1982)
Date and Location: 12/03/1982, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.
Category: Super Welterweight (SW)
Result: Hearns won by Decision in 15 rounds.
Held on the same card as Gómez-Pintor, this fight featured the Detroit giant, Thomas “Hitman” Hearns, challenging the Puerto Rican champion Wilfredo Benítez. Hearns utilized his reach and power advantage to dominate much of the bout. Although Benítez, a defensive master, managed to avoid the knockout, Hearns was superior and took the victory by unanimous decision over 15 rounds to capture his second world title.
Daniel Zaragoza vs. Chan Yong Park (1989)
Date and Location: 12/03/1989, Incheon, South Korea
Category: Super Bantamweight (SB)
Result: Zaragoza won by Decision in 12 rounds.
The great Mexican champion Daniel Zaragoza traveled to South Korea to defend his WBC Super Bantamweight title against the local challenger, Chan Yong Park. Zaragoza, known for being a tough and fierce fighter, faced an opponent who leveraged the home advantage. It was a close fight, but Zaragoza’s experience and constant pressure were enough to convince the judges and earn him the victory by decision over 12 rounds.
Jeff Harding vs. David Vedder (1992)
Date and Location: 12/03/1992, Biarritz, France
Category: Light Heavyweight (LH)
Result: Harding won by Decision in 12 rounds.
Australian Jeff Harding, the Light Heavyweight champion, made a successful defense of his title. The bout was a technical contest that went the distance. Harding managed to neutralize his opponent’s offense and used his pace to control the tempo of the fight, securing the victory by decision at the end of the 12 rounds.
Anaclet Wamba vs. Marcelo Domínguez (1994)
Date and Location: 12/03/1994, Salta, Argentina
Category: Cruiserweight (CR)
Result: Wamba won by Decision in 12 rounds.
The Congolese-French champion Anaclet Wamba defended his Cruiserweight crown in the homeland of the challenger, Marcelo Domínguez. Wamba, a technical and astute champion, navigated through the 12 rounds against a Domínguez who had the support of the crowd. Despite the local pressure, Wamba managed to maintain distance and box intelligently to take the victory by decision.
Jermain Taylor vs. Bernard Hopkins (2005)
Date and Location: 12/03/2005, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.
Category: Middleweight (MI)
Result: Taylor won by Decision in 12 rounds.
This was the rematch for the Middleweight world titles, including the WBC belt. The young Jermain Taylor had stripped the legendary Bernard Hopkins of his titles months earlier. In the rematch, Hopkins sought to regain his crown with his cerebral and defensive style. However, Taylor maintained his composure and managed to win enough rounds to secure the victory by decision, definitively ending the reign of “The Executioner” in the division.
Israel Vázquez vs. Óscar Larios (2005)
Date and Location: 12/03/2005, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.
Category: Super Bantamweight (SB)
Result: Vázquez won by TKO in Round 3.
Held on the same card as Taylor-Hopkins, this was a brutal all-Mexican fight. Israel “El Magnífico” Vázquez captured the vacant WBC Super Bantamweight title by dominating and knocking out Óscar “Chololo” Larios. Vázquez showed overwhelming intensity from the opening bell, forcing the technical knockout stoppage in the third round in an explosive performance.
Jhonny González vs. Roinet Caballero (2011)
Date and Location: 12/03/2011, Mexico City, Mexico
Category: Featherweight (FE)
Result: González won by KO in Round 2.
Local idol and WBC Featherweight champion, Jhonny González, delivered a spectacle for his fans in Mexico City. The Mexican had no trouble dispatching the Panamanian challenger Roinet Caballero. González used his power to end the fight quickly, achieving a convincing knockout in the second round and securing a successful title defense.
Tyson Fury vs. Dereck Chisora (2022)
Date and Location: 12/03/2022, London, England
Category: Heavyweight (HE)
Result: Fury won by TKO in Round 10 (Voluntary Defense).
The undefeated and dominant WBC Heavyweight champion, Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury, faced his compatriot Dereck Chisora for the third time in a voluntary defense. Fury, with his huge size and skill advantage, controlled the bout from start to finish, punishing a brave Chisora until the referee stopped the action in the 10th round, confirming Fury’s dominance in the division.
Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Román González (2022)
Date and Location: 12/03/2022, Glendale, Arizona, U.S.A.
Category: Super Flyweight (SFL)
Result: Estrada won by Majority Decision (MD) in 12 rounds.
The highly anticipated third fight of one of the greatest trilogies in recent history, with the vacant WBC Super Flyweight title on the line. Mexican Juan Francisco “El Gallo” Estrada and Nicaraguan legend Román “Chocolatito” González delivered another all-out war, exchanging blows and combinations at an incredible pace. At the end of 12 close and complex rounds to score, Estrada took the victory by majority decision (MD), resolving the rivalry in his favor with two wins to one.
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