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WORLD
BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE
Jofre had won the bantamweight title with a 10th-round KO of Piero Rollo, while Caldwell outpointed Alphonse Halimi to win the the European version of the bantamweight crown in 1961. Caldwell faced Jofre in January 1962 in an attempt to become the undisputed bantamweight champion. The previously unbeaten Irishman proved no match for Jofre's speed and accurate punching and, totally beaten, was finally stopped with 15 seconds remaining in the fight ... REPLAY ... The usually patient Jofre wasted no time in taking it to the challenger who proved no match for Jofre's speed and accuracy. After scoring repeatedly with knifelike jabs and sharp combinations throughout the first three rounds, Jofre had an exhausted and defenseless Caldwell hurt and covering up in Round 4 before the referee stopped the fight. WINNER: Eder Jofre, by TKO, Round 4 Joey
Giardello vs. Henry
Hank Giardello was still a year away from winning the middleweight title, and Hank had yet to advance to the light heavyweight division, where he would contend for several years, when these two met in 1962 in what was to be ranked the “Fight of the Year” by the International Boxing Hall of Fame -- a fight won by Giardello on a 10-round decision ... REPLAY … After a grueling 10 rounds that had both fighters clearly fatigued at the finish, many at ringside were hard-pressed to pick a winner. In a closely fought contest, it was Giardello’s superior movement, boxing skills and punching accuracy in the later rounds that had Hank missing more than he landed. While scoring repeatedly with counterpunches and an educated jab, Giardello took Hank’s best shots -- tremendous right Rounds 3 and 4 -- and while appearing hurt, managed to fight his way through and survive the rounds, finally winning the fight by majority decision. WINNER: Joey Giardello, by majority decision Cleveland
Williams vs. Ernie
Terrell Cleveland Williams and Ernie Terrell were both top contenders for the heavyweight crown when they fought in 1962. Terrell was still three years away from winning the WBA title, while the 'Big Cat" -- feared because of his terrific power -- would never get a title shot while in his prime. In actuality, their fight lasted only seven rounds, with Williams winning by TKO ... REPLAY ... Terrell was never able to get untracked after being hurt early in the first round by a tremendous right hook. Though Terrell displayed occasional flashes of superior boxing skills and went the distance, it was Williams' thunderous power that kept him in control for much of the fight and earned him a unanimous decision. Round after round, Williams was able to muscle his way inside and hurt Terrell with crushing hooks and uppercuts to the head and body that had Terrell out on his feet and holding on by the fifth round. WINNER: Cleveland Williams, by unanimous decision. WORLD
MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE
The Pender-Downes trilogy came to an end in April 1962. With the fights squared at one apiece, this final and decisive fight – the only one to go the distance – unfolded as a boring, drab affair with far too much holding, mauling and grappling. At the end of 15 rounds, Pender had regained the championship by unanimous decision ... REPLAY ... Downes, the hard-charging Londoner, set a fast pace early and dropped Pender for a six-count in the closing seconds of Round 3. Despite the knockdown, an extremely fit Pender matched the pace, and a drained Downes had nothing left in the final rounds. From the 10th on, Pender dominated a laboring Downes, scoring repeatedly with a straight right hand. WINNER: Paul Pender, by unanimous decision. WORLD
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
Harold Johnson cleverly outboxed Doug Jones to win a 15-round decision when the two met for the light heavyweight title in May of 1962. A year later, Jones would give a young Cassius Clay one of the toughest fights of his career ... REPLAY ... After falling behind in the early rounds, Johnson outboxed Jones for the remainder of the fight, scoring a knockdown in the 10th, and appeared to win the later rounds handily. However, two of the judges saw it as a much closer fight -- one scoring it even; the other 143-141 for Johnson. WINNER: Harold Johnson, by majority decision. WORLD
JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE
Flash Elorde reigned for seven years as junior lightweight champ after winning the title from Harold Gomes in March 1960. In June 1962, he successfully defended his title against challenger Aaron Copeland, winning a 15-round decision ... REPLAY ... Elorde countered Copeland's take-no-prisoners style with excellent movement and footwork that kept the challenger off balance for most of the fight. Displaying the style and boxing skills that labeled him "the Sugar Ray of Southpaws," Elorde danced and moved -- in and out and side to side -- while scoring effectively with stinging jabs and a punishing uppercut. A tired and bloody Copeland was already far behind on points when he walked into a three-punch combination that sent him to the canvas in Round 13. Though he survived the round, he really had nothing left, losing a decision that wasn't nearly close. WINNER: Flash Elorde, by unanimous decision. Cassius
Clay vs. Alejandro
Lavorante A young Cassius Clay had amassed a 14-0 professional record and was on his way to an eventual title fight with Sonny Liston when he met the former Argentine champ Alejandro Lavorante in July of 1962. Clay won the fight by knocking out Lavorante in the fifth round ... REPLAY ... After a rocky start over the first two rounds, Ali took control in Round 3, displaying the movement, footwork, quick hands and boxing skills he was renowned for. He continued dancing, feinting and slipping punches for the remainder of the fight, while scoring repeatedly with jabs, a straight right hand and sharp combinations. By the sixth round, a tired and frustrated Lavorante appeared to have nothing left as Clay continued to build up points on his way to a unanimous decision. WINNER: Cassius Clay, by unanimous decision. WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE Floyd Patterson was the youngest heavyweight champion when he beat Archie Moore for the title in 1956 and the first to regain the title after losing it to Ingemar Johannson in 1960. But the champ was outgunned when he met the powerful challenger Sonny Liston in 1962. It would take "The Bear" only two minutes to destroy Patterson and win the title ... REPLAY ... It became evident from the opening bell that Liston's size and power was going to be too much for Patterson's guile and agility. For three rounds, Patterson was rocked with thunderous blows before being floored twice in Round 4. Patterson managed to hold on but by the sixth round looked to be out on his feet and was being pummeled before the referee stopped the fight. WINNER: Sonny Liston, by TKO, Round 6 WBA
MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE Fullmer won the NBA Middleweight Title by scoring a 14th round knockout of Carmen Basilio in 1959. After seven successful title defenses, his reign as middleweight champion ended in 1962 with a 15-round loss to challenger Dick Tiger. Two weeks later, the New York Boxing Commission recognized Tiger as their champion after stripping Paul Pender for not fighting Tiger ... REPLAY ... Tiger gained the upper hand early after cutting Fullmer's right eye, blinding him to left-hand counters. Despite the injury, Fullmer made it a fight, with a brawling, tireless attack that brought out the best in Tiger's boxing and counterpunching skills. This, combined with Tiger's quickness, footwork and effective fighting inside gave the challenger the edge -- and the title -- in a majority decision. WINNER: Dick Tiger, by majority decision
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