BOXING in JANUARY

BOXING's JANUARY HAPPENINGS: 

 By Btian Zelley

Step back in time to February 1966

and in the black and white pages of
"Boxing Illustrated" and there was
an article by E. M. Orlick titled
"It Happened In January" that
covered many interesting moments
to take place in boxing during the 
month of January including
championship fights and various other interesting happenings
including the last professional fight of champion Fritzie Zivic
on January 17, 1949 with a ten round victory over Eddie Steele
in Georgia, and Virgil Akins victory over Tony DeMarco in
an elimination bout to fill the welterweight title left vacant by
Carmen Basilio.  

Some of the title fights included:
1932: Johnny Jadick wins a 10-rounder over Tony Canzoneri
to win the Jr. welterweight tiutle.
1939: Joe Louis stops light-heavyweight champion John Henry
Lewis to retain his heavyweight title.  
1964" Pone Kingpetch outpoints Fighting Harada to regain the
flyweight title. 

Beyond 1966:
1967:  Emile Griffith retains the middleweight title with a 
decision over Joey Archer.

1968:   Howard Winstone stops Mitsunori Seki in nine to
win a piece of the featherweight title and in the flyweight
division Chartchai Choinoi stops Efren Torres in Mexico.

1969: Bob Foster scores a first round win over
Frankie DePaula in light-heavyweight action, in featherwight
action it is Johnny Famechon over Jose Legra in London.*

The Seventies:

*Johnny Famechon would lead the charge in the Seventies 

with his victory over Fighting Harada in featherweight 

action in Tokyo, but there would be others to add some

magic moments to the Seventies.

* In action in 1972 was Joe Frazier and his stoppage of 

Terry Daniels, but in January 1973 it would be 

George Foreman who would win a sensational victory

over Smoking Joe with two rounds of destruction.

*But, there would be a lightweight destructive force

that would stop Jimmy Robertson in five at Panama City

and that would be in the person of Roberto Duran.  And,

fast forward to 1977 and it would be Carlos Palomino who 

would defeat Armando Muniz in Los Angeles action, but 

Roberto Duran would still be in action to stop one

Vilomar Fernandez  in 13 rds. at Miami Beach, and in 

1978 Duran would unify the lightweight title with a 

convincing win over Esteban deJesus in  Vegas.

*To close out the Seventies, Wilfred Benitez would

defeat Carlos Palomino in San Juan.

The Eighties:

* Some of the champions that would see action in one of the

January's of the  '80's would include middleweight champion
Marvin Hagler, jr. middleweight Wilfred Benitez,  lightweight
Arturo Frias. jr. middleweight Davey Moore  jr. lightweight
Roger Mayweather  and lightweight Ray Mancini.  By 1985,
there would be Donald Curry, Rocky Lockridge, with others
to follow such as Tim Witherspoon, Hilario Zapata, and the big
one in January 1988 with Mike Tyson over Larry Homes in four.
and to close out the last January in the Eighties it would be
Meldrick Taylor inaction

The Nineties:

*  It would be another new decade, and some of  the                                  January moments would include a cross-section of                                           new and old fighters . 

Carlos DeLeon,  Virgil Hill, Prince Charles William,  Luis Mendoza,

and many more such as IRAN BARKLEY  and MELDRICK TAYLOR.