Muhammad Ali vs Jimmy Ellis, Mike Tyson vs Marvis Frazier and more
Mancini and Tyson excite, Andries gets revenge, Nunn impresses while Ali and Dundee split up for one night only, writes Matt Christie
5 RAY MANCINI w rsf 6 ERNESTO ESPANA
July 24, 1982; Mollenkopf Stadium, Warren, OH
RAY “BOOM BOOM” MANCINI, circa 1982, was among the brightest young stars in America. Just 21 years old and with a face still learning how to sprout whiskers, Mancini was already WBA lightweight champion, even finding time to rebound from a punishing 14-round loss to Alexis Arguello in 1981. Espana was the perfect fodder for Mancini’s first defence. A former titlist – he was the beneficiary of Roberto Duran vacating the lightweight belts in 1979 – but fairly low risk, the Venezualan always came to fight. But the swarming finish, which came five seconds after the bell to end the sixth with Ernesto taking a pounding on the ropes, doesn’t so much bend the rules but rip them into little pieces.
DID YOU KNOW? Such big news was Mancini at the time, this bout made the Sports Illustrated cover.
WATCH OUT FOR: Mancini being asked if he heard the last bell. ‘Yes, I heard the bell,’ he said. ‘Actually, no I didn’t, I just know the referee stepped between us.’ Whatever you say, Ray.
4 MUHAMMAD ALI w rsf 12 JIMMY ELLIS
July 26, 1971; Astrodome, Houston, TX
ANGELO DUNDEE picked up just $50,000 from Muhammad Ali’s multi-million dollar purse versus Joe Frazier and split from Ali for one-night only so he could earn a better rate with his comeback opponent and stablemate, Jimmy Ellis. Ali understood and gave Dundee his blessing, stopped Ellis in the 12th, then welcomed Angelo back with open arms for his next outing. Had this occurred today, there would have been a distinctly fishy smell. Back in 1971, perhaps to stifle that stench, efforts were made by marketeers to make the split appear real. It wasn’t of course, but Ali employed Harry Wiley – the chief second for a peak Sugar Ray Robinson – to complete the surreal scene.
DID YOU KNOW? According to the commentator, journalism legend Dave Anderson – who picked up the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1981 – predicted a one-round KO win for Jimmy Ellis.
WATCH OUT FOR: Muhammad messing about with his shorts before the opening bell. The story goes that Bundini Brown forgot to pack Ali’s fitted shorts so he was forced to wear ones that are obviously way too big.
3 MICHAEL NUNN w rsf 9 FRANK TATE
July 28, 1988; Caesars Palace Sports Pavilion, Las Vegas
SLICK southpaw Michael Nunn missed out on a spot at the 1984 Olympics after losing to eventual gold medal winner, Frank Tate, for the second time in three amateur bouts. Four years later, the pair met again in the professional ranks in the post-marvin Hagler middleweight era with Tate’s IBF middleweight title on the line. Tate taunted Nunn in the build-up, presenting his rival with some running shoes with a nod to his challenger’s fleet-footed style. It was clear in the opening round that Nunn planned to stand and fight. What followed was a masterful and one-sided beatdown that was eventually stopped in the ninth.
DID YOU KNOW? This was the last bout to be scheduled for 15 rounds in the middleweight division as the IBF announced that, from September 1, 1988, all their title bouts would be over 12.
WATCH OUT FOR: The confusion at the end of the eighth round when referee Mills Lane appeared to stop the count over the stricken Tate only for the fight to continue into the ninth.
2 DENNIS ANDRIES w ko 7 JEFF HARDING
July 28, 1990; Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia
DENNIS ANDRIES blamed a torrid struggle to make weight for the first battle with Jeff Harding for losing his WBC lightheavyweight title to the Aussie the year before. Andries’ trainer, Emanuel Steward, blamed himself. He had left Andries so he could focus on Thomas Hearns’ rematch with Sugar Ray Leonard but promised to make amends to the Brit. Andries, like in their first bout, started quickly but seemed to tire. After six rounds, Harding looked like he was getting on top. Andries gambled, emptied his tank in the seventh, cut Harding before knocking him out with a vicious right.
DID YOU KNOW? Turns out it was Harding who messed up the weight-making process this time. He refused to let anyone see him train in the final days of his camp so he could avoid news reaching Team Andries about his weakened state.
WATCH OUT FOR: The barroom brawl style right hand that windmilled into a beleaguered Harding in the seventh round and dropped him for the full count. 1 MIKE TYSON w ko 1 MARVIS FRAZIER
July 26, 1986; Civic Center, Glen Falls, NY
MARVIS FRAZIER, held back in slightly ridiculous fashion by his father and trainer Joe Frazier, does his best to look menacing during the referee’s instructions. Yet the grimace was soon replaced on Frazier’s face with the most vacant of expressions as Tyson let rip and knocked him silly inside 30 seconds. Two seismic right uppercuts left Marvin unconscious on his feet before further blows saw his whole body collapse. Tyson checked on Marvis – legs folded beneath him and scrunched up in the corner like a paper ball – then furiously leaped into the air with a deep and terrifying victory roar. Now that’s menacing.
DID YOU KNOW? Those who now view this as a mismatch should consider that Frazier had beaten Bonecrusher Smith, Jose Ribalta and James Tillis coming in and was ranked in the top 10 by all three sanctioning bodies beforehand.
WATCH OUT FOR: The violent end. Frazier fought with all the care of a lemming approaching a cliff edge, granted, but Tyson exploding with such educated ferocity remains a sight to behold.