Greg Lee Haugen (born August 31, 1960) is a retired American boxer. Haugen was champion at both the

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

and

light welterweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...

classes. He trained under Jim Montgomery. Haugen turned pro in 1982 and won his first 17 fights before challenging for a world title. On December 5, 1986, Haugen captured the

International Boxing Federation The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Cou ...

Lightweight Title with a majority decision over reigning champion Jimmy Paul. He lost his title in his first defense to

Vinny Pazienza Vinny Paz (born Vincenzo Edward Pazienza, December 16, 1962), formerly Vinny Pazienza, is an American former professional boxer who held world titles at lightweight and light middleweight. The 2016 film ''Bleed for This'' is based on his comebac ...

by decision. However, he won the title back in a rematch with Pazienza in 1988. He defended the title against Miguel Santana and future

WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...

welterweight champion Gert Bo Jacobsen. He lost the IBF Lightweight title to

Pernell Whitaker Pernell Whitaker Sr. (January 2, 1964 – July 14, 2019) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2001, and subsequently worked as a boxing trainer. He was a four-weight world champion, having won titles at lightweight, ligh ...

in 1989 by decision, it was his biggest paycheck at that time at $426,000. On February 23, 1991, he captured the

Light Welterweight Title with an upset victory over then undefeated

Hector Camacho In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

by split decision, an outcome that resulted from Camacho being deducted a point for illegally hitting Haugen when Haugen refused to touch gloves at the beginning of the last round. After his fight with Camacho; Haugen tested positive for marijuana and was fined $25,000. Later that year Haugen lost a rematch with Camacho, again by split decision. In 1992, he captured the vacant NABF light welterweight title with a knockout win over Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini. On February 20, 1993, he challenged Mexican legend

Julio César Chávez Julio César Chávez González (; born July 12, 1962), also known as Julio César Chávez Sr., is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005. A multiple-time world champion in three weight divisions, Chávez was list ...

for the WBC Light Welterweight Title at Azteca Stadium in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, a fight attended by 132,247 spectators. Haugen's legacy is likely best defined by the Chavez fight, but not for his performance in the ring. Leading up to the bout, Haugen made the comment that many of Chavez’s wins "came against

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choic ...

drivers that my mom could whip." This generated a huge uproar in the Mexican community and ignited publicity for the bout. Within seconds of the opening round, Chavez dropped Haugen with a straight right hand, but rather than dispatching him quickly, pulled back with the intent of punishing him for his pre-fight remarks. After several more rounds of punishment, Chavez dropped him again in the 5th round, and after delivering another barrage of punches, the referee intervened and waved it off. It marked the first stoppage loss of Haugen's career. Afterwards, Haugen remarked: "They must have been very tough taxi drivers." Haugen never again challenged for a major belt. When asked in an interview who was the greatest fighter he ever fought, Haugen replied, "Hands down,

." He made excuses for his loss to Chavez which he was still struggling to come to terms with, describing it as his "biggest regret."Greg Haugen - In My Own Words (Fox Sports) 2
/ref> He retired in 1999 with a record of 40–10–1 (2 NC).

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* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Haugen, Greg 1960 births Living people World boxing champions International Boxing Federation champions American people of Norwegian descent Doping cases in boxing Boxers from Washington (state) People from Auburn, Washington American male boxers Lightweight boxers

See also

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