Don King
Donald King (born August 20, 1931) is an American boxing promoter, known for his involvement in several historic boxing matchups. He has been a controversial figure, partly due to a manslaughter conviction and civil cases against him, as well a ...
nicknamed it, was an important
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...
Louisiana Superdome
The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...
on December 3, 1982.
The event had caught the international attention of boxing fans worldwide, but particularly in the United States,
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
and Mexico, because the two main events that night featured two Puerto Ricans, one Mexican and one American.
In the undercard's first of two co-main events,
Wilfredo Gómez
Wilfredo Gómez RiveraWBC world Jr Featherweight championship against WBC's world Bantamweight champion
Lupe Pintor
José Guadalupe Pintor Guzmán (born 13 April 1955), better known as Lupe Pintor, is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1974 to 1995. He won the WBC bantamweight title in 1979 after defeating Carlos Zárate Serna, and made ...
of Mexico. In the second,
Wilfred Benítez
Wilfred "Wilfredo" Benítez (born September 12, 1958) is an American-born Puerto Rican former professional boxer and the youngest world champion in the sport's history. Earning his first of three career world titles in separate weight division ...
, also of Puerto Rico, would defend his WBC world Jr Middleweight championship against the former WBA Welterweight champion of the world
Thomas Hearns
Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 2006. Nicknamed the "Motor City Cobra", and more famously "The Hitman", Hearns's tall, slender build and oversized arms and shoulders allowe ...
, of
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
.
There was a lot of media hype surrounding the event, and HBO televised both. Gómez, Pintor, Hearns and HBO commentator
Sugar Ray Leonard
Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professional ...
(who came in to substitute Benitez) were paraded around New Orleans a few days before the event, and many former and current world boxing champions and other celebrities attended the fights.
Before the event, there was no palpable animosity, at least between Gomez and Pintor, and they were friendly towards each other during a press conference a few days before the fights; this might have been due in part to Gomez's 1981 defeat at the hands of
Salvador Sanchez
Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to:
* Salvador (name)
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
*Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music
** ''Salvador'' ( ...
, Sanchez's tragic death on August 12, 1982 in a car accident, Pintor's fight with
Johnny Owen
John Richard Owens (7 January 1956 – 4 November 1980) was a Welsh professional boxer who fought under the name Johnny Owen. His seemingly fragile appearance earned him many epithets, including the "Merthyr Matchstick" and the "Bionic Ba ...
after which Owen died as a consequence of the blows he took and
Duk Koo Kim
Kim Duk-koo (Hangul:김득구; born Lee Deokgu, Hangul: 이덕구; July 29, 1955November 18, 1982) was a South Korean boxer who died after fighting in a world championship boxing match against Ray Mancini. His death sparked reforms aimed at bette ...
's recent death after a bout with Ray Mancini.
In Puerto Rico in particular, the event had been eagerly awaited for, because it would be the first time the two ''Wilfredos'' would fight the same night and in the same ring, defending their world titles. Another ''Wilfredo'' who would later join Gómez and Benitez as three division world champions,
Wilfredo Vazquez Wilfredo is a given name which may refer to:
*Wilfredo Alicdan (born 1965), Filipino figurative artist
*Wilfredo Alvarado (born 1970), Venezuelan football defender
*Willy Caballero (born 1981), Argentine football goalkeeper
* Wilfredo Caraballo (bo ...
, had been announced as a participator in the undercard, but he had to pull out because of an injury days prior to the fight.
After an excellent undercard that included a win by
Alberto Mercado
Alberto Mercado Monserrate (born January 2, 1961) is a former Jr. Featherweight boxer who was on the verge of fighting for a world title at least twice in his career.
Amateur boxing career
Mercado started boxing as an amateur at the age of 1 ...
, Pintor was the first of the four world champions to step into the ring that night, to challenge Gómez for Gómez's world title. In a brutal slugfest, Gómez struck first, hitting Pintor with an uppercut in round one, and pinning Pintor against the ropes for a good portion of round three, including a nineteen punch combination that had Pintor almost falling. It wasn't to be easy, however, and by the end of that third round, Pintor began to introduce his jab to Gómez's face. Gómez's eye began to puff almost immediately. Gómez showed his championship heart by roaring back to take the fourth despite the bothering hematoma forming over his eye.
In the fifth, it was Pintor's turn to come back and take a round, but Gómez pounded Pintor to the head in rounds six, seven and eight, the latter in which Pintor lost a point for punching low. Pintor was finding out that Gómez was as hard to beat as his 37–1–1 (37 knockouts) record said he was. Pintor, however, had the heart of a lion too, and in the ninth he punched Gómez with poison in his hands and bad intentions, taking that round and round ten. Then came round twelve, one of the fiercest rounds in the Jr Featherweight boxing's history. Gómez and Pintor traded punches toe to toe fiercely during that round, and both men had to be carried by their cornermen back to their corners. However, Gómez's eyes were both almost closed by now, and his fans started having flashbacks of his 1981 bout with world featherweight champion Salvador Sánchez. Gómez realized he needed a dramatic finish, and he hit Pintor with everything he had, and with Pintor tiring and on the catching end of most of that round's punches, he figured out he had to try to outbox Gómez the rest of the way.
In round thirteen, Pintor attacked Gómez's eyes from a distance with his jab. One of the least action packed rounds was still a very good round, and Pintor took it by outmaneuvering Gómez for the first time in the bout.
Gómez, imagining he could have been behind on the scorecards, came for the fourteenth in a roar, and started throwing punches from all angles. Pintor was tired and Gómez looked stronger, but Gómez's eyes were almost completely closed by this time, and he could barely see Pintor. He was, as he described it later himself "fighting on instinct only". Then, suddenly he caught Pintor with a right to the temple and Pintor fell on his knees, for the first knockdown of the fight. He bravely beat the count of referee
Arthur Mercante
Arthur Mercante Sr. (January 26, 1920 – April 10, 2010) was an American boxing referee. His career lasted from the 1960s until 2001. Mercante's son also became a noted referee. In his youth, Arthur Mercante Sr. was a member of the Merchant ...
, but Gómez didn't waste his opportunity and chased his wounded prey with uppercuts and crosses, until a right cross caught Pintor on his chin and he fell to the floor on his back. Mercante didn't bother to count this time: He stopped the fight immediately and Gómez had retained his world title in a dramatic fight.
According to
KO Magazine
''KO Magazine'' was a popular United States boxing magazine. It was first published in 1980, to compete with '' The Ring''.
It was founded by Stanley Weston, long-time publisher of numerous boxing and pro wrestling titles.
''KO Magazine'', nickn ...
, Gómez led on fight judge
Harold Lederman
Harold Lederman (January 26, 1940 – May 11, 2019) was an American boxing judge and analyst. He began his career as a boxing judge in 1967 and joined the cast of ''HBO World Championship Boxing'' in 1986, and was there until HBO dropped boxing ...
's card by 125–121, and on Dick Cole's by 126–120, while Pintor led on Artie Aidala's card by 124–121 at the time of the stoppage. KO Magazine's staff writer had it for Gómez at 125–120.
20 minutes after the first of the two co main events was over, it was Hearns' turn to step into the ring and challenge Benitez. The two engaged in one of the most intense staredowns in history. After touching gloves, Hearns began to use his longer jab, but the brave champion started to dig in. Hearns boxed from a distance in rounds one, two and three and Benitez kept applying pressure, and using his best method of fighting: Lying against the ropes. Whenever pinned there, Hearns would try to unleash a combination and Benitez would slip the punches coming at him and countering. Benitez's championship heart was also a very huge one.
In the fifth, Hearns struck with a right to the head and Benitez's gloves touched the canvas. Referee
Octavio Meyran
Octavio Meyran Sanchez is a Mexican former boxing referee.
During his career Meyran officiated at over twenty-seven world title fights including the No Más fight between Roberto Durán and Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980, Wilfredo Gómez's WBC Feath ...
of Mexico counted, but Benitez came back and almost won the round after that. Hearns also dominated the sixth and the seventh, but in the ninth, a Benitez right hand graced Hearns' chin and Hearns fell on all fours. Hearns also got up, and won the tenth round. Rounds eleven and twelve were all Wilfredo, with the champion trying to close the gap between him and Hearns with masterful counter punching and ring intelligence. Hearns, however, knew he needed the next few rounds to secure another world title, and he boxed Benitez by using his jab. Benitez also imagined ''he'' was the one who needed a rally, and had in rounds thirteen and fourteen, two of his best rounds of the fight. In round fifteen, Hearns seemed to think he had the decision secured, and Benitez seemed to imagine he needed a knockout to win, so Hearns proceeded to use his jab for three more minutes and Benitez tried to avoid defeat by throwing quick combinations onto Hearns' face to see if he could find the punch that would finally lay down ''The Hitman'' for good. But it wasn't to be, and the bell rang, putting an end to the second of two intense and historic boxing battles.
When the decision was announced, it was a
majority decision
A majority decision (MD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking. In a majority decision, two of the three judges agree on whi ...
: two judges had voted for Hearns, (144–139 and 146–136, according to KO magazine) and one for a draw (142–142), making Hearns the WBC's new world Jr Middleweight champion.
Boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...