| Fight Name: | Lloyd Honeyghan vs. Marlon Starling |
| Fight Date: | February 4, 1989 |
| Location: | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| Titles: | WBC and The Ring welterweight title |
| Fighter1: | Lloyd Honeyghan |
| Nickname1: | "Ragamuffin Man" |
| Hometown1: | Bermondsey, London, U.K. |
| Purse1: | $650,000 |
| Record1: | 33–1 (22 KO) |
| Height1: | 5 ft 9 in |
| Weight1: | 146+1/2 lb |
| Style1: | Orthodox |
| Recognition1: | WBC and The Ring Welterweight Champion |
| Fighter2: | Marlon Starling |
| Nickname2: | "The Magic Man" |
| Hometown2: | Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Purse2: | $250,000 |
| Record2: | 43–4–1 (1) (26 KO) |
| Height2: | 5 ft 8 in |
| Weight2: | 146 lb |
| Style2: | Orthodox |
| Recognition2: | WBC No. 3 Ranked Welterweight |
| Result: | Starling wins by 9th-round technical knockout |
Lloyd Honeyghan vs. Marlon Starling was a professional boxing match contested on February 4, 1989, for the WBC welterweight title.[1]
Honeyghan and Starling, then the WBA and WBC welterweight champions respectively, had previously taken part in a doubleheader event billed as Double Trouble in which both fighters would make a defense of their titles against their respective mandatory challenger. Both Honeyghan and Starling were heavy favorites over their little known challengers, Yung-Kil Jung and Tomás Molinares, and both were expected to win their fights after which they were expected to face one another in a title unification fight.[2] Though Honeyghan would defeat Jung by fifth-round TKO, Starling, however, lost his title to Molinares in controversial fashion as he was knocked out by a punch that Molinares landed after the bell rang. Though originally ruled a knockout victory for Molinares, Larry Hazzard, head of New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, overturned the decision and declared the fight a no contest, however, though he had not officially won the fight, the WBA ruled in favor of Molinares keeping the WBA welterweight title.[3] [4]
Though no longer in possession of the WBA welterweight title, Starling nevertheless continued negotiations with Honeyghan and the a fight between the two was ultimately made official in early January 1989 to take place the following month on February 4th.[5] Starling had turned down a deal prior to the Molinares fight that would've guaranteed him a $800,000 payday to fight Honeyghan in hopes that he would receive a $1,000,000 purse instead, however, because he had lost his title to Molinares, Starling was forced to accept a much lower offer of $250,000 while Honeyghan received $650,000.[6]
Originally, Honeyghan–Starling bout was to be co-headlined with Molinares making his first WBA welterweight title defense against former welterweight champion Mark Breland, who was the WBA's number-one welterweight contender. Molinares pulled out of the fight and vacated the title only days after the event was announced with his manager citing "severe mental depression."[7] Instead, Breland was matched up against Seung Soon Lee, the WBA's number-two ranked welterweight, for the now vacant title.
Starling controlled much of the fight and at times dominated Honeyghan before finally scoring the victory by technical knockout in the ninth round. Then end came shortly after Starling had scored the fight's lone knockdown after backing Honeyghan into the ropes and landing a flurry of punches which sent an exhausted Honeyghan down to his knees. Though Honeyghan got up quickly, Starling once again went on the attack and backed him into a corner. After Starling landed a brief barrage on an exhausted Honeyghan, whose right eye and cheek were now swollen, referee Mills Lane decided to stop the fight at 1:19 of the round.[8]
Two weeks after the fight, Honeyghan's post-fight drug test yielded a positive result for the pain-killing drug lidocaine, which Honeyghan had not cleared with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Though the commission threatened Honeyghan with a suspension for the infraction, they only issued him a $1,500 fine and Honeyghan returned to the ring that August.[9] [10]
Confirmed bouts:[11]
| Weight Class | Weight | vs. | Method | Round | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welterweight | 147 lbs. | Marlon Starling | def. | Lloyd Honeyghan | TKO | 9/12 | |
| Welterweight | 147 lbs. | Mark Breland | def. | Seung Soon Lee | TKO | 1/12 | |
| Welterweight | 147 lbs. | Rafael Pineda | def. | Vernon Buchanan | TKO | 4/10 | |
| Middleweight | 160 lbs. | John Mugabi | def. | Francisco Carballo | UD | 2/10 | |
| Welterweight | 147 lbs. | Carl Daniels | def. | Matt Trejo | UD | 4/4 | |
| Super Featherweight | 130 lbs. | Eddie Hopson | def. | Marcos Covarrubias | UD | 4/4 | |
| Middleweight | 160 lbs. | Willie Monroe | def. | Keheven Johnson | TKO | 2/4 |
| align=center | Country | align=center | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC | |||
| HBO |