NABF Belt is Great Title, From Don King and Ali, to Bobby Hitz and Taylor Duerr
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Staying in 1969 in the heavyweight division in the United States, the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) belt became a prominent title and springboard to establishing top contenders as being in the mix for a shot at the lineage world heavyweight title. Heavyweight champions and top contenders who put the NABF belt on the map include Sonny Liston, Leroy Jones, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Floyd Patterson, Bob Foster, Ken Norton, Jimmy Ellis, George Chuvalo, Jerry Quarry, Buster Mathis, Ron Lyle, Michael Dokes, Tim Witherspoon, Greg Page, Tony Tubbs, Wladimir Klitschko, James Toney, Hasim Rahman, Samuel Peter, Andy Ruiz Jr. and Chris Arreola.
The NABF cruiserweight belt has a history with Chicago-based promoter Bobby Hitz and the late cruiserweight champion O’Neill Bell. Under Hitz’ tutelage and guidance, Bell fought and won six NABF regional cruiserweight title bouts between 2001 and 2003. Notable cruiserweight world champions and top contenders who fought for the NABF belt include Steve Cunningham (currently in the midst of a comeback at cruiserweight at age 45), Thomas Hearns, Leon Spinks, S.T. Gordon, Marvin Camel, Alvaro “Yaqui” Lopez, Jesse Burnett, Orlin Norris, Wayne Braithwaite, King Arthur Williams, Robert Daniels, Vadim Tokarev, Lateef Kayote, Thabiso Mchunu, and Andrew Tabiti.
The NABF cruiserweight belt has been silent since August 2017. Muhammad Ali fought in nine consecutive NABF heavyweight title bouts between 1971 and 1974 before regaining the world heavyweight title. Ali’s last NABF bout was his rematch with Joe Frazier over 12 rounds, which he won in 1974 before fighting Foreman. After losing the world heavyweight title to Ali, Foreman won the vacant NABF heavyweight title by knocking out Ron Lyle in 1976, and defended it by stopping Joe Frazier in their 1977 rematch. Simply put, starting in 1969, Sonny Liston (who fought the NABF inaugural title bout) and Muhammad Ali put the NABF belt and televised boxing on the map as former world heavyweight champions on the comeback trail in televised regional titular bouts. Promoter Bobby Hitz has a history with the NABF cruiserweight belt, but the last time a Hitz fighter won the NABF cruiserweight belt was 20 years ago. A boxing title bout, regional or world, is of no value unless the belt is fought for, and the fighter associated with it is moved. The Coronavirus pandemic has caused many fighters and belts periods of inactivity, providing some golden opportunities for lesser-known fighters to fight for belts that would otherwise be unavailable. Hitz is providing Detroit unbeaten prospect Taylor Duerr with the opportunity of a lifetime to fight in Rosemont, Illinois, on November 24, 2021, for the NABF and USBA vacant belts with only 13 bouts of pro experience. This reporter hopes to be at ringside in Chicago on November 24, 2021, to see Duerr capitalize on the opportunity given by Hitz, and rise to the challenge.
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