October 1, 1975 The “Thrilla in Manila,” the third and final boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier for the Heavyweight Boxing Championship of the World, was fought in Manila, Philippines. Both men battled each other into near incapacity before Frazier’s trainer stopped the fight after the fourteenth round and Ali was declared the […]
Tag Archives | boxing
May 11th in African American History – Floyd Patterson
May 11, 2006 Floyd Patterson, two-time World Heavyweight boxing champion, died. Patterson was born January 4, 1935 in Waco, North Carolina. He started boxing at the age of 14 and won the Gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games as a middleweight. Following the Olympics, Patterson turned professional and on November 30, 1956 became […]
November 3rd in African American History – Larry Holmes
November 3, 1949 Larry Holmes, former heavyweight boxing champion, was born in Cuthbert, Georgia. Holmes started boxing at the age of 19 and had an amateur record of 19 wins and 3 losses. He had his first professional fight on March 21, 1973 and won the heavyweight championship when he defeated Ken Norton on June […]