Boxing in the 2000s explained
Lists of notable fights and other key news by year
2000
February
March
April
June
July
- July 15 - Lennox Lewis defeat Francois Botha via 2nd-round KO to retain his WBC, IBF, IBO, Lineal Heavyweight Championship
August
- August 12 - Evander Holyfield defeats John Ruiz by unanimous decision for the vacant WBA Heavyweight title making Holyfield the only heavyweight in boxing history to win a portion of the HW title 4 times.
September
- September 2 - Erik Morales defeats Kevin Kelley by 7th-round KO to win the Interim WBC Featherweight Championship
- September 2 - Diego Corrales defeats Angel Manfredy by 3rd-round TKO to retained his IBF & IBA Super Featherweight Championship
- September 9 - Roy Jones Jr. defeats Eric Harding by 10th-round TKO to retained his WBC, WBA, IBF, and won the IBO Light Heavyweight Championship
November
December
2001
January
March
- March 3 - John Ruiz defeats Evander Holyfield by unanimous decision to win the WBA Heavyweight championship. Ruiz, an American of Puerto Rican descent, becomes the first Hispanic world heavyweight champion.
- March 24 - Oscar De La Hoya wins decisively against Arturo Gatti by knockout in five rounds in a non-title match.
April
- April 7 - After a fourteen-minute introduction, Naseem Hamed loses to Marco Antonio Barrera by unanimous decision. Barrera, then known as a brawler, surprisingly easily out-boxed Hamed, who later retired after his next bout.
- April 22 - Hasim Rahman defeats Lennox Lewis via 5th-round KO in South Africa and wins the WBC and IBF heavyweight titles. Rahman lands a hard right hand for the upset knockout.
May
June
September
- September 29 - In a career defining performance, Bernard Hopkins defeats Félix Trinidad by technical knockout in 12, to successfully unify the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles to become the Undisputed Middleweight Champion.
November
- November 3 - Kostya Tszyu becomes the undisputed champion of the Light Welterweight division as he defeats Zab Judah by a dramatic second-round knockout in Las Vegas, Nevada. Judah was later suspended for 6 months and fined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for attacking referee Jay Nady and hurling his stool toward the center of the ring after the fight was stopped.
- November 17 - Lennox Lewis recaptures the WBC and IBF Heavyweight title as he avenges his loss against Hasim Rahman by fourth-round knockout.
December
- December 15 - John Ruiz and Evander Holyfield fought to a draw for the WBA Heavyweight Championship
2002
January
February
- February 2 - In his first fight after becoming Undisputed Middleweight Champion, Bernard Hopkins defends the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles against Carl Daniels.
March
April
May
- May 18 - Micky Ward defeats Arturo Gatti in a very competitive non-title light welterweight bout. After getting knocked down in the ninth round Gatti came back and traded power punches with Ward. The fight was later named the 2002 Ring Magazine fight of the year.
June
- June 1 - Evander Holyfield defeats Hasim Rahman by technical decision in eight rounds. A welt the size of a golf ball formed on Rahman's head leading the referee to stop the fight.
- June 8 - Lennox Lewis defeats Mike Tyson by eighth-round knockout. The fight is overshadowed by its prefight melee, in which Tyson rushed Lewis and started a brawl.
- June 22 - In their rematch, Marco Antonio Barrera defeats Erik Morales by unanimous decision to take the WBC featherweight title.
July
September
- September 14 - Oscar De La Hoya defeats Fernando Vargas by 11th-round TKO to unify the WBC and WBA light middleweight belts.
November
- November 23 - Arturo Gatti defeats Mickey Ward by unanimous decision in their second fight
December
2003
January
March
June
- June 21 - Lennox Lewis defends his title as he defeats Vitali Klitschko by technical knockout in 6 due to a cut in Klitschko's left eye. Klitschko was up on all of the scorecards at the time of the stoppage. There is talk of a rematch, but Lewis instead retires.
July
- July 12 - Ricardo Mayorga successfully defends his WBA and WBC welterweight belts as he defeats Vernon Forrest by controversial majority decision.
- July 17 - Jeff Lacy (as an up-and-coming super middleweight) defeats Richard Grant to win the vacant NABA Super Middleweight title as well as the USBA and WBC Continental Americas Super Middleweight titles.
September
- September 13 - Shane Mosley defeats Oscar De La Hoya in their rematch to unify the WBC and WBA light middleweight title belts.
November
December
2004
January
March
- March 13 - Winky Wright becomes the Undisputed Light Middleweight Champion after defeating Shane Mosley by unanimous decision.
April
- April 10 - Cory Spinks defends his undisputed welterweight title as he defeats Zab Judah by unanimous decision.
May
- May 8 - Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Márquez fought for the Featherweight championship. Although he was knocked down 3 times in the 1st round, Márquez managed to control the succeeding rounds to earn a somewhat controversial draw. Márquez retained his WBA and IBF titles, while Pacquiao retained his Ring Magazine title.
- May 15 - Antonio Tarver upsets Roy Jones Jr., knocking him out in the second round to take the WBC, WBA and WBO light heavyweight titles.
September
- September 18 - Bernard Hopkins adds the WBO title to his undisputed middleweight status as he defeats Oscar De La Hoya by a bodyshot knockout in the ninth round. This is Oscar De La Hoya's only defeat by knockout, and the last knockout victory Hopkins achieved (All of Hopkins' victories after this will be by decision).
- September 25 - Roy Jones Jr. gets knocked out for the second consecutive fight as he loses to Glen Johnson for the IBF light heavyweight title.
November
December
2005
February
- February 5 - Zab Judah knocks out Cory Spinks in nine rounds in Spinks's hometown, St. Louis, Missouri. Judah becomes the new Undisputed Welterweight Champion. Spinks had a dramatic ring entrance with rapper Nelly.
March
May
June
July
October
December
2006
January
February
March
April
May
- May 6 - Oscar De La Hoya returns from a 20-month break and defeats Ricardo Mayorga for the WBC super welterweight title.
- May 11 - Former two-time heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson dies from complications of Alzheimer’s disease and prostate cancer.
- May 20 - Marco Antonio Barrera defeats Rocky Juarez by split decision. Juarez was competitive throughout the fight, breaking Barrera's nose in the early rounds. The fight was originally announced as a draw, until it was later revealed that there were two scorecard tabulation errors.
June
July
August
September
October
November
2007
January
- January 6 - Samuel Peter defeats James Toney by unanimous decision in their rematch. Peter becomes the #1 challenger for WBC Heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev.
- January 20 - Nikolay Valuev defends his WBA Heavyweight title by defeating Jameel McCline by technical knockout after McCline blew out his knee.
- January 20 - Ricky Hatton beats previously unbeaten Juan Urango by unanimous decision.
February
- February 3 - Chad Dawson becomes WBC Light Heavyweight champion after defeating Tomasz Adamek by unanimous decision. Despite being knocked down from a straight right hand in round 10, Dawson dominates most of the fight with his speed.
- February 10 - Shane Mosley becomes WBC Welterweight champion by defeating Luis Collazo by unanimous decision.
March
- March 3 - Rafael Márquez moves up in weight class and defeats Ring Magazine and WBC Super Bantamweight champion Israel Vázquez by 7th-round technical knockout. Vazquez did not answer the bell after badly breaking his nose and having trouble breathing.
- March 10 - Wladimir Klitschko defends his IBF Heavyweight title by defeating Ray Austin by 2nd-round knockout.
- March 17 - Juan Manuel Márquez defeats Marco Antonio Barrera by unanimous decision to become the WBC Super Featherweight champion. In the seventh round there was controversy, as Marquez thoroughly dominated the round then got knocked down by Barrera. Referee Jay Nady ruled this a slip, then penalized Barrera for hitting while Marquez was on the canvas.
- March 24 - Mikkel Kessler defends his WBA and WBC Super middleweight titles by defeating Librado Andrade by a shutout unanimous decision.
April
- April 7 - Joe Calzaghe defends his WBO and Ring Magazine super middleweight titles by defeating Peter Manfredo (of The Contender fame) by a 3rd-round technical knockout.
- April - HBO airs De la Hoya/Mayweather 24/7 for three weeks to hype the highly anticipated matchup between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
- April 14 - Ruslan Chagaev becomes the new WBA Heavyweight Champion after defeating Nicolay Valuev by majority decision.
- April 28 - Juan Díaz unifies the WBA and WBO Lightweight titles after defeating Acelino Freitas. Freitas refused to answer the bell before round nine.
May
- May 5 - In a highly anticipated matchup, Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeats Oscar De La Hoya by split decision, taking the WBC junior middleweight title. Despite being one of the richest fights in the history of the sport, the fight generally did not match the hype.
- May 7 - Former super featherweight and lightweight champion Diego Corrales dies in a motorcycle accident near his home in Las Vegas. Corrales died on the two-year anniversary of his thrilling first fight against José Luis Castillo, regarded as one of the greatest fights in modern history.
June
July
August
- August 4 - Israel Vázquez defeats Rafael Márquez by technical knockout in the 6th round of their rematch to recapture the WBC super bantamweight title. The two traded punches throughout the fight before Vázquez dominated Márquez in the sixth round, causing the referee to stop the fight.
- August 25 - Iván Calderón defeats Hugo Fidel Cazares in a split decision to win the WBO Light Flyweight title and to become The Ring Magazine Jr. Flyweight champion. This was Calderon's first fight at Light Flyweight.
September
- September 29 Kelly Pavlik upsets Jermain Taylor by seventh-round TKO to win the WBC, WBO and universally recognized middleweight championship. Pavlik was knocked down in the second round but rallied back against a tired Taylor.
October
November
- November 4 - Joe Calzaghe defeats Mikkel Kessler by unanimous decision in a unification bout for the WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight titles. Calzaghe becomes the first undisputed super middleweight champion and surpasses the 20 defenses made by Bernard Hopkins and Larry Holmes at middleweight and heavyweight respectively.
- November 11 - David Haye beats Jean Marc Mormeck by a 7th-round TKO to win the WBC cruiserweight title and the WBA super cruiserweight title.
December
- December 8 - Floyd Mayweather Jr. defends his WBC and Ring Welterweight titles, defeating Ricky Hatton by 10th-round technical knockout.
- December 16 - Danny Green defeats Stipe Drews to win the WBA Light Heavyweight title. This is Green's first successful world title match after trying to win the WBC Super Middleweight Title twice.
2008
January
February
March
- March 1 - Israel Vázquez successfully defends the WBC and Ring Magazine titles as he defeats Rafael Márquez by split decision.
- March 8 - David Haye unifies the WBA, WBC and WBO titles as he defeats Enzo Maccarinelli by a 2nd-round technical knockout.
- March 8 - Nate Campbell upsets Juan Díaz by split decision. Campbell becomes the unified WBA, IBF and WBO champion.
- March 8 - Samuel Peter wins the WBC Heavyweight title as he defeats Oleg Maskaev by 6th-round TKO.
- March 15 - Manny Pacquiao becomes the Ring Magazine and WBC super featherweight champion as he defeats Juan Manuel Márquez by split decision.
- March 22 - Joel Casamayor defeats Michael Katsidis by 10th-round technical knockout to defend the Ring Magazine Lightweight championship. In a thrilling back-and-forth fight, Casamayor knocked down Katsidis twice in the opening round, only to have Katsidis come back with a knockdown in the 6th. Casamayor knocked Katsidis down again in the 10th, hurting him in the process, and the referee called a halt to the contest.
April
June
July
- July 26 - Antonio Margarito knocks out Miguel Cotto in the 11th to gain the WBA Welterweight title. Cotto managed to control the early rounds, but Margarito came back with relentless pressure, eventually winning one of the greatest fights of the year. But the handwrap controversy surrounding Margarito was later to call the victory's validity into question.
September
- September 13 - Juan Manuel Márquez defeats Joel Casamayor by stopping him in the 11th round after two knockdowns to capture the Ring Magazine Lightweight title.
- September 15 - Roman Gonzalez knocks out Yutaka Niida to become the WBA minimumweight champion.
October
November
- November 8 - Joe Calzaghe defeats Roy Jones Jr. in New York City by unanimous decision to retain the Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight title. Despite being put down in the 1st round, Calzaghe controlled the succeeding rounds to win the decision.
- November 22 - Ricky Hatton stops Paul Malignaggi in the 11th round to retain the Ring Magazine Light Welterweight title.
December
2009
January
- January 3 - Toshiaki Nishioka defeats Genaro Garcia by 12th round TKO to retain WBC super bantamweight title
- January 10 - Zsolt Erdei defeats Yuri Barashian by unanimous decision to retain the WBO light-heavyweight title
- Karoly Balzsay defeats Denis Inkin by unanimous decision to win the WBO super-middleweight title
- January 17 - Andre Berto defeats Luis Collazo by unanimous decision to retain the WBC welterweight title
- January 24 - Shane Mosley defeats Antonio Margarito to win the WBA welterweight title by 9th-round TKO. Controversy erupted before the fight when it was discovered that Margarito had an illegal plaster-like substance in his gloves. Margarito and his trainer had their boxing licenses revoked.
- January 30 - Former heavyweight champion 1959–60 Ingemar Johansson dies from complications of pneumonia and had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.
- January 30 - Juan Urango defeats Herman Ngoudjo by unanimous decision to win vacant IBF light-welterweight title
February
March
- March 12 - Hozumi Hasegawa defeats Vusi Malinga by first-round stoppage to retain the WBC bantamweight title
- Takahiro Aoh defeats Óscar Larios by unanimous decision in their rematch to win the WBC featherweight title
- March 13 - Lucian Bute defeats Fulgencio Zuniga by fourth-round stoppage to retain the IBF super-middleweight title
- March 14 - Arthur Abraham defeats Lajuan Simon by unanimous decision to retain the IBF middleweight title
- March 14 - Amir Khan defeats Marco Antonio Barrera after the fight was stopped toward the end of the 5th round. Barrera suffering a severe cut, reopened from his previous fight, by a clash of heads late in the opening round. With Barrera deemed in no position to fight on by the ringside doctor, the fight went to the scorecards where Khan was ahead on all three.
- March 21 - Vitali Klitschko defeats Juan Carlos Gómez by 9th round TKO
- March 21 - Roy Jones Jr. knocks out Omar Sheika in the 5th round to win the vacant NABO light heavyweight title. This was Jones' first knockout win in 6½ years. The undercard featured MMA fights.
April
May
- May 2 - Manny Pacquiao stops Ricky Hatton after two brutal rounds in a fight billed as "The Battle of East and West" in Las Vegas. During the 1st round, Pacquiao knocked down Hatton twice. In the 2nd round, Pacquiao continued to rain Hatton with furious combinations, eventually knocking him out with a thunderous left hook. For his win, Pacquiao took the IBO and The Ring light welterweight titles. The fight was named the knockout of the year.
- May 9 - Chad Dawson defeats Antonio Tarver by decision. This was Dawson's first defense of his IBF and IBO light heavyweight titles.
June
July
August
- August 15 - Roy Jones Jr. stops Jeff Lacy in the 10th round. This was Jones' first defense of his NABO light heavyweight title. The fight was entitled "Hook City".
- August 28 - Tavoris Cloud defeats Clinton Woods by unanimous decision to win the vacant IBF light-heavyweight title
September
- September 12 - Iván Calderón defeats Rodel Mayol to defend his WBO light flyweight title for the fifth time. The two had previously fought to a draw.
- September 19 - Floyd Mayweather Jr. dominates Juan Manuel Márquez in Mayweather's comeback fight, after retiring 21 months earlier. It was the first time Marquez had fought above the 135lb. limit. There was some controversy over Mayweather being two pounds over the 144lb weight limit, for which he later paid Marquez $600,000. The fight was aired the same night that UFC 103 was aired, however sold much better, with 600,000 more PPV buys.
- September 19 - Chris John defeats Rocky Juarez by decision after fighting Juarez to a draw earlier in the year. The fight was part of the undercard of Floyd Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, and some journalists had thought it might turn out a better fight than the main event.[2]
- September 26 - Vitali Klitschko knocks out undefeated Chris Arreola in the 10th round. The fight was Klitschko's fourth defense of his WBC heavyweight title.
October
November
December
- December 2 - Danny Green knocks out Roy Jones Jr. in a shocking 2:02 KO after Green landed two solid left hands and a right cross to the temple that knocked Jones out.
- December 2 - Bernard Hopkins, at nearly 45 years old, beats Enrique Ornelas by decision.
- December 5 - Amir Khan stops Dmitriy Salita in a seventy-six second TKO. The first knockdown came only ten seconds after the fight began. This is Salita's first career loss.
- December 11 - Jean Pascal defeats Adrian Diaconu by unanimous decision
- December 12 - Vitali Klitschko defeats Kevin Johnson by unanimous decision
Notes and References
- Web site: Wladimir Klitschko vs. Ruslan Chagaev – Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia . Boxrec.com . January 28, 2011.
- http://queensberry-rules.com/2009/09/rarified-air-previews-and-predictions-for-chris-john---rocky-juarez-ii-michael-katsidis---vicente-es.html
- Web site: Israeli Boxing Champion – Yuri Foreman becomes first Israeli world champion – Los Angeles Times . Latimes.com . January 23, 2009 . January 28, 2011.
